And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. – Revelation 12:1

• Chapter 12 is the most pivotal chapter of this book. 
• Verse 11 is the most crucial verse of this chapter.

Revelation 12 records a panoramic view of redemptive history that spans the past, present, and future. John wrote Revelation in signs and symbols. The details are debated. But if you identify the three main characters, the meaning and message of the chapter become clear. 

Verses 1-2 introduce the first character: “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.” The woman is Israel.

Verses 3-4 introduce the second character: “And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.” This dragon is Satan.

Verses 5-6 introduce the third character: “She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.” The child is the Lord Jesus Christ. 

• Here is the redemptive drama explained. 
• Here is world history summarized. 
• Here is society’s problem diagnosed. 

Satan hates Israel because they are the people through whom Messiah would come. The birth of the child ensures the death of the dragon. Satan fights Israel to defeat Christ. 

Verses 7-9 shift the battlefield from earth to heaven: “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world – he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

Verses 10-12 record a shout of victory. Verse 10 says, “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.” This verse introduces a new character. The brothers are all true Christians throughout church history – including you and me. 

• We battle the dragon because of Christ. 
• We defeat the dragon because of Christ. 

Revelation 12:11 says, “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” There is victory in Jesus! What does it mean to experience victory through Christ? 

Our Spiritual Warfare

In the military, there are E.O.D. – Explosive Ordnance Demolition – specialists. Their job is to discoverand demolish the weapons of the enemy. They live in harm’s way. This is the holy calling of every Christian soldier.

The Battle is Raging. Verse 11 declares, “And they conquered him.” The verb means to prevail, overcome, or be victorious. It is to win a military battle, athletic contest, or political campaign. This is what we are in Christ. Romans 8:37says, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” We are conquerors in Christ. But the Greek term means to prevail after a struggle.

As followers of Christ, we have been enlisted in a lifelong battle. We do not fight for health, wealth, success, happiness, or fulfillment. It is a battle for holiness.Hebrews 12:14 says, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” There is victory in Jesus! But you must fight for it. No hesitation! No retreat! No parlay! No negotiation! No ceasefire! How’s the battle going in your life? 

The Enemy is Dangerous. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” People are not your problem. Our struggle is spiritual. Satan and his army of fallen angels wage war in the unseen spirit realm. We have three enemies – the flesh, the world, and the devil.

The devil has four targets: God, Christ, Israel, and the church. Every Christian is a target of spiritual attack. And the enemy is dangerous. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

The Victory is Assured. The Bible teaches three facts about Satan. 

• Satan is real. 
• Satan is powerful. 
• Satan is defeated. 

 You should respect the devil. But you should not fear the devil. God and Satan are not peers. God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. Satan is not! The Bible never presents Christ as a threat to the purpose of God. He is a threat to sinful humanity. But that threat is nullified for those who trust Christ. Verse 11 says, “And they conquered him.” Revelation is the end of the story! Yet victory is declared while the battle rages. The fight is fixed! John 16:33 says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Our Undefeatable Weapons 

Soldiers cannot win battles without weapons. Christian soldiers cannot win spiritual battles with worldly weapons. Goliath prevails if David fights with Saul’s armor. Spiritual victory requires undefeatable weapons.

The Defensive Weapon. Verse 11 says, “And they have conquered him by the blood of the lamb.” This chapter describes Christ as a child who will rule the nations with a rod of iron. Verse 11 calls this ruler “the lamb.” Revelation also pictures Christ as a lion. That’s an appropriate picture for spiritual warfare. Yet our victory is in the lamb. Sheep are helpless. If a lamb must defend itself, it will die. Ironically, this is how the Christian prevails: “by the blood of the lamb.” This is the language of sacrifice. 

Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your sins, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” The blood of the lamb is the sinless life, sacrificial death, and substitutionary atonement of Christ. It is our only hope of victory. 

Revelation 12:10 calls Satan “the accuser of the brothers.”  This is the power of Satan. It is not strength, force, or might. It is falsehood, deception, and accusation. 

• Satan accuses before God. 
• Satan accuses to others. 
• Satan accuses the conscience. 

How should you respond to Satan’s accusations? Humbly agree. Then boldly disagree. Plead the blood of the lamb. The blood of Jesus is our atonement and authority. The blood is not a pillow on which we rest. The blood is a weapon with which we fight. The Lamb’s blood silences the dragon’s roar!

Zechariah 3 records a vision of the high priest, Joshua, standing before the angel of the Lord, with Satan standing there to accuse him. Joshua wore filthy garments. The angel commanded Joshua to remove them and gave him clean clothes to wear. This is what God has done for us through the blood of the lamb. 

I hear the accusers roar 
Of ills that I have done 
I know them all and thousands more 
Jehovah finders none.

The Offensive Weapon. Verse 11 says, “And they have conquered him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony.” We defend ourselves by the blood of the lamb. We march forward, claim territory, and win battlesby the word of our testimony. The blood of the lamb is our air cover. The word of our testimony is the ground war. 

Satan wins when a person does not trust the blood of Christ as his only hope for salvation. And Satan wins when a person is not ready to give an answer for the hope he has in Christ. If the enemy cannot keep you lost, he will fight to keep you quiet. We conquer him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony. 

Confess Christ personally. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Salvation is based on what you believe and confess about Christ. It is not that our words have saving power. Words express faith. What you confess reveals what you believe. 

Matthew 10:32-33 says, “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

Confess Christ publicly. The word of our testimony is not just our personal profession. It is also our gospel witness. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” We proclaim the Lord’s excellent greatness by our worship and witness. 

Our defeated foe is a cruel terrorist who takes hostages. Sinners are set free from spiritual bondage as we proclaim the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Our Combat Readiness

Revelation 12:11 says, “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, for they loved not their own lives to the death.” The Christian life is a battleground, not a playground. We are at war. The enemy is conquered by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. But we do not experience victory by our skill, strength, or strategy. Your love life determines spiritual victory. 

Verse 11 says: “for they loved not their own lives to the death.” You do not have to be miserable to be victorious. They did not conquer because they hated their lives. They conquered because they loved Christ more than life. They were willing to die for Christ. They would rather die than deny the Lord. 

James Calvert was a missionary to the cannibals in the Fiji Islands. The captain of the ship tried to turn him back. He warned, “You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages. Calvert replied, “We died before we came here.”

This is combat readiness. 1 Corinthians 15:31 says, “I die every day.” This is the devil’s only weapon. He’s banking on the fact that you love life more than Christ. Satan claimed that Job served God because of the blessings he received. He claims the same thing about you! Philippians 1:21 should be your response: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” What can you do with a person who lives that way? 

James 4:7 is a crash course in spiritual warfare: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Spiritual rebellion never produces spiritual victory. 

Revelation 12:12 says, “Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them!” Because the victory is yours in Christ, don’t wait until the battle is over to rejoice! Shout now!

I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory, 
How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me; 
I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood's atoning, 
Then I repented of my sins and won the victory.