Revelation 2:7

⁷ He who is able to hear, let him listen to and give heed to what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). To him who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant to eat [of the fruit] of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

·         How exactly does a believer, a child of God, overcome? We overcome the world, because the Truth is that we are more than conquerors through Christ Who loves us, Romans 8:37. We are conquerors because our Father keeps us on this earth, John 17:15. Christ does not fail! God does not fail! The actual church at Ephesus had a form of godliness, but they denied the power of it, 2 Timothy 3:5. Jesus knew this. He knew that without Him the church would fail. It is impossible to repent and act in true righteousness without Jesus being the force that is driving the change. It is impossible to continually live in righteousness without Christ being the power that enables it. 

·         Tree’s represent people who are leaders.

·         Jesus and His Bride, who are the saved, will be the leaders in eternity. We have life in us. We have passed from death unto life.

·         And there shall be no more night; they have no need for lamplight or sunlight, for the Lord God will illuminate them and be their light, and they shall reign [as kings] forever and ever (through the eternities of the eternities). Revelation 22:5.

·         To eat the fruit of the Tree of Life means that you have been grafted into and become one with Jesus.

·         The Book of Revelation speaks a great deal about the false prophet and the anti-christ, both will be experts at false religion. If the church leaders of Ephesus would have truly been of God, He would have kept them from leaving their first love. I believe many in Ephesus were truly saved though. History seems to show us that John actually was part of this church at one time. The things that the Holy Spirit showed this church through Paul were definitely for the chosen, as well as for us today. But the church, the organized church, with its leaders and boards could not have been. God’s Truth never dies off. Jesus ever lives to declare God’s Name to us, John 17:26 and He ever lives to intercede for us so that we are saved to the uttermost, Hebrews 7:25. The Church of Christ will end, Methodist will end, Catholicism will end, the Church of God will end, and yes, even the Baptists will end, but the true Church, those who have been called and chosen will never end! 

·         There are so many who believe that Jesus is a stand by Savior; that He can only act if we first do something that allows Him to act in our lives. But the Truth is that He is our Head, He is our Shepherd, He is in control of us and He is directing our paths. Jesus is not reactive to us, He is active for us! Many are called to be His Bride, yet only a few are chosen to actually be His Bride. This means that only a few are actually called to serve the world. Jesus doesn’t choose in error! Think about grafting a branch into a vine. Who picks the branch to be grafted? The gardener does, and our Gardener is God, John 15:1. Our Gardener knows the beginning and the end. Do you think that He will pick out a branch, graft it into Jesus, and then realize that He had made a mistake? There were saved people here in Ephesus, yet as for the organized church, even though God had used it, it was never actually one with Him. Because what is truly a part of our Father, and who is truly chosen to be one with Him, can ever leave Him.