Will you please turn to the book of Revelation? Revelation 2:7.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.
And this is repeated seven times in Revelation 2 and 3. Finally, Revelation 12:11:
And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death.
Shall we pray?
Dear Lord, as we continue in Thy presence, we want to open our hearts to Thee and say, “Lord, hast Thou anything to say to us? Speak; Thy servants hear.” In Thy name. Amen.
Brother Sparks asked Brother Nee a question. He said, “What is the hardest thing in the Bible that can be fulfilled?” To this, our brother answered, “Ephesians 5:27.”
That he might present the church to himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
This, to our brother, is the hardest thing to be fulfilled: that the church shall be presented to the Lord glorious, having no spot, no wrinkle, nor any such thing; holy and blameless.
Brothers and sisters, as we look at the church today, as we look at ourselves, as we look around us, the more you think of what the church should be, the more you begin to realize that it seems more and more impossible.
The church has a wonderful past. But today, as we look around and as we look at ourselves, it gives us the impression: How can ever God’s church be presented to Christ as His bride—holy, blameless, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing?
Humanly speaking, it looks impossible. But, dear brothers and sisters, with God nothing is impossible. And He who has promised, He will fulfill it. But how?
We know that the Apostle Paul was used of God to write seven letters to seven churches. Likewise, the Apostle John was used of God to write seven letters to seven churches.
But when you compare these seven churches, you will find that when Paul wrote letters to the seven churches, in spite of the fact that there were many problems, even errors, in some of the churches, the churches were considered at that time as normal. Why? Because he mentioned, for instance, in Philippians, elders and deacons.
So you find that the churches at that time were considered to be normal, even though there were problems. And, as I often say, problems can be a blessing if they can be solved rightly.
But when you look at the seven letters through John, you will find that there is no mention of elders, no mention of deacons. It is only mentioned, “Unto the angel” in a certain church.
And of course, we know there are two kinds of angels: the heavenly and the earthly. We cannot think of our Lord Jesus writing to the heavenly angel about the church on earth. So the angel here must represent an earthly messenger.
But we believe it is in a collective sense. There is no more mention of elders, no more mention of deacons. All these organizations seem to have gone. But there is the angel: those who are spiritually responsible for the spiritual condition of each church.
So there is a vast difference when you read these two sets of churches.
In the seven letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor, you find that each letter ends with a call, and the call is personal:
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
So, in other words, you find that God has a strategy. He has a strategy to complete His promise, and the strategy is through overcomers.
What a mess! The majority of the people seem to have failed spiritually. But God yet raises up some overcomers—minorities, fewer people—who are still faithful to the Lord and maintain the testimony of Jesus in their time.
Now, as a matter of fact, this strategy of God was not new at all. Because if we read the Old Testament, you find the same principle applied, even though it was called by a different name. Instead of overcomers, you find the remnant.
The children of Israel were called by God to bear the testimony of God. But how they failed! In spite of their failure and being carried captive to Babylon, Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple was destroyed, and there was no more testimony of God on earth.
So while you are reading, for instance, Daniel, you will find that God was called the God of heaven. But He was no longer called the God of heaven and earth. Why? Because Israel had no testimony on this earth. Israel had failed God.
But thank God, after seventy years of captivity in Babylon, God stirred up the hearts of a remnant. Unfortunately, the majority of the Jews in captivity remained in Babylon.
Why? Because during those seventy years they were well treated. They were able to build their own houses. They were able to build up their businesses. So they were well-to-do in the land of captivity.
They had no desire to leave, to go back to Jerusalem that was in ruins, and to go back to rebuild the temple so that the testimony of God might be on earth. No, they had no desire for that. They lived for themselves, and they were quite contented.
But thank God, a remnant—comparatively few—their spirits were stirred by God, and they were willing to go back to Jerusalem, a ruined land, for one purpose: to rebuild the temple, the house of God, that God might have a testimony upon the earth.
So this was the remnant principle. But when you come to the New Testament, you find it is the overcomer principle. But actually, they are the same.
Brothers and sisters, we are living at the very end of this age. This age of grace began at the first coming of our Lord Jesus, but it will end at the second coming of our Lord Jesus.
For at His second coming, He will bring in the age of the kingdom, the millennium, the thousand years that He will reign upon this earth. And we are living toward the end of this age.
But thank God, throughout the ages, you will find God has His overcomers. For you see here, in Revelation 2 and 3, these churches existed toward the end of the first century.
Even with these seven churches, we find that only two of the seven churches were without any blame. But the other five, you find, the Lord told them to repent.
