SEVEN SEALS (5): THE LITTLE WHILE (REVELATION 6:9-11)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Revelation
a) John wrote Revelation while a prisoner on the Island of Patmos, approximately 85-95 A.D. Its purpose is to give encouragement and hope for all Christians to continue watching for the return and triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ. It also is to warn of the Final Judgment that nonbelievers will endure on that Last Day.
b) John wrote that Revelation is special because,“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3).
c) A brief view of the Book of Revelation. It gives you some basic understanding of the book of Revelation.
2. The Fifth Seal (Martyrs)
Revelation 6:9-11
9 When the Lamb 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; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.
3. Souls Under The Altar (Revelation 6:9-11)
a) The altar
i) When the 5th seal is broken, John looks "underneath the altar" (Revelation 6:9) This is the first time the altar is mentioned by John, but we would have expected it because Jesus, in his letter to Philadelphia mentions "the temple of my God" (Revelation 3:12). The heavenly altar represents the sacrifice of Christ. Significantly, underneath the altar, that is to say covered by it, are the souls of those who themselves had made the supreme sacrifice, having been "slain" because they preached the gospel (Revelation 6:9).
ii) There are two most important principles of the gospel symbolized here.
@1. The follower of Christ must preach and hold to the gospel even if that means facing death. Every Christian must be a willing martyr if called upon to be.
@2. However even this supreme sacrifice, being slain for Christ, does not atone for sin. No good work does, except that which Christ did. Even a martyr for Christ needs to be covered by the blood of Christ. The souls underneath the altar symbolize the grace of God in giving up his only begotten Son to become "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
b) White robes
i) The point just made is also symbolized by the souls being "each given a white robe" (Revelation 6:11, 3:4-5, 7:9). A salient fact about these robes is that the wearers have "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9,13-14). Without Jesus, our robes (our righteousness) would be "like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). They would be stained scarlet and crimson with sin. However the blood of Jesus has wondrously washed them as white as wool or snow (Isaiah 1:18). How thankful we must be that we are given white robes, that we are forgiven by the grace of God.
4. Time Until The End
a) How long?
i) The question the souls beneath the altar asked is, "How long, O Lord...?" (Revelation 6:10). The answer is given in the next verse. It will be "a little while longer" (Revelation 6:11). These souls are not on earth, so they are not subject to time. Rather they are now in timelessness where "one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day" (2 Peter 3:8-9). However, when you think about it, even souls on earth do not experience the millennia of the entire gospel age —so far about 2000 years. We all experience only "a little while" on earth, namely our own short life span (James 4:14). We discussed this in detail in our previous lesson.
b) Judging and avenging
i) The underneath the altar were expecting God to judge and avenge those who had opposed and killed his people (Revelation 6:10). Were they wrong? Does a God of love get angry and kill his enemies? The answer is yes, after he has been long-suffering and patient for a time, the day will come when his wrath will be poured out and men will know the vengeance of God (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). In fact, the wrath and revenge of God is what the next vision is all about.
The End ...
Revelation 6:9-11
9 When the Lamb 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; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.
3. Souls Under The Altar (Revelation 6:9-11)a) The altar
i) When the 5th seal is broken, John looks "underneath the altar" (Revelation 6:9) This is the first time the altar is mentioned by John, but we would have expected it because Jesus, in his letter to Philadelphia mentions "the temple of my God" (Revelation 3:12). The heavenly altar represents the sacrifice of Christ. Significantly, underneath the altar, that is to say covered by it, are the souls of those who themselves had made the supreme sacrifice, having been "slain" because they preached the gospel (Revelation 6:9).
ii) There are two most important principles of the gospel symbolized here.
@1. The follower of Christ must preach and hold to the gospel even if that means facing death. Every Christian must be a willing martyr if called upon to be.
@2. However even this supreme sacrifice, being slain for Christ, does not atone for sin. No good work does, except that which Christ did. Even a martyr for Christ needs to be covered by the blood of Christ. The souls underneath the altar symbolize the grace of God in giving up his only begotten Son to become "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
b) White robes i) The point just made is also symbolized by the souls being "each given a white robe" (Revelation 6:11, 3:4-5, 7:9). A salient fact about these robes is that the wearers have "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9,13-14). Without Jesus, our robes (our righteousness) would be "like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). They would be stained scarlet and crimson with sin. However the blood of Jesus has wondrously washed them as white as wool or snow (Isaiah 1:18). How thankful we must be that we are given white robes, that we are forgiven by the grace of God.
4. Time Until The End
a) How long?
i) The question the souls beneath the altar asked is, "How long, O Lord...?" (Revelation 6:10). The answer is given in the next verse. It will be "a little while longer" (Revelation 6:11). These souls are not on earth, so they are not subject to time. Rather they are now in timelessness where "one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day" (2 Peter 3:8-9). However, when you think about it, even souls on earth do not experience the millennia of the entire gospel age —so far about 2000 years. We all experience only "a little while" on earth, namely our own short life span (James 4:14). We discussed this in detail in our previous lesson.
b) Judging and avenging
i) The underneath the altar were expecting God to judge and avenge those who had opposed and killed his people (Revelation 6:10). Were they wrong? Does a God of love get angry and kill his enemies? The answer is yes, after he has been long-suffering and patient for a time, the day will come when his wrath will be poured out and men will know the vengeance of God (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). In fact, the wrath and revenge of God is what the next vision is all about.
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