“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
I once heard a story about Alexander the Great, the famous Greek warrior king who lived during those years between when the Old Testament ended, and the New Testament began. He made a name for himself as a fearless and brilliant general whose military conquests became legendary, albeit short lived. He died suddenly in 323 BC at the age of thirty-two from Typhoid fever.
The story is told that during one particular battle, with his army surrounding an enemy city, the opposing king taunted the Greek general and boasted that his troops and people could outlast any siege. In response, Alexander lined his troops up in formation and, with the enemy watching from the safety of their city walls, he began to march his own troops over a cliff. The enemy king was terrified as he watched the Greek soldiers obey their king’s command and forfeit their lives. Several rows of Greek soldiers dutifully marched over the edge of the cliff and fell to their deaths. Finally, Alexander gave the order to stop. Upon seeing this, the enemy king surrendered his city, realizing that an army willing to die like that for their king was a foe too great for his city to withstand.
To be honest, I’m not sure if this story is true or not. It could just be the stuff of myth and legend, but it sure left a powerful impression on me. Needless to say, I have wondered how I would respond if asked to do the same.
And then it hit me. Jesus has asked me to do the same.
From a spiritual perspective, I became a Soldier in God’s army the moment I placed my faith and trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I was pretty young at the time, but as I matured in my faith, I grew to realize there really is a spiritual battle going on all around me/us. I believe in what Jesus did for me on the cross, and that makes me a target for the enemy. Like it or not, I’m in this fight to the end. And like all Soldiers, I realize that I could be killed in battle and die for my country… or my King.
The United States of America remembers and honors those who died while fighting our wars. No death on the battlefield is insignificant or forgotten, and I believe the same can be said for spiritual warfare, too. Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His faithful servants” (NIV). Jesus promised that if I do lose my life for Him, then I will gain far more than anything this present world could ever offer.
This is what it means to overcome. Every time a believer stands tall in the face of persecution (or death), God is honored, His Kingdom strengthened, and a watching world is perplexed, intrigued, and possibly a little curious to know more.
And that’s the point of my book, To Those Who Overcome.
I want to approach the book of Revelation differently and examine it through the lens of persecution and martyrdom. I want to highlight the true cost of discipleship (as Dietrich Bonhoeffer would say) throughout the pages of Revelation and encourage you to become a Soldier in God’s army, a Soldier willing to not only stand up and fight for the King of Kings—but also die, if necessary—for His Kingdom.
(Adapted from To Those Who Overcome, by Darren Schwartz, p.3-4)
