If the first two weeks of 2025 are any indication of what lies ahead, we are in for a wild ride. It was popular at the start of this century to ask, “What would Jesus do?” In light of the New Year’s Day terrorist attacks and devastating fires that still rage in Southern California, perhaps it might be more prudent to ask, “What would Jesus say?”
I believe we already have the key talking points of what the Lord might say to the redeemed of our day. We find them in His letters to seven churches, which John recorded late in the first century AD. The encouragement Jesus offers each body of believers is just as relevant today as it was long ago.
Revelation, written about AD 95, contains Christ’s last message to His Church. In chapters 2 and 3, we have His specific messages to seven churches that existed late in the late first century AD.
Though His content varies with each letter, there’s one common theme among all of them:
Jesus concludes each one with a reminder of the glories of eternity that await all believers.
Is it not more than a little significant that regardless of the state of each body of believers, the Lord encourages faithfulness by providing the redeemed with a glimpse of the glory that awaits them in eternity?
Paradise
The Lord concludes His message to the church in Ephesus with this comforting assurance:
“To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7).
The phrase “to the one who conquers” occurs at the end of all His letters to the churches. This doesn’t refer to a higher level of spirituality but rather applies to all believers without exception. 1 John 5:4 provides us with the needed context for Jesus’ words:
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”
The promise to the saints at Ephesus is that of spending forever in “paradise,” which John describes with much detail at the end of the apocalypse. He records seeing the “tree of life” in his vision of the New Jerusalem (22:1), our eternal dwelling.
As with all the promises Jesus makes to the seven churches, the last chapters of Revelation provide us with a more comprehensive understanding of the reassuring words of hope that He gives us in each letter.
Eternal Life
Jesus ends His note to the church in Smyrna with these comforting words:
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death” (Revelation 2:11).
As He does at the end of all His letters, the Lord applies His message to all believers. To the saints at Smyrna who faced the prospect of martyrdom, Jesus reminded them of His promise of eternal life. They wouldn’t “be hurt by the second death,” which John later describes as the White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20:11-15. Instead, they will be among the redeemed who will spend eternity enjoying life to its fullest in paradise.
Regardless of the level of persecution we might face, as believers we know we will never be judged for our sins, but we will someday experience all the wonders of eternal life.
Invitation to a Feast
Perhaps the most unusual guarantee in all the seven letters is the one that Jesus gave to the church in Pergamum:
“To the one who conquers 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” (Revelation 2:17).
Pastor and Bible commentator John MacArthur provides us with this understanding of the white stone’s significance:
It seems best, however, to understand the white stone in light of the Roman custom of awarding white stones to the victors in athletic contests. A white stone, inscribed with the athlete’s name, served as his ticket to a special awards banquet.[i]
Might this “white stone” be our formal invitation to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb? I think so. We read about a great celebration later in the book of Revelation:
“And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God’” (Revelation 19:9).
All believers will stand before Jesus at His Bema Seat, and after that, we will joyously celebrate with the Savior at a special banquet in our honor. As to confirm the wonder of this occasion, the angel states that “these are the true words of God.” John’s eyewitness account of the end time events are not just his thoughts but indeed God’s words to us.
Reigning with Jesus
Notice the exceptional assurance Jesus gave to His saints at Thyatira:
“The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the 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” (Revelation 2:26-27).
The promise in these verses is that of ruling with Jesus in His kingdom. The reference to Jesus ruling with a “rod of iron,” first recorded in Psalm 2:7, occurs again in John’s magnificent account of Jesus’ spectacular return to earth:
“From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron” (Revelation 19:15).
When Jesus comes to claim His inheritance of the nations (please read Psalm 2:7-9), we will not only be with Him, but we will later reign alongside Him in His kingdom. Wonder of wonders, Jesus will share His authority over the nations with us. In our immortal and sinless state, we will act as judges (1 Corinthians 6:2) in His realm.
White Garments
In Revelation 3:5, at the end of the letter to the church in Sardis, we read another one of Jesus’ amazing promises to all who belong to Him:
“The one who conquers 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.”
It’s then that we will experience the very “righteousness of God,” which is ours now through faith (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The full significance of our “white garments” comes to life later in the book of Revelation. They not only depict the wedding clothes we will wear at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:8), but they also place us with the Lord as He rides triumphantly back to Jerusalem to establish His kingdom:
“He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses” (Revelation 19:13-14).
We will be with Jesus as He rides back to earth in the most dazzling display of power and glory ever seen upon the earth. Our “fine linen, white and pure” marks our participation in the most prophesied and glorious event in all of Scripture and what will be the most dramatic event in all of human history. It’s mind-boggling to imagine that Jesus would bless us in such a way!
A Forever Home in the New Jerusalem
Jesus’ assurance to the faithful in Philadelphia might seem a bit unusual at first glance:
“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” (Revelation 3:12).
Of course, He’s not saying that we will become inanimate marble columns; Christ’s words here depict stability and permanence. Not only will He come for us before the Tribulation (3:10-11a), but He also assures us of a forever home in the New Jerusalem. The writing of His name on us signifies an intimate relationship that will never end.
We read about the full wonder of the New Jerusalem later in the book of Revelation (21:9-22:5). It’s the city where Jesus is now preparing a place for us (John 14:2-3). This will be our forever home in a glorious city whose beauty lies far beyond any mental image we might have of its splendor. And no one will be able to take it away from us; we will forever reside amid beauty beyond what we can only faintly imagine.
Authority
To the church in Laodicea, Jesus again alludes to the fact that we will reign with Him in His kingdom:
“The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Revelation 3:21).
The popular teachings of our day deny the Lord’s rule over the nations. However, those who say there is no such thing as a physical Millennium fail to believe what Jesus clearly says is our destiny. We will share His throne at a time when sin is possible, as well as in eternity (1 Corinthians 6:2; Revelation 3:21; 5:10, 20:6).
What Does Jesus Say to His Church Today?
It’s not so much a matter of what Jesus would say to His church today, but rather one of what He continues to reveal to us as recorded in the New Testament and particularly in the book of Revelation.
In Revelation 19:10, we read these insightful words, “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” When teachers reinterpret the words of Bible prophecy, and in particular the book of Revelation, as history, symbolism, or fulfilled prophecy, they do a great disservice to the body of Christ and contradict the Lord’s own testimony regarding His last message to His Church:
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star” (Revelation 22:16).
My prayer is that this brief glimpse into the promises of Revelation 2-3 fortifies your courage to stand up for Bible prophecy in a day when most pastors tell that it’s one of lessor importance than other scriptural truths. I also pray that Jesus’ words regarding our future glory encourage your hearts during these perilous times.
The One who verifies the testimony of John recording future things left us with this unfailing promise:
“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly’” (Revelation 22:20).
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Note: In Hereafter, It’s Far Better Than You Can Imagine, Terry James and I describe the future glory that awaits us as believers beginning with Jesus’ appearing to take us home. From beginning to end, we emphasize the jubilant joy that awaits us in Heaven. The last chapter contains twenty-seven frequently asked questions and answers pertaining to Heaven and our experience there.
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[i] John MacArthur, Revelation 1-11 (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), p. 91.