He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with Me in My throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with My Father in His throne.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back, close sealed with seven seals.
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
And no one in the heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look thereon.
And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look thereon:
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof.
And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.
And He came, and He taketh it out of the right hand of Him that sat on the throne.
And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase unto God with Thy blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,
And madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon the earth.
And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having His name, and the name of His Father, written on their foreheads.
And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and the voice which I heard was as the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
And they sing as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders: and no man could learn the song save the hundred and forty and four thousand, even they that had been purchased out of the earth.
These are they that were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were purchased from among men, to be the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb.
And in their mouth was found no lie: they are without blemish.
Lord, we want to thank Thee for gathering us together this morning to worship Thee, to tell Thee how much we appreciate Thy love for us, and that we can continue in Thy presence to read Thy Word together and to hear what the Spirit has to say to the churches.
So, Lord, we desire to open ourselves to Thee and let Thy Spirit speak to our hearts. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.
My burden for this morning is the last call to the churches. It is a call to overcome. We find that in the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation. Seven times our risen Lord calls for overcomers in the church.
You know, when we were yet sinners, His first call came to us. The Lord said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Thank God, we heard that call. We were laboring and heavy laden, and we came to Him, and He gave us rest. Thank God for that.
Following that call to sinners, we hear the call to believers. He said, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” It is a call to discipleship. The Lord calls us to follow Him, to learn of Him, to be His disciples, and to be like Him. Thank God, many have responded to that call.
These calls are rather personal. But then we find that God’s calling is more than personal. He calls us together corporately. He calls us to be the body of Christ. We are called in one body, and we are called to be members one of another.
But what is the last call that God would give His people? So far as I can see from the Word of God, it seems that the last call to the church is the call to overcome. It is that call to which we must respond.
The burden in my heart is this: What will help us to respond to that last call? It is the last, the present, the urgent, and the most important call that we can ever hear. How can we be helped to respond to this call?
I think there are two visions in the book of Revelation that are given to help us respond to that call. King Solomon said, “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint.” In some versions it says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Or the people simply disintegrate; they are scattered.
We need vision. It is heavenly vision that strengthens us, gives us purpose, strength, endurance, direction, and cohesion to go on with the Lord.
I feel that the call to overcome is a call for every one of us today. There is much to overcome, and we are called to overcome. But how can we overcome? Oftentimes, we find that we are overwhelmed.
I believe these two visions will give us the strength to overcome.
The first vision is found in Revelation 5. There is One who sits upon the throne, and we know that it is God Himself. In His hand there is a book sealed with seven seals.
Then a strong angel proclaims, “Who is worthy to take the book, and to open the seals?” His voice is so strong that it can be heard in heaven, on earth, and even underneath the earth. In other words, it is a cry to be heard by every being in the universe, whether angelic, human, or demonic.
The voice says, “Who is worthy to take the book from the hand of the One who sits upon the throne, to open the seals, and to look thereon?” But there was no one in heaven, on earth, or underneath the earth—no angel, no man, no devil.
John wept much. Brothers and sisters, this must be of tremendous importance. What is that book in the hand of God? We believe it is the title deed of the universe.
God created the heavens and the earth. He is the Owner of the universe, and He holds its ownership in His own hand. He never gives up His ownership.
God delegated the dominion of the earth to man. But Satan cheated man and took the dominion out of man’s hand. In other words, Satan became a usurper of the universe that God had committed to man to govern. Yet Satan did not possess the ownership. God never gives up His ownership.
Now God is going to reclaim the universe unto Himself. But He needs Someone who is able, Someone who is worthy, to execute His right. Unfortunately, there was none. When John realized this, he wept much, because if there were no one to execute the will of God, there would be no hope. Satan would continue to usurp the earth, and the whole universe would continue in corruption and vanity. God’s will could not be done.
But one of the elders comforted him and said, “Weep not; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome, and He is able to take the book and to open it.”
It is a matter of worthiness. It is a matter of who overcomes. Only the One who has overcome Satan is worthy to execute God’s will concerning the universe.
