The book of Revelation is a form of civil disobedience that
focuses upon sustaining a faithful witness in spite of the
consequences. The author defines civil disobedience as resisting
unjust laws in nonviolent ways even if it means the potential death
of the protestor (e.g., Rev. 12:11). Along those same lines, the
book also redefines conquering as sustaining a faithful witness
under duress, modeled after the faithfulness of Jesus, even to
death (e.g., 1:5; 2:10, 26-28; 6:9-11; 14:12; 20:4). Even when
resistance is expressed in military terms, Christians never take up
arms (e.g., Rev 12:7-12; 14:1-5; 19:11-21) but overcome evil
through their faithful witness. Slater argues, for example, that
Rev 19:21 symbolically refers to a powerful spoken witness that
defeats evil.
This study develops a way for Christians to read and appreciate the
book of Revelation. Many decry the violent nature of the book
without noting that Christians are never encouraged to take up
arms. Along those same lines, many laypersons see the book as a
justification for military intervention against Satan and his
minions. They too miss the fact that the book of Revelation never
tells Christians to arm themselves. Rather, Christians defeat evil
by witnessing faithfully. Both sides would be challenged to rethink
and reassess their respective positions given the stress on
faithful witness in the book.