In the Book of Revelation, why did Jesus have to die?

Introduction

The Vision explains why Christ had to Die

Over the centuries, many different theories have been proposed for why Jesus had to die. Each explains the problem solved by Christ’s death differently.  (Read Article) Some of those Atonement Theories distort fundamental Biblical principles. For example, in one of them, the Father was angry, and Christ’s suffering pacified His Father’s wrath. [Show More]

Although it may be hidden in symbols, the vision of the Sealed Book in Revelation 5 explains why Jesus had to die:

Elsewhere, the New Testament says that we are saved because Jesus died.

But in the vision of the Sealed Book, through His death, the Son became “worthy” to break the seals and open the book (Rev 5:5). [Show More]

These may seem like two different consequences of His death, but this article will argue that they are the same.

No other part of the Bible addresses the question of why Jesus had to die so directly. 

Purpose of this Article

In my view, the vision of the sealed book provides the best answer, but to my knowledge, this article is unique in its attempt to use this vision to explain why Jesus had to die.

Since the vision says that He died to become able to open the sealed book, we must understand what the book is and what the seals are that prevent understanding. This article explains why He was not worthy before He died and how His death made Him worthy.

We are saved because Jesus overcame.

Revelation 5:5, 9-10 gives three reasons why Jesus was declared worthy to break the seals and open the book:

      • He “overcame,” meaning He remained faithful to God despite temptations (e.g., Rev 2:7, 11, 17; 3:21),
      • He was “slain,” and
      • He purchased people with His “blood.” 

Based on the New Testament in general, we can explain how these three reasons relate:

Firstly, we are not saved by His literal blood but by His death. There is no magical power in His literal blood. His blood is simply a symbol of His death.

Secondly, we are not saved merely because Jesus died but because He died without sin. If He sinned anywhere during His life, His death would NOT have had any saving power. In other words, we are saved because He overcame (Rev 5:5; 3:21). [Show More]

Thirdly, His death does not refer merely to the moment of death or to the fact that He died but to His final hours. Those hours were Jesus’ final and greatest best temptation. [Show More]

Lastly, the moment of His death was significant because it was the end of the test. Until He died, the angels watched the battle between Christ and Satan with bated breath to see whether He would sin. Since He died without disobeying God, His death was the moment of His final victory.

Previous Conclusions

Revelation 5 is Christ’s Ascension.

An important foundational principle is that Revelation 5 describes what happened in heaven when Jesus arrived after His ascension. At that time, He was declared worthy to open the Sealed Book and received it. That was also when He sat down at the right hand of God. (Read Article)

The Book is the Book of Life.

A previous article identified the Sealed Book as the Book of Life, containing the names of the people whom God elected to eternal life (Rev 20:15; 21:27). For example, the Book of Life is more fully called “the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” Since Jesus receives the Sealed Book when He appears as “a Lamb … as if slain” (Rev 5:6-7), this is strong evidence that the Sealed Book is the Book of Life. This conclusion is supported by the facts, as that article shows, that both books:

      • Are necessary for redemption,
      • Will be opened only after Christ’s return, and
      • Distinguish the living from the dead. (Read Article)

The Seals are Satan’s Accusations.

The seven seals of the book, which prevent the book from being read, have been identified by that same article as Satan’s accusations against God’s elect, namely, the people identified in the Book of Life. By listing their sins, Satan effectively accuses God of unfair judgment.

Satan’s purpose is to defend himself against God’s condemnation. By implication, he argues that if he is condemned, God’s people must also be condemned. And if God’s elect can be saved despite their sins, he can also be saved. For that reason, he meticulously lists the sins of the people in the Book of Life.

The book is symbolically sealed, meaning nobody could refute Satan’s accusations entirely. Nobody, not even the Son before His death, was able to show that God’s judgments are perfect in all instances, namely that God should grant eternal life only to the sinners listed in the Book and to none of the other sinners.

Breaking the seals means refuting Satan’s accusations to show that God’s judgments are perfect. 

Why the Son was Not Worthy.

