Persecuting the Saints

Satan attacks the Lamb, Jesus Christ, by persecuting his followers, the men and women who have the Testimony of Jesus.

The Book of Revelation is designed to “reveal what things must come to pass,” not to conceal them. Too often in popular preaching, we ignore the clear text of Scripture as Satan and his earthly agents are transformed into global political leaders that fit our political biases and expectations.

This approach ignores the words of the Book. In Chapter 12, for example, Satan is represented as the enraged “Dragon” who attacks the “Seed of the Woman,” namely, “the men who have the Testimony of Jesus.” They “follow the Lamb wherever he goes” and have “the faith of Jesus” – (Revelation 12:17, 14:1-5, 14:12).

[Church ruins - Photo by Isaac Burke (Ireland) on Unsplash]

The Dragon is standing on the seashore, summoning his own seed to execute his war against the Woman’s Seed. His offspring includes the “Beast who ascends from the Sea,” a monstrous creature with “Ten Horns and Seven Heads,” and a mouth “boasting great things and slanders” against God and His people - (Revelation 13:1-5).

This creature wages “war against the saints.” It is determined to destroy them. “It was given to it to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.” The grammatical gender of the Greek noun for “beast” is neuter. It is a thing, not a person, an entire political system rather than an individual ruler – (Revelation 13:7-10).

Whether “overcome” means this creature kills the saints or causes them to apostatize makes little difference. Its goal is to destroy the people of God one way or another. Moreover, the Book of Revelation leaves no doubt about the identity of the “saints.” Again, they are the men “who have the faith of Jesus” and “keep his Testimony”– (Revelation 13:6-10, 14:10-12).

This “Beast” has “Seven Heads and Ten Horns” just like the “Dragon.” The World Empire operates with Satan’s authority and character. When the “Inhabitants of the Earth” give their allegiance to it and its image, effectively, they swear fealty to the Dragon – (Revelation 13:1-6).

The victims of the Dragon are the men and women who follow Jesus. Through their faithful witness, “their Testimony,” and their willingness to die as martyrs, they overcome Satan and his earthly agents – (Revelation 12:11).

Whether the Beast also wages war against other nations is not stated in the Book. However, the “Inhabitants of the Earth” give their allegiance to this creature. They are awed by its economic power and exceptional claims to divine approval and status. The World Empire is deified in and through the Beast.

The Inhabitants of the Earth are not the enemies of the Beast. They pose no threat to its dominion or authority. The Beast is granted “authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.” No nation opposes it. The Inhabitants of the Earth are the accomplices and dupes of the Dragon in his plot to destroy the Church.

THE DRAGON'S WAR

The same language is used in Chapter 11 to describe the “war” of the “Beast from the Abyss” against the “Two Witnesses.” They are the “Two Lampstands.” In Revelation, lampstands symbolize churches – (Revelation 1:20, 11:4-7).

The clause used to describe this war is derived from Daniel’s vision of the “Little Horn” with the mouth “speaking great things.” That ruler “made war on the saints and overcame them.” This clause is the verbal link between the passages in Revelation that describe the war of the Dragon against the Church - (Daniel 7:8, 7:21).

Before the “pierced” Christ appears “on the clouds,” Satan will launch his final attempt to annihilate the “saints” and “brethren” who have the “Testimony of Jesus,” the priests who follow the “Lamb wherever he goes,” and the “innumerable multitude” of men redeemed from every nation by the “blood of the Lamb.” Each image represents the one people of Christ – (Revelation 1:4-7, 5:8-12, 7:9-17, 13:7).

The Dragon failed to destroy the Messianic “Son” in Chapter 12, who was instead exalted to his “Father’s Throne.” Following his enthronement, the Devil was “expelled from Heaven.” The Son was beyond his reach, so he did the next best thing. He turned his wrath against the followers of Jesus - (Revelation 12:1-5).

• “The Dragon became enraged with the Woman and departed to make war with the rest of her Seed, those who keep the commandments of God and have the Testimony of Jesus” - (Revelation 12:17).

• “I, John, your brother and fellow participant in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus, I was on the isle of Patmos for the word of God and the Testimony of Jesus” - (Revelation 1:9).

• “And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of them who had been slain for the word of God, and for their Testimony” - (Revelation 6:9).

• “They overcame the Dragon by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their Testimony, and because they loved not their life unto death” - (Revelation 12:11).

The letters to the “Seven Churches of Asia” in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation provide examples of how Satan conducts this war - Through deception (“false apostles, Nicolaitans, teachings of Balaam, the Prophetess Jezebel”), economic deprivation, persecution, and martyrdom:

• “I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is, and that you hold fast my name, and deny not my faith, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells” – (Revelation 2:13).

Satan’s purpose remains fixed – To destroy the Church. He exploits his control over the political, religious, and economic spheres of human society to accomplish this objective. The victims of his war are the men and women who follow Jesus “wherever he leads,” giving faithful testimony along the way, no matter what it costs.

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SEE ALSO:

• The Great Cosmic War - (At the end of the age, Satan will wage his final war on the saints, the followers of the Lamb)

• War Against the Saints - (The Beast from the sea is authorized to wage war on the saints for its overlord, the Ancient Serpent, the Dragon – Revelation 13:6-10)

• Economic War - (The False Prophet employs economic pressure to coerce men and women to swear allegiance to the Beast from the Sea)

• La Guerre contre l'Église - (Satan attaque l'Agneau, Jésus-Christ, en persécutant ses disciples, les hommes et les femmes qui ont le Témoignage de Jésus)