Martyrs of Revelation 6:9-11

Martyrs of Revelation 6:9-11

Rev. 6:9-11 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: (v.10) And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? (v.11) And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto 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.

As with several other prophecy or vision passages it is not unusual for them to have both present and future application. In this passage it is most likely the case here as well.

In verse nine John is given a vision of heaven in which he sees into the area of the altar. It is generally accepted that this would be the brazen altar of sacrifice in the outer court. Being slain for the Word of God is more characteristic of the Old Testament Jew. Suffering for the faith in the New Testament is more commonly referred to as suffering for Christ. Those seen under the altar are likely to have been seen by John as being under the blood since it was the practice in Old Testament sacrifices to pour out the blood under or around the altar. These saints then, are most likely Old Testament believers, those who were cleansed by the blood and then martyred for their faith. They were most likely gathered under the altar as a means of finding some peace in the midst of such great danger and violence. The altar is where we are brought into a right relationship with God and hence it is a place of serenity, a place of boundless comfort.

In verse ten they cry out with a loud voice. They are not at rest, they have are longing for the judgment of God to fall. I am not of the opinion that they sought vengeance for any wrong done to them individually. I doubt seriously that such behavior would have been recorded for us. Would God record the cries of sinful men as encouragement or divinely inspired comfort for us? I sincerely doubt it since Paul said in Romans 12:19 “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” But when vengeance is in its proper place it is not sinful. These souls were crying out for God to meet judgment on those who cried out against the salvation of God, for those who sought to silence his messengers. Whoever they wanted to have brought to justice was still at large on the earth.

These martyrs were in heaven but they were without their white robes, Hebrews 11:39-40 “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: (v.40) God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” Every New Testament believer stands cleansed by the blood dressed in the righteousness of Christ. They received their white robes after arriving in heaven (v. 10). Whereas we have ours immediately upon salvation. (Revelation 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. See also Rev. 3:5, 18).

John sees the Old Testament believers slain for their faith in God and His Word under the altar and covered by the blood. He hears their cries for justice. He hears as they express their brokenness over the violence the world committed against those who dared to declare God’s judgment against sin. John sees that they too would be clothed in the righteousness of Christ upon their arrival in heaven. That is what John saw in the present fulfillment of this vision.

What he sees in the future fulfillment is essentially the same except that it will occur in the tribulation period. In the tribulation the Holy Spirit is removed from the world and the believer is saved essentially the same as his Old Testament counterpart, without the indwelling Spirit. And so, they will be martyred also. They will cry out for justice and seek the shelter and comfort of the altar of God. They will “rest yet for a little season” (about 7 years) before finally seeing their cries answered.

In both cases judgment will come. The Old Testament martyr will only wait for the New Testament martyrs before God finally passes His judgment. It is only a short time, seven years of tribulation, before God brings the ungodly before Him and vengeance will finally be met, righteous vengeance, and divine vengeance. We are seeing all of the violence, hatred of holiness, and disdain for all things Christian right now in our day. In the tribulation period martyrdom will become commonplace and the saints will cry out to God with the Old Testament martyrs for justice.

The martyred saints of old gather with the saints martyred in the tribulation will cry out. And both will be clothed in the same righteousness we have today, the righteousness of Jesus Christ. If you have been saved you will already wear the white robe of the righteousness of Jesus Christ as your very own. You will already be banqueting at the marriage supper of the Lamb, Revelation 19:9 “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”