9When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. 10They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” 11Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.
Revelation 6:9-11
The breaking of the Fifth Seal leaves us with some questions to answer. Here are some questions asked by some of you and some from the commentators.
- How could John see souls under the altar?
- Why are they under the altar and what altar are they under?
- What is the meaning of martyred for the word of God and being faithful in their testimony?
- Why were they given a white robe?
- What does the white robe signify?
- Does the full number suggest there is a set number of martyrs that God is waiting for before He acts?
- Are the brothers and sisters of the martyrs the same as their fellow servants of Jesus or are they two different groups?
That’s enough questions to help us understand the significance of the Fifth Seal. Allow me to answer some of these curly questions as quickly as possible. Remember Revelation is based on what John saw in heaven, what he heard to tell us, as well as what he was told to write. John was given a vision in heaven of the breaking of the fifth seal. Normally, neither John nor anyone else could see souls, but in a vision it is possible. I have seen souls in a vision the LORD gave me. Seeing these souls does not have any significance regarding the nature of the after-life or any intermediate state. Don’t go there. Many have followed that trail and only got bogged down.
Simply put, John had a vision of souls under the altar in heaven. Remember the archetype of the tabernacle is in heaven, the one on earth is a copy. Many commentators think the martyrs are under the altar in heaven, safe and close to Christ. Think of this as figurative language while keeping the big picture in mind at all times. As I said in the previous Gem, in the fifth seal we have two groups: the martyrs or believers and “those who belong to this world”. Hold on to that thought. Each group has a question.
- 1. How long before You judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?
- 2. Who is able to survive the wrath of the One who sits on the throne and the Lamb?
The first practical question that comes to mind when faced with the above parameters is: Do you have to be martyred to get into heaven? The structure of the sentence demands an interpretation as follows:
I saw under the altar
the souls of all who had been martyred
for the word of God and
for being faithful in their testimony.
Clearly these souls are those who have been martyred for two reasons. For speaking forth the Word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. This combination triggered in my memory that John has written this three times before.
- “[John] who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Rev 1:2)
- “I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus.” (Rev 1:9)
- “I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony.” (Rev 6:9)
Each of these three instances are related as you can see from the above quotes. The reference to ‘the Word of God’ has to mean quoting, preaching or referring to the Word of God. The testimony of Jesus Christ, my (John’s) testimony about Jesus and our faithfulness to work out the testimony about Jesus, what He did and what He said, into our own lives. I think that is clear; I hope you agree with me.
Now the key question becomes: Does all this only count when you are martyred? I will let two people who responded to the last Gem answer that question, with a degree of tongue in cheek, in the case of John’s segment below.
Around 1991 I was in the north of the Philippines preaching in NPA terrorist areas. This particular night the Lord spoke saying, “Tonight they’ve come into the meeting to shoot you.”
He asked, “John, What will you do?”
I said, “Lord, I’ll preach but will you take care of my wife and family?”
That night six communist guerrillas laid down their weapons to receive Christ.
Ian, does this qualify for the first group? Even scars from speaking truth and being physically ejected for correcting error is costly.
John Mason
When we surrender our very lives to the Lord, including our death, we are “martyrs” — faithful witnesses. We don’t have to be executed for our faith!
Kevin Salisbury
I too stand with both of these two men in the willingness to lose my life for the sake of the Gospel if that is what God calls me to do. But if it doesn’t happen, I should not go out of my way to orchestrate my own demise, in a vain attempt to die by martyrdom. However, don’t think of yourself in this day and age in this moment. Consider the recipients of the Letter of John the Apostle to the seven churches of the Roman Province of Asia across the intervening centuries. John has only named one person as a martyr in this letter, Antipas of Pergamum (Rev 2:13). Spare a thought for the believers in all seven of the churches we have reflected on. Hundreds if not thousands suffered persecution, death, imprisonment, being forbidden to trade and multiple other punishments for daring to even call Jesus Christ their LORD. The simple act of commitment to Christ set them on a collision course with the Roman Empire and its emperor worship. Paganism is the curse which lay at the heart of life under the Romans. Whether or not you died as a result mattered not. To simply confess you were a Christian was a defiant act of sedition. Making a public confession of faith at your baptism took on a whole new meaning; just as it does in so many countries of the world today.
