Commentaries:
While the blood of the Lamb represents a number of specific things that help us overcome, it could be summed up as doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves. This is the first element listed in Revelation 12:11, and as such, it is the first key to overcoming—recognizing that overcoming is beyond human capability! We cannot atone for our own sins. We cannot truly cleanse our own conscience. We cannot force our way into the Holy of Holies. We cannot give ourselves eternal life. Finally, we cannot resurrect ourselves.
We have a part to play in overcoming, but the bottom line is that God does the overcoming in us. He does not merely help us. Rather, we beseech Him to overcome the corruption in us, and then we submit to the process He leads us through.
This point is crucial because God has created us with a human spirit, which includes human will. The human will can motivate men to accomplish extraordinary things—like climbing Mount Everest, swimming the English Channel, and putting a man on the moon. Yet the corrupted human will is wholly insufficient for overcoming corrupted human nature, let alone Satan. The human will is dreadfully inadequate.
In Colossians 2:23, Paul warns of "will-worship," which he says has the appearance of wisdom. Will-worship was part of the asceticism active in the Gnostic culture of Colossae, in which the devotees were regimented and disciplined in their religious practice. They willed themselves to avoid touching and eating things that they judged to be spiritually impure, but their demonstrations of self-control did nothing to glorify God or edify their fellow citizens. This was not the kind of self-control gained as a fruit of the Spirit but a reveling in their own ability to choose an action or way of living and stick to it by their internal fortitude.
Initially, if we think about it in relation to avoiding sin, this sort of discipline sounds good, and indeed, discipline is a good thing. However, will-worship leaves God out of the picture. If God is not the One leading the process of overcoming, we will inevitably apply our will and efforts to the wrong things, at the wrong time, and in the wrong measure. Moreover, if a strong will were the answer to overcoming, then we would have something to boast of and not need God. We could create ourselves in His image.
Yet, Scripture resoundingly points us back to God and what only He can provide. Creating mankind into the image of Elohim is God's project, not ours. Again, this does not mean that we are idle or passive; we have many responsibilities in this process. Understanding our part begins with comprehending the blood of the Lamb and how much we cannot do. When we are in that humble state of mind, God can begin turning us and guiding us through the overcoming process on His terms.
David C. Grabbe
How Did They Overcome? (Part Two)
Revelation 12:11 states that "they did not love their lives to the death," demonstrating an attitude of complete surrender to God, whether or not martyrdom is actually involved. When we come under the blood of the Lamb, we are changed from being slaves to sin to slaves of righteousness (see Romans 6:16-22). Our lives have been paid for; they are no longer our own. Christ requires that we love Him above all else, including our own lives (Luke 14:26).
Satan and his world are diametrically opposed to our Lord and Master's way of life, and we must be willing to accept the consequences of standing in the truth without compromise, even to the point of physical death. Hebrews 11:35 tells of faithful men and women who "were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection." Such a stand, whether the battle is minor or ultimate, demonstrates the value we place on the blood shed for us, and in this way, Satan is overcome.
There is a reason why overcoming is spoken of so highly and rewarded so richly and why there is rejoicing in heaven when Satan is overcome. Overcoming represents success in God's project to create sons and daughters in His image. Our ability to overcome means that we have pursued, with all of our being, the divine relationship offered to us, which has resulted in our resembling the Object of our affection in mind, attitude, character, and action. It means we have so successfully taken on the image of God that, when the ruler of this world approaches, he has nothing in us (cf. John 14:30).
All this begins with the blood of the Lamb and continues because of the blood of the Lamb. Our part is not to focus on Satan or on our sins, though we will certainly be aware of both. Our part is to follow the Lamb and get to know Him because He is the only One who has done what we are trying to do.
David C. Grabbe
How Did They Overcome? (Part Three)
In addition to covering our sins and granting us access to the throne of God, the blood of the Lamb gives us eternal life. Notice Christ's words:
Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. (John 6:53-56)
By partaking the wine at Passover, we symbolically take in the life in that blood (see Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:11, 14). Yet the life that is in His blood is eternal life. Verse 54, particularly Christ's words, "I will raise him up at the last day," assures us of the resurrection. Those who have Christ's life in them will be raised from the dead, just as He was. Satan may have the power of death (Hebrews 2:14), but through the resurrection of the dead, death is swallowed up in victory. He can no longer threaten us with death. Because of the promise of the resurrection, death no longer has a lasting "sting" (see I Corinthians 15:54-57).
Verse 56 shows how close this communion becomes: We abide (dwell or live) in Christ, and He abides in us. This facet of the blood of the Lamb makes it clear that it is part of an ongoing relationship. Some of the previous aspects could be considered as happening in a distant or detached manner, but this shows that the blood is inextricably linked with a relationship. This harmonizes with John 17:3, which says that eternal life—what we have through the blood—is to know the Father and the Son. Thus, Christ's blood enables us to overcome Satan, his world, and our own sin because the Father and the Son are now living in us, and anything that we need to be victorious is available.
