“… overcame him …”
They overcame 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.
(Revelation 12:11; NIV. Please read Revelation 12.)
They overcame him … the enemy – the great red dragon – the ancient serpent, called Satan … just as the holy child – the angels – and the woman overcame him. We can overcome him too.
Note these three things:
1. They “overcame him by the blood of the Lamb”. That “blood” can save me, too.
2. They “overcame him … by the word of their testimony”. That good news of the gospel can save others, too.
3. They “did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death”. If my Lord holds the keys to death and hades, why would I fear any threat of death? Bring it on, and I will be home.
ON SECOND THOUGHT: Let these pictures impress you … strengthen your heart. Satan cannot win … with me … with those I love … if I am and they are, washed in His blood; and our hearts and mouths are filled with His message.
November 10, 2008 at 9:45 am
I love stories with good endings. I thank God that He has made it possible for me to know the ending, and know that it is good … better than good … marvelous.
The blood helped them overcome. Jesus’ blood was given … all they had to do … all I have to do … is accept the gift. I can live the cleansed and forgiven life just by accepting the gift. I can overcome, just by accepting the gift.
The word of their testimony is one that seems to cause me to stumble. I think I don’t have the words … the right words … to defeat or win anything or anyone. Jesus gave me the words … all I have to do is repeat them. Just like we’ve been reading in Acts. Talking about Jesus is enough.
My God and Father has all the power. The leader of my team has already won, we’re just waiting for the clock to run out. I do not have to fight. The picture we see a little later is that my robe is white … His is the one with blood on it. So He doesn’t call me to fight. He calls me to follow. To follow someone who has already won, already defeated every enemy. My life is not so spectacular that I would fear losing it, but for some reason I still find myself reluctant to submit it to Him all the time. There is a sense of power and control that I’m afraid I’ll lose if I fully submit. This passage reminds me that I will not lose power and control … I will lose the battle if I do not fully submit.
Thank you God for reminding me in so many ways of Your power and Your love for me. To know that the One that defeats the enemy also cradles me in His arms gives me an amazing sense of peace. I’m safe in the battle and I’m safe and cared for afterwards too.
November 10, 2008 at 3:39 pm
This reminds me of something out of The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia, or even Braveheart . . . probably because the authors of those books found their inspiration from God’s word in some shape or form, whether they admit it or not (as Ecclesiastes says, “There is nothing new under the sun.”). The battle between good and evil existed long before William Wallace walked the highlands of Scotland, before Tolkien created his myth of Middle Earth, before Lewis penned his enchanting tale of the world of Narnia. Men and women of valor, nobley standing for what is good and right and true–not some fictionalized, glamourization of a figure in history, not some creation from a mortal’s imagination–these people, these Christians were the REAL DEAL! It is powerful, inspiring, and encouraging to know that they are my spiritual ancestors and that I, too, overcome in the exact same way because of Jesus Christ the Lamb.
November 10, 2008 at 7:51 pm
I love the imagery of the beasts and the dragons. The dragon tries so hard to get the woman. She gets away from the dragon, then the angels whip him and throw him down. He is so frustrated! Then he starts chasing the woman again and spews water out of his mouth to sweep her away. But no! The earth swallows up the water (God’s in charge of water afterall!) So he turns his attention to the people and tries to deceive and trap them thru the falseness of the beasts.
The dragon and the beasts are overcome by the blood of the Lamb. They have no power over me because I am covered by the blood of the Lamb. The had the word of the testimony and did not shrink from death. I don’t know if I am brave enough to not shrink from death but I should not fear anything this world or the devil threatens me with. Since I am with the conqueror I have nothing to fear from them.
November 11, 2008 at 7:11 pm
This reminds me of a movie where you know the good guy is gonna win, but it is still so exciting to watch. I have never been athletic, but I do have a competitive side. I like to be on the side that wins. With Jesus, I am on the winning team, and thankfully he doesn’t need me to play! He knows my athletic ability, so to speak, and he is not going to let me mess it up!