Revelation 12:11: And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

In the premortal context of Revelation 12:11, the word overcame has the same meaning as the word overcometh in the mortal context of John's letters to the seven churches of Asia in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.¹ In premortality and in mortality, salvation comes to those that overcome Satan² through obedience to the commandments and the saving grace found in the atonement of Jesus Christ.³ Thus, in premortality, Christ's atonement redeemed⁴ or repurchased⁵ God's spirit children⁶ from the effects of Lucifer's fall⁷ during the grand council,⁸ and also from their own sins committed after they became accountable during the grand council.⁹ Likewise, in mortality, Christ's atonement redeems people from the effects of Adam's fall in the Garden of Eden¹⁰ and from the effects of their own sins in mortality.¹¹

The spirits that kept their first estate overcame Satan¹² by means of three tools or weapons during the war in heaven.¹³ First, they overcame Satan by, or on account of,¹⁴ the blood of the Lamb.¹⁵ The blood of the Lamb symbolizes the vicarious sacrifice¹⁶ made by Jesus Christ who is the Lamb of God.¹⁷ The shedding of Christ's blood¹⁸ on this earth¹⁹ was an infinite atonement for all things on all worlds.²⁰ Christ's atonement was infinite²¹ because, among other reasons,²² it reached far back in time to redeem all the premortal spirits on Kolob²³ that kept their first estate long before Christ was born in mortality.²⁴ This is why it is often said that Christ was slain from the foundation of the world.²⁵ In this context, the foundation of the world refers to the grand council held on Kolob,²⁶ where the Father chose and foreordained²⁷ Jehovah to be the Redeemer.²⁸ Christ was slain from the foundation of the world so that the spirits who kept their first estate²⁹ received a remission of their premortal sins.³⁰ Those born into mortality on any world created by Christ are innocent and fully cleansed of all premortal sin by the blood of the Lamb.³¹

The blood of the Lamb symbolizes the cleansing power of Christ's atonement,³² but also the power to condemn those that remain unclean because they refuse to repent.³³ Satan and his fallen angels illustrate this truth.³⁴ When the war in heaven ended they were condemned by the power of Christ³⁵ to be cast down from the premortal spirit world called Kolob onto this physical earth without mortal bodies.³⁶ Earth's loss was Kolob's joyful gain.³⁷ Satan's removal from Kolob overcame the condition of spiritual death³⁸ present in that sphere since the time of Satan's rebellion in the grand council.³⁹ Once Satan and his unrepentant followers were removed from Kolob, the redeemed spirits that remained on Kolob could dwell there in the presence of God the Father and Jehovah until their mortal birth on this earth.⁴⁰

Michael and his righteous angels had the word of their testimony as a second tool or weapon⁴¹ to overcome Satan and his followers during the war in heaven.⁴² A testimony always comes from⁴³ and is conveyed through the power of the Holy Ghost.⁴⁴ This suggests that the Holy Ghost was influential and actively engaged during the war in heaven,⁴⁵ as he is now active in the war against Satan on earth.⁴⁶ In heaven as on earth, Christ's servants proclaim the word of their testimony by the power of the Holy Ghost⁴⁷ as a warning voice that seals up and binds the wicked to condemnation.⁴⁸ Isaiah expressed this principle metaphorically⁴⁹ in Isaiah 8:16 when he said, "Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples."⁵⁰ Christ is the word,⁵¹ and the word of their testimony was and is his law.⁵² Therefore, when the war in heaven ended, Satan and his angels were condemned to be cast down from Kolob⁵³ because they rejected the law received as a testimony or witness against them.⁵⁴

The word of their testimony in Revelation 12:11 conforms to the divine law of witnesses, which requires every word to be established by the mouth of two or three witnesses.⁵⁵ This law has existed on the earth in every age⁵⁶ and in all eternity.⁵⁷ Therefore, before God executed judgment on Lucifer and his followers at the end of the war in heaven,⁵⁸ they were warned in conformity with the law of witnesses.⁵⁹ The testimony of Michael and his angels was a voice of warning⁶⁰ against the rebellious⁶¹ like a double-edged sword.⁶² In other words, their testimony could have blessed the rebellious if the testimony had been accepted, but their refusal left Lucifer and his followers without excuse in the day of their judgment⁶³ when the war in heaven ended.⁶⁴

Michael and his angels loved not their lives unto the death. This was the third weapon used against Satan during the war in heaven.⁶⁵ This weapon seems oddly out of place because spirit bodies are immortal and cannot die, nor do they ever cease to exist.⁶⁶ Furthermore, this premortal conflict was a war of words and ideology⁶⁷ between spirits without any bloodshed or physical death.⁶⁸ The Joseph Smith Translation changes this phrase to say, "they loved not their own lives, but kept the testimony even unto death."⁶⁹ This clarifies that Michael and his angels put their own spiritual lives at risk to fight with great valor against Satan.⁷⁰ They fought to preserve the agency possessed by all God's children⁷¹ at the risk of their own spiritual death⁷² if they misused the very power they sought to preserve once they became fallen mortals on this earth.⁷³

The misuse of agency and risk of spiritual death exists in this life.⁷⁴ The risk of physical death also exists as reflected by earthly martyrs who sacrifice their lives for the sake of Christ.⁷⁵ The premortal context of Revelation 12:11 indicates that despite the risks involved during the war in heaven, Michael and his angels kept the testimony even unto death.⁷⁶ This means their testimony endured to the end⁷⁷ of the war in heaven, when Lucifer and his followers were condemned to permanent spiritual death.⁷⁸

The three weapons from the war in heaven have their likeness in the continuing war with Satan in this life.⁷⁹ Thus, earthly saints overcome Satan in mortality by the blood of the Lamb.⁸⁰ They overcome Satan as the word of their testimony endures to the end of their mortal lives through obedience to the gospel.⁸¹ Finally, martyrs in this life overcome Satan whenever they love[] not their lives unto the death.⁸² That is, they seal the truth of their testimony of Jesus Christ with their blood⁸³ in the image of Christ, the great exemplar who loved not his life even unto his own death on the cross.⁸⁴