When they hear about “overcomers,” most Christians think those who labor and work for the Lord, who can keep the Lord’s name, who can sit in prison for years without denying the Lord, and who experience all kinds of persecutions and tribulations and yet can still stand witness, are the overcomers referred to in Revelation. Is that view correct? What, exactly, do the overcomers in the Bible refer to?
First, let’s read God’s words on the subject. In Revelation, it is prophesied, “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Revelation 14:4–5). God’s words say, “Those whom God refers to as ‘overcomers’ are those who are still able to stand witness and maintain their confidence and devotion to God when under the influence of Satan and while being laid siege to by Satan, that is, when they find themselves amidst the forces of darkness. If you are still able to keep a pure heart before God and maintain your genuine love for God no matter what, then you are standing witness in front of God, and this is what God refers to as being an ‘overcomer.’” “Those who are made complete before the disaster are submissive to God. They live reliant on Christ, they bear witness to Him, and they exalt Him. They are the victorious male children and good soldiers of Christ.” In God’s words, we can see that “overcomers” refer to those who are shepherded by the Lamb before the throne. They have the truth as life, their corrupt dispositions have been completely purified, they no longer sin or resist God, they are able to fear God and shun evil, and no matter how Christ works or speaks, they are able to absolutely obey, follow closely the footsteps of the Lamb, and be loyal to God and no other. Even if they suffer persecution or tribulation, they persist in reading God’s word as usual and performing the duties of a created being. They do this purely out of love for God and to satisfy God, they live to do God’s will, and amidst all kinds of torment and trials, they do not complain. They are obedient to God even unto death, and they create beautiful, resonant witness for God. These people are the overcomers God will perfect, and these are the 144,000 victorious male children prophesied in Revelation, which entirely fulfills the prophecy in Revelation that “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).
Let us examine our behaviors. Even though we labor and work for the Lord, and do not deny the Lord’s name when we are persecuted, or imprisoned, corrupt dispositions still exist within us, and we still often sin and resist God. For example, when God’s work and words don’t accord with our notions, we casually judge, condemn, and deny God’s work. Or, when we serve God, we also attempt to trade with God, and we work and expend to gain blessings and crowns. As we work and preach, we also often exalt and testify ourselves because we always desire a place in others’ hearts. When we experience fleshly illness, pain, or disaster, we become negative, blame God for not protecting us, or argue with God, etc. From these facts, we can see that the satanic dispositions within us have not been purified, we are incompatible with God, and we are capable of betraying God at any place and time. How could people such as this be overcomers? Therefore, believing in the Lord, not denying the Lord’s name when we are arrested, and being able to stand witness when we experience persecution and tribulation merely mean that we have overcome the CCP’s persecution and that we have sincere faith. But, the corrupt dispositions within us have not changed, we still lack true knowledge of our satanic natures and essences, we have not overcome the flesh or the influence of Satan, and we are not people who are obedient to God or who can fear God and shun evil. Like this, we fall far short of the standards for being overcomers.
So, how can we escape these corrupt dispositions and become overcomers? Those who understand the Bible all know that the overcomers are perfected by God before the great disaster comes. It’s just like the prophecy in Revelation, “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write…. Because you have kept the word of My patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come on all the world, to try them that dwell on the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which you have, that no man take your crown. Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God: and I will write on him My new name. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 3:7, 10–13).
It is also said in 1 Peter 4:17 that, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.” The Bible prophesies that the Holy Spirit will speak to all the churches, that the church in Philadelphia will be raised up, that judgment will begin at the house of God, etc. All of these refer to the work to be done by the Lord Jesus when He returns. God will return in the last days to begin the work of judgment at the house of God to perfect this group of overcomers. Wise virgins will hear God’s voice, welcome the Lord, and follow the footsteps of the Lamb. They will come before God and gain the watering and nourishment of God’s words, their dispositions will be purified, and they will be able to overcome all variety of Satan’s temptations and produce beautiful testimony. These people are the true overcomers.
Let’s read two passages of God’s words. “God brings all who enter His kingdom—all who are loyal to Him to the very end—into the age of God Himself. Yet prior to the arrival of the age of God Himself, God’s work is not to observe the deeds of man, or to inquire into the life of man, but to judge man’s disobedience, for God shall purify all those who come before His throne. All who have followed the footsteps of God to this day are those who come before the throne of God, and this being so, every single person who accepts God’s work in its final phase is the object of God’s purification. In other words, everyone who accepts God’s work in its final phase is the object of God’s judgment.” “I have previously said that a group of overcomers are gained from the East, overcomers who come from amid the great tribulation. What is meant by these words? They mean that these people who have been gained only truly obeyed after undergoing judgment and chastisement, and dealing and pruning, and all kinds of refinement. The belief of these people is not vague and abstract, but real. They have not seen any signs and wonders, or any miracles; they do not speak of abstruse letters and doctrines, or profound insights; instead they have reality, and the words of God, and a true knowledge of the reality of God. Is such a group not more capable of making plain the power of God?” God’s words tell us that the true overcomers are produced through experiencing God’s work of judgment in the last days. God in the last days expresses all the truths that purify and save people, judges and exposes mankind’s satanic nature of resisting God and the truth of his corruption, and reveals to people God’s righteous, holy disposition that brooks no offense. When people experience the judgment, chastisement, pruning, dealing, trials, and refinement in God’s words, they genuinely see the essence and truth of their being utterly corrupted by Satan, and the ugliness in themselves: They see that they are arrogant, self-important, selfish, despicable, crooked, and cunning, that they loathe the truth, that they are filled with notions and imagined ideas about God, that they could resist and betray God at any time, that they are entirely descendants of Satan, that they are people who resist God, and that they are completely unworthy to come before God or be saved by God. At the same time, they also sincerely feel that God’s words are the truth, that they are utterly convincing, and more than that, they genuinely experience that God’s holiness brooks no contaminating filth and that God’s disposition brooks no offense, upon which they produce true fear of God in their hearts, and they are able to obey God and live by God’s words. In the process of experiencing God’s judgment and chastisement, they produce all variety of resonant testimonies of overcoming Satan’s influence of darkness, especially those who stand witness while experiencing the cruel persecution of the CCP, and with this testimony of overcoming, they become the overcomers God will perfect in the last days.
Brothers and sisters, I trust the fellowship above will help us understand what “overcomers” are. We must listen attentively for the words the Holy Spirit speaks to the churches, accept God’s new name in the last days, and follow the footsteps of the Lamb if we wish to be perfected by God into overcomers before the great disaster comes.
» Extended Reading:
• Who Are the Overcomers in Revelation?
• What Is “Being Caught Up Before the Disasters,” and What Is an Overcomer?