5th Seal, the Martyrs

Seal 5

Revelation 6: 9-11

“9. When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11. Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.”

The people here on earth cannot observe this occurrence! We do not know nor can we know if it has occurred. However,

Did you know that during the 20^th Century, more Christians have been killed for their faith than at any other time in human history? Christians around the world are routinely persecuted. They are often discriminated against and in many countries, are brutalized. Islamic extremists routinely murder Christians who have converted from Islam to Christianity.

These events are seldom reported in the left wing news organizations, particularly in Canada where this podcast originates. While Canada and the United States stand as safe haven for Christians of all races, the press and even government officials take pains to ensure that Christians are not given freedom of speech afforded to them constitutionally, and take pains to prevent the spreading of the Gospel in schools. All the while they mollify Islamists and other minority religious groups in the name of multiculturalism, while denying Christians the same considerations.

But, why does God allow Christians to suffer and die? His ways are often not understood. Jesus was the first to suffer and die and give himself as the final and permanent sacrifice to purchase our salvation.

So what is our response? 

The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:10

¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

Do we want to participate in His sufferings and become like Him in death? 

He later says in 2nd Timothy 2:12

¹² if we endure,
   we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
   he will also disown us;

Jesus Himself said in the Book of Matthew, 5:10-12

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

   ¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

  
And then later in Matthew, in chapter 10: verses 38&39 he says:

³⁸ Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

Many Ministers have preached on taking up ones cross to follow Jesus. Less often is mentioned that Jesus did not pick up His cross until he was on His way to die. Jesus expected to be abused, spit upon, tortured and killed. The objective was to create a means to take our sins on Himself, rise from the dead and make it possible to raise us all from the dead when the Holy Father says the word.

But there is a secondary reason for Christians to die for the sake of their faith in Jesus.

This is recorded in the 5^th Seal

The book of Revelation chapter 6:  verses 9 to 11 says.

“9. When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11. Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.”

We should note that The 5^th Seal occurs without anyone on earth seeing it happen it could be happening as I speak.

This scripture in the book of Revelation says that it is part of God's plan that some of us will die for the faith. Why is this?


The reason is part of the plan for Jesus' 3rd return to earth. At that time He will set up an earthly Kingdom and reign on Earth for 1000 years. This is called "the Millenium"


The Book of Revelation 20:4-6 says,

 ⁴ I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They^[a] had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 

God has a special plan and destiny for those who loose their lives for the sake of the gospel. We call them martyrs. The Lord calls them rulers and judges over mankind. 

Although we do not see the 5^th Seal, and do not know when the last martyr will die, triggering the cataclysm which is the return of Jesus, we can know what is happening on earth that is the evidence of the 1^st through 4^th seals. 

We are safe in the knowledge that the dead in Christ will rise from the grave with new, eternal, and undefiled bodies. 

The Saved of Earth will be caught up to meet Jesus in the Clouds.