But even with the church in Philadelphia, it seems as if it was an overcoming church. And yet the Lord still said, “Be faithful to the end, lest you lose your crown.”
In other words, they were overcomers as a church, and yet it was still possible that some might lose their crown. So to be an overcomer, in a sense, is very individual.
Individually, we have to be responsible either to be an overcomer or to be overcome.
So here you find in Revelation 2 and 3, among all these churches, whatever their conditions may be, thank God, there were overcomers. And by overcomers, it simply means they were faithful to the vision that God had given to them.
Revelation 2 and 3 tells us of the overcomers toward the end of the first century. But then you turn to Revelation 7.
In Revelation 7:9-17, you find a great multitude, which no one could number, out of every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palm branches in their hands.
Now these are the overcomers through the centuries. We are now in the twenty-first century, but these represent overcomers through the centuries, from the second century on to the twentieth century.
Therefore, you find that even though we always think of overcomers as minorities, yet there was a number that could not be counted. In other words, throughout the centuries, no matter what the general condition of the church might be, thank God, there were those who were faithful to God.
So you had overcomers through the ages, and they stood before the Lord, crying with a loud voice:
Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb.
And here you find in Revelation 7:14:
These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Now, the great tribulation here is a general term. It is not the great tribulation of three and a half years, because throughout the centuries the church has been going through great tribulation.
Why? Because the church is supposed to be the instrument of God, so it became the target of the enemy of God. Throughout the centuries, the enemy used all kinds of means to destroy the testimony of the church.
Sometimes he used persecution; sometimes he used favor. Whether it is favor or persecution, behind it is the tactic of the enemy, trying to destroy the church as the bearer of the testimony of God, of Jesus.
But thank God, throughout the centuries there were overcomers. They came out of the tribulation and washed their robes, making them white in the blood of the Lamb: overcomers through the centuries.
Then when you turn to Revelation 12, you find there was a vision. It was the vision of a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child, crying, being in travail and in pain to bring forth.
Now that is a vision of the end time. Here you find that woman represents the church at the end time. The church is clothed with the sun; that is, it belongs to God. The moon is under her feet; that is, the law is under her feet. And the crown of twelve stars refers to the patriarchal age. So that is the church of the ages.
Here you find she was in travail to bring forth a man child. That is the situation of the church at the end time.
Then you find there is another vision: a dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, drawing the third part of the stars of heaven. That dragon represents Satan, how he drew a third part of the angels to rebel against God.
And the dragon stood before the woman. But strangely, you find the dragon was not interested in the woman. Why? Because, in a sense, the woman was already in his hand. The woman had lost the testimony.
But he was interested in the man child whom the woman was in travail to bring forth. Brothers and sisters, that is the wisdom of God. Even when God allows the church to go through suffering, tribulation, and travail, it is to bring forth a man child.
So you find that toward the end of this age there will still be persecution. But the object of the dragon was not the woman anymore; it was the man child.
Now, of course, there are various interpretations. But to us, we feel the right interpretation is this: some people think the man child is Christ. The enemy, of course, was trying to swallow up Christ when He was born, but we all know how God protected Him.
But strangely, you find the man child, when he was born, did not live on earth. Immediately after he was born, he was raptured to the throne. Now, that was not what happened to Christ, because our Lord Jesus spent thirty-three years on earth.
So most likely, this man child represents the overcomers at the end of this age—the overcomers before the second coming of the Lord.
Because Satan knew that if this man child was born, that would be the end of Satan. So that is why he was so interested in trying to devour the man child as soon as he was born.
But thank God, when the man child was born, immediately he was raptured, as the Bible says, to God and to His throne.
As we come to Revelation 12:10-11, we find that this man child actually is a collective term. It is not one person, because the Bible uses the word “they”:
And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death.
So, in other words, this man child represents the overcomers at the second coming of the Lord. Why? Because immediately after this man child was raptured to the throne, what happened? You find there was war in heaven.
It is as if this man child, the overcomers at the end of this age, will be the welcoming party to the second coming of the Lord.
We know where the headquarters of Satan is. His headquarters are in the air. But here you find this man child is able to thrust through the air to reach the throne. That seems to speak of overcoming. They have overcome Satan in their lives.
And because of that, they were raptured to the throne. When you read this, you cannot help but think of what our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 24.
The Lord Jesus says that at His coming something will happen. He said two women will be grinding, but one is taken and one is left. Two will be working in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two will be sleeping; one will be taken and one is left.