Then John lifted up his eyes, and he saw in the midst of the throne, in the midst of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the twenty-four elders, a Lamb. He was expecting a lion, but he saw a Lamb.
Not only a Lamb, but a Lamb newly slain. When a lamb is slain, it lies down. But this Lamb, who was newly slain, is standing. He speaks of resurrection.
He comes forward and takes from the hand of the One who sits upon the throne that book, and He begins to open its seals. Then the elders and the living creatures sing a new song: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.”
Here we see a picture. It is actually a replay of the ascension of our Lord Jesus. Sometimes people may wonder whether our Lord Jesus truly reached heaven. The disciples on the Mount of Olives saw Him go up, but then a cloud received Him, and they could see Him no more. How did they know that our Lord had reached heaven?
Here you find the proof: a replay of that scene. God was pleased to show John the ascension of our Lord Jesus. The Lamb who was slain, but resurrected, has now ascended to heaven. According to Psalm 2, He received from the Father the authority of the world.
Brothers and sisters, He has overcome. That is the fact. That is the principle. Because He has overcome, He is worthy.
But the question is: How did He overcome? We think of a lion. Of course, as a lion—the king of beasts—he would appear able to overcome. But John sees a Lamb.
In Revelation 12, Satan is described as a dragon. Here you find a battle between the dragon and the Lamb. Humanly speaking, the dragon would swallow the lamb. But spiritually, God’s ways are always higher than ours, and His thoughts are always higher than ours.
It is not the dragon that swallows the Lamb; it is the Lamb that overcomes the dragon. Our Lord Jesus overcomes as a Lamb—meek and lowly.
Not only as a Lamb, but our Lord overcomes as a Lamb slain. We would think that being slain is defeat. When our Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross, the world would think, “Now You are finished.” Satan would laugh and say, “Now You are undone.”
But by being slain, our Lord overcame everything. On the cross, He overcame sin and the power of sin. He overcame death. He overcame the one who has the power of death. He overcame Satan. He overcame everything, and He redeemed and reconciled the world back to God.
Here we see the secret of overcoming. It is so different from our human understanding. Our Lord Jesus overcame as the Lamb. He overcame as a Lamb slain. On that basis, He is worthy to receive the book and to open its seals.
The Lamb slain is standing, with seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits sent forth into all the world. Eyes in Scripture always stand for spiritual understanding, spiritual perception, and insight.
Our Lord Jesus has the fullness of spiritual understanding. He knows everything. He has insight into everything. His judgment is true. Horns in Scripture always stand for power and strength. Our Lord Jesus has not only spiritual insight; He is also all-powerful.
The seven Spirits are sent into the whole world. For what purpose? I believe that understanding and that power are sent forth to bring in those who will share the victory of the Lamb—to recreate us, as it were, to be like Him: meek and lowly, and even bearing the cross, so that we too may enter into that victory.
The victory of our Lord Jesus over everything is the foundation of our overcoming. We cannot overcome if we lose sight of our overcoming Lord.
Oftentimes, the reason we are downcast, pressed down, disappointed, discouraged, and overwhelmed by the things that happen is that we have lost sight of our overcoming Lord—the Lamb upon the throne.
If we keep our eyes fixed on the Lamb upon the throne, brothers and sisters, we shall overcome. There is nothing that we cannot overcome. We will rise above and not remain under.
This is what the Lord has promised to the church. In Ephesians 1:22-23, God made Christ to be Head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who filleth all in all.
So, brothers and sisters, keep always before you the conquering King, the Lamb upon the throne. Never lose sight of Him. Never let anything distract you from seeing Him. If you see Him, you shall prevail.
Then we find another vision, the vision recorded in Revelation 14. John saw the Lamb. Our Lord Jesus is always the Lamb. Even before the foundation of the world, He was the Lamb. That is His character.
From the foundation of the world, He was the Lamb slain. That was the work He was going to accomplish. While He was on earth, He was the Lamb—meek and lowly. On the cross, He was the Lamb slain. In resurrection, He was the slain Lamb standing. On the throne, He is still the Lamb. Throughout eternity, He is still the Lamb. That is the character of our Lord Jesus.
