TRIUMPH BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB
Revelation 12:1-13:18
Key Verse: 12:11
“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
In Ch6 ~ Ch11, we have learned the first two seven sets of God’s judgments as revealed by the seven seals and the seven trumpets. Through the seven seal judgments, over a fourth of the mankind was killed by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. Then, by the seven trumpet judgments, mankind were tortured by the locust looked like horses and a third of mankind was killed by the plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of the horses with the heads of lions, along with the destruction of a third of natures. But, when the last trumpet sounded, we heard the amazing voice from heaven declaring and praising the coming of final victory: “The kingdom of world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” “The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants… and your people…” (11:15, 18) Because of this hope of final and eternal victory, we can be faithful to the word of God and to our Lord Jesus with obedience to his teaching even in times of tribulation. In this way, we can be victorious and be the light in time of darkness.
Have you ever wondered why these things happen? Especially why God’s people face persecutions, rejections, or even hatred? What might be the root of all these troubles and conflicts? We can find the answers in this passage. In Ch12-14, John witnesses the conflict of ages between God and Satan. This vision teaches us “Who are our enemies?”, “What is our real battle?” Our real enemy is not other people or nations, but Satan. At the root of all the troubles and conflicts in the world there is Satan. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil. (Ep6:12) In this passage, the nature of evil is fully exposed, revealing the climax of Satan’s wickedness. In this spiritual battler, God’s people can triumph over Satan by the blood of the lamb and by their testimonies; we can be victorious through patient endurance and faithfulness.
First, War in Heaven. (12:1-12).
Verses 1-12 tell us the back-story of the spiritual conflict as it took place in heaven. In verses 1-6 John saw two great signs appeared in heaven. The first sign is a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head (1). Who is this woman? She symbolizes God’s chosen people, Israel whom God had called to himself to be a holy nation as a source of blessing for all nations. She cried out in pain as she was about to give birth (2). This symbolizes Israel’s long-suffering patience as God fulfilled his promise to send the Messiah to deliver his people from sin. Throughout history, Israel had suffered much to keep her faith and identity as God’ chosen people until the Savior was finally born to her in a manger of a stable.
The second sign is a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. This dragon was so powerful that with his tail he flung a third of the stars to the earth (4a). The huge red dragon has several names – Ancient serpent, the devil, and Satan. He was an angelic being, create by God to serve the Creator God. (Jude 6) But, he became proud and wanted to be like God, saying “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” (Isa 14:14) He was cast out by God together with his angels who had followed him. They became God’s enemies. In Gen 3, Satan appeared in a serpent form and tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God and to destroy them. It seemed like his plan succeeded. However, God delayed his wrath not to destroy them completely.(Is48:9) God promised to send a savior and that is the reason God called Israel through Abraham. After long child-bearing pain, she delivered the son. Yes. This son refers to God’s promised Messiah who will rule all the nations with his righteousness.
Satan never relented in his efforts to destroy mankind. The dragon stood in front of the woman, and ready to devour her child the moment he was born (4b). Rebelling against God, he had tried to stop God’s redemptive work by killing the woman and the baby. The woman and the baby were too weak and vulnerable to resist the dragon’s attack. However, the child was snatched up to God and to his throne. (5) Satan actually to kill him through the king Herod. Later, he tested him, tempted him, threatened him, and eventually killed him on a cross. It seemed that Satan had won the battle. However, the death could not keep its hold on Jesus for he was sinless and He is the Son of God. God raised him from the death and Jesus ascended into heaven and now is seated in his throne at the right hand of God.
This reveals that our God is sovereign and faithful. From Genesis, Satan had determined to stop God’s work. However, nothing could stop God’s plan to save sinners. Though Israel, God’s chosen people, had failed many times out of stubbornness, out of his mercy God had disciplined her, and restored her. He never gave upon her.
God had made a new covenant and continued his work of salvation through holy remnant. Finally, God sent and sacrificed his son, as the Lamb, as he had promised. Our God is Sovereign God and faithful God. So, his promise never fails for God has power to keep what he promised. Therefore, we trust in him; we put our faith in His words of promise. God will surely fulfill his will and his purpose for His people. This book of revelation truly reveals his sovereignty and faithfulness, showing the vision of New Heave, New earth and New Jerusalem.
