What does “he that leadeth into captivity” mean in Revelation 13:10?

In describing the beast from the sea and the terror he brings, Revelation 13:10 declares, “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (KJV). The New King James modernizes the verb forms: “He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword.”

The beast is the Antichrist, and one of his acts is “to make war with the saints and to overcome them” (Revelation 13:7, NKJV). It is, in fact, God who grants him that authority. Verse 10, then, is a promise of retribution: “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword” (KJV). In other words, the Antichrist will receive what is due him. As Jesus said, “All who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52, ESV).

Other translations follow a different textual variant, and the result is a slightly different meaning:

In these translations, the idea of retribution is gone; in its place is a simple statement of destiny. It is inevitable that the tribulation saints will suffer. Some will be slated for captivity, and some for execution.

It’s that same sense of inescapable providence that we find in Jeremiah 15:1–2. In that passage, the Lord speaks of a recalcitrant Judah, saying, “Send them away from my presence!” (Jeremiah 15:1). In answer to the question “where shall they go?” God says,

The similarity between Jeremiah 15:2 and Revelation 13:10 is striking. What God seems to be saying in Revelation 13 is that the persecution of the saints, though unjust, is destined to happen. The Antichrist will have his way with them for a short period of time. This echoes Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:9, “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name” (NASB 1995).

The last part of Revelation 13:10 is an exhortation to persevere: “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (KJV). The suffering of the tribulation saints is not beyond the sovereignty of the Lord. In recognition that God is in control, the saints being persecuted by the Antichrist are to submit to their fate. Their means of victory is their steadfast perseverance and faith (see Hebrews 12:1–3). Saints show their faith by trusting in the ultimate justice of God (see 1 Peter 2:23).

Knowing that suffering for the sake of Christ is to be expected promotes growth and maturity in the Christian life. That knowledge combined with the hope that inspires endurance is essential for meeting the challenges that arise in an oppositional world.

Believers learn to take all that comes from God’s hand, and they continue to glorify God no matter what. Poet Richard Baxter put it like this: