The seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2 & 3 each have recurring start and closing phrases, with only minor variations between them. In the close of each are the words 'To the one who is victorious ...'.
This raises good questions: What does it mean to be victorious? Is it just victorious at the very end or in any way victorious right now?
Other translations have 'the one who overcomes' which helps shed light on being victorious. The final letter adds 'just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne' (3:21), which suggests victory in the form of enduring through persecution, and Jesus endured through the cross.
Whether the meaning of being victorious is narrow or broad, the one who is victorious is promised:
- The right to eat from the tree of life
- to not be hurt by the second death
- some of the hidden manna (plus a new name)
- given authority over the nations (plus the 'morning star')
- to be dressed in white, never blotted from the book of life
- to be made a pillar in the temple of God, bearing the name of God, the city of God, and a new name
- the right to sit with Jesus on the throne
By any standards that's a pretty awesome list!!
Continue to stand firm in Christ, whatever comes at you, and discover His life-giving resources. Have no fear of death, and enjoy the blessing he brings. We get to rule with Him, and He dresses us accordingly. With others we bear the name of God, forming a new each-a-temple-of-the-Holy-Spirit community. Our ultimate victory is bound up with His victory - it is His rule we join!
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