Now, what does it mean? It means that at the second coming of the Lord, what tells us that our Lord is coming again? This is the sign: suddenly, all over this world, some Christians will disappear.
It is not six people; it is two, two, two. In other words, the two here represent the church—the Christians who are living at the time of the coming of the Lord. It speaks of us, because we are living toward the end of this age.
Why is it two and not twelve? Because twelve is the number of the church, a complete number. In Matthew 25, you find ten virgins. The ten virgins speak of Christians who have died through the ages, and the two represent Christians who are still living at the coming of the Lord.
Now, why use all these different illustrations? Because the earth is round. In some places it is morning; at the same time in other places it is noontime; and at the same time in another place it is night. So two are sleeping.
But, brothers and sisters, the thing is this: the Bible does not tell us any outward difference between the two. Outwardly, they do the same thing. They are grinding, they are working in the field, they are even sleeping.
But the Lord knows who is His. The Lord knows who is waiting for Him. The Lord knows who is praying and watching, waiting and prepared for His return. The Lord knows.
We look at outward appearance; they are the same. But the Lord knows what is inside. So when the call comes, only those who can respond to the Lord will be raptured.
But those who do not respond to the Lord will be left behind for the great tribulation. So, brothers and sisters, that is what you find in the promise to the church in Philadelphia: when the trial comes to the whole world, they will be raptured. They will not be there during the hour of the great tribulation.
These people are raptured because they have overcome. So they can thrust through the headquarters of Satan and reach the throne, to be the welcoming party to the coming of the Lord.
And as soon as they are raptured, what happens? In Revelation 12, we are told there will be war in heaven. Michael and his angels will fight with Satan and his angels, and the result will be that Satan and his angels will be thrown upon the earth.
In other words, the air will be cleared. Now why should the air be cleared? Because our Lord Jesus will descend from the throne with the overcomers to the air. That is right.
Surely, that is the reason why you find those Christians who are not prepared, who are not ready, who were overcome instead of overcoming, have to go through great tribulation.
But remember, even when they go through great tribulation, it is the mercy of God. Why? Because God gives them another chance. When you are in the great tribulation, that should wake up everybody.
So there will be overcomers coming out of the great tribulation, and they shall reign with Christ.
Now, that is what you find in Revelation 15. John saw another sign and said:
I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having seven plagues, which are the last, for in them is finished the wrath of God.
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and them that come victorious from the beast, and from his image, and from the number of his name, standing by the sea of glass, having harps of God.
Now these are overcomers through the great tribulation. So, in other words, you see the mercy of God. He is giving us chance after chance. Why? Because His heart is for us to be overcomers and not to be overcome.
So these will be the overcomers in Revelation 15, overcomers during the great tribulation.
Then you come to Revelation 19. Now, in Revelation 19, you have the marriage feast of the Lamb, and His wife has made herself ready.
Strangely, you find when you read the Bible, it not only begins with a marriage, as you find in Genesis 2, but the Bible ends with marriage.
But toward the end of the book of Revelation, there are two marriages of the Lamb: one in Revelation 19 and one in Revelation 21 and 22.
Because in Revelation 19, you find:
I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunders, saying, Hallelujah: for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigneth.
Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad, and let us give the glory unto Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.
And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
So you have the marriage of the Lamb in Revelation 19. But then again, in Revelation 21 and 22, you have another marriage:
I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
Now why two marriages? What is the difference? Are they the same? If you read carefully, you find these are a thousand years apart.
Revelation 19 is the marriage of the Lamb at the beginning of the millennium. Revelation 21 and 22 is the marriage of the Lamb in eternity to come. In other words, a thousand years are over, and eternity begins.
So if you read carefully, you will find there is a difference between the two marriages.
In Revelation 19, who is the bride? The bride is not represented by the whole church. The bride is represented only by the overcomers of the ages.
How do we know? Because it is described that they are clothed in fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
You know, we who believe in the Lord Jesus, all of us are clothed with Christ, who is our righteousness. But over and above that clothing, because that clothing gives us standing before God, there will be another clothing: the wedding garment.
And the wedding garment is the righteousness of the saints. The basic clothing of a Christian is the righteousness of Christ—Christ our righteousness. But the wedding garment is the righteousness of the saints.
In other words, after we are clothed with Christ, how we should, in our daily life, allow the life of Christ to live in and through us. And out of that comes the righteousness of the saints.