Here we find the Lamb standing on Mount Zion. The Mount Zion here is not Mount Zion on earth; it is Mount Zion in heaven. Zion in Scripture is where David has his throne. Therefore, standing on Mount Zion means that He is on the throne—the throne of David.
But He is not there alone. With Him are a hundred and forty-four thousand who have His name and His Father’s name upon their foreheads.
Brothers and sisters, we believe that the one hundred and forty-four thousand is not merely a fixed number. It is a number of fullness. The Bible often speaks of the fullness of time and the fullness of number.
It is a multiple of twelve, and twelve is a number of perfection. In other words, in the purpose of God there will be a fullness of number. There will be a people who have His name and His Father’s name written upon their foreheads.
I believe these are the overcomers of the ages. They represent the overcomers of the church throughout the ages. Why? Because they have the name of the Lord and His Father’s name written upon their foreheads.
When you have something written upon your forehead, it is a declaration. Everybody can see it. Everybody can read it. If you have that name there, it means that you belong to that name.
When we come to the Lord Jesus, thank God, our names are written in the book of life. But does it also mean that the name of our Lord Jesus and the name of His Father can be written upon our foreheads? I personally feel there is a difference.
Thank God, our names are written in the book of life. Eternal life is sure. But if we deny His name, He will deny us before the Father and before the holy angels at His coming. It does not mean that we will be unsaved, but it means that we will lose the kingdom.
If we do not deny His name, if we truly put ourselves under the authority of His name, if we honor His name in our lives, and if we do not bring disgrace to that holy name, then we put ourselves under that name.
As the Lord said, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” If we truly put ourselves under the kingship of Christ and the Lordship of Christ, then I believe the Lord will write His name and His Father’s name upon our foreheads. In other words, He will recognize us. Everybody will see it, even in the unseen world.
In Revelation 3, the church in Philadelphia was commended because they had not denied His name. This is more than simply saying His name. It is a matter of whether our life honors His name or, by our life, denies His name.
Those who do not deny His name will have the name of the Lord and of His Father upon their foreheads. They are seen by the unseen world. Therefore, I believe these are the overcomers of the church.
Then John heard a mighty voice, like the voice of many waters and mighty thunders. This is the description used in Scripture for the voice of God. The voice of God is like the voice of many waters and like mighty thunder.
In John 12, when our Lord Jesus said, “Father, glorify Thy name,” there was a voice from heaven, and people said that it thundered. That is the description of the voice of God. But here we find the same description. What is that voice which comes from heaven? It is the voice of the one hundred and forty-four thousand.
They were singing. They were harpers, playing their harps, and they sang a new song. Brothers and sisters, we know that the harp is the music of the heart. When you play a harp, it is as if you embrace it in your bosom and touch the strings of the heart.
Here you find that they sing out of their heartstrings a new song. There is a majestic, royal tone in it. It is a song that nobody can learn—not even the angels. Only those one hundred and forty-four thousand learn that song in their lives.
They compose the song, and they sing it unto God, unto the Lord. How do they come to know that song? How do they learn it? They learn that song through suffering, through tribulations, through afflictions, and through all kinds of trials.
Just like David, the sweet singer of Israel, who wrote many psalms. How did he compose them? Out of all the trials through which he had gone.
In his family, David was neglected by his father and despised by his brothers. In the court, he was persecuted without cause by Saul. How he suffered. How he wandered in the caves. Yet out of all these sufferings, he became a harp player and sang a new song for the glory of God.
Dear brothers and sisters, do you think that our Christian life is smooth sailing? Some people seem to think that we will be carried on a flowery bed of ease into heaven. When we first believe, we may have that wrong impression, thinking that all our troubles are over and that we will have sweet sailing into heaven.
But it is not so. The Lord Himself said, “In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
When our Lord Jesus was on earth, how He suffered. Of course, there is one suffering of our Lord in which we cannot have fellowship. It is His vicarious, atoning suffering.
