Message Five
The Lord’s Need for the Overcomers

Scripture Reading: Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21; 12:11; 14:1

I. The Christian life plus the church life is altogether an overcoming life—1 John 5:4-5; Rev. 21:7; 12:11:

A. Overcoming as portrayed in Song of Songs:

1. The lover of Christ overcomes the world by being attracted by Christ—1:2-4.

2. The lover of Christ overcomes the self by being one with the cross of Christ—2:8-9, 14.

3. The lover of Christ overcomes the old creation by living in ascension—4:8.

4. The lover of Christ overcomes the flesh, the natural man, the old man, by living within the veil—6:4a.

B. Overcoming as presented in 1 John:

1. The believers overcome the world through faith in the Son of God—5:4-5.

2. The strong believers overcome the evil one by being nourished, strengthened, and sustained by the word of God—2:13-14.

3. The believers overcome the antichrists through the indwelling Christ—4:3-4.

C. Overcoming as unveiled in Revelation:

1. The overcoming in 21:7 qualifies all believers for participation in the New Jerusalem with all its enjoyment as a common portion of God’s eternal salvation.

2. The overcoming in chapters two and three qualifies the overcoming believers for participation in the enjoyment of the millennial kingdom as a particular reward in God’s dispensational administration.

II. The book of Revelation is a book on the overcomers:

A. Although Revelation is a book on prophecy, the central purpose of this book is concerned not with prophecy but with the overcomers—1:3; 22:18-19; 12:11.

B. Revelation shows us the overcomers in five categories:

1. The first category consists of the martyrs of the Old Testament and the New Testament up to the time before the great tribulation— 6:9-11.

2. The second category is the man-child caught up to God and to His throne—12:5.

3. The third category is the firstfruits—14:1-5.

4. The fourth category is composed of those standing on the glassy sea, the overcomers who are killed under the persecution of Antichrist— 15:2-4.

5. These four categories constitute the fifth category— the prepared bride—19:7-9.

C. The New Jerusalem is the totality of the overcomers:

1. The overcomers will be the New Jerusalem in the coming age, the age of the millennial kingdom, as the precursor of the New Jerusalem— 2:7; 3:12.

2. In the New Jerusalem in eternity, all the believers will be overcomers—21:7.

D. In the book of Revelation what the Lord wants and what the Lord will build up is Zion, the overcomers—14:1.

III. The Lord needs the overcomers to conquer the destructive satanic chaos and to triumph in the unique constructive divine economy— 1 Tim. 1:4; Rev. 12:4:

A. Alongside God’s economy, there has been the satanic chaos, which has resulted in three accumulations: Judaism, Catholicism, and Protestantism— a threefold chaos—2:9; 3:9; 2:20; 3:1-2:

1. In the eyes of the Lord, these three “isms” are more evil than sin, the world, and the self.

2. The overcomers conquer everything of Judaism, Catholicism, and Protestantism —2:14-15, 20, 24; 3:1-2, 9.

B. The Lord needs the overcomers to carry out the divine economy to have the Body and to destroy His enemy —1 Tim. 1:4; Eph. 1:10; 3:9; Rev. 12:11:

1. The overcomers are for the building up of the Body of Christ to consummate the New Jerusalem — Eph. 4:16; Rev. 21:2, 10.

2. The overcomers see the Body, know the Body, care for the Body, and honor the Body —Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12, 18, 24b-27.

3. The overcomers care for God’s interests above everything, including their necessities —Matt. 6:33; Col. 1:24.

IV. In Revelation 2 and 3 the Lord has a sevenfold calling for overcomers:

A. In the epistle to the church in Ephesus, to overcome is to recover the first love toward the Lord and to hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans—2:4-6.

B. In the epistle to the church in Smyrna, to overcome is to overcome persecution by being faithful unto death—v. 10.

C. In the epistle to Pergamos, to overcome is to overcome the church’s union with the world, the teaching of idolatry and fornication, and the teaching of hierarchy—vv. 12-15.

D. In the epistle to Thyatira, to overcome is to overcome Roman Catholicism—vv. 20, 24.

E. In the epistle to Sardis, to overcome is to overcome dead Protestantism—3:1.

F. In the epistle to Philadelphia, to overcome is to hold fast what we have in the recovered church—v. 11.

G. In the epistle to Laodicea, to overcome is to overcome the lukewarmness and pride of the degraded recovered church, to pay the price to buy the needed items, and to open the door so that the Lord can come in—vv. 15-20.

V. The overcomers are produced through the intensification of God’s organic salvation by the sevenfold intensified Spirit, that is, by Christ in the stage of His intensification—1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6.