THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
The Overcomers
Message Two—The Overcomers Typified in the Old Testament
Scripture Reading: Gen. 1:16; Gen. 3:15; 5:21; 14:19; 1 Kings 19:18; Psa. 45:14; S.S. 3:7; Dan. 1:8
I. According to the revelation in the Bible, the principle of God’s work among His people is to first gain a few people so that His intention may be worked into many people; this is the principle of the overcomers—Exo. 32:26; Rev. 12:5: (Truth Lessons, Level 4, Vol. 1, lsn. 19)
A. History has proven that whether in the age of the patriarchs, the age of law, or the age of grace, only a few among God’s people were strong. (Truth Lessons, Level 4, Vol. 1, lsn. 19)
B. These strong ones are considered a collective unit fighting the battle for God’s interest and bringing God’s kingdom to earth. (Truth Lessons, Level 4, Vol. 1, lsn. 19)
II. The stars [in Genesis 1:16] signify the overcoming saints: (Genesis 1:16, footnote 4, Recovery version)
A. The shining of the overcoming saints as the heavenly stars is needed particularly in the time of the church’s degradation—Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 20-21; Dan. 12:3; cf. 1:20. (Genesis 1:16, footnote 4, Recovery version)
B. [The greater light-bearer in Genesis 1:16 indicats] the sun, signifying Christ; the overcoming saints were also likened to the sun by the Lord Jesus—Matt. 13:43a; Psa. 136:8. (Genesis 1:16, footnote 2, Recovery version)
III. The seed of the woman [in Genesis 3:15] is enlarged to include the overcoming believers, the stronger part of God’s people, signified by the man-child in Rev. 12:5: (Genesis 3:15, footnote 3, Recovery version)
A. The Lord as the leading Overcomer is the Head, center, reality, life, and nature of the man-child— Rev. 3:21. (Genesis 3:15, footnote 3, Recovery version)
B. The man-child as the following overcomers is the Lord’s Body. (Genesis 3:15, footnote 3, Recovery version)
IV. Enoch was delivered from God’s judgment and was taken by God to be an overcomer in that age, even though that generation and everything in it was ungodly, Enoch separated himself to walk with God—Gen. 5:21; Jude 14-15. (Truth Lessons, Level 4, Vol. 2, lsn. 21)
V. Because Abraham, an overcomer, had gained the victory over God’s enemies and was standing with God on the earth, God could be referred to not only as the God of heaven but also as the Possessor of heaven and earth—Gen. 14:19, 22; 2 Chron. 36:23; Neh. 1:5; 2:4, 20. (Genesis 14:19, footnote 2, Recovery version)
VI. God told Elijah that He had left Himself seven thousand faithful ones in Israel who had not bowed down their knees to Baal and had not kissed him with their mouth; these faithful ones, the overcomers, were still standing on God’s side—1 Kings 19:18. (Life-Study of 1 & 2 Kings Messages10)
VII. [In Psalms 45:14,] the virgins signify the overcoming saints, who will be invited to the marriage dinner of Christ—Rev. 19:9. (Psa. 45:14, footnote 2, Recovery version)
VIII. In Song of Songs 3, Christ’s lover is among the sixty mighty men, indicating that she is a leading overcomer, fighting for Christ in order to keep Him at rest during the fighting—v. 7: (S. S. 3:7, footnote 1, Recovery version)
A. She is the victory of the overcoming Christ, full of the power of the overcomers among God’s elect that carries Christ even in times of difficulties. (S. S. 3:7, footnote 1, Recovery version)
B. These overcomers are experts in war, fighting with their weapons at the time of alarms—v. 8; cf. 10:3-5; Eph. 6:10-20; 1 Tim. 1:18; 2 Tim. 4:7. (S. S. 3:7, footnote 1, Recovery version)
C. [In Song of Songs 6,] when the overcoming lover of Christ becomes one with God to be God’s dwelling place, to the enemy she is as terrible as an army with banners. (S. S. 6:4, footnote 2, Recovery version)
1. A terrible army signifies that the overcomers of the Lord terrify God’s enemy, Satan, and become terrible in the eyes of God’s people. (S. S. 6:4, footnote 2, Recovery version)
2. This army fights the battle for God’s kingdom in the degradation of God’s people to become the overcomers who answer the Lord’s call—Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21. (S. S. 6:4, footnote 2, Recovery version)
3. Eventually, the overcomers will be a bride collectively to marry Christ; after their wedding, this bride will become an army to fight alongside Christ, her Husband, to defeat Antichrist with all his followers—19: 7-9, 11-21. (S. S. 6:4, footnote 2, Recovery version)
4. The corporate Christ—Christ with His overcoming bride—will become a great mountain to fill the whole earth, making the whole earth God’s kingdom—Dan. 2:35. (Dan. 2:35, footnote 2, Recovery version)
IX. Daniel and his companions became the overcomers among the remnant of God’s defeated elect—1:8: (Dan. 1:8, footnote 1, Recovery version)
A. Because of the captivity of God’s elect in Babylon, apparently God was defeated in His interests on earth; actually, He preserved His worship and testimony through the young overcomers. (Dan. 1:8, footnote 1, Recovery version)
B. The elect were defeated, but the young overcomers were victorious; their victory was God’s victory; because of this victory God could boast to Satan that in the midst of Babylon, God still had some overcomers who were victorious over Satan’s devices. (Dan. 1:8, footnote 1, Recovery version)
C. Eventually, it was through the overcomers among God’s captured elect, such as Daniel and his companions, that God was able to turn the age and bring a remnant of His captured people back to the land of Canaan—see footnote 1 on 1 Kings 19:18. (Dan. 1:8, footnote 1, Recovery version)
X. Zion within Jerusalem typifies the body of overcomers, the perfected and matured God-men, within the church as the heavenly Jerusalem—Heb. 12:22; Rev. 14:1-5: (Psa. 48:2, footnote 1, Recovery version)
A. Zion typifies the overcomers as the high peak, the center, the uplifting, the strengthening, the enriching, the beauty, and the reality of the church—Psa. 48:2, 11-12; 20:2; 53:6a; 87:2. (Psa. 48:2, footnote 1, Recovery version)
B. The overcomers as Zion are the reality of the Body of Christ and consummate the building up of the Body in the local churches to bring in the consummated holy city, New Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies as God’s dwelling place, in eternity—Rev. 21:1-3, 16, 22. (Psa. 48:2, footnote 1, Recovery version)
C. In the new heaven and new earth the entire New Jerusalem will become Zion, with all the believers as overcomers—Rev. 21:7 and note 1. (Psa. 48:2, footnote 1, Recovery version)
XI. In the millennial kingdom the Jews will be priests on the earth, and the overcoming believers will be priests in the heavens—Isa. 2:2-3; Rev. 20:6. (Isa. 65:17, footnote 1, Recovery version)
XII. At that time the holy city, New Jerusalem, will comprise only the overcoming Old Testament and New Testament saints but not the Israelites who will be saved at the Lord’s coming back—Zech. 8:20–23. (Isa. 65:17, footnote 1, Recovery version)