When He was crucified on the cross as a substitute for our sins, darkness came upon the world. Our Lord cried out, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” There He suffered to atone for the sin of the world. He trod the winepress alone. No one can share that suffering with Him.
But there is another kind of suffering into which we are called to have fellowship: the fellowship of His sufferings. He suffered for righteousness’ sake. He suffered for love, for sympathy, for care, and for the will of the Father.
He suffered the opposition of the world, the attacks of the enemy, and misunderstanding. Even His disciples could not understand Him. He suffered so much, but He suffered willingly, voluntarily, patiently, and faithfully.
Brothers and sisters, we are called to have fellowship with His sufferings. God allows tribulation, trial, suffering, misunderstanding, pressure, and all kinds of difficulties to come upon His people. Why does He permit this?
It is never God’s will for man to suffer. But because sin is in the world, it is only through suffering that we are able to be cleansed, delivered, sanctified, and transformed.
Here you find that these one hundred and forty-four thousand are able to sing that new song out of much suffering. But the new song does not sing of themselves: “Oh, how we suffer. How we are misunderstood. How we are under pressure. How we are overwhelmed.”
No. They sing of the faithfulness of God, the lovingkindness of God, and the tender mercies of God. They sing for the glory of God. Out of all the sufferings, God proves to us that His grace is sufficient.
They sing a song of hope, of faith, and of love. It is a song that none can learn. It is not a matter of mere technical skill; it is a matter of life experience.
You go through the waters and through the fire, and you find that He goes through with you. He brings you out into victory.
Dear brothers and sisters, are we singing that new song? Are we crying? Yes, we may sing with tears, but there is joy in the heart. They overcome.
They do not overcome as dragons or lions. They overcome as sheep following the Lamb of God. They overcome by meekness and lowliness. They overcome by being slain, slandered, and stepped upon. Many times they are knocked down, but they are never knocked out. They rebound.
Paul said that as sufferings abound, consolation and encouragement also abound. That is how they learn the new song. Brothers and sisters, they will be able to sing unto the Lord a new song: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.”
Who are these one hundred and forty-four thousand? They are all virgins. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:2-3:
For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I espoused you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ.
Dear brothers and sisters, we who are cleansed by the precious blood of the Lamb are virgins in the sight of God. We have been espoused to our Lord Jesus, and we are here waiting for our Bridegroom to be reunited with us.
While we are on earth, we need to keep ourselves from the defilement of the world. Our whole love, our whole being, should be occupied with the One who is absent but is coming.
How easily we may be deceived. Instead of thinking of our Bridegroom, we think of ourselves, of other people, and of things other than the Lord Himself. When we do that, we are defiled.
May the Lord keep us pure. We become so complicated. The world is confusion. That is what Satan has made the world to be, and we allow that confusion to enter into our lives.
Modern life is complicated, and we allow ourselves to become complicated. We have lost the simplicity toward Christ.
If our eyes, our thoughts, and our whole being are occupied with the coming One, we will not be disturbed by anything. Nothing can distract us. Nothing can touch us.
It should be like water thrown upon the back of a duck: it does not remain. Yet we find that many things do remain, and they defile us. Oh, that we would keep a virgin heart toward our Lord.
Who are these people? They are those who follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. They are followers of the Lamb, not followers of man, a teaching, a doctrine, a system, or a form.
Their eyes are upon the Lamb. They do not choose their own way; they simply follow wherever He goes.
Where does the Lamb go? The Lamb goes to the manger in Bethlehem. He who was equal with God and counted not equality with God a thing to be grasped, emptied Himself and took the form of a bondservant. He was born in a manger.
He went to Nazareth, a place despised. He labored in Galilee. He was rejected. He agonized in Gethsemane. He was crucified on Calvary. That is the way of the Lamb. That is where He goes—lower and lower He goes.
But thank God, higher and higher God raised Him. God gave Him a name which is above every name, and at that name every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Brothers and sisters, it is the cross that leads to the throne. That is where the Lamb goes. Here you find that the one hundred and forty-four thousand follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.
