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Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Witness Lee and Watchman Nee
The following passage from Witness Lee’s Life-Study of
Revelation focuses on the Lord’s speaking to the church in Smyrna:
In verse 10 we see the promise to the overcomer—the
crown of life. Eventually, life will become a crown. It will be the glory of
the victorious martyrs. A crown in New Testament usage always denotes a prize
in addition to salvation (3:11; James 1:12; 2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Pet. 5:4; 1 Cor.
9:25). The crown of life as a prize to those who are faithful unto death in
overcoming persecution denotes the overcoming strength which is the power of
the resurrection life (Phil. 3:10); it also signifies that these overcomers
have attained to “the out-resurrection from among the dead,” that is, the
outstanding resurrection (Phil. 3:11, Gk.).
In verse 11 the Lord says, “He who overcomes shall by
no means be hurt of the second death.” To overcome in this epistle means to
overcome persecution by being faithful unto death. The promise to the
overcomer in this epistle has both a positive side—receiving the crown of
life—and a negative side—not being hurt of the second death.
Verse 11 has been a great problem to the expositors
of the book of Revelation. Due to the fall and the entering in of sin, every
man must die once (Heb. 9:27). This first death, however, is not the final
settlement. All the dead, except those who through faith in the Lord Jesus
have been recorded in the book of life, will be resurrected and pass through
the judgment of the great white throne at the close of the millennium, that
is, at the conclusion of the old heaven and the old earth. As a result of this
judgment, they will all be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second
death as the final settlement (Rev. 20:11-15). The second death is God’s
dealing with man after man’s death and resurrection. Since the overcomers have
overcome death through their faithfulness unto death under persecution and
have left nothing requiring further dealing by God after their resurrection,
they will be rewarded with the crown of life and will not be touched, or
“hurt,” anymore by the death after resurrection, which is the second
death.
Nearly every Christian teacher has a problem here,
thinking that after the believers are resurrected there will be no further
settlement required of them. Let me ask you this question: If you were to die
today, could you say that you have nothing which requires the Lord’s further
dealing? Probably you cannot say this. This means that if you died today, you
would still have something which requires the Lord’s further dealing. This
does not mean that you would be lost. Nevertheless, this further dealing would
not be something positive; it would surely be negative. Every negative thing
comes from death. Thus, if you require a further negative dealing, it means
that you can still be touched by death. This does not mean that you will
perish, but it does indicate that you will suffer something. We must hear the
word of the Lord. If we overcome persecution, on the positive side, we shall
receive the crown of life and, on the negative side, we shall not be hurt by
the second death.
We all need to be overcomers. If you are not an
overcomer in this age, you will be hurt by the second death in the next age.
It is difficult for anyone to say clearly what it means to be hurt by the
second death. Nevertheless, one thing is clear: if you do not overcome
persecution, something will hurt you. I say again that this does not mean that
you will be lost, that you will suffer perdition. No, every saved one is saved for
eternity. John 10:28 and 29 show that no saved one can ever perish again.
However, after we have been resurrected, we may suffer some dealing from the
Lord. Do not hold to the traditional theology which teaches that after you
have been resurrected everything will be all right. After the unbelievers are
resurrected, they will be dealt with by God regarding their eternal destiny.
In the same principle, after our resurrection, there will still be some
dealings from the Lord. It all depends upon how we live and walk today. If we
live and walk in an overcoming way, this will indicate that we have overcome
death and that nothing remains requiring a further dealing from the
Lord.
We must take the Lord’s clear word. Do not accept the
teaching which says that if you fail after being saved you will be lost again
and perish. This is not true. At the other extreme is the teaching which says
that after you have been saved you can have no problems with the Lord.
However, a person who has been eternally saved may still need to be dealt with
by Him. This is the full gospel. The full gospel is the whole New Testament,
not just John 3:16. Here in Revelation 2:11 is a portion of the full gospel
which says that we must overcome all persecution. If you do not overcome, you
will not receive the crown of life; instead, you will be hurt by the second
death. If you do overcome persecution and tribulation by the resurrection life
within you, you will receive the crown of life positively and you will not be
touched by the second death negatively. This is the Lord’s clear promise with
His clear word, and we all must take it. Whether we understand it or not, we
all must accept the word of the Lord. If you believe John 3:16, then you must
believe Revelation 2:11. Both are the Lord’s word. I say again that this is
the full gospel.
This matter has been veiled for a long time, and few
Christians dare to touch it. Since they have been unable to understand it,
their practice has been always to neglect it, to ignore it. But the Lord will
never ignore His word. He will follow through with whatever He says.
Therefore, be warned that we must overcome tribulation, suffering, and
persecution, that we may receive a crown of life and not be hurt by the second
death. If we overcome in this way, we shall have nothing remaining that will
require the Lord’s further dealing in the future.
(Witness Lee, LS of Revelation,
130-138)
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