Revelation 6:9-11 – 2024 Aug 15

In this study, we are looking at the Fifth seal that the Lamb broke open on the scroll that He received from God the Father sitting on the throne of the universe. The riders of the first four seals are done with, but the first rider continues to have a terrible effect on all those who dwell on the earth. That Antichrist preceded war and all the effects that follow, namely violence, famine, pestilence, and ultimately death, which for most leads directly to Hades, the place of the dead. The fifth seal is still an effect of the first rider, and it is a very disturbing and sobering one for the believers that are alive and on the earth in those days.

Before we get into all of what that may mean, I need to preface my remarks with an explanation of how this is all kind of hotly debated in evangelical circles. There are five ways in general (yes, I know, most know four) to look at eschatology, or end times if you prefer, and those are Amillennialism, Postmillennialism, Dispensationalism, and classic Premillennialism. Wait, that’s only four, you say. The fifth way of doing this is something I have heard called Pan-millennialism because it will all pan out in the end. This is the theological equivalent of burying your head in the sand and just covering until it works out. There are times that can be legitimate, and I’m not trying to mock the position, but it seems to me like a willing ignorance, and I don’t think that ever flies in God’s Kingdom. He has given us minds and expects us to use them as we walk in His Spirit and brings us into all truth, and where we make mistakes, He does not, and will ultimately show us and correct us where necessary. I like that He does so in His kindness where His children are concerned, and we should do the same.

I used to be an individual that was very much about being on the right side. I thought it was synonymous with being on the side of right, and it is not always the same thing. Just ask the lemming at the back of the herd. I was even sincere. But as is true with most of the world, I was sincerely wrong about a lot of things. I might still be wrong about certain things and not know it. However, God gave me my mind, whatever its capabilities or lack thereof, and He told me to use it, so I try, and where I am wrong in what I hold as fact for whatever reason, He points it out faithfully in many ways. Sometimes it is a friend speaking the truth from the Scriptures. Sometimes it is the Scriptures themselves. Sometimes it is someone else’s Bible study, so please take that as an encouragement to do them with us and participate as you can. For the online Bible study, there are seven remaining places on our video chat that you could occupy. I have 10 total, and if there are more, maybe we can work something else out. There are things that will allow for at least voice participation. Email me at Pa*******@Be**********.com about it, and I will send you a link to the video chat if you really want to participate. If you don’t want to participate, then you are most welcome to watch. My stats tell me that between 40 and 60 people watch the stream during the week, with between 5 and 15 live, usually toward the low end of that. Keep watching and keep studying the Scriptures, as our tagline says. God will use the Scriptures to change your character to be more like His Son, our Lord Jesus. If that’s something that is of interest to you, then welcome to the Berean Nation, Brother or Sister!

The classic Amillennial approach to this text is to allegorize it until it screams uncle. These souls under the altar are considered as greatly symbolic and also to be all believers who have ever died from persecution, and are therefore in what systematic theology considers to be in an “intermediate state,” that is, between death and their physical eternity. This whole thing goes sideways when you consider what is said in Revelation 20 is nearly identical to these verses. Most Amillennialists are AMIL in spite of what it says in Rev. 20 being described in order as if in real-time, and therefore so is this. I did find one individual who said he was AMIL BECAUSE of Rev. 20, though. However, it’s Sam Storms, so I find it difficult to take the Charismaniac seriously. Yes, that Sam Storms, the guy who got angry with Justin Peters and Jim Osman because they were right about sounding the alarm about Mike Bickle. Seriously, the pearl-clutching that he was doing was amusing to say the least when confronted with the truth. Even Michael Brown, who was there with him was looking at him out of the corner of his eye. I find it difficult to subscribe to Amillennialism. However, if you want a staunch AMIL view, Dr. Voddie Baucham is your man. I’ve heard him speak on eschatology, and it is worth listening to.