David C. Grabbe
How Did They Overcome? (Part Two)
This rebellion at the end of the Millennium is often overlooked in the joy of considering Christ's wonderful rule. Satan's influence is so powerful he can influence millions of people to follow him seemingly overnight. Having drawn away a third of the angels from God (Revelation 12:4; Isaiah 14:12-14) and overcome Adam and Eve, he has wielded almost total control over man.
His present power will be greatly magnified very shortly when he is cast down to earth to begin the Great Tribulation. He would deceive the very elect if it were possible (Matthew 24:24). It is no wonder Peter instructs us to be sober, to be vigilant, to resist Satan in faith that Christ might establish us in the end!
Staff
Holy Days: Feast of Tabernacles
God describes in advance those who will overcome. John hears "a loud voice" speaking about "our brethren" who have overcome Satan, yet this encompasses more than just overcoming that evil spirit being. Satan is "the ruler of this world" (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), so those who overcome him also overcome his dominion, this world. In addition, he is the source of the fiery darts hurled at our minds and all the temptations and inducements to sin. When God's people are shown overcoming him, we can understand that it includes overcoming Satan's world, as well as the corrupted human nature he influences.
Revelation 12:11 gives three descriptions of those who overcame Satan, providing a roadmap for our own efforts to overcome. First, they overcome Satan "by the blood of the Lamb." His citing the blood of Jesus most obviously signifies that it is the means of forgiveness for our sins. It is how we are justified and redeemed, and it is called the purchase price of the church (Acts 20:28). His blood pays the debts that we incur when we sin (Romans 3:25). If we had to pay our own debts, we would not live long enough to overcome anything at all. The fact that our sins are taken away when we genuinely repent means that we can keep walking this road to the Kingdom without having it cut short by the death penalty (Romans 6:23).
Yet, there is more here. In verse 10, Satan is shown continually accusing Christ's brothers and sisters, acting as the perpetual plaintiff, always bringing charges of sin against the brethren. A similar scene is described in Zechariah 3:1-4 (English Standard Version):
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?" Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, "Remove the filthy garments from him." And to him he said, "Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments."
Joshua, the high priest after Judah's return from Babylon, represents the whole nation. What we need to consider, though, is that Satan probably does not have to lie one bit in his accusations! Verse 3 describes Joshua as wearing filthy garments, representing tremendous sin. The filth—the sin of the nation—was obvious. Satan did not have to fabricate it, yet God chose to take away the iniquity rather than exacting the wages that the sin required. Likewise, in Revelation 12:10, Satan's charges against God's people need not be trumped up at all. Satan is aware of the sins of God's people and is probably quite accurate in pointing out where we miss the mark.
This is where the payment for sin comes in and why it is crucial to overcoming. Not only does God pay the debt of those with whom He is working, but the fact that He "removes the iniquity" (our emphasis throughout) adds another factor. Hebrews 9:14 says that Christ's blood "cleanse[s] your conscience from dead works to serve the living God." We know what we have done, as does Satan. At times, he uses that knowledge in his "fiery darts" (Ephesians 6:16) to discourage us and to bring us down—to get us to feel so worthless and wretched that we start thinking we may as well give up because everything is hopeless. God could not possibly love us or accept us.
However, when we acknowledge our sins to God, repent, and ask for forgiveness, Christ's blood is applied to us, and He cleanses our consciences, allowing us to continue to serve God without being weighed down (see Hebrews 12:1). We may still feel remorse, but this cleansing of the conscience means we are not left wallowing in the mire, unable to rise due to heaviness of guilt. The shield of faith quenches the fiery darts of the wicked one, and a significant part of that faith is our confidence in the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb of God.
David C. Grabbe
How Did They Overcome? (Part One)
The nation of Israel is symbolically referred to throughout the chapter. In verse 1, Israel is described as a Woman clothed with the sun and moon and wearing a crown of stars. Tying the symbols to Joseph's dream in Genesis 37 confirms the Woman's identity. In the next verse, Israel is the Woman about to give birth.
In verses 3-4, the Child she is about to bear is the focus of the great red Dragon's—Satan's—murderous intent. Verse 5 identifies her child as the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the One born to rule all nations. In verse 6, the Woman who gave birth to Christ, Israel, flees to a place God prepared for her. That place is, I believe, where the Israelitish nations are located today.
Note that by verses 7-9, time has progressed to the end, when God throws Satan and his demons out of heaven for good. Verses 10-11 allude to the church by mentioning people overcoming the Dragon by the blood of the Lamb. At no time, however, is the Woman of the early verses of this chapter, Israel, indicated to be converted.
But where is the church located? Verse 17 provides a hint, mentioning "the remnant of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Verse 13, which follows the interlude involving the Dragon being cast to earth, clarifies the object of the prophecy up until verse 17: "Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child." The Woman who gave birth to the Messiah is specifically named. She cannot represent the church because the church did not give birth to the Messiah, but the nation of Israel did. Thus, the people of Israel are the object of the Devil's persecutions.
