Listening and Conquering
Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. They sing a new song:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God
saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;
you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God,
and they will reign on earth.”
Revelation 5:5-10
It is a startling shift of images. An elder presents the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, the One who conquered, the One worthy of opening the scroll. When John looks, he sees a slaughtered Lamb. Described as a Lion, John sees a slaughtered Lamb. The One who conquers appears slaughtered. He conquers by giving His life.
This is not how the world works. This is not what we expect, but God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts (see Isaiah 55:8-9). In the kingdom of heaven, the notion of conquering involves fulfilling God’s will which requires total surrender, absolute submission, acceptance of Him, commitment to Him, and obedience to His will. We see these characteristics through Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane and the aftermath – He prays, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want” (Matthew 26:39). He asked God the Father to take away His final task, and when God said no, Jesus obediently fulfilled God’s will and by doing so, He conquered.
The elder describes Jesus as a conqueror. Earlier in John’s heavenly revelation, Jesus promises certain attributes to those who conquer. In chapters 2 and 3, John records Jesus’ unique message to each of seven churches. At the end of each message, Jesus connects the act of listening to the Holy Spirit with the notion of conquering. He does not explain the connection; rather He connects the two by repeatedly mentioning them together.
He suggests that not everyone has ears to hear the Holy Spirit and He urges those able hear the Holy Spirit to listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. Seven times in two short chapters, Jesus says, “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” And seven times He promises a reward to those who conquer. While each statement describes a different attribute promised to the one who conquers, they are really just different ways of looking at His holy gift of grace. Through faith we are redeemed, we are justified, we are saved, we gain communion with Him, we gain His life, love and light, forever. Following are His seven statements.
“Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7).
People who conquer may eat of the Tree of Life. Genesis 3 describes the fall and the consequences of Adam and Eve’s rebellion. As one of the consequences, they were no longer able to eat of the Tree of Life. In fact, God drove them out of the garden and placed armed cherubim to guard the Tree of Life, preventing them from eating its fruit because those who eat fruit of the Tree of Life will live forever (see Genesis 3:22-24). Jesus pronounces a reversal of that consequence of sin, saying the reversal is now available to each person who conquers.
A few verses later Jesus describes a similar effect of conquering – those who conquer will not be harmed by the second death. The second death is eternal separation from God. God is life. He is the Source of life. Everyone who conquers will commune forever with the Source of life. Our bodies may die, but our spirits will continue living through connection with Him. Jesus says,
Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death. Revelation 2:11
He also promises special food, unique authority, special clothing and positions of honor to those who conquer, saying,
Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it. Revelation 2:17
To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end,
I will give authority over the nations;
to rule them with an iron rod,
as when clay pots are shattered –
even as I also received authority from my Father. To the one who conquers I will also give the morning star. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Revelation 2:26-29
If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white robes, and I will not blot your name out of the book of life; I will confess your name before my Father and before his angels. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Revelation 3:5-6
If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Revelation 3:12-13
To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” Revelation 3:21-22
The promises are remarkable. Jesus promises the immediate benefit of communion with God and full inclusion in every aspect of heavenly glory. He promises access to the Tree of Life and special food, special authority, honor, clothing and more, but what does He mean by conquer? Who or what are we battling and overcoming?
Jesus conquered by fulfilling God’s will for His life on earth. He conquered through absolute faith, by communing with God, by understanding God’s will for His life, and by surrendering Himself and obediently carrying out God’s will. While hanging on the cross, just before bowing His head and giving up His Spirit, Jesus says, “It is finished” (John 19:30). And it was. He fulfilled God’s will.
Similarly, we conquer by faith. By faith we are justified, redeemed, made whole. By faith we hear God and trust His promises. By faith and the resulting trust, confidence, hope, comfort, rest and peace, we overcome every obstacle in our path. By faith, we conquer, but we are more than conquerors. God’s holy word reminds us,
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39
It all depends on faith. We conquer by maintaining faith in the face of hardship and suffering. We conquer by maintaining faith and trusting God while experiencing trouble and distress and overcoming every obstacle in our path. Through faith we commune with God and seek to understand His holy will. God’s holy word explains that faith is a gift from God (see Ephesians 2:8) delivered through the hearing of the word of Christ Jesus (see Romans 10:17) and revealed through obedience. Jesus says,
“Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them…. I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. John 14:23 & 25-27
And John writes,
As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him. 1 John 2:27
Jesus is the Word (see John 1:1). He is the truth (see John 14:6). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth who guides us to truth by speaking what He hears from the Father (see John 16:13). Jesus sends His Advocate to us and says, “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches” (Revelation 2:11). The Holy Spirit abides in us, teaching, guiding, comforting, interceding and, as we allow Him, transforming us into Christ’s image. By communing with Him through His holy word and prayer, we enhance our ability to hear Him.
Jesus urges us to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches, and He promises that those who conquer receive the amazing attributes of communion with Him. I pray we each grow in our relationship with Him and gain with increasing clarity ears to hear His holy voice. Amen.