They Overcame the Accuser

Revelations 12:10-11

"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. 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."

This scripture is amazing!!!

The accuser is Satan and he stands before God day and night speaking against those who believe in Jesus. He accuses tirelessly, it seems, before a completely Perfect God. Does he bring forth the failures, the flaws, and the sins of the believers? I know my failures, flaws, and sin leave no room for me to be in right standing before the righteous and Holy God of Heaven.

BUT...

The accuser is defeated; He is overcome by the believers!

HOW?

By the blood of the Lamb and By the word of their testimony

By the blood of the Lamb:

Jesus Christ offered Himself as the spotless, perfect Lamb of God. He was the final sacrifice and the only perfect and complete blood sacrifice that settled the sin debt that stood against humanity! Jesus received the wrath of God for our sin on Himself in our place and exchanged our sins for His righteousness. He is the Way to our Heavenly Father and our only hope for a restored relationship with Him. Through Him, we are crowned sons and daughters of God, and Jesus now sits at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf.

I imagine the above scene:

Satan is standing before God shouting accusations against the believers (against me!), but Jesus intercedes, saying, "Those people are mine, she is mine! They are covered by my blood! My death paid for their sin in full! They have been made right before God!"

We overcome the accuser because of the precious blood of Jesus!

By the word of their testimony:

"Word" means a collection, a spoken word

"To testify" means to make a statement based on personal knowledge or belief, to serve as evidence or proof.

As followers of Jesus, we have a testimony to share; a collection of personal experiences in which the Gospel message has transformed our lives. God is continually working in us, transforming our lives to speak as evidence and proof that He is alive, He is real, and He loves those He has created.

I think the "word of their testimony" can refer to two things.

1. God's Word, The Gospel message:

When we speak the Word of God, we are speaking Truth. The Bible is a flawless book that tells of the amazing rescue plan for mankind by the one, true, living, and loving God. All scripture points to the person and work of Jesus. It recounts his life on earth, his death, and his resurrection. As we believe in, live out, and tell others about the Word of God, Satan's lies are challenged and dispelled. His lies lose footholds in our lives and the lives of those around us as they begin to believe. Greater is Jesus, the Word of God, who is in us, then Satan who is in the world! Hallelujah!

2. Our personal testimony:

When we believe in Jesus, He begins and continues to make all things new in our lives. We have a story to share of his glorious intervention, redemption, and restoring work in our lives. Our testimony should boast in Christ alone, not in our works, our standards, or our behavioral changes.

Philippians 3:8

"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith."

Galatians. 6:12a

"As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Our personal testimony should speak of our Lord who, by His power and perfect plan, saved us because we couldn't save ourselves. It's about how Jesus Christ lived perfectly and made it possible for us to live in heaven for eternity because we could not earn entrance into heaven with our attempts to live good enough. It's about a God who loves us and did what was necessary for us to have a relationship with Him! God be praised!

The word of our testimony is about boasting in the cross of Jesus Christ because that is where our new life and overcoming begins.

At the foot of the cross we:

~confront our own depravity

~realize our need for a Rescuer

~recognize that He is our only Hope

~ gain gratitude for the forgiveness Jesus freely gives us

~receive "the beautiful exchange" (Jesus takes our sins and gives us His righteousness)

~receive his strength and power to live a new life in Him

1 John 5:4

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."

May our works never become so great in our eyes that we start to forget He alone is our strength and salvation. We overcome because He has overcome. We have victory through Him alone, so may our testimony always be to boast in the cross, in all of who Jesus is, and in what He has done for us!

For we know with certainty that our accuser will be cast down!

Blessings,

Amy