The book of Revelation uses “war” and related terms to portray the “Dragon’s” assault against the followers of the “Lamb.” The book shows no interest in conventional or nuclear warfare between nation-states. Instead, the Devil strives through his earthly vassal to annihilate the church before his allotted time expires, and to do so, he employs deception, compromise, and persecution.
And in the book, references to this coming “war,”
singular, employ the Greek verb polemeō and its noun form, polemos.
Both are applied to the cosmic battle in chapter 12 when “WAR (polemos)
arose in heaven” between the “Dragon and his angels” and “Michael
and his angels.”
Expelled from heaven, Satan began to wage brutal
combat against those who have the “testimony of Jesus.” The “battles” were
fought between Satan and the “Lamb” through their respective earthly
followers – (Revelation 12:1-17).
This war between Jesus and the “Dragon”
manifests in the daily lives of believers as they struggle against deceivers within
the church, and additionally, they often endure persecution. Moreover, the day is
coming when the Devil will assemble all his forces in one last-ditch effort to
destroy the people of God.
THE BEAST FROM THE ABYSS
The “Beast”
first appears in chapter 11 as he “ascends from the Abyss” to destroy
the “Two Witnesses.” The Greek verb rendered “overcome” or nikaō
in the passage means to “conquer, overcome.” It is the same verb found in the letters
to the seven churches in the several exhortations summoning believers “to overcome” - (Revelation 11:7).
The Beast’s
appearance results in its “victory” over the “Two Witnesses.”
However, it will not be unleashed to kill them until they have “completed”
their prophetic “testimony.”
The “Witnesses”
are not two individuals, but “two lampstands,” and in Revelation,
“lampstands” symbolize churches. The “war” against them represents
the persecution of the church by the “Beast.”
Although the
Beast “overcomes” and kills the “Witnesses,” it will be a hollow
victory, one that is quickly overturned by the intervention of God when the
seventh trumpet sounds - (Revelation 1:20, 11:15-19).
THE DRAGON
In chapter
12, Satan is defeated and cast out of heaven.
Enraged, he descends to the earth to “make war” with “those
who are keeping the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.”
The same reality is in view that is portrayed in chapter 11, though from a different perspective. As before, the forces of Satan wage “war” on the followers of the “Lamb,” namely, “those who have the testimony of Jesus”), and not against other nation-states - (Revelation 12:12-17).
Next, in
chapter 13, John sees the “Beast ascending from the Sea,” an image parallel
to that of the “Beast ascending from the Abyss.” Once again, the same
events are in view.
Rather than
resist the “Beast,” the “inhabitants of the earth” are awed by
its irresistible power - “Who is like the Beast and who can make war with it?”
No resistance or revolt is raised against it by the nations of the earth -
(Revelation 13:1-4).
After
receiving the authority of the “Dragon,” the “Beast” launches its
campaign against the “saints.” And it “overcomes (nikésai)
them,” meaning, it kills the “saints.” However, it can only do so when
and within the limits authorized by the “Lamb” – (“It was given to
the Beast” - Revelation 13:7).
The same term
for “war” in the singular number found in chapters 11 and 12 is employed
in chapter 13 when the “beast wages WAR on the saints.” All three
passages allude to the same verse in the book of Daniel that describes
the attack on the saints by the “little horn”:
- (Daniel 7:21) - “I continued looking when this horn made war with the holy ones and prevailed against them: until that the Ancient of Days came, and justice was granted to the holy ones of the Highest, and the time arrived that the holy ones should possess the kingdom.”
Just as the
“Beast from the Abyss” attacked the “Two Witnesses,” so also did the
“Beast from the Sea” make war on “the saints.” Elsewhere, the
term “saints” refers to men who follow the “Lamb wherever he goes”
- (Revelation 5:8, 8:3-4, 11:18, 13:7-10, 14:12, 16:6, 17:6, 18:20-24, 19:8,
20:6-9).
This “war”
results in the “captivity” and death of the “saints.” The violent
assault is described as the “perseverance and the faith of the saints” -
(Compare - Revelation 1:9, 2:2-3, 2:19, 3:10, 14:12).
SUMMARY
The battle
scenes in Revelation are not literal descriptions of military conflicts between
nation-states, but assaults by Satan and his servants against the people of the
“Lamb.”
The cosmic battles in the heavens manifest in the daily lives of Christians as they struggle with false teachers, false prophets, deception, and persecution.
From its
inception, persecution and deceivers have been common in the life of the church.
The visions of Revelation expose the true source of persecution and provide
insight into the opposition experienced in the daily lives of the “saints.”
The book
does foresee a final assault by Satan against the church prior to the final
judgment, a “war” it portrays in several ways with language from the
book of Daniel. That assault will cause the “Lamb” to intervene directly
by destroying his enemies and delivering his people into the coming New
Creation, the city of “New Jerusalem.”