Postmillennialism is easier to take in this instance, quite frankly, but they seem to have this basic refusal to take language seriously, and even point to the next seal as an example of how this cannot be taken literally. In his book Survey of the Book of Revelation, Dr. Ken Gentry quotes Milton Terry as follows: “…the imagery and style of the Old Testament apocalyptists [sic] are most appropriately brought into use; sun, moon, and stars, and the heaven itself, are pictured as collapsing, and the crisis of the ages is signaled [sic] by voices and thunders and lightnings [sic] and earthquake. To insist on literal interpretation of such imagery is to bring prophecy into contempt and ridicule.” I can understand not believing everything you read, especially these days, but there has to be some sanity in applying the rule of allegory. Just because literature is “apocalyptic in nature” does not mean it does not mean what it says in literal fashion. The Creator does also speak through His creation to wicked people who will not read His Scriptures that He gave us. As our brother Dan Clark said to me once, the Bible is more than just poetry. Folks, the power of the imagery aside, what if that imagery IS literal? We do everyone who reads it a disservice to downplay it and make it less significant than it really is. No, I cannot be a Postmillennialist either. However, if you want a good POSTMIL resource, I recommend Dr. W. Robert Godfrey’s Revelation Video series available from Ligonier Ministries. I have seen it (I own it), and it is worth watching.

Dispensationalism is closer to a more literal interpretation of what the text says. The problem I have with that is that there are clear analogies and there are clear literal passages. The problem as I see it is that there is far too much latitude to wander from the central theme of scripture, and the commentators are all over the map. They go from the super-logical Dr. John MacArthur, who seems to be right on the money or has at least thought about it, all the way through the complete wingnuts at Firestorm Ministry. It’s too much of a grab-bag to make sense of if you’re not any good at discernment, or maybe better, an incentive to train your senses for it. I might get into trouble with some of you for saying that, but it is how I genuinely look at the mess that is dispensationalism. However, if you want a good resource for this, you can go over to the YouTube channel for Prophecy Watchers and listen to Gary Stearman, Mondo Gonzales, and their plethora of guests like Billy Crone. Most of them are level-headed over there. Occasionally there is a miss, like with the nutcase and false teacher Jonathan Cahn and his pseudo-Christian Judaizing cult. Like I said, big grab bag. At least they stopped having him on after that whole four blood moons in a row bit a few years back.

It seems best to adopt a classic Premillennialist approach to the text and recognize that we don’t know everything, but it seems clear that most of this hasn’t happened yet. That puts this into the realm not only of apocalyptic literature but also prophecy, recorded for us, as Jesus told John in the first chapter, in the first half of the first verse, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place…” I’ve heard all kinds of people over the years say all kinds of things to invalidate it, from “it’s just poetry” to “it’s never going to happen,” including “it’s already all happened,” from a Facebook acquaintance that was a full preterist heretic. We share this with the Dispensationalists – we all believe this is yet to come and the pieces of it are falling into place now for it all to come about and soon. Having said that, the Apostle John said it was the last hour. He said that about 1900-some years ago. The details are in some flux because there are several ways it could all happen.

With all that said by way of introduction, let’s get into the text. I broke the text down like this:

KV9: The Fifth Seal – Christian Martyrs Cry Out to God

9: When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;
9: The view under the alter – the souls of the martyrs
10: The Cry of the Martyrs for Vengeance
11: The Consolation of the Martyrs – Rest

I find the text disturbing for a change. The riders are a terrifying thing if you have no idea of what will happen, or even if you know you will have to go through all this, but the idea that people will be killed simply for the opinions and beliefs they hold is disturbing in the extreme. We are seeing this in miniature so to speak today. Today, they call us conspiracy theorists and ignore us. Some have started to face harder things, like de-banking and shunning on social media, and sometimes in person. However, as the songwriter said, “You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet…” (BTO, Not Fragile, 1974)

KV9: The Fifth Seal – Christian Martyrs Cry Out to God

9: When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;

