Revelation 2:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,

NIV: To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations--

NASB: The one who overcomes, and the one who keeps My deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations;

CSB: The one who conquers and who keeps my works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations --

NLT: To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations.

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

NKJV: And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—

Jesus promises to reward everyone who honors Him until the end. This verse uses the Greek term nikōn, a reference to conquering, victory, or "overcoming." He will grant the overcomer a position of authority over the nations.

According to Psalm 2, someday the nations will unite in an effort to dethrone God, but He will defeat them in His wrath and fury. After defeating the rebels, He will place Jesus, the Messiah, on the throne in Jerusalem and proclaim Him king over all the earth. Matthew 25:31–42 captures the scene in which Jesus comes to earth in glory and all nations assemble before Him for judgment. His earthly kingdom will be glorious with unprecedented peace, prosperity, and holiness (Isaiah 9:6–7; 11:6–9; Micah 4:3–4; Zechariah 14:10, 20). During His reign over the nations, Jesus will grant believers the privilege of sharing in His rule (1 Corinthians 6:2; 2 Timothy 2:12).

The disciples anticipated Jesus' worldwide kingdom, but they assumed He would establish it in their lifetime. They even quarreled about which of them would have seats of honor in the kingdom. Jesus rebuked them for such selfish ambition and explained the importance of being humble (Mark 9:33–37). After Jesus arose from the grave, the disciples wondered if Jesus' kingdom was imminent, but Jesus said the timing of the kingdom was in the Father's hands (Acts 1:6–11). The kingdom is still future, but believers can look forward to it and to the privilege of serving Jesus in His kingdom.

Revelation 2:18–29 reveals what Jesus instructed John to write to the church at Thyatira. Although the church exhibited commendable virtues, it allowed an evil woman—here referred to as Jezebel—to lead its members into immorality and idolatry. Jesus predicted strict punishment for her and her followers. The churches would know by Jesus' action that He searches the mind and heart and deals with everyone according to his or her works. Those who did not follow Jezebel's teachings would not be punished, but Jesus encouraged them to stay loyal to Him until His return, when He will rule the nations and permit the faithful to rule with Him.

The contents of Revelation 2 are miniature letters to four churches, dictated by Jesus to John. Ephesus and Smyrna were coastal cities, whereas Pergamum and Thyatira were inland cities. Three more such letters are in Revelation 3. Each of these messages contains a unique description of Jesus, a command, a promise. All but one—the church in Laodicea—receive some commendation. All but two of the seven letters—those to the churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia—also contain a critical rebuke. Like churches today, most of the congregations addressed by Jesus had both good characteristics and at least one point which needed correction.

In chapter 1, John introduced his order from Jesus Christ: to write out a message to seven churches in Asia (Revelation 1:9–11). Here in this chapter, John writes to the church in Ephesus, the church in Smyrna, the church in Pergamum, and the church in Thyatira. Chapter 3 will continue with messages to the other three churches. The rest of Revelation will explain future events connected to the ''end times.''

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''