We have three more elements to investigate:
The Significance of the White Robe
Let’s see how John refers to the White Robe throughout the Letter to the Seven Churches.
- Some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. Rev 3:4
- All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life. Rev 3:5
- . . . buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness. Rev 3:18
- Twenty-four elders sat on twelve thrones. They were all clothed in white. Rev 4:4
- Then a white robe was given to each of them (the martyrs under the altar). Rev 6:9
- After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. Rev 7:9
- Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. Rev 7:13-14
- She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. Rev 19:8
- He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. Rev 19:13-14
It ought to be very clear to you now, wearing white robes does not symbolise martyrdom. The granting of a white robe to wear is wider than being a martyr. However, it leaves me wondering if the martyrs are given their white robes as a symbol of them being the first fruits due to their willingness to sacrifice their lives unto death.
The Full Number of Martyrs
Does this contain the notion that God has a predetermined number of martyrs, which when reached He will act? I don’t think so. I have already told you in the context of the Gems on John. Yes, God does knew those who are His through His foreknowledge from the beginning of Creation. God knew the number of the Redeemed from the beginning. But that doesn’t mean He is working to a predetermined total. He still leaves the opportunity for the last sinner to be saved by receiving the Lamb. We will address this symbolism when we deal with Chapter 7. The concept is due to the need to wrap up the End Time Harvest. At some point God has to say, “Enough, close the door.” Read Matthew 22:1-14 – The Parable of the Wedding Banquet.
The Brothers and Sisters vs the Fellow Servants of Christ
Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.
Revelation 6:11
Above is the verse before us with the two elements:
- their brothers and sisters
- their fellow servants of Jesus
It would be nice to be able to state clearly, this relates to martyrs and that relates to believers. Some I have read over the years have tried to distinguish between them in that way, but regretfully it is not possible to do that. The distinction between them rests on two words: [sundouloi] ‘fellow slaves’ and [adelphoi] ‘brothers (and sisters)’. A doulos is a slave or servant. In Christian terms the equivalent of a worker, a servant of the Lord. [Adelphos] is literally a brother. In order to ensure gender equality, sister is added. But strictly speaking it is not necessary because a female sibling is included in the term adelphos as well. [Sun-douloi] is literally a ‘together with-servant’ i.e. a fellow servant. The complication comes with [kai] linked with [kai] resulting in {and . . . and} or {both and}
καὶ οἱ σύνδουλοι αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτῶν
and the {fellow servants} {of them} and the siblings {of them}
Unfortunately, we can’t use this construction to give a definitive answer because [kai . . . kai] can have the meaning “and the fellow servants and the siblings, {the siblings about to be killed like those martyred}”. Or it can mean “both . . . and” with the final sense {both the fellow servants and the brothers and sisters, about to be killed like the martyrs}. So as much as we might like to distinguish these two groupings, we can’t.
You will have to take your best guess in the light of this passage. I know what I think in summary after considering of all these aspects. I will leave you the time to work out what you think before the next Gem when we will look at the Sixth Seal.
Let us all be brave enough to die the death of a martyr, but let no one lust for martyrdom.
Mahatma Gandhi
It is the cause, not the death, that makes the martyr.
Napoleon Bonaparte
When we surrender our very lives to the Lord, including our death, we are “martyrs” — faithful witnesses. We don’t have to be executed for our faith!
Kevin Salisbury
Being a martyr for a cause won’t necessarily give you a place in heaven with the martyrs unless it is Christ’s cause for which you lost your life.
Ian