In the day of the breaking of these seals, the men and women who Christ chooses in those days after the church is removed from the earth and the Restrainer has been removed from restraining the full effect of sin in humanity, those who will turn to Christ at His call will be gloriously saved, just as we were gloriously saved, but at a much higher price for them. As happened in the Roman and Jewish persecutions of the church in the first and second centuries, many will lay down their lives for the faith in those days. It is unclear to me that these martyred individuals from that time, and indeed all those who ever died under any of the religious persecutions in the Middle Ages, are included in that number. I say that because of my Pretribulation Rapture position. In that line of thought, they would be numbered with the dead in Christ, and they will precede those who are alive and remain (1 Thess. 4:16-17 if you need that reference). When Christ died on the cross, many think the Scriptures indicate that Jesus went down to the grave and brought all the believers held in the location others have called “Paradise” (like Barnhouse, Lindsay, Stearman, and others) to Heaven with Him. I don’t know if they are wrong or right, but it does make a nice thought. This text in a way strengthens that argument, because this is a scene in the heavenly temple, which I imagine is the throne room of God. Here, we get a glimpse of the altar. Which altar? I don’t know exactly, but if I had to make a guess, I would say this is the heavenly equivalent of the altar of incense because of its proximity to the throne, the heavenly equivalent of the mercy seat in the earthly temple. The altar of sacrifice was in the outer court, and although these clearly were sacrificed on earth, there is always this connection of prayer, because they are crying out to God. To be honest, if I read 12 commentators on this, I would have 24 different opinions. Not even John MacArthur will venture a guess as to which altar this is, but he feels, as do I, that this may be the heavenly equivalent of the altar of incense. I’m not sure it really matters, but there is debate about it, so I mention it. Let’s get into the text.

9: The view under the altar – the souls of the martyrs

There are three characteristics that these souls are given, and they bear a resemblance to Revelation 20:

Rev. 6:9 Reason slain	Rev 20:4 Reason slain (beheaded)
because of the word of God	because of the word of God
because of the testimony	because of their testimony of Jesus

The text matches up very well, does it not? We’ll see why they are waiting under the altar in the first instance, and also why that will be over in the second, and perhaps even earlier. It is fairly easy to see the parallels between the two verses, and I personally find it easy to see that this is not an Amillennial allegory. It is the same group, and it is a large group I suspect. This group is also mentioned in Rev. 7:9-13: “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’ Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?’ I said to him, ‘My lord, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'” There are reasons in the text that make this group identifiable, and we will discuss those when we get there. So let’s look at the verse.

9: When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;

