The strongest verse of all the verses of overcoming has to be this one:

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

It’s because the ones who have the power over the nations are not merely the believers, but those who covercome AND keep the works of Jesus to the end. Here Jesus makes an emphasis on the DOING part and overcoming sin and not merely believing. These are the ones that will be kings and priests with God and Christ for a thousand years.

In conclusion, the following are the promises to the overcomers:

• They will be allowed to eat of the tree of life
• They will not be hurt of the second death — they have broken the birth, death cycle
• They are clothed in white linen
• They are given to eat of the hidden manna
• They receive a white stone
• They have a new name written in the stone
• They receive power over the nations
• They are made a pillar in the house of God
• They no longer go out — into the world to be born again.
• They inherit all things.
• They will be sons of God.

It doesn’t sound to me like all these promises are made to those who merely believe in him. To me this sounds like special rewards given to special people who have given their all to overcome sin, obey his commandments and do God’s will. I don’t believe that God would offer all these rewards to only those who merely “believe in Jesus and receive him as their personal savior” and have done as they wished all their lives, having been fortunate enough to have been born in one of the countries where they would have been brought up in the Christian religion.

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man…

Becoming sons of God

Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

To those who receive Jesus, it says in Joh 1:12, is given power to become the sons of God. Notice it doesn’t say they ARE sons of God, but they are given POWER. It requires power to overcome sins and they BECOME sons of God when they overcome. Jesus said,

“to him that overcometh… even as I overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne. ” (Rev 3:21).

Even Jesus had to overcome and became a son of God. He became a son of God at his baptism. God said to him, “Thou art my SON, THIS DAY have I begotten thee.” That was the day Jesus became the son of God and God became his Father. This did not happen at his resurrection nor did it happen at or before the so-called “virgin birth”. Jesus had to overcome to become a son of God and be worthy of everything that God gave to him. Even the prophecy about the Messiah is in the future tense, not the present.

“I will be his father, and he shall be my son.” (2Sa 7:14)

Rev 5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Jesus became worthy because he earned it and overcame, setting an example that we also should overcome that we also might be worthy to sit with him in OUR Father’s throne. This is a privilege given only to those who overcome.

The Second Death

So much has been written about what exactly is the Second Death. However, it is certain that there are only two categories: those that overcome and those who are “hurt of the second death” — nothing in between.

Rev 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.

Simply by the process of elimination we can know who those are that participate in the Second Death. From reading the first five parts of this series on “Who are the Overcomers?”. I think it is pretty well established who the overcomers are NOT and who the overcomers ARE. The overcomers are those who, like the word itself says, overcomes sin. They also keep the commandments and do good works. Overcomers are more than merely believers in Jesus.

This places those who are “merely believers” but not overcomers in the same group as those who are unbelievers.

Luk 12:46 The lord of that servant…will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

“That servant” here refers to believers in the “lord” who knew their lord’s will be didn’t do it. “Portion” can mean part and in this instance, since Jesus said that some of the servants would receive many stripes and others would receive few (Luk 12:47,48), shows that the chastisement is not eternal and is completely possible to include believers.

Jesus put the unfaithful servants, who are obviously not overcomers, in the same group with the unbelievers. This group is cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death.

Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Death and hell are not living beings who would suffer pain of torture are therefore metaphorical. And since they are “cast into the lake of fire”, this also must be metaphorical. In scripture, fire is symbolic of chastisement and purging or destruction. The most logical thing is then that the lake of fire and the second death are symbolic of chastisement and purging and not a literal eternal fire burning with sulfur.

What we have then is two groups: overcomers being rewarded with God and the other group being the unfaithful servants, the unbelieving and the wicked. The second group is taking part in the metaphorical second death or the lake of fire.

But the second death and the lake of fire is NOT eternal torment in hell burning with sulfur, it is having to come back to be born into this life and having to face the suffering and, in some cases, weeping and gnashing of teeth, to purge and purify the spirits of men.

The Second Birth

Jesus talked about being born again, the first being a physical birth which is followed by a physical death — “the water”. And a second birth, being a spiritual birth, would logically be followed by a spiritual death — “the spirit”. I believe that the spiritual death is actually the second death, which all must go through in order to enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Dying to the “old man”, spiritually, so to speak.

However you interpret the second birth, as Jesus put it, “you must be born of water and of the spirit“,  is one in which a person MUST pass through in order to make progress in a new spiritual life on the road to perfection. But those who have already reached that state, and have overcome, as Jesus also did, no longer pass through the process of the birth and death cycle. They “abide in the house for ever” as the Son does, having been “made free indeed” from the servitude of sin. (Joh 8:34-36)

Reincarnation is being born again

This is why I believe that being born again is actually coming back to this earth and being born into a new life with a new chance to make more progress towards the goal of freedom from the servitude of sin, and becoming an overcomer. An overcomer that no longer must go out again but finally abides in the house of the Father for ever.

Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord

Luk 12:37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

Luk 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?