According to the vision of the Sealed Book, the Son, before His death, was not regarded as worthy to break the seals, meaning that He was not worthy to refute Satan before He died. This may seem strange, but it is explained as follows:

Crisis in Heaven

The Sealed Book in Heaven (Rev 5) and the War in Heaven (Rev 12) describe the same crisis:

In both chapters, there is a crisis in heaven, symbolized by the sealed book in Rev 5, and a war in heaven in Rev 12.

In both chapters, Christ’s death ended the crisis in heaven, but it continues on earth and will only be finally resolved through God’s people.

In both chapters, the crisis is caused by things not understood. In Rev 5, the Sealed Book symbolizes the things not understood. In Rev 12, Satan accuses God’s people. Since this caused a war in heaven, the angels disagreed about God’s people, which also means things not understood. (These points are discussed in more detail in the Article that identifies the Sealed Book.)

Accuser of our Brethren

Revelation 12 explains the cause and nature of that crisis when it describes Satan as the accuser of our brethren (Rev 12:10). As mentioned, his goal is to show that “our brethren,” namely God’s elect, as identified in the Book of Life, do not deserve eternal life. Effectively, he accuses God of unfair and arbitrary judgment. 

Defender of our Brethren

Since the Son is the One who breaks the seals of the book in Revelation 6, meaning to refute Satan’s accusations against God’s elect, we may assume that that was also His role BEFORE He became a human being. In other words, He opposed the accuser before His incarnation.

Accused the Son

At that time, since Satan’s nature is to accuse (cf. Gen 3:3-5; Job 1:11; Zech 3:1; Rev 12:10), we can assume that he also accused the Son. Since, after His victory on earth, the heavenly beings declared the Son to be “worthy” because He overcame (Rev 5:5, 9), meaning that He never sinned, we may assume that Satan accused the Son that He would also sin, given the right circumstances. Since the Son defended God’s elective mercy, we can assume that Satan argued that, since the Son is potentially also a sinner, He cannot be trusted to defend God’s elective mercy objectively.

The Son not Worthy

Since the War in Heaven could not end before the Son was declared worthy, we know that Satan was able, given his enormous talents, to create doubt in the minds of many angels, even some of God’s loyal angels, about whether the Son could be trusted to defend God’s selective mercy objectively, just as Satan was able to create doubt in the minds of the created universe about the perfection of God’s judgments. In that sense, the Son was not “worthy” before His victory on earth.

Why Death Made Him Worthy

How did overcoming make Him “worthy” to break the seals and open the book?

To be trusted to defend God’s selective mercy objectively, the Son had to refute Satan’s accusations against Him and show that He would never sin, even under the maximum possible temptations. For that reason, while this war of accusations was still raging in heaven, He subjected Himself to a test by becoming a human being. [Show More]

God allowed Satan to tempt and test the Son in all possible ways. Satan wished that the Son would sin by using His supernatural power to exalt Himself and escape the torment. His entire life was a test, and He overcame throughout His life.

His highest test was the hours before He died. His death made Him worthy in the sense that His death (understood as His final hours) reflected how He overcame His entire life.

The CrossThe moment of His death was significant because it was the end of the test. While He was still alive, the possibility remained that He could sin. Since He died without disobeying God, His death was the moment of His final victory. [Show More]

However, despite what Hebrews says (e.g., Heb 5:8), his sinless life did not somehow improve the Son. His life was a demonstration of His eternal character. Now, the universe is fully convinced that Jesus is “the faithful and true Witness” (Rev 3:14).

Conclusions

Why the book remained Sealed.

Even after the Son became regarded as worthy to open the book, it remains sealed. This is understood as follows:

Satan brought accusations against God’s elect. Since the Son of God defended God’s elect, Satan also accused the Son. Christ’s victory over sin refuted Satan’s accusations against the Son. 

However, while Jesus never sinned, God’s elect are sinners. Christ’s victory, therefore, did not refute Satan’s accusation against God’s elect. Since it remained unclear why they, and only they, should receive God’s mercy, the book remained symbolically sealed.

The sixth seal is Judgment Day (Read Article). This means that the book will only be open when Christ returns. God delays Christ’s return and the implementation of His judgments until all understand His judgments are perfect. For a further discussion, see – Why did Christ not yet return?

