What is the meaning of Revelation 3:13? He who has an ear Revelation 3:13 opens with a simple image: an ear. Everyone with physical hearing—and by extension anyone capable of understanding—falls under this call. Jesus used the same wording during His earthly ministry: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15). The phrase stresses: • Inclusiveness—no believer is exempt (Isaiah 55:3). • Personal responsibility—each individual must decide to listen (1 Samuel 3:10). • Urgency—the Lord is speaking now, not later (Hebrews 3:7-8). Let him hear Hearing in Scripture always carries the expectation of obedience. The command is not passive; it calls for response. • “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). • “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). • When Israel’s greatest confession begins with “Hear, O Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4), the point is action—loving God with heart, soul, and strength (v. 5). In Revelation 3, Jesus seeks the same: attentive, obedient disciples who move from information to transformation. What the Spirit says The speaker is the Holy Spirit, the divine Author and Interpreter of Scripture. • Jesus promised, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). • “The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will abandon the faith” (1 Timothy 4:1). • Prophecy “never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Because the Spirit is God, His words carry inerrant authority. Dismissing them is not a light matter; it is refusing God Himself (Acts 28:25-27). To the churches The message is addressed to “the churches,” plural. Every congregation—ancient and modern—must take note. • The same refrain appears after each of the seven letters (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22), underscoring a collective obligation. • “To the church of God in Corinth… together with all who everywhere call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:2) shows the pattern: truth spoken to one church is meant for all believers. • Acts 9:31 portrays “the churches throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria” walking “in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit,” mirroring the expectation set in Revelation—local bodies united under one divine voice. summary Revelation 3:13 is a concise, four-part call: if you possess the capacity to listen, then listen—and obey—because the Holy Spirit is speaking, and His words apply to every church. The verse moves us from mere awareness to active obedience, reminding believers that God still addresses His people collectively and personally, and we are accountable to respond in faith and action. |
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