Revelation 11:8-9; And Shall Overcome Them
Revelation 11:7-8 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. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
This verse projects a picture of the end times when the church has completed the task of proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom to all the nations in the world (Matt. 24:14). All along in history, the faithful in the church have preached and taught the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. But while they complete their work, the beast declares war on the church. We have to realize, however, that whenever and wherever the gospel is proclaimed, it encounters opposition. Here and there the evil one has been waging war against the followers of Jesus with intermittent oppression and persecution. John identifies the evil force as the beast, even though this is the first time he mentions him. Prior to writing the Apocalypse, John had seen the entire revelation. Thus, he was fully aware of the beast, even if he had not yet mentioned him. He gives a further description of this creature when he writes, “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition” (17:8). Here is a picture of the evil one imitating God’s infinity with respect to present, past, and future: the Antichrist was, and is not, and is about to go up from the Abyss. The Antichrist is constantly opposing Christ and his church every day and every step of the way.
Paul alludes to the Antichrist when he writes that the “man of sin or lawlessness” cannot exert his full power and authority until the time has come, for God holds him back.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
When the volume of wickedness has reached its peak, then the Antichrist takes over and as a consequence the witness of the church comes to an end. The Antichrist is not Satan but is closely allied to him and is sent forth by him. He appears as the lamb with two horns that speaks like the dragon (Rev. 13:11; see also Dan. 7:1, 19–28).
Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Daniel 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
Daniel 7:19-28 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were ofiron, and his nails ofbrass; whichdevoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; And of the ten horns that werein his head, and ofthe other which came up, and before whom three fell; even ofthat horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look wasmore stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom areten kings thatshall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak greatwords against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy itunto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom isan everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Hitherto isthe end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.
John takes his reference to warfare directed against God’s people from the Old Testament, where Daniel writes, “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them” (7:21). In subsequent chapters and verses, the writer of the Apocalypse expands his information on the war the beast wages against the church (12:17; 13:7; 16:14; 19:19).
Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Revelation 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Revelation 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
At the end of the age just before the Lord returns, the Antichrist will rule supreme.
Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, pp. 332–333). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.