The Book of Revelation and Overcoming

The theme of overcoming in the Book of Revelation is important to understand.  Often times we get so caught up in the prophetical aspect that we lose this important trait.  However, we can read through the book of Revelation and come away from that endeavor with a hope and faith that is revitalized [1].  the theme of overcoming happens very early on in the book.  For example Revelation chapter two, and in some respects chapter three, and full of overcoming verbiage.  These verses make up the message to the seven churches.

Revelation and the Seven Churches

They are implored to stay faithful, overcome the world, and in return they will be placed, and remain in the lamb’s book of life (Rev. 2:10).  Some translations translate the word for overcoming as conquering, but this does not diminish the meaning.  When it comes to the churches, and those in them, it means to be a faithful witness and that may even mean our own martyrdom [2].  This is brought to fruition in Revelation 12:11 which states, “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” (ESV).  There is a lot of symbolism that is happening in Revelation 12, but what we do know is that those who have overcome did so by laying down their lives [3].

Overcoming and Revelation

Overcoming may be the most important word in the book of Revelation, and this is something that we can focus.  For example the work for overcoming, nikao, occurs twenty-eight times in the New Testament with seventeen of those occurring in Revelation [4].  Earlier in this discussion I had briefly mentioned chapter two and the letter to the seven churches.  John writes in 3:21 that we will only overcome the way that our Lord did.  Our Lord overcame by being the sinless Lamb that was slain (Rev. 5:6).

The Lamb takes our sin upon His shoulders so that we can overcome.  We often miss the image of the Lion that also occurs in Rev. 5:6.  Jesus is not only the Lamb was slain for our sins, but He is the king rules like a Lion would [5].  When we follow the example of Jesus, walk in His ways through faith, then we become overcomers.  He conquered through death and believers conquer through martyrdom [6].

This concept is not easy to grasp within the context of American Christianity.  Compared to the rest of the world we have it easy while others around the world risk their lives to go to church.  However, attendance and Christian affiliation in the United States is dropping rapidly.  Those areas where there is persecution and martyrdom are seeing an explosion in the faith.  They are overcoming and changing the world round them.  We need to do the same and not fold in the face of opposition.

Works Cited

1.  Buys, Phillipus J. “A Shepherd Stirring up Hope from the Book of Revelation.” In Die Skriflig 54, no. 1 (January 2020): 1.

2.  Koester, Craig, ed. The Oxford Handbook of the Book of Revelation. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2020), 230.

3.  Dalrymple, Rob. Follow the Lamb : A Guide to Reading, Understanding, and Applying the Book of Revelation. (Ashland: Lexham Press, 2018), 33.

4.  Ibid, 29.

5.  Ibid, 32.

6.  Middleton, Paul. The Violence of the Lamb : Martyrs As Agents of Divine Judgement in the Book of Revelation. (London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2018), 224..