The Fifth & Sixth Seal

The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs Cry

Revelation 6:9–11 NKJV

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

There are several things I think we should note regarding the Martyrs that John sees:

Why They Were Martyred: For the Word of God and Their Testimony

Martyrdom is not something we know much about personally in 2025 America. However, it is suggested that more people died for their faith in the 1900s than in any other century.

Let me just give you a few statistics:

It is estimated that 70 MILLION Christians have been martyred throughout history

In 2016 alone, about 90,000 Christians died for their faith...that equaled one person EVERY SIX MINUTES

We can only IMAGINE how many believers will be killed for their faith when they refuse to take the Mark of the Beast and bow to the AntiChrist. And it is the souls of these martyrs that John sees...

That leads us to the next point...

What State They Were In: John Refers to Them as “Souls”

John specifically points out that he sees the “souls” of these martyrs. This leads me to speculate a few things...

In Heaven, a Soul Will be Visible

John was able to see their souls.

At the Time of the 6th Seal the First Resurrection Has Not Taken Place

We know from Scripture that at the first resurrection, something incredible will happen...

Revelation 20:4–6 NKJV

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

So, where are these souls while they await the resurrection of their bodies?

Where They Were Located: Under the Altar

They are not in the grave.

They are not in some type of soul sleep.

But they are UNDER THE ALTAR.

Gwyn Pugh gives some interesting insight into this concept when he says:

The location of these “souls” (“lives” or “persons”) in proximity to the throne is significant, consistent with N.T. doctrine about what happens to believers immediately after death. “Under the altar” symbolizes “divine protection” (Beale 392)

2 Corinthians 5:6–8 NKJV

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

We also see that these souls are “AWARE.”

What They Were Aware Of: They Knew Those Who Had Killed Them Had Not Yet Faced God’s Wrath

They are even aware of at least SOME THINGS that haven’t happened yet on earth. Notice again their question:

Revelation 6:10 NKJV

And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

Just as Abel’s blood cried from the ground in Genesis, these martyrs are crying out for justice because they were aware that God’s vengeance had not yet fallen. People often ask me what people in Heaven are aware of and the truth is we do not know all that they are aware of, but we can say for sure that these martyrs who were in Heaven were aware of this.

Wiersbe says:

The saints in heaven know that God will eventually judge sin and establish righteousness in the earth, but they do not know God’s exact schedule. It is not personal revenge that they seek, but vindication of God’s holiness and the establishment of God’s justice. Every believer today who sincerely prays, “Thy kingdom come!” is echoing their petition.

After their inquest, they are given something...

What They Were Given: A White Robe

The robe they are given is white and was known as a...

Paige Patterson:

...floor-length robe of dignity whose white color suggested holiness and purity.

Pugh:

in Revelation white robes stand as a multisided “metaphor for salvation, immortality, victory, and purity” (Aune I:410).

After receiving this robe they are told something...

Revelation 6:11 NKJV

Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

What They Were Told: Rest a Little Longer

They were given the assurance that all would be taken care of and they can rest in God’s providential care.

Now it’s time for the 6th seal and what a seal it is...

Revelation 6:12–16 NKJV

I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!

The Sixth Seal: Cosmic Catastrophe

It seems that the opening of the 6th seal sets off a chain of events that begin with a MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE, maybe a quake unlike anything the world has ever experienced.

Immediately following this earthquake, Scripture reveals that the sun and the moon are discolored. Some suggest the possibility of the earthquake setting off a succession of volcanic activity, and the volcanic ash being so thick in the air that the sun and the stars are now only visible through this dense cloud of volcanic ash.

Not only that, but the stars of heaven begin to fall to earth, which is most likely a reference to a meteor shower.

So there is no stability...the ground beneath is quaking and the sky appears to be falling!

Paige Patterson says this about the effects of the 6th seal...

...anyone who has watched the effects of a tornado in the midsections of the United States or northwest Texas could have made just such a description about its effects on the sky. Almost certainly what is being described here are meteorological storms of such increased magnitude that tornado and hurricane-like effects are created everywhere in the sky, giving the look of the rolling up of a scroll. By the same token, mountains and islands are shaken and moved from their places as would be characteristic of widespread seismic disorders and the accompanying volcanic eruptions that would take place. John’s description is in keeping with natural phenomena already observable, though certainly here they increase to exponential proportions. As the heavenly scroll unrolls, the earthly scroll is rolled together.

Isaiah prophesied of similar things in...

Isaiah 13:10–13 NKJV

For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine. “I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, And the earth will move out of her place, In the wrath of the Lord of hosts And in the day of His fierce anger.

Isaiah 34:4 NKJV

All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down As the leaf falls from the vine, And as fruit falling from a fig tree.

Daniel Akin says that the 6th seal brings a TOTAL COSMIC MELTDOWN. The wrath of the Lamb is here and there is no escape!

But people, all people, rich and poor, powerful and weak, will run to the hills and the mountains in hopes of escape and ask the rocks to fall on them rather than face the wrath of the Lamb.

What is it we can learn from the 5th and 6th seals?

Expect persecution for your faith and suffering for His glory

“Comfort is not the Christian's calling—faithfulness is.”

“We may not face martyrdom in America—yet. But if the winds change, will you stand or scatter?”

"The cross of Christ isn't just something we cling to; it's something we carry."

Application Point: Challenge your listeners: “Are you living a life worth being persecuted for? If faith cost you everything, would it still be yours?”

Trust God’s timing for justice

“God’s justice is never late. But it's also never rushed.”

“While we cry ‘how long, O Lord?’ He says, ‘Rest a little while longer.’”

“Heaven is not silent—it’s waiting. Waiting with justice in one hand and mercy in the other.”

Application Point: Encourage those who feel overlooked or wronged: “Your pain hasn’t been ignored. Your prayers haven't gone unheard. He sees. He knows. And He will answer.”

Realize judgment is CERTAIN

“Grace may be offered today—but wrath will come tomorrow.”

“Every seal broken is a step closer to the final gavel of God.”

“You can laugh at judgment now, but you won’t when the stars start falling.”

Application Point: Push this toward evangelism: “There’s no escaping judgment—only being covered by the One who already took it for you.”

Earthly status provides no refuge for God’s judgment

“Your money won’t buy you a mountain to hide in. Your title won’t build you a cave deep enough.”

“From the White House to the poorhouse, everyone will face the throne.”

“The only safe place in the universe is in Christ.”

Application Point: Invite reflection: “Where is your confidence? In your success? Your connections? Your good works? On that day, only the blood of Jesus will matter.”

Choose repentance over hiding

“Better to fall on your knees now than to beg the rocks to fall on you then.”

“God’s wrath is real—but so is His mercy. One you can face. The other you can receive.”

“Don’t wait for the sixth seal to break. Today is the day of salvation.”

Application Point: End with an urgent appeal: “The same Lamb whose wrath shakes the world once stood with arms open wide. That door is still open—but not for long.”

“When the seals break… will you be under the altar or under the avalanche?”