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Overcomers
EKnight:
I am re-reading lake of fire part 8 and just wondered who are the "overcomers" or "conquerors"?
Eileen
Stevernator:
The elect?
mharrell08:
--- Quote from: Stevernator on June 01, 2008, 10:50:52 PM ---The elect?
--- End quote ---
Steven nailed it right on the head: The Elect aka The Chosen & Faithful aka 'he who overcomes' ; etc. ;)
Kat:
Hi Eileen,
I find it is always helpful to review and reread :) Here is an excerpt from part 8 'What Happened to the Church Jesus Built?'
http://bible-truths.com/lake8.html -------
TO HIM THAT OVERCOMES…
"To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of LIFE…" (Rev. 2:7).
That is the beginning of real spiritual life. If we continue in this new spiritual life, we will not be hurt by the "second death" which is the "the lake of fire."
"He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death" (Rev. 2:11).
Now we are safe, right? We can now rest on our laurels, right? Wrong.
"To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna" (Rev. 2:17).
We can’t grow spiritually unless we eat SPIRITUAL FOOD. When we eat of Christ’s spiritual body, we grow spiritually; when we stop eating spiritual food we spiritually starve and spiritually die. If we eat spiritual food, we grow, we mature, we are "continuing in Christ’s word" and Christ word is spirit and therefore spiritual food.
What is our next reward if we "continue" overcoming?
"…and will give him a white stone and a in the stone a new name" (Ver. 17)
Now we learned that this stone is really a pebble which is a symbol for a ballot, which acquits us of guilt and justifies us, allowing for our admission or entrance into the Kingdom, signed and signified by Jesus Himself. If we continue to overcome, this white signed, ballot stone of entrance into the Kingdom is waiting for us with OUR NAME on it. Remember "as Jesus is, SO ARE WE…" His name is OUR name. If we continue to overcome, we will be given another great reward.
"And he that overcomes and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations" (Ver. 26).
Say, did you notice that most important phrase, "keeps my works UNTO THE END?" Do you suppose there was a purpose for adding those words at this place in the rewards? You know there was. We must "keep on, keeping on." We cannot look back. We cannot fail to continue in Christ’s words and works. We must take up our cross. We must suffer persecution. We must "fight the good fight." We must "keep the faith." We must "pray without ceasing." And we must make it to the end,
"And you shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endures TO THE END SHALL BE SAVED" (Matt. 10:22).
THEN we will be qualified to have "power over the nations." But reigning requires that we be RIGHTEOUS. We must reign the nations with spiritual power, not with military might. Our motives and our love must be PURE.
"He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment" (Rev. 3:5).
The "white raiment" is the same "clean white, fine linen" of Rev. 19:8, "for fine linen is the righteousness of the saints" (Ver. 08). When we attain to this degree of overcoming, God makes an absolute promise to us:
"I will NOT blot out his name out of the book of life" (Ver. 5).
Just how high do the rewards of Jesus to the overcomer go?
"Him that overcomes will I make a PILLAR IN THE TEMPLE OF MY GOD" (Ver. 12).
A pillar is a main support in a temple. It speaks of a position of GREAT DISTINGUISHED RESPONSIBILITY at the Spiritual Headquarters of the entirety of the universe in Mt. Zion. But if He is going to give us ALL THAT HE HAS, He expects us to do as He DID and become what He IS.
"To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me on My throne, EVEN AS I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne" (Ver. 21).
We are to overcome "even as" Jesus Christ conquered and overcame. What was it that Jesus Christ "overcame?" John 16:33,
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but BE OF GOOD CHEER; I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD!"
Jesus Christ overcame EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD, INCLUDING THE WORLD! And here is God’s command to the believer who would become an overcomer and conqueror in Christ Jesus:
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world [which MUST be overcome and conquered!]" (I John 2:15-16).
We are to also "overcome the world" just as Jesus did. Not by ourselves, but by Jesus "Christ IN us, the hope of GLORY." Christ lives His life IN the believer, and in the believer Christ will, "overcome the world," over and over again in each new believer. And then one day, Jesus Christ will say to YOU, "Sit with Me on My throne—We are going to save the Universe together."
We already read in Romans 8 that the whole creation is groaning for the manifestation of Sons and Daughters (saviours) to free this world from its vanity and corruption.
And so, there is ONE church, and all overcomers from that church receive ONE reward, the SAME reward, and that reward is CHRIST and all that His many symbols and names represent, all that He IS ("as He is, so are WE in the world"), and in the Kingdom of God as well. These are the highest and most glorious honors ever to be bestowed upon a man or woman of the human race!
"He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches."
-------------------------------------------------------
mercy, peace and love
Kat
EKnight:
I'm still a bit confused. Does the "elect, overcomers or conquers" = faithful or trying your best to be faithful. I just don't feel I could ever be one of the "elect" I'm a sinner and always will be no matter how hard I try. So, are the elect only the ones who God has chosen to be the elect? Are the elect also those who will be judging with Christ? There is no way I would ever be worthy of judging anyone! Being spiritual is like being a recovering addict, I fall off the wagon and then come back. I know it's a process but I highly doubt I will escape the lake of fire. But on the other hand, I am not Hitler either. Sometimes Ray will say "a ten year old can understand this" and I'm thinking "huh?' And I feel stupid even though I am not. Ugh.
Eileen
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