Segment VII
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From time to time in
Revelation, Jesus uses figurative
language, and Rule Three of
apocalyptic prophecy addresses the
use of figurative language saying. “Apocalyptic
language can be literal, symbolic or
analogous. To reach the intended
meaning of apocalyptic prophecy, the
student must consider: (a) the
context, (b) the use of parallel
language elsewhere in the Bible, and
(c) relevant statements in the Bible
which define the symbol if an element
is thought to be symbolic.”
Since Rule Three says we have to
consider the use of parallel
language, please consider the
following text: “Now Cain
said to his brother Abel,
‘Let’s go out to the
field.’ And while they were in
the field, Cain attacked his brother
Abel and killed him. Then the Lord
said to Cain, ‘Where is your
brother Abel?’ ‘I do not
know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my
brother’s keeper?’ The Lord
said, ‘What have you done?
Listen! Your brother’s blood
cries out to me from the
ground.’” (Genesis
4:8-10) Of course, the blood of Abel
was not talking to God, but the
presence of Abel’s innocent
blood spoke volumes to God! God saw
the blood on the ground and its
presence cried out to God for
justice. Therefore, the Lord punished
Cain for the murder of his brother.
(Genesis 4:11-16) This is the point
of the fifth seal. First, the souls
are under the alter. This means they
were used as sacrifices for the cause
of Christ. Second, the innocent blood
of these martyrs cried out in a loud
voice for relief and revenge saying, “’How
long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true,
until you judge the inhabitants of
the Earth and avenge our blood?’
[Then, the martyrs 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.” (Revelation
6: 10,11) Jesus assures the martyrs
that He is following a plan –
the Plan of Salvation. He is deeply
aware of each martyr’s
situation, and He is counting the
number of martyrs because there are a
predetermined number of saints He
will sacrifice before ending
martyrdom. Jesus sacrifices a
specific, large number of saints to
demonstrate the great gulf between
faith and presumption. The problem is
that presumption looks like an
identical twin to faith. At three
feet, you cannot tell them apart, but
the distinction becomes clear when
life itself is threatened. Remember,
salvation comes through faith, not
through presumption.
The Setting
To better appreciate
the campaign of the fifth seal,
consider the setting on Earth when
martyrdom begins. Jesus will release
the devil from the abyss (spirit
world) during the fifth trumpet.
After the majority of people
on Earth have heard the gospel (the
terms and conditions of salvation),
but refuse to love the truth and be
saved, the devil will be released.
The devil will be released out of the
spirit world, and he will physically
appear on Earth because the world
rejected Christ’s authority. “…
They perish because they refused to
love the truth and so be saved. For
this reason God sends them a powerful
delusion so that they will believe
the lie and so that all will be
condemned who have not believed the
truth but have delighted in
wickedness.” (2
Thessalonians 2:10-12) If people
refuse to worship Jesus or submit to
His authority after the clearest
evidences of His will has been
presented, and when the urging of the
Holy Spirit has been silenced by
deliberate rebellion against
God’s Word, Jesus can do little
to save people. Therefore, Jesus
releases the Antichrist –
Lucifer, “the destroyer”
from the abyss. (Revelation 9:1) The
physically presence of the devil
changes everything for the wicked.
Human beings will now choose to obey
Jesus or they will be forced to obey
Lucifer. No other options exist.
Jesus allows the devil to physically
appear on Earth to force undecided
people into a decision. When the
devil commands worship, the conflict
between Christ and the Antichrist
will narrow down to the same question
that Elijah asked Israel on Mt.
Carmel: “… How long will
you waiver between two
opinions?” (1 Kings 18:21)
During the fifth
trumpet, the devil and his angels
will torment the wicked people, but
they cannot kill a single person. “They
were not given power to kill them,
but only to torture them for five
months. And the agony they suffered
was like that of the sting of a
scorpion when it strikes a man.
During those days men will seek
death, but will not find it; they
will long to die, but death will
elude them.” (Revelation
9:5,6) For five months, the devil
will intimidate and torture the
wicked that refuse to submit to his
sovereign authority, but he is not
allowed to kill anyone. So, when the
sixth trumpet sounds in Heaven’s
court, most of the people on Earth
will have made their decision as to
whom they will worship, but few
people will remain on the fence.
After the five months
of torment are over, the fifth seal
is broken and the martyrdom of the
saints begins. When the sixth trumpet
sounds, four powerful demons will be
released on the earth. The
devil’s angels will begin a
search and destroy mission, killing
people who oppose Lucifer’s
claims. They will kill the
non-religious wicked and the
righteous alike because booth groups
of people have refused to worship the
devil who is masquerading as Almighty
God. (Remember the discussion about
the three classes of people –
the non-religious wicked, the
religious wicked and the righteous in
our study on Daniel 10-12.) “And
the four angels who were kept ready
for this very hour and day and month
and year were released to kill a
third of mankind. The number of the
mounted troops was two hundred
million. I heard their number. (Revelation
9:15,16) Because the Great
Tribulation affects every family,
this horrible slaughter will have
destructive and redemptive value at
the same time. When loved one,
separated by differences of opinion
during the Great Tribulation, see the
murderous slaughter of friends and
family members who have lived godly
lives, some will repent of their
rebellion at the last minute and take
their stand for Christ. The blood of
martyrs will purchase many precious
converts for Christ. This is why
Jesus sacrifices one-third of His
saints. He is willing to sacrifice
millions of saints to save one soul.