The first thing we see in the verse is the contextual opener of the seal. The Lamb, from verse 1 of the chapter. It is a literary device being used, and this is important to point out because my translation here snuck something in. The text in Greek does not say “the Lamb” in words, it is contextually understood when reading the passage as a whole in context, and most would agree with this. Certainly, everyone on the call knows who “He” is here, which is said in the Greek text. “When He opened the fifth seal…” like that. If anyone wants to say it was someone else who broke the fifth seal, go ahead, but you’ll be wrong. Some unworthy being would have to sneak past an all-seeing God to break the seal, which is already in the Lamb’s hand. I really can’t see that happening. But look what happened next.
John saw underneath the altar. I took a little time to establish that this is likely the heavenly equivalent of the altar of incense. What is underneath the altar of incense? Sweet-smelling incense that has been burned on the altar. That incense, previously in this book (5:8 – “When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”) is equated by John as being the prayers of the saints. Later in chapter 8 (vv.3-4), these are again equated with the prayers of the saints. You can look that up on your own. I’m not doing all the work for you! But I will give the reference.
But UNDER the altar, covered by the sacrifice of God and the prayers of the saints, are the souls of every saint that has suffered death for their faith. Look at their description again. They were “slain” because of the word of God. The Greek word we translate as “slain” here is esphagmenōn in the text, the past perfect passive of sphazo, meaning “to slay,” as in sacrifice victims. When they say Christ was slain on our behalf, it is this word. Why were they slain? It gives two reasons here. The first of those is the word of God. You know, the media is full of people who speak out against Christians and Christianity as a principle. I have heard CNN and MSNBC reporters (I think, it was a couple of major news stations at any rate) tell the world on air during their broadcasts that they don’t care what the Bible says, and that essentially we shouldn’t try to hold people who don’t believe the Bible to the standard of the Bible. Or something like that. It was pure hostility and rage from one lady. I think this is the same sinfulness as that left unrestrained by the Holy Spirit in humans, a common grace at present. Then, it will allow them to slay these believers like a lamb being slaughtered. Just owning a Bible then could get you killed. What do they do with me? I have like 35 of them, and I give them out on occasion. It makes me shudder just to think that’s coming.
The second reason given is that they maintain a certain testimony to the world. Beloved, just because they are in the tribulation period, that isn’t going to change. We must all follow Christ at all times. I always think about the Puritan John Bunyan here. He had a wife and kids, and he could have avoided prison just by not preaching in his congregational gathering. He could not in good conscience before God not preach to the flock God gave Him. I feel the same way about you folks. I have to preach, and I have to preach the truth that the Lord Jesus, who Himself IS the truth, shows me to tell you. If the government (say) or some other group like the theoretical cult of Antichristarians comes and tries to intimidate me or they’ll lock me up or hurt me or mine, I still have to preach the truth. Especially because of the threat. It is the testimony (the Greek marturia) of the Lord and can only speak that as a response. My wife and kids know it, too. John Bunyan’s wife and kids knew it. He spent 12 years in prison because he would not bow his knee to an unjust Caesar so to speak. And I don’t think he was stupid about it. How about Pastor James Coates in Edmonton? There have been others. In Calgary, Windsor, New Brunswick, and other places just here in Canada, pastors have had to pay the price. And we will be faithful to the calling to which He has called us. For the record, I DON’T like the idea. But I am willing to pay whatever price for Him because I owe it to Him anyway. He died to set me free from this present evil world. How is it that I could turn back to that now? He commands us to follow and follow Him we must. Next verse.

10: The Cry of the Martyrs for Vengeance

When I said that the souls under the altar were connected with prayer, they are in fact crying out to be avenged. I suppose one could call this an imprecatory prayer, much like some of the Psalms. One of these, as an example, is Psalm 35. Right from the first verse, David is praying for God to be the enemy of his enemies and fight against those who are fighting against him. It reads, “Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me.” The rest of the Psalm is David calling in Prayer Strikes, not Air Strikes. [hahahaha] The point is that David was God’s servant, and he was calling on God to make sure he was not unjustly accused or convicted of crimes he did not commit. Another such Psalm is Psalm 69. In verses 4 and 5, David makes his motive for his prayer clear: “Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies; What I did not steal, I then have to restore. O God, it is You who knows my folly, And my wrongs are not hidden from You.” If I may make a connection with real believers for a moment, if we are walking with Christ, the only reason someone will have to attack us is because they hate what we say and stand for. In fact, Psalm 69 is a Messianic Psalm. Verse 21 says, “They also gave me gall for my food And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” Who else did they do that to? Matthew 7:33-34 says, “And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.” Now what character that we have also read about this evening has ever visited Golgotha? Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world in that place, that’s who! That is a side point because beginning in the next verse of Psalm 69 sees David cursing His enemies. Verses 22-28 read:

May their table before them become a snare;
And when they are in peace, may it become a trap.
May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see,
And make their loins shake continually.
Pour out Your indignation on them,
And may Your burning anger overtake them.
May their camp be desolate;
May none dwell in their tents.
For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself have smitten,
And they tell of the pain of those whom You have wounded.
Add iniquity to their iniquity,
And may they not come into Your righteousness.
May they be blotted out of the book of life
And may they not be recorded with the righteous.

We could look at other Imprecatory Psalms as well, such as Psalm 109, but I will leave you to do that on your own. My point here is that this is the kind of prayer they were praying. Let’s look at the text.

