They Overcame Him

Big Idea: We can be the kind of people who finish well when we know that God has defeated the devil in the past, is defeating him in the present, and will finally triumph over him in the future. I. Past (vv. 12:1-9) By now we have become accustomed to the concept of time in Revelation—everything is present in the mind of God and only past, present or future from our perspective. It is essential to maintain that orientation in this passage, which, from our finite perspective, describes events that occur in various eras, including 1) before or at the beginning of creation, 2) during the time of the Old Testament, 3) between Christ’s past ascension and future second coming, and 4) after the close of history. Again, it is critical to remember that the point of Revelation is not to provide a prophetical codebook for interpreting current events. The purpose of Revelation is to assure the Church that the One whose kingdom she is advancing—the Lord Jesus Christ, the King himself—wins. Consider: How might this overarching narrative enable you to live faithfully for King Jesus in particularly difficult episodes or seasons of life? II. Present (vv. 12:12-13:1) No one should understand there to be a theological divide between the Old and New Testaments. The Bible is one, cohesive story written in three languages. So verses 12 and following of our text do not tell a different story about God protecting his Church from the devil’s attacks. It is the same devil, attacking the same Church, protected by the same God, because the Church is preaching the same message—God's salvation through Christ. The Bible ties itself together thematically. Just as God protected the Old Testament church, he "takes care" of the Church now. Consider: Do you sometimes think of the Old and New Testaments as theologically different from, or even in opposition to, one another? If so, how, and why might that be? What difference does it make to read the Old and New Testaments as one continuous, cohesive narrative?  III. Present (vv. 12:10-11) Finally, the Spirit provides John a preview of the Great Assize, the Great Judgment Day when all evil will be utterly defeated. He repeats the announcement of the final arrival of the Kingdom we heard in 11:15. Of course, this does not mean that Christ is not ruling now; he is. It just means that his "authority," though resisted and rejected by many today, will one day become obvious and undeniable, with every creature in heaven and on earth submitting on bended knee to Christ the King.  Consider: Can you think of a time in your life when having something to look forward to in the future changed the way you lived in the present? How does that principle carry over to living faithfully in the present in view of our confident hope of Christ's future return?