In other chapters we have seen that the things revealed to us in the New Testament were usually, in some form or another, also set forth in the Old Testament. The last chapter was no exception in that we saw Old and New Testament references to the "seed" of Jesus. It has been said that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. Keeping that concept in mind, let us continue with our discussion of the 'overcomers.' We touched upon it briefly in the preceding chapter but a closer look is needed. In reading the messages to the seven Churches in Revelation Chapters 2&3 you will notice two things. The first is that in each message a promise is made to the overcomer, and the second is that we must have ears that hear. These are more then physical ears, for we are told in each case, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the SPIRIT says to the churches" (emphasis added Rev.2: 7,11,17&29; 3:6,13&22).
Before we go into further detail on the overcomer, let's spend a moment on the "ears that hear" and see just how important they are to the process of overcoming. I Cor.2:9&14 has shown us that no physical ear can truly hear what the Spirit of God would tell us. When the disciples tried to figure things out for themselves, and were unable to do so, Jesus said to them, "Do you have eyes but fail to see and ears but fail to hear?" (Mk.8:18). Without the Spirit to interpret, the people could not understand His parables; indeed, He spoke in parables so that they would not understand (Matt.13:13). When Jesus opened their spiritual ears, then and only then could the disciples understand what was being said (Matt.13:16).
Is this concept found in the Old Testament? Ex.29:1 & 19-20 reads in part, "...consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests...take the other ram ... slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ear of Aaron..." There was more to the consecration or ordination of the priests then this, but the placing of blood upon the right ear was part of it (see also Lev.8:23). The point is, we are now priests (Rev.5:10 & I Pe.2:9), and just as the other priests were to assist Aaron, their High Priest (Nu.3:7 & II Chron.13:10 ), so also are we to be servants of our Great High Priest, Jesus (Rev.22:3 & Heb.5:5-6). His blood has not only touched our ears, but it has washed us clean.
If you think I am stretching a point by emphasizing the ear, the touching of the ear, and the importance which Jesus placed upon ears that hear, then turn to Matt.26:51, Mk.14:47; Lk.22:50-51 & John 18:10. Therein we see that Jesus, (as the very last thing He did in His public ministry prior to His arrest), touched the severed right ear of the High Priest's servant, and healed it. That servant's name was 'Malchus', which means "King." Like Malchus, we are also servants (bondslaves) of a High Priest. Only ours is the true High Priest. We are kings, priests, and servants, and we have been given ears that hear. Remember also that for us, Jesus is the door (John 10:7), and as we can see in Ex.21:5, a bondslave was formally made a bondslave by having his ear pierced by an awl and then driven into the door of their master. Finally, unlike those who are compared to seed sown on the path (hear the Word) and then allow Satan to steal it (Lk.8:12), we are to be attentive to what we hear (Prov.4:20). We cannot act upon the Word as directed in Ja.1:22, unless we truly hear what is being said.
With spiritual eyes that see and ears that hear, let us now take a closer look at some of what the Spirit of God is telling us through His messages to the seven Churches. We saw in Rev.3:21 that a complete overcomer is one who overcomes as Jesus did. According to Rev.3:4 those who do not soil their clothing will walk with Him dressed in white, as will those who overcome (Rev.3:5). What are these clothes we are to wear?
In Ps.104:1 David offers this prayer of adoration unto God, "...O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps Himself in light as with a garment." On the Mount of Transfiguration we see that Jesus' appearance became "dazzling white" (Mk.9:3). We know from Ro.13:12 that we are to move away from the deeds of darkness and put on the very "armor" of light. It would appear that the opposite of this armor, or clothing of light, are the deeds of darkness which we engaged in prior to our turning our lives over to the Lord. Ro.13:14 would seem to confirm this, for we are told to "... clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
The clothing we are to put on after we have removed the old deeds of darkness are more thoroughly explained in Col.1:32 wherein we are told, "... as God's chosen people ... clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience ... forgive as the Lord forgave you, and over all these virtues put on love." We are God's chosen people, the royal priesthood of I Pe.2:9. Jesus tells us that it will be good for those of His people who keep themselves clothed in such a manner, watching for His return (Lk.12:35). As we have already seen in Rev.3:4-5, they will walk with Jesus.
In Ps.132:9 we see that the priests are clothed with righteousness. The fine linen given to the Bride who has made herself ready, stands for the righteous acts of the saints (Rev.19:9). Our actions, which are to be in line with the Word of God that we hear with our spiritual ears, are the righteous linen we are to be wearing as His priests. (In addition, as priests, we are clothed with Jesus who is our righteousness.)
For us to be without this linen of righteous action puts us in the category of those who go about naked and shamefully exposed as set forth in Rev.15:5. In Gen.3:10 Adam said unto God, "I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked." He wasn't wearing a three piece suit before he sinned. He was wearing the armor of light. He was wearing the dazzling garments of God's presence with which he was created. But that all disappeared with his sin, and would not appear again in total until Jesus stood on the Mt. of Transfiguration.
However, just as the Tabernacle in the Wilderness was a foreshadow of heaven itself (Heb.8:5), God left a symbol of this past glory, this past unrighteous linen. Ex.28:42 shows us that the priests were given linen undergarments as a covering for themselves. Aaron and his sons were instructed to wear them every time they entered the tent of meeting or approached the Holy Place. FAILURE TO DO SO BROUGHT PHYSICAL DEATH. The very curtain which separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple was made of blue, purple & scarlet yarn of "finely twisted linen (Ex.26:31).
