1

The below references in Revelation speak of 'He' who overcomes. Several people present this to me as being one person, someone that is alive currently - or will come in the future. Does the original text say 'He' or 'They'? If it says He, then who is this person? If it is They, then how can I back that up when people repeatedly point to He (singular).

2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

3:5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

3:12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. 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 out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Improve this question
1
  • 3
    I assume you have read Revelation chaps. 2 and 3 in their entirety and realize that these are messages to seven churches. The messages are given directly to the "angels" or messengers of the churches, who would pass them on to the congregations. The verses you have quoted are promises of reward for faithfulness. Grammatically, they are addressed to the individual - "he who overcomes" or "the one who overcomes." But this is an ideal, the individual Christian. Jesus did not intend that only the "angel" would receive the reward. Anyone claiming today to be such an "angel" must prove it.
    – Pilgrim
    Nov 25, 2017 at 23:37

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
1

It is somewhat ironic that the original question features the key to its own answer. The original question provides this verse:

KJV Revelation 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

"He that hath an ear" is not a particular person but rather a person with a particular feature: an ear. There are billions of such people.

So also "him that overcomes" is not an individual but anyone who likewise triumphs.

Improve this answer
-1

J.Armstrong, I have had the same question.

Looks to be one person to me.

KJV Rev 3:12 "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name."

English Standard Version Rev 3:12 "The one who conquers, 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."

Aramaic Bible in Plain English Rev 3:21 "And I shall grant the overcomer to sit with me on my throne, just as I have overcome and I sit with my Father on his throne."

NIV Rev 2:26-28 "To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27. that one will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery —just as I have received authority from my Father. 28. I will also give that one the morning star."

Okay, Lucifer (Satan) had and was the morning star to start with till he thought himself to be as God. So it went to Jesus and now he has and is the morning star. So If Jesus has the morning star (one item) how's he giving it out to more than one person?

Improve this answer
1
  • Welcome to BHSX. This is a site about Biblical Hermeneutics and we seek to understand the meaning of the text as the original writer(s) intended. In this case, NONE of the references you quote have a personal pronoun, "he" or "him", etc. All use a substitute quite common in Greek, the definite article. Thus a pedantic translation might read, "to the overcomer", or "the overcomer", etc. This is a common construction used to talk collectively without talking about an individual. Thus, these messages are addressed to all overcomers.
    – user25930
    Aug 7, 2018 at 23:38
-1

Okay, this really isn't difficult. First, let's figure out what it means TO overcome-who overcomes? HOW does one overcome? Scripture doesn't leave us in the dark.

1 John 5:4-5 "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth Jesus is the Son of God?"

Additionally,

1 John 2:13-14 "I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one."

So, here we see that all those who have faith in Christ as the Son of God, (ie, believers), have overcome the world and the wicked one, Satan. So, ALL born-again believers have overcome through faith in Him that has overcome. Simple. So all those promises in the letters to the seven churches of Asia are given to those who have trusted on Jesus Christ by faith unto eternal life.

Improve this answer
2

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.