Verses 7-9 tell us why he could not but hurled down to the earth. Verse 7 begins, “Then war broke out in heaven.” Satan rebelled and fought against God. However, Satan was not strong enough. Though the red dragon seems powerful and mighty with seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns, he is not strong enough to overcome God nor stop God’s plan. Satan and his angels lost their places in heaven and could not but hurl down to the earth. Praise the Lord!
Look at verses 10-12. In heaven, there is a loud voice of victory and praise. When Jesus suffered, died and rose again, Satan’s head was crushed. Then, God’s salvation, God’s power, and God’s kingdom come in Heaven. Here Satan was called as an accuser. His full time job is to accuse people. He never fails in finding the weaknesses and sins of God’s people and accuses them relentlessly before God: “You Hypocrite! Lair! You are unforgivable. You are useless! You are a loser!” No one can stand against Satan’s accusations. Condemnation by others is hard to bear. Self-condemnation is more unbearable. Then, how can anyone be free from Satan’s accusations? How can we be free from Satan’s deception? By doing good work? By torturing ourselves? By trying to forget about it? No matter what we try, it does not work. But there is a way.
Let’s read verse 11: “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” First of all, we triumph over Satan by the blood of the Lamb. Satan is often right in his accusations. Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, no one can be free from Satan’s accusations and from its condemnation. However, Jesus was accused, condemned in our places. Jesus became a lamb of God and gave his life as a ransom for us. Since he paid the price of our sins, we are free from all condemnations. So, Paul said in Romans 8:1-2, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Who can bring any charge against God’s people? No one. Because it is God who justifies them by the blood of Jesus. Regardless their short comings or mistakes or faults, God’s people triumph over Satan by the power of blood of Jesus.
Secondly, we triumph over Satan by the word of our testimony. Though Jesus paid the full price of our sins by shedding his blood, if we do not respond with faith it is not effective for us. If someone offers us a great gift but we refuse to accept it, we cannot enjoy the benefit of the gift. God has offered His gift – the eternal life in Jesus –the victory over the power of sin and death through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Testifying with my lips – “Jesus is My Savior and Lord; he suffered and died for my sins,” I received the gift of God, the eternal life in Christ. I came to have the victory which Jesus had won over the power of sin and death. Jesus’ victory is my victory.
The way to overcome Satan is to testify what Jesus had done for us. The testimony of the grace of God must always be upon our hearts and our mouth. In John 9, there was one man who was born blind. Though Jesus opened his eyes, the religious leaders accused him to deny Jesus and to give glory to God. However, he overcame the Satan’s accusation by testifying “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.” (Jn9:25) He no longer feared ex-communication or even death. Remembering and testifying the one thing Jesus had done for him, he overcame fear and became victorious. The marvelous grace of Jesus empowers us to overcome the devil’s accusation and all guilt. This marvelous grace of Jesus leads us to give our lives to God as God’s righteous instruments and blesses us to be victorious. Paul always confessed “I am the least of the apostles and not even deserve to be called apostles but by the grace of God, I am what I am.” (1Cor 15:9-10) We must testify his grace. We may open our mouths and tell the world what Jesus had done for us. “We’ve a story to tell to the nations. That shall turn their hearts to the right, A story of truth and mercy, A story of peace and light…” (698)
Thirdly, we overcome the accuser by loving God more than our own life. Loving God with all our heart, mind, and strength, we live for God. When we love our life too much, we pamper our lives to much and we forget that Jesus died on the cross. Paul testified how to live victorious life in Gal 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who love me and gave himself for me.” He loved Jesus, so he lived for Christ.
Jesus’ great victory causes heaven and all who dwell in it to rejoice (12a). But the devil’s expulsion from heaven brings woe to the earth. Satan is filled with fury because he knows his time is short (12b). Now he focuses all his power to make war on earth to destroy God’s holy people
Second, war on earth (12:13-13:18).