Overview of the Conclusions above

God grants mercy selectively to some sinners. The Son defends God’s decisions. But Satan created doubt about whether the Son could be trusted to defend God’s decisions objectively because He would also sin, given the right circumstances.

Therefore, the Son had to be tested. He became a human being and was tested in every possible way, even unto death. If He sinned anywhere during His life, His mission would have failed. The moment of His death was the end of the test, and the heavens erupted in jubilation because He had passed the test.

God wants His creature to Understand.

The Son’s life on earth was a test, but not for God’s benefit. God knew that His unique Son would remain faithful. The test was a demonstration for the benefit of the created beings. (E.g., Rom 3:25-26; Col 2:15). In other words, the argument in this article is based on the assumption that God wants His intelligent creatures to understand. For them to feel safe in eternity, He would not force them to accept His judgment. [Show More]

The Son of God Suffered.

In the traditional Trinity doctrine, the Son of God is impassible, meaning He cannot suffer or die. Therefore, in this theory, the Son became incarnate as a human being with a human mind, known as Jesus Christ. It was this human being, not the eternal Son of God, who suffered, died, was resurrected, ascended to heaven, and now sits at the right hand of God.

In contrast, this article assumes that the eternal Son of God suffered and died. In other words, when the Son became a human being, He remained the same ‘Person’ as before. Therefore, when the man Jesus was tested, the character of the eternal Son of God was tested. Relevant articles include:


Other Articles

The Seven Seals

Other

  • I recommend Jon Paulien’s commentary on Revelation for further reading. For general theological discussions, I recommend Graham Maxwell, who you will find on the Pineknoll website.

They overcame Satan by the word of their testimony. Revelation 12:11

This is an article in the series on Revelation 12. Unless otherwise indicated, all quotes are from the NASB.

SUMMARY

Revelation 12:7-10 describes the victory that Michael and his angels gained over Satan and his angels in the war in heaven. But then Revelation 12:11 continues:

“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony … even when faced with death.

Since this also refers to a victory over Satan, it may seem as if “they” refer to angels. However, for the following reasons, “they” refer to God’s people on earth:

      • Death – Angels are not “faced with death” (Rev 12:11). In Revelation, it is always people that are killed for their testimony.
      • Brethren – The immediate antecedent of “they” is “our brethren” who were accused by Satan (Rev 12:10). In Revelation, “brethren” always refer to God’s people.
      • Overcome – “They overcame” and in Revelation, it is God’s people who “overcome” (e.g. Rev 3:12).

This creates an apparent contradiction, for it might imply that the victory in the war in heaven (Rev 12:7-10) was actually won on earth by God’s people (Rev 12:11). To solve this, it is proposed that these are two different victories:

      • Revelation 12:11 refers to the everyday experience of God’s people as they overcome Satan’s accusations.
      • The victory in the war in heaven, as described in Rev 12:7-10, was a specific event after Christ’s ascension in which Satan was defeated.

OVERCOME THE ACCUSER BY THEIR TESTIMONY

According to Revelation 12:11, two things are required for “our brethren” to overcome:

      • The blood of the Lamb and
      • The word of their testimony.

Why is the “testimony” of God’s people, “even when faced with death” required to overcome Satan’s accusations? Why is the blood of the Lamb not sufficient? This is addressed by the series on the seven seals. In Revelation 5, Christ died to gain the right to open the book of God’s judgments (Rev 5:5 – see, Book of Life), but the book remains sealed. A process is required to open the book. This process involves “the word of their testimony … even when faced with death.”

– END OF SUMMARY – 


WHO ARE THEY?

Revelation 12:7-10 describes the victory that Michael and his angels gained over Satan and his angels in the war in heaven. As argued in a previous article, Christ’s victory on earth enabled Michael to gain victory in heaven. Rev 12:10 describes the outcome of that victory:

The accuser of our brethren has been thrown down,
he who accuses them before our God day and night.

Revelation 12:11 continues:

“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

The first question in this article is: Who are “they?” Are “they” people or angels?

