Revelation 2:7 Revelation 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" This verse contains the conclusion of this epistle, which consists of two general parts; first, an exhortation. Secondly, a promise. In the exhortation, Christ, first, requires ever one to hear. \ Incline your ear, come unto me, hear and your soul shall live. Secondly, he exhorts them to hear what the Spirit speaketh in the word written and read in the churches, unto which a promise of blessing is annexed. \ Blessed is the Man that heareth me, waiting at the Posts of my doors. \ Those epistles were not preached, but written to the seven churches, and the promise of blessing is annexed to the reading and hearing of them read. \ Likewise, the epistles of Paul and other of the apostles were not preached, but written unto and read in the churches of saints. \ And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read in the Church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. The Holy Spirit is not limited unto the preaching of the word; but he also speaketh and teacheth in the reading of the Holy Scriptures. So then, the Holy Scriptures ought to be read in the churches of saints. KNOLLYS: Revelation 1:3 "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" In these words we have, first, the qualification of the person unto whom the promise is made, "to him that overcometh" a metaphor taken from the athletes, who strive for victory by running or fighting, \ that is to say, to every one that getteth the victory over all his soul enemies, his spiritual antagonists, to with, the world, \ the beast, \ Satan \ and sin. \ That tree of life is Jesus Christ, \ who was typed out by that material tree of life in the Garden of Eden. \ This spiritual tree of eternal life, yields all manner of fruit that is good for our soul’ s food. \ "Which is in the midst of the paradise of God" Eden had in it, an earthly paradise, to wit, the garden that God planted there. \ In Heaven there is a celestial paradise, \ where Christ is. Paradise, is originally a Persian word, which the Hebrews and the Greeks have by use made theirs, \ and so have the Latins, and we also in English: It signifies a place of pleasure called the paradise of God by way of excellency, as, the city of God, the temple of God, the people of God, etc.