CHAPTER THREE

THE GOD-MEN AND THE OVERCOMERS

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

OUTLINE

1. The God-men:
   1. Born of God to overcome sin and the world-1 John 3:9; 5:4.
   2. Destined by God to conquer all the oppositions and persecutions, the hard environments, and the difficult situations-Rom. 8:31, 36-39.
   3. Called by the Lord among the churches to be the overcomers-Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21.
2. The overcomers:
   1. To overcome in the degradation of the churches:
      1. The satanic Judaism-Rev. 2:9-10.
      2. The demonic Catholicism-2:24-28.
      3. The dead and Christless Protestantism-3:1-5, 20-21.
      4. The tide of the church’s degradation.
   2. To overcome also:
      1. Satan-12:11a.
      2. The love of the soul-life-12:11b.
      3. The upcoming Antichrist and his false prophet in the great tribulation-15:2; 17:14.
3. The way for the God-men to be the overcomers:
   1. To love Christ and follow Him-John 21:15-17, 19b.
   2. To pursue Christ and gain Him-Phil. 3:12-15.
   3. To be conformed to the death of Christ by the power of His resurrection-Phil. 3:10.
   4. To live Christ and magnify Him by the bountiful supply of His all-inclusive Spirit-Phil. 1:19-21.
   5. To live with Christ and labor with Him-Gal. 2:20a; Col. 1:29.
   6. To live the Body life and build up the Body of Christ for the fulfillment of God’s New Testament economy-Eph. 4:12, 16; 1:10.
4. The reward for the overcoming God-men, the overcomers, in the millennial kingdom:
   1. In the present age-to dine with the Lord-Rev. 3:20b.
   2. At the earliest appearing of Christ-to be given the morning star, signifying the precious Christ in His earliest appearing-Rev. 2:28.
   3. In the millennial kingdom:
      1. To enter richly into the kingdom of Christ-2 Pet. 1:11; Matt. 19:23; Acts 14:22; 2 Thes. 1:5; Heb. 12:28; James 2:5; cf. 1 Cor. 6:9; Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:5.
      2. To partake of the wedding feast of Christ, which will last for one thousand years as a day-Rev. 19:9; Matt. 25:10.
      3. To have their names confessed before the Father and His angels by the Lord-Rev. 3:5c.
      4. Not to have their names erased out of the book of life, to have their names erased out of the book of life in the kingdom age signifying a kind of discipline in the kingdom age-Rev. 3:5b.
      5. Not to be hurt of the second death, to be hurt of the second death probably signifying also a kind of discipline in the kingdom age-Rev. 2:11.
      6. To participate in the consummation and enjoyment of the New Jerusalem as the Paradise of God in its initial stage in the millennium-Rev. 2:7.
      7. To share in the joy of the Lord-Matt. 25:21, 23.
      8. To be crowned with the crown, the crown of life and the crown of righteousness-Rev. 3:11; 1 Cor. 9:25; Rev. 2:10; James 1:12; 2 Tim. 4:8.
      9. To sit with the Lord on His throne-Rev. 3:21.
      10. To have authority over the nations-Rev. 2:26-27.
      11. To be priests of God and of Christ and reign with Christ in the millennial kingdom-Rev. 20:4-6; 2 Tim. 2:12.
      12. To eat of the tree of life in the New Jerusalem in its initial stage in the millennial kingdom-Rev. 2:7.
      13. To eat the hidden manna-Rev. 2:17a.
      14. To be clothed with white garments-Rev. 3:4-5a.
      15. To be a pillar in the temple of God and never to go out anymore-Rev. 3:12a.
      16. To be given a white stone with a new name written upon it-Rev. 2:17b.
      17. To have the name of God and the name of the city of God-the New Jerusalem-and the Lord’s new name written upon them-Rev. 3:12b.
      18. To be given the responsibilities in the coming kingdom-Matt. 24:47; 25:21a, 23a.
      19. To enjoy the kingdom rest-Heb. 4:1, 9-11.
      20. To enjoy the salvation of the soul, which is the aggregate of the above nineteen points-Matt. 16:25; Luke 9:24; Heb. 10:39; 1 Pet. 1:9-10.
5. The blessing of God’s complete salvation, that is, the enjoyment of the eternal life (Matt. 19:29; Rom. 5:21) for all the God-men in the new heaven and new earth:
   1. To participate in the holy city-the New Jerusalem-in its consummated stage as their temple-the Triune God Himself-for their dwelling in eternity-Rev. 22:14b; 21:22.
   2. To eat the tree of life-Rev. 22:14a, 2.
   3. To enjoy the spring of life and drink the water of life in the river of life-Rev. 21:6; 22:1.
   4. To have God as their God and to be sons of God-Rev. 21:7.
   5. To participate in the divine and human marriage life of the processed and consummated Triune God and the transformed and glorified tripartite man-Rev. 21:9.
   6. To serve God as priests and to reign as kings over the nations forever and ever-Rev. 22:3b, 5b.
   7. To have no curse and no night but to enjoy God’s shining as their light-Rev. 22:3, 5; 21:25, 23.
6. The destiny of all “Christians”:
   1. The Catholic Church as the great Babylon will be burned-Rev. 17:5, 16.
   2. The false Christians, the tares, in all kinds of churches will be bound into bundles to be burned up in the lake of fire-Matt. 13:30, 40-42.
   3. The genuine but defeated believers:
      1. Their work and conduct as wood, grass, and stubble will be burned at the Lord’s coming.
      2. They themselves will be saved, yet so as through fire-1 Cor. 3:12-15.
      3. They will be disciplined (Matt. 25:30) and transformed to be mature and perfect so that they will be qualified to participate in the New Jerusalem in its consummated stage for eternity.
   4. The genuine and overcoming believers, the overcomers, whose work and conduct are like gold, silver, and precious stones:
      1. They will be rewarded (1 Cor. 3:12-15; Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10; 1 Cor. 4:5; Matt. 25:19) to enter into the coming millennial kingdom to reign with the Lord and partake of His joy, as revealed in the above list of their rewards.
      2. They will be joined by the God-men perfected in the millennial kingdom in the participation of the final consummation and enjoyment of the New Jerusalem in its consummated stage for eternity.