Bird's-eye view
With the opening of the fifth seal, the scene in Heaven shifts dramatically. The first four seals unleashed the four horsemen, depicting the providential and impersonal means of God's judgment upon the earth, specifically upon apostate Israel. Now, with the fifth seal, the curtain is pulled back to reveal the personal, moral, and covenantal heart of the matter. We are shown the souls of the martyrs, God's faithful witnesses, in a place of honor and proximity to God, represented by the altar. Their cry is not one of personal vindictiveness but a formal, legal plea for God to act upon His covenant promises. They ask the ultimate question of the persecuted saints throughout history: "How long?" God's answer is one of both comfort and sovereign delay. They are vindicated, robed in white, and told to rest. But the final judgment must wait until the full number of those appointed to martyrdom is complete. This passage is a profound encouragement to the suffering church, assuring them that their faithfulness is seen, their blood is precious to God, and that divine justice, though it may seem slow, is absolutely certain and will arrive on God's perfect timetable.
This scene provides the theological justification for the cataclysmic judgments that are to follow in the subsequent seals, trumpets, and bowls. God's wrath is not arbitrary; it is a direct response to the shedding of righteous blood. The prayers of the saints, particularly the imprecatory prayers of the martyrs, are a key instrument in bringing about the kingdom of God and the judgment of His enemies. The entire scene is drenched in the sacrificial imagery of the Old Testament, reminding us that the death of a believer is, in union with Christ, a sacrifice offered to God.
Outline
- 1. The Cry of the Martyrs (Rev 6:9-11)
- a. The Position of the Slain (Rev 6:9)
- b. The Petition of the Slain (Rev 6:10)
- c. The Patience of the Slain (Rev 6:11)
Context In Revelation
The fifth seal follows the famous "four horsemen of the Apocalypse." Those horsemen represent the means by which God brings covenant lawsuits against a rebellious people: false religion, war, famine, and death. These are the preliminary judgments. The fifth seal moves from the earthly agents of judgment to the heavenly reason for it. It answers the question, "Why is all this happening?" The answer is that God is responding to the blood of His faithful servants. This passage serves as a hinge. It looks back at the persecution that has already occurred and looks forward to the final, decisive judgment that is about to be poured out upon Jerusalem, "the great city," which had a long and bloody history of killing God's messengers (Luke 13:33). The cry of these martyrs is the catalyst for the de-creation events of the sixth seal and the terrible woes that follow. It establishes that the central conflict of this age is between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, and that God is the righteous judge who will vindicate His people.
Key Issues
- The Location of the Souls "Under the Altar"
- The Nature of Imprecatory Prayer
- The Identity of "Those Who Dwell on the Earth"
- The Sovereignty of God in Martyrdom
- The Timing of God's Vengeance
- The Meaning of the White Robes
The Sacrificial Saints
When John sees the souls of the martyrs "underneath the altar," he is being shown a profound theological reality through Old Testament sacrificial imagery. In the Levitical system, the blood of the sacrifice, which represents the life or soul (nephesh) of the animal, was poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offering (Lev. 4:7). So, to see the souls of the martyrs under the heavenly altar is to see them as sacrifices offered up to God. Their death was not a tragic accident; it was the presentation of their lives to God in ultimate faithfulness.
This does not in any way compete with the once-for-all, sufficient sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rather, it flows from it. Because we are united to Christ, our sufferings and even our deaths are caught up into His. As Paul says, we can "fill up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions" (Col. 1:24). This does not mean Christ's atonement was insufficient. It means that the afflictions appointed for His corporate body, the Church, must be completed. These martyrs, having poured out their lives, are now in the most honored position, at the very center of heavenly worship, their sacrifice mingling with the eternal sacrifice of the Lamb.
Verse by Verse Commentary
9 And when He opened 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 witness which they had maintained;
The Lamb opens the fifth seal, and John sees a sight that explains the judgments of the previous four. He sees the souls of the martyrs. Their location is significant: underneath the altar. As we noted, this is sacrificial language. Their lifeblood was poured out at the base of God's altar. They are not disembodied spirits floating in some ethereal netherworld; they are present with the Lord in a place of high honor. And the reason for their death is stated plainly. It was not for political rebellion or social disruption. They were slain for two reasons that are really one: the word of God, the objective truth they believed, and the witness which they had maintained, their faithful testimony to that truth. They believed the gospel and they refused to shut up about it. In a world that hates God, this is a capital offense.
10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Master, holy and true? Will You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
From their place of honor, these souls cry out. This is not the whimper of victims but the loud, formal appeal of vindicated saints before a righteous judge. They address God as Master (Despotes in Greek), acknowledging His absolute sovereignty and right to rule. They appeal to His character: He is holy and true. Because He is holy, He cannot abide sin and injustice. Because He is true, He must keep His covenant promises to vindicate His people. Their cry, "How long?" is the ancient cry of God's suffering people (Ps. 79:5; Hab. 1:2). This is a righteous, biblically-sanctioned imprecatory prayer. They are not seeking personal revenge; they are asking God to act for the glory of His own name, to judge and avenge their blood. The target of this judgment is specified as those who dwell on the earth. In the context of Revelation, this phrase often refers more specifically to "the land," meaning the apostate, covenant-breaking leadership of first-century Israel, which had become utterly worldly and hostile to God's true servants.
11 And a white robe was given to each of them; and it was told to them that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow slaves and their brothers who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.
The response from the throne is threefold. First, they are given a tangible sign of their vindication: a white robe. White in Revelation is the color of purity, righteousness, and victory. They are declared righteous in God's sight, their testimony is accepted, and their victory is assured. Second, they are told to rest for a little while longer. Their cry has been heard, but the time for the final answer is not yet. There is a divinely appointed delay. This is a call to trust God's timing. Third, the reason for the delay is given. The full number of martyrs has not yet been reached. God, in His exhaustive sovereignty, has a precise number of fellow slaves and brothers who must also seal their testimony with their blood. This is a staggering thought. Martyrdom is not a random tragedy; it is a divine appointment. God is gathering His full harvest of faithful witnesses. Once that number is complete, the judgment they have prayed for will fall. And in the context of John's original audience, that "little while" was the short period of time remaining before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
Application
This passage is a stiff shot of bourbon for the fainthearted. It is a potent reminder that the Christian life is warfare, and in war, there are casualties. We are called to be faithful unto death, and some are called to a faithfulness that leads directly to death. We live in a culture that is increasingly hostile to the exclusive claims of the Word of God and the faithful witness of His people. While we may not face the sword or the stake, we will face opposition. This passage tells us how to think about it.
First, we must see any suffering for the gospel not as a defeat, but as a sacrifice. When we are maligned, slandered, or persecuted for our faith, we are participating in the sufferings of Christ. Our lives are being poured out at the base of the altar, and the aroma is pleasing to God. Second, we are not forbidden from crying out to God for justice. It is right and good to pray for God to vindicate His name and bring down His enemies. We do not take vengeance into our own hands, but we do commend our cause to the one who judges justly. We pray, "Thy kingdom come," which necessarily means, "Thy enemies be scattered." Third, we must learn to rest in God's sovereign timing. We see injustice and cry, "How long?" Heaven answers, "A little while longer." God has His purposes, His plans, and His perfect calendar. He is not slow, but patient. Our job is to be faithful in our generation, to maintain our witness, and to trust that the Judge of all the earth will do right. And He will, at just the right time.