When you read Psalm 45, you will see that the bride, the queen, is clothed with two garments: the golden one and the linen one. The golden one represents Christ our righteousness, and the linen one represents what the Holy Spirit has worked in our lives, stitch by stitch, until it becomes a wedding garment.
Do we have the righteousnesses of the saints? Is the righteousness of Christ being lived out through us?
So here you find in Revelation 19 there is a wedding before the millennium. In other words, it begins the millennium. We do not know how long this wedding will go on—maybe a thousand years.
And that is why you find the five foolish virgins cannot enter into the marriage feast. They were in darkness.
But, brothers and sisters, God can never fail. We may fail, but God will never fail. Once He has saved us, He will save us to the uttermost.
This is what you find in Romans:
Whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
In other words, when God’s hand comes upon you, thank God, it is toward perfection. He will never leave anything undone. If you cooperate, praise the Lord. If you do not, sooner or later, you will by His grace be perfected.
But maybe during the millennium time you will be in darkness. That is discipline. If you are not disciplined today, in the millennium time you will still be disciplined. Why? Because He wants you to be like Him.
So eventually, when you come to Revelation 21 and 22, you find it is the consummation of all the marvelous work of God, both in the Old Testament time and in the New Testament time.
Because the foundations are the foundations of the twelve apostles—the New Testament—but the gates bear the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. So, in other words, it is the consummation of all the work of God.
And everyone will be there, seeing the face of our Lord constantly.
But, brothers and sisters, that is in the future. How about today? We are still living. We are on the verge of that rapture. Are we prepared? Are you ready?
No one knows who is ready. Only God knows. But how can we be ready? How can we live an overcoming life?
Now the secret is in Revelation 12:11:
And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death.
That is the secret. How can we overcome Satan in our lives?
Number one: by the blood of the Lamb.
Brothers and sisters, do not think that we need the blood of the Lamb only when we are saved. It is the blood of the Lamb that has saved us.
But here you find the blood of the Lamb is for our lifetime. How we need His blood every day, every moment.
The closer you are to the Lord, the more you realize you need the blood. Even the tears of our repentance need His blood.
We will never come to a time when we do not need the blood of the Lamb. No one is perfect. We all have our failures and imperfections.
And the Lord is drawing us to be like Him, and the only way through it is the blood of the Lamb. We need His cleansing all the time.
Number two: because of the word of their testimony.
Do you have a testimony? What is the testimony? It is the testimony of Jesus. In other words, they can bear the testimony of Jesus. They can speak the word of testimony. They can speak the word, “Jesus is Lord.”
And when they speak that word, that word is powerful. It works. It defeats the enemy.
You remember the story in Acts 19, when Paul was in Ephesus. There were seven sons of the Jewish high priest Sceva. They were exorcists. They tried to drive out demons.
When they saw Paul was so successful in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the demons were driven out, some of them tried to use that formula. They thought it was a formula.
So they said, “By Jesus whom Paul preacheth, we command you demons to leave.” But the demons said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?”
And the demon overcame them, and they fled naked and wounded. Brothers and sisters, the word of testimony is real. I mean, if you do not have the reality behind it, it does not work.
But if you have the reality behind it, it works. The demon will be driven out. The word of their testimony.
Brothers and sisters, like John the Apostle, he had the testimony of Jesus. Even though he had to be exiled, he had the testimony of Jesus. Do we have the testimony of Jesus?
When we say, “Jesus is Lord,” is He really Lord of our life? Are we still our own lord?
The word of their testimony. And number three: they loved not their lives even unto death.
The life here is soul life. In other words, they are willing to lay down their soul life to follow the Lord.
The Lord said, “If you love your soul life, you will lose it. If you lose it for My sake, you gain it unto eternity.” That is the salvation of the soul.
And do we have such a spirit before the Lord? Are we willing to lay down ourselves and allow the Lord to be really Lord over us?
Now these are the secrets of the overcomers. They are open secrets. They are for every one of us. And we all can become overcomers by the grace of God.
So, dear brothers and sisters, are we ready? Are we ready?
If tonight the call comes, where will we go? May the Lord help us. Shall we pray?
Dear Lord, how we pray and thank Thee that Thou art still waiting, that Thou art still patiently waiting for us. Lord, do not allow us to miss the opportunity.
Do touch our hearts. Enable us to really give ourselves totally back to Thee, and allow Thee to have full authority over our lives. Make us ready, and use us as those who prepare Thy human return.
We commit one another into Thy hand. None of us can boast of ourselves, but we all humbly put ourselves in Thy hand and pray that none of us will miss the opportunity. We ask in Thy name. Amen.