SEAL FIVE - THE MARTYR THRONG

In a time of crisis and disaster, despots and dictators will always seek to divert the blame for national misfortunes, away from themselves, and transfer it either to an external enemy, or an internal minority. The Emperors of Rome were no exceptions to this rule, and so it was not long before all the calamities described in the proceeding Seals, were being blamed upon the Christians, and the hatred, anger and frustration of the masses was being channelled into an era of vicious persecution which John described in the following words:-

"And when he had opened the Fifth Seal, I saw under the altar, the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on earth. And white robes were given unto every one of them, that they should rest, yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled." - (REVELATION 6:9-11)

The first question we must ask ourselves is:-

Throughout the New Testament Scriptures, when an altar is mentioned, it is always the Brazen Altar of Sacrifice where the blood of the sacrificial victims was poured out. Let me give two examples:-

1

"From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the Temple. Verily I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation." - (LUKE 11:51)

2

"They which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar." - (I CORINTHIANS 9:13)

These early Christian martyrs who loved not their lives unto death, and were cruelly slain for the truth of God's Word and the testimony of their saving faith in Jesus Christ, were in fact living sacrifices. Just as the blood of the animals sacrificed in Old Testament days, looked forward to and anticipated, Christ's atoning sacrifice at Calvary, so the martyrs shed their innocent blood, dying for their faith in that once all sufficient sacrifice for sins, to which their own deaths, pointed back in time. They had become what the Apostle Peter calls:-

"Partakers of Christ's sufferings." - (I PETER 4:13)

The first persecutions of the Christians, recorded in the Book of Acts, had generally resulted from the actions of their fanatical Jewish opponents. However under the reign of the insane Nero who blamed them for his own crime of setting ablaze the city of Rome, the Christians suffered their first persecution by the Imperial authorities. In spite of this the new faith spread rapidly throughout the Empire and a new wave of persecution began under the Emperor Domitian, who was actually responsible for having John in exile on the Isle of Patmos. After a brief respite an Imperial Edict was issued by Trajan which whilst it did not order them to be hunted down, did decree that if arrested, the Christians be given the choice of sacrificing or burning incense to the Emperor, who was regarded as a god, or of being put to death. Apart from the reign of Emperor Gallienus who actually issued an Edict of Toleration to the Christians in 261 A.D., the vast throng of martyrs under the symbolic altar continued to grow throughout the period of the Horsemen Seals. The climax of these martyrdoms came during the bloodthirsty reign of Diocletian.

Diocletian

What cruel persecution and death was experienced by these martyrs of Pagan Rome, under the Fifth Seal. Some were crucified, some flayed alive, others boiled in oil or burned at the stake. Nero had the Christians tied upside down to poles and then coated in tar, and set alight as human torches in his Imperial Gardens. Thousands perished for the public entertainment of the howling mobs who crowded arenas like the great Coliseum in Rome, to cheer as the Christians were torn limb from limb by the wild beasts. Even the little children of the believers were placed in the arena covered in sheepskins, and wolves and lions tore them apart. Such was the fate of the Souls under the Altar. Even in these British Isles, the most extreme outpost of the Roman Empire, Alban and others like him sealed their testimony with their blood.

Now let us consider:-

THE CRY OF THE MARTYR THRONG

The symbolic cry of the martyrs -

"How long 0 Lord holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth "

is more than a mere demand for revenge; it is a call for God to vindicate His own truth. Evil may triumph for a time, but good must ultimately have the victory. The greater the evil carried out, the greater the punishment to be executed by a just and holy God. Has He not assured us in the Holy Scriptures:-

"vengeance is mine, I will repay saith the Lord." - (ROMANS 12:19)

So the more the persecution of the Christians grew in severity and savagery, so the more intense became the judgements poured out upon the Roman Empire. Vengeance surely belongeth unto the Lord, and this should give us confidence in our own personal and national conflicts, trials and tribulations, to leave all such matters in His hands. Even as the Creator of the Universe judged Pharaoh's Egypt, Belshazzar's Babylon and Imperial Rome of the Caesars', so in His sovereign will and purpose, the Lord of Hosts will execute judgement not only on Atheistic Communism, but on the modern Babylon, both religious and economic, headed up in the Roman Catholic Church and the International Financial power.

