April 1: THE WAY
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7
Jesus used the phrase “he who has ears to hear…” frequently during His earthly ministry (Matthew 11:15, 13:9, 43, Luke 14:35), and therefore His conclusion of the message to Ephesus should sound very familiar to His followers.
“To him who overcomes…” There is a lifelong continuum of overcoming to do, as the enemy of souls has a veritable parade of shiny counterfeits to draw our worship away from the Creator. The most famous landmark in Ephesus was the ostentatious Temple of Artemis which housed the Roman goddess Diana. She was hailed as the goddess of fertility, the ultimate “mother-goddess”. To say that this goddess worship was “big business” is an understatement (see Acts 19:27). The reference to our sense of hearing points to the foolishness of making idols of created things which do not see or hear or know….
And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven . . . and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. (Daniel 5:23) See also Revelation 14:7.
The word “overcomes” is translated from the Greek word meaning to be the victor. It alludes to war: one battle after another. The form of the word is present participle, implying that there is victory after victory in a lifelong effort. Even the feeblest saint whose heart is surrendered to Christ is supplied divine grace and power just for the asking—as it is needed—to be victorious day after day, moment-by-moment.
The beautiful promise of being granted to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God is an exciting “bookend” corresponding with the loss of that access in Genesis 3:24. The word Paradise means a walled garden. Cherubim were placed to guard the way to the tree of life, providing mankind with a fresh opportunity to choose rightly. Since that time, God has preserved this amazing tree in the heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 22:2). Thank the Lord that the way to it has been guarded for us! Thank Him for His grace and power available to us! And remember to ask for them daily. Oh, how He loves for His creatures to trust Him alone for every need!
There is a purposeful juxtaposition between the largest and most famous idol in Ephesus and the tree of life. The tree is not an object of worship, but rather the One who made the tree, for He is the Source of life itself. This message, along with the rest of the seven, are for the churches (plural) to hear and heed. The Holy Spirit addresses each church as a whole, and each individual in his/her walk with Christ.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6