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Revelation 6:9
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9 And [kai] when [hote] he had opened [anoigo] the fifth [pemptos] seal, [sphragis] I saw [eido] under [hupokato] the altar [thusiasterion] the souls [psuche] of them that were slain [sphazo] for [dia] the word [logos] of God, [theos] and [kai] for [dia] the testimony [marturia] which [hos] they held: [echo] KJV-Interlinear
9 And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; NASB
And the fifth seal reveals many saints, many believers who will die as a result of the terrible violence in the Tribulation. And though the Tribulation starts out with only unbelievers, through the course of time and the many trials that will occur, many will remember Christ and believe in Him and be saved. Many will take up the evangelism role, and bring others to Christ.
And, there will even be some who will survive the entire period of the Tribulation, grow up to spiritual maturity, and after being rescued by Christ at the Second Advent, receive the blessing of being the ones who will repopulate the world in the Millennium.
But, most of the believers will die, and all unbelievers will die during the Tribulation.
In the beginning of human history, God made man in His image. Man in return, made gods in the images of their choice, rejecting God, Christ, and doctrine. And it is that rejection that will eventually lead human history to these final seven years of brutal devastation.
Note one thing here. These verses continue from verse to verse, without so much as a pause to reflect on what is happening.
The Old Testament had many disasters and judgments recorded, and went into great detail over the tears and sorrow and repentance. Even the first few chapters of this book, addressing the seven churches, had pauses for addressing flaws and warning of penalties and promising blessings. That was and is for our dispensation.
But here, the arrogance of humanity is so great, that from the time of the Rapture, events will occur in rapid succession, with no time for pause or consideration. And though these past few verses give highlights of the events that will cover the entire period of the Tribulation, there will be so much history crammed into such a short timeframe, that there simply will not be enough time to think, so to speak.
The scriptures teach that God is a loving and patient God, but they also teach that God judges with a vengeance, those who reject truth and pursue evil. And in this final segment of history, man is so evil, that only extreme violence will shake the arrogance out of those who will finally believe in Christ.
God placed every human being on this earth, for a reason. And that reason is because you are a value individual, to Him. It is your thoughts and actions that cancel out that value, and make you worthless, when you reject or disregard doctrine. You have only yourself to blame.
Those killed, ‘sphazo,’ means those slaughtered, or martyred, during this immediate timeframe of history. These do not refer to all of human history, but only to the immediate phase (the Tribulation), since the hero (anti-christ) arrived onto the scene.
The word for souls is plural, implying huge numbers, and growing numbers at that. Their total number is not complete and will not be complete until the end of the Tribulation. Martyrdom will continue throughout the entire seven year period. And God has an exact count on every single person and their life and death, and destiny.
And, note one more thing. This description of being killed, indicates extreme violence, slaughter, torture, horrible, horrible deaths that will be the experience of those who go out in this manner.
This description is intended to frighten people into faith, so that they will not be a part of this history. Remember, that believers in our dispensation have the promise that they will be spared these horrors, and will not be a part of these events.
For the ‘testimony,’ indicates their faith, and therefore status as believers in Christ. Some will be brave when they meet their death, probably most will be terrified when these things occur.
Though they will die at the hand of a violent world, they will go to be with the Lord, and will be safely and securely protected by Christ, as the alter symbolizes.
The alter symbolizes the work of Christ on the Cross, and therefore they are saved people through their belief in Him. Their testimony is their faith for salvation.
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