“the one who conquers…” Revelation 2:7, 11, 17 & 26; 3:5, 12 & 21
Throughout today’s reading the phrase, “the one who conquers” kept popping up. And by the end I wanted to be one of “the ones who conquered” because they are rewarded with some pretty great stuff!
“To the one who conquers…
*Revelation 2:7 … I will grant to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the paradise of God.” – Yes please!
*Revelation 2:11 … will not be hurt by the send death.” – Yup, definitely want that!
*Revelation 2:17 … I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” – Cool! Yeah!
*Revelation 2:26-28 … and keeps My words to the end, to him I will give authority over nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from My Father. And I will give him the morning star.” – Wow! Seriously?
*Revelation 3:5 … will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the Book of Life. I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” – Hee! Hee! Hee! Hee!
*Revelation 3:12 … I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from My God out of heaven, and My own new name.” – Eternally in close physical proximity with the Father? Oh my!
*Revelation 3:21 … I will grant him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also conquered and sat down with My Father on His throne.” – OK, seriously, where do I sign up!?! How do I become one who conquers? What does that mean?
Well, if you’ve heard of Nike shoes you’re already semi-familiar with this word. It’s the Greek word “nee-kay” and it means: to conquer, to carry off the victory, come off victorious; for example 1) Christ’s victory over His foes 2) Christians that hold fast to their faith even unto death against the power of their foes, and temptations and persecutions 3) when one is arraigned or goes to law, to win the case, maintain one’s cause.
You’ve heard me say before, the Bible defines the Bible. So to better answer my question of how to be a conqueror I pulled up all the other instances of this word in the New Testament, all 28 of them. Most of them simply helped explain the meaning of the word: Luke 11:22, Romans 3:4 & 12:21, 1 John 2:13-14. But then there were others that really delved deep into the heart of my quest.
1 John 4:4 “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
When we are from God, His children, we are able to overcome and conquer because God is in us and helping us along the way.
1 John 5:4 “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world – our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
So to be one who conquers, you must be born again by believing in your heart – which justifies you, and confessing that belief in Jesus with your mouth – which saves you. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:9-13)
Revelation 12:11 “They conquered [the accuser of the brothers] by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”
Our testimony of how the blood of the Lamb has changed and saved our lives conquers Satan.
But the big key I found was in the interesting fact that John used the word nee-kay more than anyone else in the New Testament, 21 of the 24 verses that contain nee-kay are John’s. Why is that an important fact? John is known as the beloved disciple, he understood the power of the Truth that God first loved us, not the other way around. He discovered that while there is power in our love for Him, our real strength is in the knowledge of how much Jesus loves us! And when we’re expressing that love that we first experienced for ourselves, Satan’s power is destroyed in our lives.
Romans 8:37 is a really fun verse for nee-kay, because it’s not actually just nee-kay alone. It’s hooper-nee-kay. Just like hyper in English, the word hooper is often used as a prefix to words to add emphasis to their meaning. Sensitive – hypersensitive, active – hyperactive, conquerer – more than conquers.
“In all these things we are more than conquerors (hooper-nee-kay) through Him who loved us. For I am sure 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 8:37-39
So while choosing to trust Christ with our salvation and voicing that choice makes us conquerors; receiving God’s amazing and abundant love for us makes us hyperconquerers!
Praise God we are loved!!!
Tamar Knochel 