10: and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

It is their own kind of Psalm, an imprecatory prayer like David’s, calling for the outright avenging of their unjust deaths at the hands of the enemies of God. A note here: They went through their own deaths, as painful and/or shameful as they were as sheep to the slaughter. They did it because they chose to follow Christ and NOT attack those putting them to death, because they already knew vengeance was in God’s hands. For the Christian, there is no “getting even.” There is only following Christ. “Why not rather be wronged?” exclaimed the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 6:7. “Why not rather be defrauded?” Christ will avenge everyone appropriately, Beloved. Be certain of it. These souls were calling out for that vengeance of God upon those who had done them wrong as servants of God. See their question here. How long will you refrain from judging people and avenging the unjust taking of our lives by those enemies of yours on the earth? That’s the Question.
They did not neglect the person of God here. They were not doubting that He would. They call Him holy and true. They just wanted to know when, and I think that they knew what was happening. With the opening of the seals, God is beginning to judge the earth in real-time. With the fifth seal, with the four riders loosed, God Himself is beginning to avenge His murdered servants. Amen. Maránatha. [“Lord come,” as per 1 Cor. 16:22.] Because it applies here, I will read that verse aloud: If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be anathema. Maranatha. That word anathema means “damned.” It is the strongest possible curse that can be uttered, and the only one that is appropriate or applicable here. If you kill God’s servants, God will kill you back and then some, and He is the only One who can. Remember that old saying, “Don’t mess with Texas?” Don’t mess with God or His servants. Mess around and find out at your own peril. Folks messed around. Now they’re going to find out, and we will talk about at least some of that next time. Moving on because we have to.

11: The Consolation of the Martyrs – Rest

I know this isn’t what the previous verse was about, but the point is there to make, and it should be made. Right now, we live in the age of grace, where God’s mercy and forgiveness are freely available for any who will turn to the Lord Jesus away from their sins and believe that He took their place on the cross. These souls certainly repented and turned away from their sins, and they did so in a time that will cost them everything. They are willing to do so because it is WORTH the price we pay to partake of the price that HE paid. They will be saved in that day the same we are saved now, it will simply have more consequences to it then. Also worth mentioning is the thought that God does not penalize them for praying for God to avenge them against their enemies. In today’s pews, we find the opposite of that sometimes. I’ve heard it, and have even been accused of some things because of it, even though that is not how I think or feel about it. For the record, I believe the Scriptures say that everyone has the chance to be saved if they will turn from their sin and believe Jesus took their place on the cross, just like He did for Barabbas, the actual man that was set free when Jesus was sentenced to death. And Jesus went to that death willingly! Until the time when the Lord Jesus comes back for us personally in whatever form that may take, we are to demonstrate the love of God to all people, ESPECIALLY with our words, but also by living a life laid down for Him in holiness, because He laid down His life in holiness while He lived for us. This should be our motivating energy to use a phrase. This is very different than what some of us here would call the “gospel of niceness” or “the religion of soft answers turning away anger.” The gospel is good news, the very best news, but is not nice. I will explain.

Understand that all of us are born sinners. The first two humans were created without sin in a state called innocence. Then a snake tricked one and the other chose his partner over obedience to God’s very clear, very simple command. They both ate some fruit. As our progenitors, they made that choice for all of their offspring, that is, all of humanity, and that directly means all of us. As such, God cursed us all in turn. He cursed the snake, He cursed the woman, He cursed the man, and He cursed all of creation to work against humans! There is nothing nice about that. This is why it says in John 3:18, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” In the insurance world to which I used to belong, this is defined as a pre-existing condition. Our default value is to be condemned to hell for not only the disobedience under which we were all born (original sin), but as we grow into maturity, and the age that happens is different for everyone, we become accountable for all the deeds that we commit, and we all sin by default. It is our basic nature. It is our default value or pre-existing condition as human beings. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” As such, we are all hellbound for our own actions as well as the original sin of Adam and Eve, who clearly did in the whole race, and now we are doubly damned. Some people do not want to hear about this damnation to hell. Instead of turning from their sin, they suppress this truth about themselves in unrighteousness, refusing to hear it or refusing to be told about it. They will not hear about it, and because they will not hear, they will not be saved from this horrible end by the penal substitutionary atonement for us of our Lord Jesus Christ. That’s the $50 way of saying He died in our place. They tell us that we are not loving to say such things in a variety of ways. They have even accused us of wanting to murder them because they do not want to change when the exact opposite is true. They equate us horribly with Hitler or Stalin for just thinking this way. They run from us so they don’t have to listen. They run us off so they won’t have to listen. They shout us down so they can’t hear us because (and this should come as no surprise) they do not want to hear us. They call us unloving and charge us with crimes that they call hate speech nowadays. Beloved, they can do all of that (free will, remember), but it does not change the fact that we are all damned to eternal suffering in hell as a pre-existing condition.

