Revelation 12:10-12 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. 11 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. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
With the defeat of the dragon and the blowing of the last trumpet, the kingdom of God comes in fullness. This is the response to the devil warring against humanity in v. 9. The voice from heaven says that the “brothers” defeat the devil by 1) the blood of the Lamb and 2) the word of their testimony. The defeat of the devil was assured at Jesus’ temptation and confirmed at the cross and empty tomb. Believers have placed their hope in this since that day. We can take this message to the world. We can have confidence as we share our experience of this testimony.
The challenge we face is that we love earthly life too much and forget that there is something better. When faced with difficult times, we succumb to the temptations and pleasures of the world, even to preserve our lives when threatened. The devil will work even harder to cause believers to fall. But we must remain true to the Lamb, even if it costs us our lives.
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