Reverse Conquest
Revelation 15:2
And I saw… standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name…
I googled the meaning of the word ‘conquer’ and the answer it spat out was, “the subjugation and assumption of control of a place or people by military force”. It’s not a very positive picture, is it? Russia’s invasion of Ukraine comes to mind. And yet, ‘conquest’ is one of the major themes of the Book of Revelation. One of the dominant meanings of the Greek word nikao is ‘to conquer, to overcome, to triumph’.[1] Below is a little chart that shows how often it comes up in the Books of the New Testament.
At a glance you can see how dominant the word is in the Book of Revelation. Why would such a seemingly negative word be a major theme in the book? Maybe it’s only used when discussing the work of Satan? Well actually, nikao is only used 24% of the time to describe the work of evil.[1] The other 76% describe the work or aspirations of Jesus and the Church. Huh… that can’t be right, can it?
Well, the conquest, victory and triumph of God’s people in Revelation is achieved in a way we do not expect. It’s not through military might or shows of political strength. It’s far more ‘Lamb-like’. Let me explain. In Revelation 5:5 it says, “Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed…” Jesus is the Lion of Judah, the Davidic King who has triumphed. But again, how did he conquer? In the next verse, John sees the One he has just heard about, and his vision is surprising, “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the centre of the throne…” (Revelation 5:6). The victorious Lion of Judah is a slain Lamb? Why? Because Jesus’ conquest was a ‘reverse conquest’. His victory was an upside-down victory. His triumph was ultimately secured through his Lamb-like submission to death at the Cross (Revelation 5:9-10; Colossians 2:15).
When God’s people are being called to ‘conquer’ throughout Revelation, we are not being asked to get angry or get even. We are being asked to stay faithful to Jesus, to follow the Lamb even if it means we must face death like He did (Revelation 14:4). We follow the One who “was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).
How do we triumph over our great enemy, Satan? “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (Revelation 12:11). The conquest of God’s people is a reverse conquest. It’s an upside-down, subversive, unexpected victory. In this age, and in this world it can look like defeat, loss, and failure. But, in the hands of the God who turned Jesus’ death into victory, it is anything but failure. It is our triumphant victory over a world that wants us to lose our faith in the gospel.
So, let me encourage you in a world where the strong, the bold and the angry seem to win. Don’t be seduced into using those same tactics when you are being maligned or Christianity seems to be ‘losing ground’. Satan’s counterfeit and inferior nikao is achieved through violence and anger (see Revelation 11:7 and 13:7). But one day, the kingdom of Satan and his minions will end. One day “…the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings…” (Revelation 17:14). Until that day, follow the Lamb. Follow Jesus wherever He leads you.
With you in the struggle,
Ben
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[1] Revelation 6:2; 11:7; 13:7.
[1] I will underline it when I quote verses because it’s translated in English in various ways in the NIV.
