Overcome, But Not Defeated

Revelation 11:7
“And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.”

There will come a time in the Tribulation period when God is going to send two witnesses to prophesy to those who were left after the rapture. These witnesses will have power “to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” (Revelation 11:6) Their message will not be liked by Satan or the inhabitants of the Earth. They will be so disliked that Satan himself will ascend from Hell to “overcome…and kill them.”

If this story ended here, it would seem as if Satan had won. However, we find that though they were overcome, they were not defeated. Verse 11 says, “And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.” Though these men were killed, they still experienced a resurrection.

This story should be the epitome of every believer. There will come times in your life when you have been overcome, but you don’t have to be defeated. You may have lost a battle, but just because you lost the battle doesn’t mean you have lost the war. Whatever it is that you face today, it may seem to have overcome you, but let me assure you that though you are overcome, you don’t have to be defeated. Let me give you a few thoughts to help you when you feel you have been overcome.

First, you are not the first one to feel you have been overcome. Certainly, life can bring great its hardships that you never imagined, but you are not the first one to face whatever you are facing. You must not take on the martyr syndrome and live a defeated life. Others have faced what you are facing, and they made it.

Second, you may feel overcome, but you have not been overcome. God promised not to put more on you than what you can bear. You may be stretched to your limits of what you can bear, but God promised not to put more on you than you can bear. Because of God’s promise, you can be assured that you will never be overcome.

Third, you may feel overcome, but there is a resurrection on the way. Just like these witnesses were killed, three days later they were raised from the dead. My friend, God has something better for you. I don’t know when your three days will end, but I do know that what you are facing is not your end. I often remind people that you can’t have a resurrection until you have died. You will never see a resurrection until you die to yourself. One reason God allows the believer to go through hardships is so that they will die to self so that they can live through the power of Christ.

Fourth, you will only see a resurrection when you yield yourself to God’s power. When the Spirit entered the bodies of these witnesses is when they came back to life. Paul reminds the believer of the purpose of hardships when he says, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) My friend, God’s power is the only thing that can take you from being overcome to a resurrection. Don’t despair!

Author: Allen Domelle