Jesus Himself was a sacrifice for us
and He will use His faithful
followers as sacrifices to save as
many people as possible!
There are several
profound points here. First, Jesus
has predetermined the number of
martyrs that will die. He knows when
the last person will make his
decision. Once the last decision is
made, the martyrdom stops and the
seventh trumpet sound. “At
that time Michael, the great prince
who protects your people, will arise
[from His throne of intercession].
There will be a time of distress
[wrath, as in seven bowls] such as
has not happened from the beginning
of nations until then. But at that
time your people – everyone
whose name is found written in the
Book [of Life] – will be
delivered [from martyrdom]. .”
(Daniel 12:1, insertion mine)
Jesus will declare: “Let him
who does wrong continue to do wrong;
let him who is vile continue to be
vile; let him who does right continue
to do right; and let him who is holy
continue to be holy.” (Revelation
22:11)
The second point is
even more profound. It is hard to
comprehend the martyrdom of millions
of saints for the benefit of a few
people who will choose salvation at
the last minute. In other words, if
the sacrifice of 500,000,000 saints
produces just a few converts to
Christ during the last moments of
grace, then the sacrifice is worth it
to Jesus. This shows the value He
places on each human being. When
God’s children begin to
understand that 500,000,000 martyrs
are worth as few as ten converts to
Jesus, then we faintly begin to
realize what the Father gave the
world when He gave us Jesus. The
sacrifice of Jesus is of greater
value than the sum total of the human
race! But, “God so loved the
world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal
life. For God did not send his Son
into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through
Him.” (John 3:16,17)
The third profound
point concerns the
destructive/redemptive outcome of the
sixth trumpet. By killing one-third
of the human race, the devil gains
what he has wanted from the day that
Adam and Eve sinned, namely, dominion
over mankind. Jesus allows the devil
to kill the non-religious opposition
as well as many saints. The end
result is that Earth will be divided
into two distinct camps of people:
people worshiping the Lamb and people
worshiping the lamb-like beast. Even
though it appears on Earth that
“Almighty God” (Lucifer) is
in control, Jesus controls and limits
Lucifer’s operations because
Jesus is King of kings and Lord of
lords. Jesus is in control of this
drama and He has a few more lessons
to demonstrate before bringing the
drama to a close. The sacrifice of
martyrs ends a 6,000-year-old offer.
When the last human being makes his
choice, like the door on Noah’s
ark, the offer of salvation from the
penalty of sin closes.
Revenge
The martyrs cried out
in a loud voice, ‘How long,
Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until
you judge the inhabitants of the
Earth and avenge our blood?’ The
martyrdom of the saints will occur
over a period of about seven months.
(This timing will be discussed in the
study about the Seven Trumpets.)
During this seven month time period,
the devil will set up his one world
church called the image and the
harlot), and he will require everyone
to convert to this new religion or be
killed. “He was given power
to give breath to the image of the
first beast, so that it could speak
and cause all who refused to worship
the image to be killed. He also
forced everyone, small and great,
rich and poor, free and slave, to
receive a mark on his right hand or
on his forehead, so that no one could
buy or sell unless he had the mark,
which is the name of the beast or the
number of his name.” (Revelation
13:15-17)
We will discuss the
image and the mark of the beast at
length in our study on Revelation 13.
For now, consider the point that a
third of the saints will perish when
the fifth seal is broken because they
will refuse to worship the image or
receive the mark of the beast. The
blood of these martyrs will cry out
for justice after the seventh trumpet
sounds. “The nations were
angry; and your wrath [the seven
bowls] has come. The time has come
for judging [avenging] the
dead [martyrs], and for
rewarding your servants the prophets
and your saints and those who
reverence your name, both small and
great – and for destroying those
who destroy the Earth.” (Revelation
11:18, insertions mine) Notice how
Jesus brings the wicked murderers to
justice! He gives the bloodthirsty
murderers blood to drink and the
angels of Heaven declare the Lord
righteous for extracting this
horrible revenge! “The third
angel poured out his bowl on the
rivers and springs of water, and they
became blood. Then I heard the angel
in charge of the waters say:
‘You are just in these
judgments, you who are and who were,
the Holy One, because you have so
judged; for they have shed the blood
of your saints and
prophets, and you have given them
blood to drink as they deserve.’