TWO GROUPS OF MARTYRS

In our study of this passage it is important to note the presence of two distinct companies or groups of martyrs. Those of the Pagan Roman era who cry from beneath the altar and are told to "rest for a little season"; after which they are to be joined by another martyr throng, described as their fellow servants and brethren. Undoubtedly this second group of martyrs are those who would seal their testimony in blood under Papal Rome. The arenas of Imperial persecution were to make way for the dungeons of the Inquisition, and the flames of the Auto-de-Fe, where thousands of Protestants were to be burned alive for the Word of God, and for their testimony both for Christ and against the Roman Anti-Christ. It has been estimated that at least sixty million martyrs perished at the hands of Papal Rome. Little wonder that John the Seer of Patmos was to stand back in horrified wonder and amazement, during a subsequent vision, when he beheld the Woman in Scarlet and Purple (the Roman Catholic Church), drunken with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus. (see our books, 'The Scarlet Woman' and 'The Mark of the Beast'). Since these Dark Ages when the Papacy held sway, many more millions martyred at the hands of Marxism have joined the voices which cry for vengeance, and we often wonder how many more will join them before Christ returns to destroy evil religious and political forces and to set up His righteous Kingdom on earth. One more point must be mentioned in relation to this Fifth Seal:

LITERAL AND SYMBOLIC INTERPRETATION

In any study of the Apocalypse or Book of Revelation, we must always remember that it was written in symbols. From the outset John was told that the message would be signified to him, or given in symbolic form. We cannot therefore claim that the First Four Seals are symbolic yet the Fifth literal and that is what some would attempt to do. Those who believe in the immortality of the soul, whilst agreeing with our interpretation thus far, go on to insist that this is a literal vision of the souls of the martyrs even now in heaven. This creates a number of serious problems. In the Kingdom of God, when the martyrs receive their reward, as we shall subsequently see in our study of Chapter 7, all tears are wiped from their eyes, yet the Souls under the Altar in Chapter 5 spend their time crying to God to be avenged. What kind of heavenly bliss is this - where the martyred dead still think on their previous sufferings in this life? Are we expected to believe that these martyrs are under a literal altar in heaven above? Even the white robes are not to be taken literally, they symbolise the purity of the martyr throng.

How then do we explain the symbolism of this passage? First of all remember that these martyrs are specifically told by God to "rest for a little season''. This must surely remind us of another favourite verse from the Apocalypse which states:-

"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them." - (REVELATION 14:13)

Also we would do well to note that the symbolic language used of these martyrs under the Fifth Seal is similar to that used in the Book of Genesis when Cain slew Abel:-

"What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." - (GENESIS 4:10)

The New Testament Scriptures explain the meaning of this expression regarding Abel's blood crying from the ground in these words:

"and by it he being dead yet speaketh." - (HEBREWS 11:4)

The symbolism is clear. John saw the martyrs at rest, beneath the altar of sacrifice, whilst their blood, the memory of their cruel deaths symbolically called for vengeance even as did the blood of righteous Abel. Let us not seek to misuse the symbolism either of the Kingdom Parables or of the Apocalypse to attempt to establish the state of the dead. Hear again the words of the great Protestant Reformer and Bible Translator William Tyndale, who was part of the second company of martyrs slain by Papal Rome.

"The true faith putteth (teaches) the resurrection, which we be warned to look for every hour. The heathen philosophers, denying that, did put (teach) that the souls did ever live. And the Pope joineth the spiritual doctrine of Christ and the fleshly doctrine of the philosophers together ... therefore he corrupteth the Scripture ... and again if the souls be in heaven . . . what cause is there of a resurrection?" - (AN ANSWER TO SIR THOMAS MORE'S DIALOGUE by William Tyndale - Book 4 - Chapter 2 Pages 188, 189)

Now let us pass on the Sixth Seal.