March 11, 2022
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Revelation 6:9-10
We have seen the historical progression of the four horses and horsemen as Jesus opened the first four seals. In understanding the seals historically, however, we cannot limit the realities of the four horsemen to any one particular period. The rider on the white horse who went out “conquering and to conquer” with the preaching of the pure gospel message began in the apostolic period and will continue until Christ returns (Matthew 24:14 and Revelation 14:6). This is true also of the other horsemen. Neither persecution nor compromise nor death are contained only within certain historical periods. In fact, they are the general realities that follow the presentation of the gospel from Pentecost until the arrival in power and great glory (Matthew 24:30) of the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (see Revelation 19:11-16).
The last three seals are very different from the first four. While the horsemen of the first four seals exclusively concern God’s people, the remaining three seals describe judgements that are to fall upon those who oppress God’s people. John’s vision of the souls “under the altar” who had lost their lives rather than be unfaithful to Jesus alludes to sacrificial blood poured at the base of the altar of sacrifice in the courtyard of the earthly sanctuary (Exodus 29:12, Leviticus 4:7, 8:15). The LORD teaches that the life…is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). God’s faithful ones who are martyred are described as pouring their sacrificial blood before Him. Paul described himself near the end of his own life in his second letter to Timothy in a similar way. He surely knew that he would be martyred. Indeed, he was beheaded by the Romans.
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.” 2 Timothy 4:6
The crying out to the Lord that John included in his account of the opening of the fifth seal is written in the same literary vein as we see in this conversation between God and Cain:
Then the LORD God said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.” Genesis 4:9-10
This analogy in no way contradicts the Biblical teaching regarding the reality of death. The teaching that the dead are alive has its roots in Satan’s first lie (see Genesis 3:4). But God’s faithful ones entrust their lives to Him for safekeeping. Since the discovery of DNA, we can safely say that the Mind of our Creator holds the information blueprint that is the uniqueness of each individual person. The time that passes between death and resurrection seems only a fraction of a second, or the twinkling of an eye… (1 Corinthians 15:52)
The question, “How long, O Lord…?” is found repeatedly* in Scripture. It is asked on behalf of the living who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6) and who have loved His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8). What some may see as delay or “slackness” on the Lord’s part is actually His divine patience at work, that as many as will choose to come to Him in true repentance should be cleansed and made ready for that great Day of the Lord!
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
*Psalm 13:1-2, 35:17, 74:10, 79:5, 80:4, 82:2, 89:46, 90:13, 94:3, Isaiah 6, Jeremiah 12, 23, Daniel 8:13, 12:6, Habakkuk 1:2, 2:6