THEY ARE ANGELS.

The following may indicate that “they” could refer to angels:

      • Immediate context – Revelation 12:11 refers to some victory when it says, “they overcame him.”  “Him,” in the context, refers to Satan. Since “they” overcame Satan, and since Michael’s angels defeated Satan in the immediate context (Rev 12:7-10), this may imply that “our brethren” refers to Michael and his angels.
      • Blood of the Lamb – As previously argued, the angels gained the victory “because of the blood of the Lamb.” Now Rev 12:11 says the same of “our brethren.

THEY ARE PEOPLE.

The following indicates that “they” are God’s people on earth:

      • Death – As far as we know, angels are not “faced with death” (Rev 12:11). In Revelation, it is always people that are killed for their testimony; never angels, for example:

          • Those who had been slain … because of the testimony which they had maintained” (Rev 6:9; cf. 12:17).
          • Those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus” (Rev 20:4).
      • Brethren – The immediate antecedent of “they” is “our brethren” who were accused by Satan (Rev 12:10). It is in Satan’s nature to deceive and accuse (Rev 12:9-10). He certainly must have attempted at least to deceive and accuse Michael and his angels “before our God.”  For that reason, “our brethren” arguably include angels. However, elsewhere in Revelation, “brethren” always refer to God’s people (Rev 6:11; 19:10; 22:9).
      • Overcome – “They overcame” and in Revelation, it is God’s people who “overcome” (e.g. Rev 3:12).

APPARENT CONTRADICTION

The evidence seems stronger that verse 11 describes God’s people on earth, but this creates an apparent contradiction, for it might imply that the victory in the war in heaven (Rev 12:7-10), in which Michael’s angels won the victory, was actually won on earth and by God’s people (Rev 12:11). 

To solve this apparent contradiction, it is proposed that these are two different but related victories:

      • Revelation 12:11 refers to the everyday experience of God’s people as they overcome Satan’s accusations.
      • The victory in the war in heaven, as described in verses 7-10, was a specific event after Christ’s ascension in which Satan was defeated.

Christ’s victory on the earth (that He remained faithful to God to the end, even under the most excruciating torment – “even when faced with death“) forms the foundation of both these victories.

OVERCOME THE ACCUSER BY THEIR TESTIMONY

However, according to 12:11, two things are required for “our brethren” to overcome:

They overcame him
because of the blood of the Lamb and
because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

The Lamb is Jesus (e.g. Rev 5:6). Both “the blood of the Lamb” and “the word of their testimony” are required for God’s people to overcome Satan. Their willingness to die for what they believe is not a third requirement but indicates the strength of their testimony. The testimony that overcomes Satan is a testimony that is proven real when one’s life is in danger. Satan said to the LORD, “all that a man has he will give for his life” (Job 2:4), but these people prove him wrong, for they are willing to die for their faith.

BLOOD OF THE LAMB

The first requirement is “the blood of the Lamb.” How the blood of Christ purchased men for God has been discussed in the series on the seven seals. (See, The book which not even God can open.)

THEIR TESTIMONY

But the question is: Why is the “testimony” of God’s people, “even when faced with death” required to overcome Satan’s accusations (Rev 12:10-11)? Why is the blood of the Lamb not sufficient? This is also addressed by the series on the seven seals. Revelation 5 and 12 are parallel in the sense that both describe the consequence of Christ’s victory on earth:

      • Revelation 5 shows that Christ was accepted as the true witness and, therefore, received the right to open the book of God’s judgments (the book of life).
      • Revelation 12 shows that Satan was proven to be a liar and he was thrown out of heaven in his capacity as “the accuser of our brethren” (Rev 12:10).

To come back to the question: Why is the “testimony” of God’s people, required to overcome Satan’s accusation; Christ died to gain the right to open the book of God’s judgments (Rev 5:5), but the book remains sealed. A process is required to open the book. This process involves “the word of their testimony … even when faced with death.” Please see the article series on the seals for further discussion.


ARTICLES IN THE SERIES ON REVELATION 12

OTHER RELEVANT ARTICLES