If He goes to the manger, they go. If He goes to Nazareth, they go. If He goes to Galilee, they go. If He goes to Gethsemane, they go. If He goes to Calvary, they go. And because of that, when He goes to the throne, they go too.
The way of the cross is the way of the Lamb. The spirit of the Lamb should be our spirit. But oftentimes we find that our spirit is like the spirit of a lion, even of a dragon—terrible and fearful, not meek and lowly, not willing to suffer.
Who are these people? They are bought from the world as firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb.
Firstfruits are always the best fruit. When the firstfruits of the wheat ripened, the children of Israel were to take the firstfruits and present them to God. They were the best, and they belonged to God.
If you have the firstfruits, it guarantees the harvest. If you do not have the firstfruits, you will not have the harvest. In other words, the firstfruits guarantee the harvest.
Spiritually speaking, we who belong to the Lord are all wheat. But there will be some who are firstfruits. Why are they first? Because they receive the sun and receive all these things, and so they ripen first. They are ripened first, and they are the best.
Brothers and sisters, what the Lord is looking for is the firstfruits. That is the call to overcome. The overcomers are the firstfruits. In other words, they are ripened first and presented to the Lord Himself.
But the overcomers are the overcomers of the church. They do not become overcomers as a separate group. They become overcomers in the church and for the church.
The seven calls to overcome in Revelation 2 and 3 all say, “He that overcometh.” Who is he that overcomes? He is the one in the church.
Consider Ephesus. It had lost its first love. Yet God still recognized the church as His lampstand. The light had dimmed, and the first love was lost. God did not call the people there to come out, to leave, to separate, or to purify themselves apart from the church.
No. The call was: “You, in the church in Ephesus, repent and restore the first love.” In the environment where first love has been lost, you maintain your first love. That is overcoming.
To overcome means that you overcome something. If you have nothing to overcome, there is nothing in which to be an overcomer. In the midst of the loss of first love, you repent and are filled with first love. You do not allow the loss of first love around you to cause you to lose your first love.
If you do, you are defeated. But in spite of the coldness, your heart burns for the Lord in the church. As you do that, you guarantee the harvest. People will be helped, and they too will ripen before God.
To the church in Smyrna, a suffering church, the word is: “Be thou faithful unto death.” Not because you suffer a little and say, “No, that is too much. I will find a place where I do not need to suffer.” Love suffers all things and is kind.
To the church in Pergamum, where the church and the world had merged together so that you could hardly tell where the church ended and the world began, the call is to be separate. When people become worldly, set yourself apart for the Lord. Stand for the Lord and for the testimony of Jesus.
In Thyatira, where there is complexity, mystery, and the mystery of Satan, keep the simplicity which is in Christ. Do not allow all these things to affect you. Stand with simplicity toward the Lord.
If the church in Sardis is dead, you be living. Do not allow the deadness to affect you and make you dead also. Be living—alive to the Lord—and your aliveness will maintain the testimony.
To the church in Philadelphia, do not allow anyone to take away your crown. Continue to the very end.
To the church in Laodicea, where there is pride, arrogance, and unreality, you be humble, meek, lowly, and real before God. These are the overcomers.
Brothers and sisters, the call today to us is to overcome. Do not allow anything to overcome us, but we shall overcome because He has overcome.
Who are these people? They are those in whose mouth there is no lie. In other words, they are truthful. They keep the Word of God, and they do not deny His name.
Not because they are perfect. They are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, but they are not perfect in themselves. Yet finally they are blameless.
This is the purpose of God for His church. We are all called; we are all predestined to be holy and blameless unto Him.
He sanctifies us through the washing of water with the Word, that He may present the church unto Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Dear brothers and sisters, this is a people ready for the Bridegroom. That is overcoming.
The call is out: “He that overcometh.” “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.”
Lord, for two thousand years Thou hast been calling for overcomers in the church. Lord, open our ears that we may hear.
Turn our eyes upon Thee, the Overcomer, that we, by Thy grace, may also overcome to the glory of God.
Lord, hear our cry. Show mercy to us. In Thy precious name. Amen.