Revelation 2:7 7The one who has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Each of the seven letters ends with a similar call to listen to the Spirit. The Holy Spirit warns a person who is tempted and brings conviction of sin. A person can respond by repenting and seeking the way of righteousness. The only proper response for the Ephesians was to heed the words of Jesus that the Holy Spirit would bring into their hearts and minds. The Living Word spoke to these churches, penetrating their innermost being where decisions are made (Hebrews 4:12). Although Jesus is the one speaking, the Spirit is the one who brings conviction. The unity of the Trinity is assumed in this verse and throughout Revelation. The responsibility to overcome lies with the one who has heard the message. We made the choice to follow the Spirit, and God blesses with victory.
The promise of victory shows up in two ways. The first is assumed from the context and is spiritual in nature. When persecution comes, those who have put their trust in Jesus will experience spiritual assurance in the way of hope for the second outcome, which is eternal in nature. This verse expresses the hope of all who repent of their sins: the promise of eating from the tree of life. This is the tree that Adam and Eve were kept from eating after they sinned in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:22). This tree bears fruit that is life-sustaining and immortal. Obviously, we do not need to eat fruit to have eternal life, but rather, the tree represents access to the abundant and blessed type of life Adam and Eve had at the beginning and which God created humans to have.
The tree is described as life because it represents resurrection from the dead for all who believe in Jesus. This tree becomes symbolic of the new life available through Jesus. It represents the relationship with God that was broken when Adam and Eve sinned. They no longer had access to the source of eternal life when sin entered their lives. The right to eat from this tree is the right to have eternal life and be in a relationship with God. Those who are given this right will be the ones around God’s throne and present for the Lamb’s wedding feast.
The paradise of God gives the image of returning to the blessed situation of the garden of Eden, to the very reason and situation for which God created humanity. The difference between the original Eden and the new Eden is that human now know the depth of God’s love because of the sacrifice of Jesus. Humans would not know the depth God’s love without Jesus.