9. “ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches” --2:7. Let him hear: As the eye is the organ of light to lighten the body (Matthew 5:1-48), the ear is the organ of spiritual discernment. What the Spirit saith: The Spirit is here identified with Christ, since the phrase these things saith he represents Christ as the speaker. To the churches: What Jesus Christ said to each of the seven churches, he said in substance to all of the churches, and to every church of his own thereafter and now. 10. “ To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life"--2:7. To him that overcometh: This condition attached to the promise that followed was a specific reference to the impending persecutions, thus adding evidence that the book belongs to the period of their own experiences; they were expected to be the overcomers of these persecutions and the conquerers of the persecutors. To eat of the tree of life: The expression give to eat, had reference to distribution and reward, and it meant that the promise was as sure as the One who gave it was true. The phrase to eat meant to participate in the life that is the fruit of the tree of life. The tree of life is an allusion to the tree that disappeared in Eden, but did not perish; it is now in the paradise of God, instead of the paradise of man where it once was enjoyed by the first man and his mate; it consists, in this symbolic presentation, in the reward given to the overcomers of the persecutions, which comes only from above--from God. The warnings to the Ephesian church surround the two elements--the false apostles and the Nicolaitanes. The first formed a parallel with the warning of Christ in Matthew 24:1-51 concerning the false prophets that should arise to disturb the disciples after the establishment of the church and before and during the siege of Jerusalem; and the latter was parallel to the warnings of Paul against the parties of Judaism that would develop within the churches.