seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 6:9 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 full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.
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Here's a link to the commentary I read. I copied it here for your convenience.
I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God: That these souls were under the altar emphasizes that their life blood was poured out as an offering to God. The idea is drawn from Leviticus 4:7: And he shall pour the remaining blood at the base of the altar of the burnt offering.
Who had been slain for the word of God: It is probably best to see this as the cry of all martyrs for God’s truth, not merely believers persecuted by the coming world leader, the first horseman of Revelation 6:1-2.
And they cried with a loud voice: These souls in heaven cried out for vengeance (until You judge and avenge our blood). We usually don’t think of God’s people crying out for vengeance, but here they made their cry to God, and leave the matter with Him.
When God’s people are persecuted, He will set it right. It isn’t wrong for God’s people to ask Him to do what He promised to do. In this way the blood of Abel cried out from the ground for vengeance (Genesis 4:10), as did the blood of unavenged murders in the land of Israel (Numbers 35:33).
It was said to them that they should rest a little while longer: These saints were instructed to wait. How long must they wait? Until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. This may mean that they should wait until all God’s appointed martyrs are killed.
Or, because the words the number of are supplied by the translators, not the text, it may mean that they wait until the character of the remaining martyrs on earth is perfected and complete. It is character — the way that one lives — that makes a martyr, not the way that one dies.
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I was born in the 50's. Growing up, we had black and white TV. When someone was shot, on black and white TV, they didn't bleed. Of course, back in the 50's all the people on TV slept in separate beds. That's why there are two beds in Lucille Ball's bedroom. Mary Tylor Moore and Dick Van Dyke were married and they had a son, and they slept in separate beds.
The reason people who got shot could not bleed because it would irritate the Christian Sensibility. We were too good to see blood. It might make us angry or sad to see blood. TV was an infant. They didn't know if it would offend people to see blood. Of course, the blood would have to be a dark charcoal, so the brutal act would have to occur... not just a "bang, bang" and drop.
Sex on TV would not be a thing until years and years and years later. Then it could not be on until after the children were supposed to be in bed. We had Christian Sensibilities back then. We had "family hour" on TV, when the show was perfectly goody-two-shoes worthy, but still interesting for adults. I'm talking about Bonanza not Lawrence Welk. After 9PM all the good little boys and girls were supposed to be in bed and then the adults could kiss on TV. Oh, but they had to maintain separate beds.
When Vietnam came on the nightly news... well, our sensibilities were no longer too frail to see the killing and we had color TV. Blood ran red.
Have you ever smelled blood-stained clothes? I know a lot of us have. It actually stinks. The commentary brings up Genesis 4:10. God smelled Abel's blood. Numbers 35 is all about what the Levites were supposed to do about blood. Women had to "be cleansed" once a month back in days when God set down the laws to the Levites concerning blood, murder, and death.
When the Levites slaughtered an animal for the Sacrifice, the blood would run down the altar and pool at the base of the altar. Now that had to be a stinky place to work. It would have been like working in a slaughterhouse with no water to wash down the tables, walls, and floors at the end of the shift. Dried blood, brown with age must have gotten nasty smelling over the years they used the same altar.
After Jesus was crucified, His followers were hunted down and jailed or slaughtered. The powers that be could not allow Christianity to continue. It was bad for the Temple and it was bad for the economy. The Temple tax supported those who worked in the Temple. It took a lot of people to polish the adornments. AND those people who followed Jesus were still saying Jesus just got up and walked out of the tomb. The government, no doubt, could not allow people to think anyone could survive murder by Roman Guard. People wouldn't be afraid of them anymore.
All those people, who were murdered because of their faith, had given up their souls for their faith. Their blood would stink even more in the cleanliness of Heaven, wouldn't it? Maybe the blood of the martyrs smells sweeter but it still stinks either nasty like murder, or sweet and innocent like charity and kindness.
Does verse 11 say that all the Christians have to die before Jesus can return to earth? Is that how the Christians will avoid the "Tribulation"?
I've often said, God sculpted each and every one of us. So, when He was sculpting some humans, did He look into the future and see them giving up their lives for their faith? Is that when humans are appointed to be martyrs? Are they appointed to be martyrs or are they anointed to be martyrs?
Are there still faithful on earth when the martyrs cry out from under the altar in Heaven as in verse 10? Is Jesus waiting for all good Christians to die before He returns? How much longer can the faithful keep the Gospel clean? Are those who are listening to twisted gospels spewed by fake preachers, priests, elders and teachers going to get credit for holding on to whatever truthful Gospel they can? How will they know the truth?
How much longer does Jesus think we can survive on fake gospels twisted and spewed out to line the pocketbooks of those doing the twisting? How much longer do we think we can survive when we are killing our own in the womb, in the classroom, on the streets, as well as at war?
We've forgotten all about World War I. There are no first and survivors to remind us. We're forgetting World War II. Thank goodness for TV because it keeps the atrocities fairly fresh in our minds as a warning not to do World War III if we can avoid it. It's too bloody. There are too many martyrs. We have totally forgotten the anger of Caine and the sadness of Eve holding Abel's dead body and weeping.
How much longer? We're killing our babies as if we are getting used to intraspecies violence?
Oh boy... I'm really wordy today.... I guess I should go watch some black and white TV reruns and return to my Christian sensibilities.
The Martyrs are calling... in color...
Blood stinks....