Now, if I knew all that and chose to stay silent about it and actually let people go to their eternal destinies in hell quietly because I was “too nice” to say anything and “didn’t want to cause an argument,” would that really be the love of God? If you do not already know the answer, I’ll tell you. NO!!! It isn’t loving at all. How much would I have to hate people to know this awful thing was coming to them and know the way to escape that fate AND NEVER SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT? Even well-known atheist and famous illusionist Penn Jillette knows that. I debated for a minute or so, but I’ll let Mr. Jillette explain himself.

Penn Jillette shares an encounter he had with a Christian who wanted to share Christ with him and offers his thoughts on “proselytism.”

We must love people enough to tell them the truth about themselves and their eternal destiny without Christ. Then the choice is theirs. Those whom the Father calls will ultimately join Him. Others will not. The people that the souls under the altar are those who did not want to turn and whom God in His infinite knowledge and wisdom did not choose but passed over. These souls under the altar all chose of their own will because God chose them from before the foundation of the world to be conformed to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. In this so-called intermediate state between their death and their eternal bodies, they call out asking God how long until He takes vengeance. And these souls, because they are His, receive comfort and consolation in a few ways. Let’s look at the verse and see those ways.

11: And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.

The first thing they are comforted with is a white robe [stolē luekē]. This kind of robe traditionally was a long and flowing robe that covered the individual to the feet. I take this to mean that these souls were covered completely. White is traditionally and here also the colour that symbolizes purity and holiness. Each individual is given one, and therefore each individual is pure and holy. The interesting thing I think is the difference in the white robes those who are from the Church age wear, the Greek himation. Pastor Billy Crone points out that these are two completely different garments for two entirely different classes of people. The white stolē is a long flowing robe that can be worn by anyone, although it is expensive formal wear. It allows freedom of movement and is apparently comfortable. I’ve never worn one, the closest I’ve come is an 11th-century monk’s costume, and I didn’t find it particularly comfortable, but it wasn’t uncomfortable either. The second robe, the himation, is a garment worn by priests, and only priests can wear it. I guess that means that the universal church are priests to God! There are different theories about this, but the most consistent one I can think of is that we don’t see the difference now or understand it but we will then. I think if I had to guess, I would think it is more about these still being souls under the altar and not resurrected saints yet. That first resurrection is coming in chapter 20. Verse 4 says, “Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” It seems to be a strikingly similar description, no? Maybe that stolē is changed into a himation when they come to life at the beginning of the Millennium. It doesn’t say, so I’m speculating, and I don’t want to do that. All the commentators DO agree that this is a new gift to all of them and for their comfort.
I have a theory about this being a comfort for them. I think that it is somehow unpleasant or uncomfortable for a being to be separated from a body. The demons in the Gadarenes wanted to go into a herd of pigs rather than be unbodied. Demon possession is perhaps because of this from the demon’s perspective. When the Lord Jesus explained demon possession to His disciples by saying that outside of a vessel of some kind (i.e., body) was like travelling through a desert or a waste place. Is this associated? I don’t really know, but it’s a theory that has been forming over the last 30+ years in my mind. Now, there are other things that could account for this, but this doesn’t exclude this as a reason. It doesn’t include it either, but these are questions that I have. Forgive my idle speculation.
