The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 1301-A, titled "Bible Questions and Answers Part 3."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE.  ©1976. All Rights Reserved.

Question

Do the promises in Revelation 2 and 3 belong to all Christians?

Answer

Let’s look at it. Do the promises in Revelation 2 and 3 belong to all Christians? The promises—look at them. Revelation 2:7: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches; to him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” What does that mean? It means you’re going to go—where? To heaven. Alright, that’s a great promise. Who’s it given to? To him that, what? “Overcometh.” Look at verse 11: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches; he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.” You say, “Fantastic! You mean the second death? That’s the eternal death. It’s not going to touch the overcomer!” That’s right.

Revelation 2:17: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches; to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna and give him a white stone and in the stone, a new name written which no man knows except he that receives it.” Here’s a tremendous promise! Some kind of hidden manna. You say, “What is it?” I don’t know! It’s hidden. Secondly, “and I’ll give him a white stone and in the stone, a new name written” and I’ll not tell you how many times people have asked me what that new name is! The next line says, “which no man knows”! I do not know what that new name is. You say, “But who gets that hidden manna and that new name?” The overcomer.

Look at verse 26: “And he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations…rule them with a rod of iron… The vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers, even as I received of my Father and I’ll give him the Morning Star”—I know who that is. Who’s that? Jesus Christ. The overcomer again.

Revelation 3:5: “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment. I will not blot his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.” Great promise.

Verse 12: “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God. He shall go no more out and I’ll write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and I’ll write on him my new name.” God’s going to say, “This is mine and he belongs in this town and so forth. And that town is the new Jerusalem. Who’s all that for? The overcomer…the overcomer.

Verse 21: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne as I also overcame and am set with my Father in his throne.” Now, you see, all these fantastic promises are given to these overcomers in these various churches. But who is the overcomer? Listen to this. I’ll tell you who the overcomer is. Listen as I read 1 John 5:4: “For whatever is born of God overcometh the world and this,” and this is written by the same writer, John, “and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith”—now listen—“who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God.”

Who is the overcomer? The Christian. Who receives all of that? The Christian. Beloved, think about it. Incredible promises given to the believer. Think about them again.

“To him that overcometh, I’ll give to eat of the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God”: the promise of an eternal heaven.

“He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death”: no need to fear hell, no need to fear judgment.

“To him that overcometh…hidden manna”: some kind of super—"Jack in the Box" [Fast food restaurant in California] talks about secret sauce! Listen, this, you know, this is some kind of hidden food. This is some kind of eternal sustenance: the hidden manna. “…And a white stone and on the stone, a name written, which no man knows except he that receives it”: some very special gift, some very special privilege, some very special divine right imparted to us. We could talk about that, but we won’t take the time.

And then he says—now, this is the supreme thing—“power over the nations in the kingdom,” verse 26, “but I’ll give him the Morning Star…I’ll give him Christ.” Just think. For all eternity, Christ is mine.

“To him that overcometh,” verse 5 of chapter 3, “the promise that he’ll never, ever have his name blotted out of the book of life”—never! The overcomer is the one who believes. If you believe, never will your name be blotted out. Security.

“And he’ll become a pillar in the temple of my God,” chapter 3, verse 12. In that particular city, they used to put their dignitary’s bust on a pillar or they used to carve their name on the pillar when they were celebrated citizens; God says, “The temple of my God in heaven is going to have pillars marked with the names of these, my people. They’re going to have my name, God’s name, the name of the new Jerusalem, a new name…”

Further, “they will sit on my throne,” chapter 3, verse 21. All those promises! Fantastic to those who love the Lord Jesus Christ. Who is he that overcomes? He that believeth Jesus is Christ.

I would close by just saying that. God has made some marvelous promises in his Word. There are a lot of questions that we ask, a lot of things we’d like answers to—and there are answers, as we’ve seen tonight. There are other things that we just probably never will have answers to, but there are some things we know for sure and those are the promises of the scripture. There aren’t any questions about them; they’re clear. God promises marvelous things for time and eternity to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If there are some here tonight with us who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ—you’ve never opened your heart, you’ve never accepted him, you’ve never believed in him, you’ve never responded to him—then our first question, long ago, relates to you. You’re going to spend an eternity as a victim, without God, without Christ, sentenced to a hell where Satan and all of his angels had been planned to go. God never intended you to be there; it was prepared for the devil and his angels. You go there only if you choose. It all begins when Satan captures the hearts and the minds of men through the system, and they love his activities more than they love God, and then those people become eternal victims of that choice.

On the other hand, God says, “I’ll give you this, I’ll give you this, all this eternal joy, all this eternal bliss, all this fulfillment, all this meaning, all this purpose, all this security if you just believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s your choice. I pray to God that if you have not chosen Jesus Christ that before this night is out, you would.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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