In 12:13-17 we find images that tell the story of conflict between Satan and God’s people on earth. When the dragon was hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman, but God protected her. As he carried his people Israel on eagle’s wings in the wilderness, he carried her to the place prepared for her. However, the serpent did not give up. He spewed water like a river from his mouth to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent (15). This river symbolizes false teachings and lies devised by Satan to try to make God’s people stumble. Throughout history, false teachings and lies have flowed through educators, politicians, religious leaders, and others via books and other media. They have tried to destroy the church by any means. But it did not work because of God’s protection. Having failed to destroy the Messiah and his mother, the frustrated dragon makes war on the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
Ch 13 reveals how Satan has wages war against God’s holy people. He uses two beasts. The first beast comes out of the sea. It has ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name (1). It resembled a leopard, but had feet like a bear and the mouth of a lion (2a). The dragon gave his power, throne and great authority to the beast. One of the heads of the beast has a fatal wound, but was healed.
Who then is the beast? This beast symbolizes a powerful anti-Christ. It could be a powerful Kingdom or Empire like Roman Empire or political/economical world system like communism, fascism which will oppose God and persecute his people. Because of its power, the whole world was fascinated and worshiped the dragon and the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?” (4)
Look at verses 5-10. It tells how the beast will persecute God’s holy people. The beast will utter proud words, blasphemies against God, and slander his name, his dwelling place, and those who live in heaven. Anti-Christ are pound – proud of their position, their achievement, their possessions, their degrees, their abilities and talents. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast because of its power, possessions, money, success, and authority. The world is full of proud men who speak proudly about their success, popularity and so on. Denying God’s glory and honor, they will set themselves above God and live by teachings of men.
Look at verses 9-10. God’s holy people will be persecuted because of the truth of God. They will be criticized as narrow- minded, exclusive trouble-makers. Because of their faith in Jesus, they will go into captivity or even be killed by the sword. At the end times, it will never easy to live by faith. However, we may need to carefully observe the world if this is happening now. We also need to exam ourselves carefully if we are allied to the beast or Christ. It is because those who worship Satan may survive for a little while, but they will be eternally condemned because their names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life (8b). For those who worship God, they have their names written in the Lamb’s book of life and will be rewarded with eternal life.
In such horrible circumstance – under the rule of the beast, how can we be victorious? Look at 10b. “This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.” In the time of great conflict and crisis, we are not called to fight the battle with sword, guns, missiles or bombs. Rather, we are called to fight this spiritual battle with patient endurance and faithfulness. It means never yielding in our faith in Jesus; never yielding in our prayer, in our mission. Enduring hardships, mistreatments, and persecutions patiently, we may look like losers, powerless or hopeless one. However, we are victors in Christ Jesus by faith for we will inherit the kingdom of God.
The first beast will be horrible one. But there will be another one, the second beast.
Verses 11-18 tell us about a second beast which comes out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon (11). It received authority from the first beast and promotes worship of the first beast (12). It is able to perform great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth. In this way, it deceived people. Then, it compelled them to set up an image and worship the first beast (14). The beast kills anyone who refused to worship the image of the beast (15). It forced people to put a mark on their right hands or their foreheads (16-17). This mark is the name of the beast or its number: 666 (18b). It denotes the beast’s ownership and their allegiance.
What is the second beast? It refers to a false prophet. His purpose is to being the whole world to worship the first beast and the dragon. It also forces the world to bear the mark of the beast. There have been many attempts to interpret the mark of the beast and the number. The triple 6’s are intended as a contrast with the divine 7’s throughout the book and signify incompleteness, imperfection. Without this mark, men can no longer buy or sell, or eat or drink or act. Eventually, the whole world has become godless without God -a world ready for the final judgment.
How can we fight against this beast? We should have wisdom. We can have the wisdom of God through the word of God. By the word of God – the truth, we can discern what is true or lie and we can overcome the lies or deceptions of the world. At the end of time, those who study the Bible will overcome the world. Those who mediate the word of God day and night; those who take deep root into the word of God will be victorious.
Today we learned How Satan wages war against God and God’s Holy people. Also, we learned how to triumph over Satan. We should be careful what we follow or who we follow. The signs of Anti Christ and False prophets are already everywhere. Though we are surrounded by these powerful beasts, we can triumph over the world. It is because Jesus already overcame the world. We may triumph over the devil by the blood of the Lamb. There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus, but only freedom, peace and victory. Let’s fight the good fight of faith. We may fight this spiritual battle with patient endurance, faithfulness, and the word of God.