The second comfort these souls are given is rest. There is a song by Acapella called “Lead Me to Rest” from the album Set Me Free. This idea makes me think of this song. Can you imagine sitting there, having died horribly and painfully, with everyone through history who has died for the same reason, wondering when things would be set right for you? The Song Lyrics make me think. “What should I offer // In return? // When the value of Your blessing // No one could ever earn // Then you tell me that I’m really forgiven // Got a reason for livin’ // And You made it SO clear // I’m supported when the devil would charm me // Protected when the evil would harm me // Tell me, How can I fear? // Lead me to rest, sweet Lord, Lead me to rest // From my journey here // Lead me to rest //The relief I have found // From the burdens that have weighed me down // Lead me to rest – lead me to rest. // Oh Lord, won’t you lead me – lead me to rest. Refrain and fade. They were given rest from all of the worry and all of the pain of their exit from their bodies and all the multiple indignities that such martyrs of the faith have suffered from the beginning at the hands of pagan or unbelieving people. They were given the comfort of REST.
And even that rest has an endpoint, though that is somewhat darker. They are given rest for the time that the number of their fellow servants and their brethren will complete their number. That is the way it is written in the Greek text, kai oi sundouloi auton kai oi adelphoi. I’m a bit confused on the point of what the repetition of a personal pronoun does in Koine Greek, but I THINK this is referring to the same person. In English, we tend to drop it, so it would read “until the number of their fellow servants and brethren is complete. Hey, I’m still learning. I think this means they are the same group of people, but I could be corrected. Chris, if you see this, drop me an email, I have a Greek question for you.
The part about this that makes me shudder is that there is a number and it is still being completed at this time. This has been going on for about 2000 years now, so that number must be a very large number. All saints who are living now stand a chance of being part of this group. That includes each of us. I admit I do not know if I’m ready for that, and I suspect I am not or it might be being required of me now. Statistically, more Christians have been killed in the last 10 years than have been killed in the entire history of the church from its beginning on the day of Pentecost in AD 32 or 33. I can’t remember where I heard that statistic, but it was someplace that would know, like Voice of the Martyrs or something. There are at present 52 countries out of 193 where the Bible is either illegal or heavily restricted, and that includes China, where you can only use their government’s “corrected” version. In my headlines a couple of years ago, I read that a church in one of the provinces of China underwent demolition while its congregation was inside it worshipping on a Sunday. The people that make the world news? Muslim Uygurs or Falun Gong. Anyone but the Christians in the Land of Sinim (Isaiah 49:12). We don’t even have the numbers of people that have been hunted and killed by the enemies of Christ. This might be because of them masquerading as Christians. Crusades in the 1200s in the south of France were deliberately targeted against Albigensians and Waldensians, who as far as I know were what the world would call proto-Protestants. There are a lot of things that can be said about this, not all of them good, but the point is that there were those in that very large number that were there and now because of people calling themselves servants of Christ died horribly and are in that group of souls under the altar. These now find rest until that number is complete.

The fifth seal reveals to us that following Christ is not in fact without cost. Salvation was free to us but not free for the Lord. Our following Him must necessarily have cost or it is worth nothing in the end. I doubt any of the souls under the altar would disagree. A movie I once saw about the life of the Apostle Paul titled Paul, Apostle of Christ had him in Mamertine Prison being visited by Luke the Doctor (played by Jim Caviezel), and fellow brother in Christ. There is a moment when all the Christians of Rome are being swept up for death in the Arena. Luke is known to many of them, and the clearly fearful believers look to him as a kind of leader. “What is going to happen?” they ask. “There will be a moment of pain,” he begins, and then smiles, “and then we will be in heaven with Jesus.” Or something like that. I don’t remember how they all got out of it, other than a medical cure for the Jailer’s daughter performed by Doctor Luke. It ended with the beheading of Paul and what happened next to Paul. It was kind of cool. But it was also relevant.

I am sometimes asked, “Gerry, what is going to happen?” Luke’s answer will suffice. There will be a moment of pain, and then we will be in heaven and with Jesus forever. That is what these souls under the altar found, and their only question was when the Lord was going to make it right. Because He will. That is an absolute certainty. And He will start to display His power openly next time as we begin our look at the sixth seal.

That’s what I saw in the text.