Quote:
Originally Posted by Zezima
These verses are used a lot in the LR to justify the teaching. What do you think these verses mean? If they don’t back up the LR’s teaching?
Revelation 2:7
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Revelation 2:11
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Revelation 2:17
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
Revelation 2:26
And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Revelation 3:5
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Revelation 3:12
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Revelation was written to a specific group at a specific time. It cannot mean for us what it did not mean for them. It was written to a group of Christians under immense persecution.
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Overcome:
-eat of the tree of life
-not be hurt of the second death
-eat of hidden manna and have new name
-power over nations
-name remains in book of life, name confessed
-write upon him name of God/city/His new name
Presumably, he who does NOT overcome does not get those results, in other words:
-does
not eat of the tree of life
-
will be hurt of the second death
-will
not eat of hidden manna or have a new name
-no power over nations
-name blotted out of the book of life, name not confessed
-name of God/city/His new name not written upon him
I can't speak for all of these repercussions, but a few stick out.
1. Eating or not eating of the tree of life is the thing that makes you live forever or makes you die. It's what Adam and Eve lost access to in the garden of Eden, thus making them die. If you have access to the tree of life again, you will live forever.
2. Being hurt of the second death? My understanding is that this pertains to the soul. The first death is our body....the second would be our soul. Those who are saved do not have to fear the perishing of our soul. Non-overcomers are hurt of the second death which means they are not believers.
3. Name remains in the book of life? Do we think there are genuine believers who's names are removed from the book of life?
"He who overcomes" in these verses gets what we understand believers to get.
As far as my reading of these verses, "he who overcomes" here matches what is mentioned in 1 John:
1 John 5:4-5
for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Overcomers are simply genuine believers. There is no "soulish believer" or "spiritual believer" like Nee/Lee taught. There are false and genuine. If you are a believer, born of God, it seems like the Bible says you will overcome.
Trapped