To the Overcomer

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All humanity is completely deceived, and drifting along, unaware of God’s purpose, which is to restore His government to Earth, eventually to rule all nations. Only the tiniest few, called now, understand this coming restoration.

While all who are of this world are primarily devoted to acquiring goods and enjoying pleasures, this is not the goal—the attitude—of the one who seeks God and is a true Christian. He is striving to remain in constant harmony with God’s supreme, over-arching purpose for his life.

Important understanding must be introduced here. It sets up scriptures that we will study momentarily. The Bible teaches, in Revelation 2:1-29 and 3:1-22, that God has worked with His Church through seven separate and successive eras, or phases. In these two chapters, Christ describes each era. With one exception, the first five are described as having their own unique set of doctrinal and spiritual problems that eventually led to their downfall. Each time this happened, God raised up a new leader to establish the next era.

While certain attitudes dominate each era, understand that some of the attitudes Christ describes are found in all of them. Therefore, they have application to the whole Church in a general way. While we have referenced several upcoming passages, they take on new meaning now. Let’s review.

In His message to THYATIRA, the fourth era, Christ instructs, “And he that OVERCOMES, and keeps My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron …” (Rev. 2:26-27). This is an obvious picture of the re-establishing of God’s government over all the nations of the earth. Christians will receive REAL POWER to RULE.

The instruction to LAODICEA, the final era, adds more understanding: “To him that OVERCOMES will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne” (Rev. 3:21).

One more verse in Revelation summarizes the previous two: “And has made us unto our God KINGS and PRIESTS: and we shall reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:10).

Kings and priests are teachers. All those called of God are in training to become teachers in God’s kingdom. This is why Christ’s great commission to His Church throughout all ages is, “Go you therefore, and teach all nations” (Matt. 28:19). God’s Church does this today. You now are being taught the marvellous truth of God in this book!

Only a relative handful of people were called in the Old Testament, with apparently just three—Abel, Enoch, and Noah—called prior to the Flood. After the Flood came the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) and the prophets, along with David and Lot. God used each of these men for a special purpose or commission. But all of them were trained and had to OVERCOME Satan, the temptations of his world and the pulls of the flesh. Like these great servants, Christians OVERCOME their problems, weaknesses, sins, and wrong attitudes, rather than being overcome and defeated by them. They endure no matter what!

Christ said, “In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD” (John 16:33). Christ had overcome both the world and the god of it. Recall that He said, “EVEN AS I ALSO OVERCAME, and am set down with My Father in His throne.” You must not miss this point. It was Christ’s OVERCOMING that qualified Him to rule. Just as He qualified to replace Satan, so must we!

Such enormous power to rule could never be given to people who are unprepared—who have not QUALIFIED to properly use it. God is not about to hand great AUTHORITY to people who might rebel and revert to the ways of Satan. He knows that He cannot ever again have another “Lucifer-turned-Satan” cause destruction and chaos, this time carrying some of God’s own power. We have seen that it will be impossible for any in the ruling government of God to sin (1 John 3:9).

Satan to Be Bound

When Christ returns, Satan, as the deposed ruler over Earth, will be removed. No leader could ever succeed a disqualified leader, and permit that man to remain in a position of co-rulership with him. The disqualified leader would second-guess and undermine all that the new leader plans to change and implement. Since all human governments understand this, of course, God does also. He knows that Satan has to be removed from his position of influence.

Notice: “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season” (Rev. 20:1-3).

This verse contains more crucial understanding about God’s future plan for all mankind. Soon now, Satan will be bound (imprisoned) and rendered unable to deceive all the inhabitants of Earth. The temptations of this world and human nature, caused by Satan, will disappear—though there will still be certain pulls of the flesh that all will have to overcome (Rom. 7:18, 21-23).

When Satan is bound, peace will literally begin to “break out” all over the world. The saints will be ruling with Christ from Jerusalem—having restored the government of God in His kingdom, administered by the Family of God. God’s “holy, just, perfect and spiritual” Law (Rom. 7:12, 14) will be enforced among all nations.

But Satan’s imprisonment will last 1,000 years, and then he will briefly reappear. Now read: “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog [a type of the masses of humanity], to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea” (Rev. 20:7-8). Understand! The world will have known complete peace for 1,000 years, having not been exposed to Satan’s broadcast. But his release brings the immediate return of human nature.

Satan is an invisible spirit, meaning he can keep his presence unknown. Therefore, even with 1,000 years of continual prior warnings, many will ignore the danger from Satan’s broadcast and be overcome by it. Notice how his re-entrance “deceives the nations”—AGAIN! Revelation 20:9 describes these newly deceived millions attempting to come against Jerusalem and all of the saints who are there. The violence, hostility, anger, and hate of human nature shall have re-entered: “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city [Jerusalem]: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them” (Rev. 20:9).

Those who choose Satan’s way, whether knowingly or through a careless lack of vigilance, ultimately come to a terrible end.

The Great White Throne Judgment

Revelation 20:10 describes Satan then being “cast into a lake of fire” and once again removed from any possibility of injecting his nature and deceiving the nations. Revelation 20:11-13 describe the wonderful period after the Millennium—The Great White Throne Judgment—when all who have lived from the time of Adam to Christ’s Second Coming will be given an opportunity for salvation. Most will eventually receive salvation—eternal life—because the influence of Satan will have been permanently removed from the earth. They will not have to overcome either his influence or the pulls and enticements of his world.

Christ Restores God’s Government

When Christ returns to Earth He will be crowned as King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16). At that time, He will open eternal life and salvation to the whole world, now still cut off from God, blinded, and led by Satan’s nature.

Those of all nations will sit before Christ. Some will have qualified to rule and some will not. Notice: “When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, INHERIT THE KINGDOM prepared for you [all those who have overcome] from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:31-34).

The GOVERNMENT OF GOD will soon be restored to Earth, and all who have prepared themselves will “inherit the kingdom.” Only the overcomers, those who successfully submitted to God and resisted Satan throughout their lives, shall take part in this glorious future: “He that OVERCOMES shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Rev. 21:7-8).

Will you be one who INHERITS ALL THINGS?

This introduces the age-old question of “Is there life after death?”—and, if so, when does it come?

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