And I heard the altar respond:
‘Yes, Lord God almighty, true
and just are your
judgments.’” (Revelation
16:4-7)
The White Robe
“Then each of
them [the martyrs] was given a
white robe, and they were told to
wait a little longer…”
Believe it or not, and enormous
amount of encouragement is in this
passage. Let us consider the point in
time when this occurs. When the fifth
seal is broken, the saints have
endured more than a thousand days of
great tribulation. They will be
weary, deathly ill, imprisoned for
their loyalty and faith, or suffering
from injuries resulting from torture
and persecution. As the saints see
the misery of the world and the ugly
conflict between good and evil, many
of them would rather die than to go
forward for another year. Because
Jesus said, “My grace is
sufficient for you, “ the saints
do not fear death. “Even
though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will fear no
evil, for you are with me; your rod
and your staff, they comfort
me.” (Psalm 23:4) At that
time, many of the saints, like Job,
be living on God’s grace and
hanging on to life by the hour. The
devil’s four angels will be
allowed to murder those saints who
Jesus has determined should be
released from their body of
suffering. “If anyone is to
be killed with the sword, with the
sword he will be killed.”
The devil’s forces will appear
to have achieved a great victory, but
in reality, the death of the saints
is God’s will! Jesus will
accomplish two things through their
sacrificial death. First, as stated
already, the martyrdom of these
saints will impress a few of the
undecided to take their stand for
Christ. Second, Jesus allows these
faithful warriors to rest from their
labors. The martyrs are assured of
two things. First they can say, “I
have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race, I have kept the
faith. Now there is in store for me
the crown of righteousness, which the
Lord, the righteous Judge, will award
me on that day – and not only to
me, but also to all who have longed
for his appearing.” (2
Timothy 4:7,8) Second, they will be
comforted knowing that they have been
sealed with the seal of God, and they
will eagerly await to receive the
promised white robe. The martyrs will
calmly go to their death standing
firm on the Word of God and holding
tightly to their faith in Jesus. They
truly rest in peace awaiting the
glorious resurrection that “lies
just ahead.” “Then I
heard a voice from Heaven say,
‘Write: Blessed are the dead who
die in the Lord from now on.’
‘Yes,’ says the Spirit,
‘they will rest from their
labor, for their deeds will follow
them.’” (Revelation
14:13)
Summary
Our examination of the
fifth seal ends with the profound
affirmation of a truth. Faith in
Jesus means a complete surrender to
go, to be, and to do all that Jesus
asks at any cost. Following
Jesus and living by faith is so
contrary tour fallen nature. It is
humanly impossible to love our
enemies, but Jesus died for us while
we were His enemies. (Romans 5:10) It
is so hard to stand alone for what is
write, but Jesus stood alone in
Pilate’s judgment hall for us.
(Matthew 27) It is so hard to be
completely honest and true, but Jesus
came from Heaven and withstood
endless scorn to demonstrate the
truth about God the Father. (John 17)
It is so hard to be submissive to the
leading of the Holy Spirit, but Jesus
was tempted in all points as we are
without sinning. (Hebrews 4:15) It is
so hard to be different when the
pressure to “go along” with
the crowd is so great. (Matthew 7:13)
Following Jesus and living by faith
are the most difficult experiences
known to the human race. Why do you
think ancient Israel failed? Why
did the Catholic Church fail? Why has
Protestantism failed? When the
majority of people in any religious
organization displaces faith with
presumption, that religious system
falls from grace and it becomes a
prison of darkness. (Matthew 23:27)
The gospel of Jesus is
not an intellectual assent to truth.
The gospel of Jesus is a declaration
of our true position and condition
before God. The gospel of Jesus is an
explanation of the terms and
conditions for salvation. The gospel
is a clarion call to overcome sin
through the power of Christ. Paul
wrote, “I am not ashamed of
the gospel, because it is the power
of God for the salvation of everyone
who believes: first for the Jew, then
for the Gentile. For in the gospel a
righteousness from God is revealed, a
righteousness that is by faith from
first to last, just as it is written:
‘The righteous will live by
faith.’” (Romans
1:16-17) The gospel of Jesus
proclaims there is abundant grace to
do the impossible if we are willing
to submit to it! (2 Corinthians 12:9)
In fact, there is strength enough, if
and when the time comes, to go to our
death for Christ if that is
God’s will. (Revelation 13:10)
Jesus has given us a perfect example
of loving our enemies and living by
faith.
By zooming forward in
time to the fifth seal, we have been
able to examine the difference
between faith and presumption. The
drama of martyrdom completes the
story. The end result is that we are
in an excellent position right now
to understand the first seal. Now, we
can see where faith in Jesus will
take us. The fifth seal allows us to
see “around the bend.” We
can see why Jesus needs people who
will put complete faith in Him so
that He can use our life and death,
as necessary, to accomplish the
salvation of those around us! The
fifth seal declares the meaning of
biblical faith. The fifth seal
unmasks the deception of presumption.
People who live by faith are
partakers of divine power! “For
everyone born of God overcomes the
world. This is the victory that has
overcome the world, even our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world?
Only he who believes that Jesus is
the Son of God.” (1 John
5:4,5)
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