In verse 14, no break in the narrative occurs to indicate the Devil's focus changes. It is Israel, persecuted by Satan, who is given two wings of a great eagle to fly to her place from the face of the serpent. In the past, we have always applied verse 14 to the church, but there is nothing to indicate any change in subject has taken place! Again in verse 15, the serpent spews a flood from his mouth to destroy the nation of Israel. Likewise, the nation is helped by means of the earth swallowing the flood in verse 16.
It is not until verse 17 that the church comes directly into the picture, identified as "the rest of her [the Woman's] offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ," the Messiah born to the Woman in verse 5. Israel, the nation, does not keep the commandments of God, nor does it have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Even as the Messiah was born of the Woman and definitely kept the commandments of God, so also does the remnant of her offspring, who are now clearly distinguished from her.
Putting verse 17 together with verses 7-12, the church, the Woman's offspring, will undergo some measure of persecution within Israel before the Woman—Israel—flees in verse 15. Otherwise, why would verse 11 say they "overcame . . . by the blood of the Lamb" and "did not love their lives to the death"?
Verse 17 clearly states that the Dragon leaves the Woman who fled and heads toward some other geographical location to persecute those who keep the commandments. In other words, the Woman who fled and her offspring that keep the commandments are, at the time verse 17 occurs, at different locations.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Beast and Babylon (Part Four): Where Is the Woman of Revelation 17?
These verses give us a play-by-play of end-time events centered on the spiritual remnant. Satan, enraged that he has been cast down to earth, will seek to persecute the elect, a small group of believers under God's personal protection. Who comprises the faithful, protected remnant, and where are they protected?
In Isaiah 33:14, "the sinners in Zion" pose a question: "Who can survive the coming persecution?" God supplies the answer in verse 15—the righteous will survive it—and in verse 16, He explains where He will protect them—in a mountainous fortress where they are supplied food and drink. Verse 17 may indicate that the King, Jesus Christ, will teach them in the place of safety.
It is interesting to note that the letters to the Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia churches in Revelation 2 and 3 mention a remnant: "the rest in Thyatira" (Revelation 2:24); "a few names even in Sardis" (Revelation 3:4); and implied in the direct promise, "I also will keep you from the hour of trial" (Revelation 3:10). Laodicea, though, must go through the fire (Revelation 3:18-19).
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
The Remnant
In addition to paying the death penalty for our sins and cleansing our consciences, the blood of the Lamb also grants us entrance to the Holy of Holies (see Hebrews 10:19-23), enabling us to come before the throne of the Most High God. Because of this, we have access to the absolute Deity, the Source of all strength and all encouragement, whose every action is motivated by love. Nothing is too hard for God, and we have access and permission to come boldly before Him and make our requests known to Him.
This stands in contrast to the leaders of men. Kings, generals, politicians, and business executives all learn to limit their accessibility. If every problem and request were brought to them, they would be stretched so thin that they could not attend to the things only they can accomplish. So they erect a wall of sorts, employing gatekeepers to keep out all but the most important of concerns, and they have good reason to do so.
God, though, is not limited in His ability to manage all things simultaneously. When we come under Christ's blood, we have open access to Him at all times. If our petition accords with His will, there is no limit to what He will do for us. Consider that He was willing to sacrifice His perfect Son—another God Being!—for our benefit; anything we may ask for pales in comparison. As Paul writes, in Christ "we have boldness and access with confidence" (Ephesians 3:12). By that blood, we have access to Him who is above absolutely everything.
David C. Grabbe
How Did They Overcome? (Part Two)
Chapter 12 is another inset chapter, in which John sees another wondrous vision. Its events do not follow those in chapter 11 at all: Chapter 11 ends with the blowing of the seventh trumpet and the announcing of the return of Jesus Christ, while chapter 12 suddenly introduces a brand new vision. Rather, chapter 12 is a highly condensed history of the true church within Israel, the woman.
God begins the record all the way back in the time of Jacob. In Genesis 37:9, Joesph dreams that the sun, moon, and stars all bow to him. Revelation 12:1 borrows from that vision to help us understand that the true church has its roots in Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. It is, first of all, an Israelitish church, but its real roots are in heaven—where the sun, moon, and stars are. God is figuratively, symbolically pointing in the direction of the origins of the true church.
Chapter 12 unfolds a highly condensed history of that church. It takes us through the rebellion of Helel (who became Satan) and Jesus Christ being born of the woman. We find the Dragon attempting and succeeding in killing the Child, who is, of course, Jesus Christ. However, He is resurrected, so no really serious damage occurs to the Child born of the woman—Israel.
In verse 6, the woman flees into a wilderness. This takes us in time sequence up through the Middle Ages—through the Inquisitions, Crusades, and tribulations of the times where the church hid in the mountains, hills, and Alpine valleys of central Europe. Then, in verses 7-12, the narrative digresses somewhat, showing us something yet to occur: a war in heaven between Satan and his demons and Michael and the angels.
At the end of the chapter, we find the church again experiencing another, far more intensive tribulation that will be not only intense but much encapsulated in time. One part of the church will be protected, and another part will undergo a great deal of persecution.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Revelation 10 and the Laodicean Church
