THE FIFTH SEAL continued.

Revelation Chapter 6

The entire section of Revelation 6:9-11 requires some deductive reasoning. On the surface these verses might well seem to imply that those under the altar must rest UNTIL the completion of the suffering of all the members of the Church.

But this conclusion is absurd to all who have studied prophecy and who realize that the beginnings of judgement and pay-back to Babylon DO NOT AWAIT the completion of the Church.

But how can we explain away what seems such a plain statement as these verses present?

1) The question asked by these faithful saints is clearly a rhetorical question for the sake of prophecy. When they are asleep, they ask no questions. But the content of the question is important: When will the Lord judge and avenge their lives on “those who dwell on the earth?”

2) If, as according to the context, they must rest (either in the grave, or, later, in a glorified state) until all the Church has completed its sufferings, then, we must conclude that the judgment of Babylon has not yet begun – an untenable position when considering the bulk of prophetic testimony.

3) Three texts ANSWER the question which these “souls” have asked:

1. Rev 19:11-15 shows Jesus JUDGING and MAKING WAR on Babylon; his saints (armies on both sides [of the Vail], and robed in white) are doing this WITH HIM. This prophecy dates from the 1870’s.

2. Rev. 14:13 (which also dates from the 1870’s as shown by backing up to verse 8) shows that those who die are WORKING, not resting in the grave; and those who preceded them in death have, on the authority of 1 Thess 4:15, also preceded them in being raised.

3. Rev 3:10 shows that the trial of “those who dwell on the earth” occurs DURING, not after the Laodicean period of the Church.

4) Because of this, Rev 6:9-11 cannot possibly mean what is says on the surface.

5) What Rev 6:9-11 DOES mean can be deduced from a few reasoning’s:

Note that two things were “said to them”. Again, nothing can be said to (literal) dead “souls”. But before their death they were aware that there were SEVEN stages of the Church, seven Seals, and seven Trumpets. Thus, they KNEW that they must “rest awhile” before the answer to their question would come upon “those who dwell upon the earth.: Thus, they KNEW that there was a FULFILLMENT time for the completion of the Church – NOT a date, but a TIME (period) when the Church would be being completed.

Thus, this verse is saying TWO things to them:

A) I will avenge you when the fulfillment time for the completion of your body (your brethren) has come, i.e., in Laodicea; and, just as Paul told you (in 1 Thess 4-15), you must rest in the grave until the time comes for those who sleep to precede those who are alive and remain. You may not now be able to calculate it, but it is a little season, i.e., 360 years. Since the date A.D. 1878 (the date of the First Resurrection) is not yet known to you, it will help others later on to know that the date A.D. 1878 minus 360 is A.D. 1518 and that, therefore…

B) you who are asking are pictured at the very close of the FIFTH SEAL, just before the sixth Church begins in A.D.1521. Therefore, all you who have been faithful up through the Fifth Church, rest until I awaken you while I am in the process of judging your detractors. You will participate in this as will all yet left in the flesh and all who, one by one, join you in glory.

UNTIL YOU JUDGE AND AVENGE OUR BLOOD ON THOSE WHO DWELL ON THE EARTH:

Hebrews 12:24 again makes reference to Abel

“…to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel”. (Compare Heb 11:4).

Avenging the blood is promised and is important; but the greater importance is the “blood of sprinkling” — the work of the sin offering. Jesus finds it more important to complete the sin offering than to punish Jezebel. So, the bloods of Abel and of those under the altar must WAIT until the blood of the sin offering is complete. The avenging will be against those who dwell on the earth. This phrase represents those who hold onto this (present) order (or social structure, who have a vested interest in it, in maintaining it,) because it is where their roots are (It’s where their power or authority arises. This pertains not only to civil institutions, governments and etc., but likewise religious institutions [i.e., the professing church, the church nominal] as well.)

The (true) Church does not come from this class. Those who persecute the Church, however, come from this class — the civil power directed by Jezebel (the professing church, orthodoxy) was the persecutor. Against these will the Avenger act. Many brethren were turned into the Inquisition by “brethren” (professed Christians) who recanted and betrayed the saints. It was Cain’s slaying Abel (brother slaying brother) all over again.

We continue with Verse 11 in our next post.