We can overcome the degradation of the church by the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God. Revelation 1:4 speaks of “the seven Spirits who are before His throne,” and 3:1 speaks of “the seven Spirits of God.” The seven Spirits are undoubtedly the Spirit of God because they are ranked among the Triune God in Revelation 1:4 and 5. Seven is the number for completion in God’s operation; therefore, the seven Spirits, the sevenfold intensified Spirit, are for God’s move on the earth. In essence and existence, God’s Spirit is one; in the intensified function and work of God’s operation, God’s Spirit is sevenfold. At the time this book was written, the church had become degraded. Therefore, the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God was needed for God’s move and work on the earth.
In 1:4 and 5 the seven Spirits of God are listed second rather than third. This reveals the importance of the intensified function of the sevenfold Spirit of God. This point is confirmed by the repeated emphasis on the Spirit’s speaking in 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22; 14:13; and 22:17. At the opening of the other Epistles, only the Father and the Son are mentioned in the giving of grace and peace to the receivers. In Revelation 1:4-5, however, the Spirit is included, from whom grace and peace are imparted to the churches. This too indicates the crucial need of the Spirit to counteract the degradation of the church. To be overcomers in the church, we need the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God.
The believers can become the overcomers by eating Christ as the tree of life, the hidden manna, and a feast (2:7, 17; 3:20). In the Bible the tree of life denotes Christ, the embodiment of all the riches of God (Col. 2:9), as our food (Gen. 2:9; 3:22, 24; Rev. 22:2, 14, 19). In 2:7 the tree of life signifies the crucified and resurrected Christ, who is in the church. Eating the tree of life, that is, enjoying Christ as our life supply, should be the primary matter in the church life. The content of the church life depends on the enjoyment of Christ. The more we enjoy Him, the richer the content will be.
In Revelation 2:17 the Lord spoke of the hidden manna. Manna is related to the matter of the Israelites’ eating in the wilderness (Exo. 16:14-16, 31). Manna is a type of Christ as the heavenly food that enables God’s people to go His way. The open manna was for the Lord’s people to enjoy in a public way; the hidden manna, signifying the hidden Christ, is a special portion reserved for His overcoming seekers, who overcome the degradation of the worldly church. While the church goes the way of the world, these overcomers come forward to abide in the presence of God in the Holy of Holies, where they enjoy the hidden Christ as a special portion for their daily supply.
In Revelation 3:20 the Lord Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me.” The Greek word dine denotes taking the principal meal of the day at evening. To dine is to eat not only one kind of food but to eat a rich feast. This may refer to the Israelites’ eating the rich produce of Canaan, the good land (Josh. 5:10-12).
The words of the Lord in Revelation 2:7, 17, and 3:20 indicate that He desires to recover God’s people to the eating of proper food, that is, to what God has ordained, as typified by the tree of life, the manna, and the produce of the good land, all of which are types of Christ as our food in various aspects. The degradation of the church distracts God’s people from eating Christ as food and turns them to the teaching of doctrines for knowledge. Hence, in Revelation 2 and 3 the Lord came to recover the proper eating of Him as our food supply. We need to eat Him, not only as the tree of life the hidden manna but also as a feast, full of His riches. We can be the overcomers by eating Christ as the tree of life, the hidden manna, and a feast.