At the moment of Jesus' death, this curtain of linen was torn in two (Matt.27:51). The price for regaining Adam's lost position had been paid. The old physical linen was no longer necessary. We see that the linen Jesus was wrapped in at His death remained in the grave (John 19:40 & 20:5). Before He put on the heavenly garments, the old was left behind. The young man in the Garden with Jesus had the right idea when he fled leaving the old garment behind (Mk.14:51-52). However, there is a second step which we must all take.
In II Ki.2:12 we see what that step is. When Elijah ascended in the fiery chariots, his cloak was left behind. Notice what Elisha did before he put on that cloak. "...(H)e took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart ..." That required action on Elisha's part. The same thing is required of us. Jesus paid the price; that gives us the right to take up those garments of light. However, first we must take off the old deeds of darkness, tear them apart, and then pick up the garment of righteousness and walk with it.
The old priests physically died if they attempted to serve at the sanctuary without their linen garments. Rev.3:4 says that those who have not soiled their linen garments will walk with the King. It doesn't say that those who have not put them on will walk with Jesus. It does not say that those who have tried to cover over their deeds of darkness with this new cloak will walk with Him. That privilege goes only to those who have taken off the old, and put on the new. If we slip or stumble during our walk on this earth, we are to confess our sin, remembering that He is faithful and just and will forgive us, but we must begin the walk (I John 1:9). My desire is not to needlessly die and then put on my heavenly garment. Like Paul in II Cor.5:4 I do not wish to be "unclothed, but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life."
Our linen garments are to be the righteous acts we do while serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As priests we too must put on garments in order not to physically die. In order to overcome without first being unclothed (ie. dying), we must put on the linen of righteousness, totally avoiding the clothes of darkness. Jesus says "I counsel you to buy from me ... white clothes to wear so you can cover your shameful nakedness ... "(Rev.3:18).
"He who overcomes", those words were written to believers, yet they direct the believer to do something. We have previously seen that the complete overcomers are the Bride of the Lord. In Rev.3:12 we are shown that as for the overcomer, "I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem which is coming down out of heaven from My God. I will also write on him My new name." The Father's name and Jesus' new name are written on the overcomer. We shall now see that these overcomers are those totally committed servants we spoke of in chapter 6.
The promise of Isa.65:15 was that "to His servants He will give another name" and that is about to happen. Rev.22:3 tells us that the throne of God and the Lamb are in the New Jerusalem, and that it is there that His servants (dulos = bondslaves) will serve Him. "They will see His face and His name will be on their foreheads." It is the name of the Lamb and the Father that are written on those who stand on Mr. Zion in Rev.14:1. (While this is the topic of another lesson, but let me simply state here that the 144,000 listed in Rev.14:1-5 are not literally 144,000 physical virgin males. Rather, that group is symbolic of the overcomers who have not committed spiritual prostitution - Hosea 4:12; Lev.17:7, Ps.106:36-39 & Ju.2:17. I believe that those standing on Zion in Rev.14:1 are the same group listed in Obadiah 21.)
Paul tells us in II Cor.11:2 that it is his desire to present those non-Jewish believers to Christ as pure virgins. That doesn't mean only the single believers. Besides, Heb.13:4 refers to the marriage bed as pure, not defiled. Nowhere in Scripture does it state that a God fearing husband is 'defiled' by having sexual relations with his God fearing wife. The point is, the Lamb's name and the Father's name are written on the servants, the dulos of God. To quote Rev.14:4 "...they follow the Lamb wherever He goes."
"To him who overcomes I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." (Rev.3:21) Jesus clearly told us that He had overcome the world (John 10:33) and if we walk in love we know He is in us, and we are in Him (I John 4:12). This puts us in the same position in that everyone born of God has also overcome the world (I John 5:4). However, this does not mean we need do nothing.
Remember Heb.2:8 which told us "... in putting everything under Him God left nothing that is not subject to Him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to Him"? Jesus overcame in all realms: spirit, soul & body. Because of Him we have overcome in Spirit. We have overcome the 'evil one' (I John 2:13-14). However, in the physical realm we, the Body of Christ, have not yet manifested the complete overcoming that Jesus did. Those to whom authority over the nations is given however, will overcome and do His will till the end. (Rev.2:26) What God said to Joshua in Zech.3:7 He says to us today, "IF you will walk in My ways, and keep My requirements THEN you will govern My house and have charge of My courts." (emphasis added)
For the Body of Christ there is more to do - "Lazarus come out" (John 11:43). There is more for us to do - "be quiet ... come out of Him" (Mk.1:25). There is more for us to do - "He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, `quiet! be still!'" (Mk.4:39). There is more for us to do - "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations" (Matt.28:19). There is more for us to do - "Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (II Cor.10:5). In some ways we have definitely overcome, and only through Jesus Christ can we do more. Only through the Head can the Body act, but the Body must act.
Look closely at Revelation chapters 2 & 3 and note all the good traits that Jesus commended among the Churches. Among them: good deeds, hard work, perseverance, intolerance to wickedness, intolerance to false teachers, endurance, faithfulness, agape love, and increased service to others (Rev.2:2-3, 10&13, 19). He also spoke approvingly of walking in righteousness and keeping His word while refusing to deny His name (Rev.3:4 & 8). However, they had not yet completely overcome as He had overcome. This is what He wants for us. This is why He tells us these things. He wants us to sit with Him on the throne, but first, like Him we must overcome totally and serve Him, just as He was obedient and in service to His Father.