Revelation 6:9-11 - Underneath the Altar
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Introduction
Introduction
Jesus warned us, church history shows, and present reality still bears it out.
12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
Tonight, as we think about God’s Word together, we want to also remember our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world in prayer.
We want to start tonight with a video from Open Doors USA, a Christian organization committed to serving the persecuted church.
Then we’ll look at God’s Word together and pray for some brothers and sisters along the way.
[VIDEO]
[READING - 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.
[PRAYER]
The book of Revelation is about the absolute authority of Jesus over the church and the world. It is about the salvation of His saints and the defeat of all His enemies.
By the time we come to Revelation 6, we see that Jesus has unleashed war, famine, and death in judgement against human wickedness.
That human wickedness is on fully display in Revelation 6:9-11.
The souls of Christian martyrs cry out to the Lord for vengeance.
They have been persecuted.
They have been murdered.
They did not love their lives even when faced with death.
And its still going on today.
Today Christians are being persecuted. They are being hunted. They are being murdered. There are souls of brothers and sisters in Christ being added underneath the altar even tonight.
We may not know their names.
We may not know where they are.
But we can pray for them.
And we can ask ourselves, “Would we cling to Christ if our souls were being added underneath the altar?”
[TS] NOTICE the reason they were slain…
Major Ideas
Major Ideas
Notice #1: The Reason They Were Slain (v. 9)
Notice #1: The Reason They Were Slain (v. 9)
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;
[Exp] The Lamb is Jesus, the only one worthy to break the seals and show God’s unfolding plan. As I said a moment ago, Jesus has already unleashed war, famine, and death on the world with the first four seals mentioned in Revelation 6, but with this fifth seal we see why—the wicked world has murdered His people.
Verse 9 says they were slain “because of the Word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained...”
John, the Holy Spirit-inspired author of Revelation, understood why they had been persecuted because he had been persecuted himself for the same reason. In Revelation 1:9, he writes…
9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
Why does this mean?
It means that John refused to stop testifying to Jesus as the Christ from the Word of God.
These martyrs in Revelation 6 also refused to stop.
Threatened with hardship. They refused to stop.
Threatened with imprisonment. They refused to stop.
Threatened with death. They refused to stop to testifying to Jesus as the only Savior from the Word of God.
[Illus] “Shiden” isn’t his real name. It was changed to protect his identity in Open Doors USA’s World Watch List for 2021—the yearly report on persecution around the world.
Shiden became a Christian in his teens in the East African nation of Eritrea. He was caught at a secret worship service, arrested, and then spent more than a decade in prison.
In Eritrea, the only Christian denomination recognized is the Eritrean Orthodox Church. All other Christian denominations are persecuted with believers often kept in inhumane prisons, their loved ones not knowing whether they are dead or alive.
When Shiden was imprisoned, he faced extreme temperatures and unsanitary conditions. He was taunted and told that his suffering could end if he would just deny Christ. When he refused, he was placed in solitary confinement for long periods of time in a space like a coffin.
He was once released, basically forced to serve in the Eritrean military but when he was found with a few passages of Scripture, he was sent back to solitary confinement for another three months.
Eventually, however, Shiden was just sent home without any explanation, but his family could tell that he was a broken man after all the physical and emotional torture. His brother and mother feared that Shiden would even harm himself.
He had missed out on education, career, marriage, and fatherhood, and sometimes the pain and suffering he endured in prison still seems overwhelming.
But Shiden’s brother, John (his name also changed), says that Shiden is persevering. John says, “Although it has not been easy for him, Shiden has come so far. And these days, he often encourages me by reminding me of the story about the father of faith in Hebrews 11. Shiden says, ‘I will serve the Lord until I die; I want to be a hero of the faith, too, and one day in the future claim the crown of righteousness.’”
Shiden’s brother John says, “The prayer of righteous people have availed much. Please continue to pray for Shiden. I believe God will continue to help.”
[App] As we think about these martyrs in Revelation 6 and about Shiden’s story, let us ask ourselves, “Will we stop? Will we stop testifying to Jesus Christ from the Word of God when things get tough? When we get harassed? When persecution comes our way? When we begin to be killed because of the Gospel we believe and proclaim?”
And let’s ask ourselves another question, “Will we pray for Shiden and other brothers and sisters like him?”
[TS] …
Notice #2: The Question They Ask - Vengeance (v. 10)
Notice #2: The Question They Ask - Vengeance (v. 10)
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?”
[Exp] “How long, O Lord…” is a question asked in grief or mourning.
In Psalm 13:1, the psalmist asks...
1 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?
Perhaps the martyrs here ask, “How long,” because they feel forgotten or it seems that Jesus has not taken notice of their sacrifice.
But of course Jesus is holy and true as they admit, and He knows their sacrifice full well and will avenge them.
Jesus described Himself as holy and true to the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3. He said to that church, “I know your deeds. … (you) have kept My word, and have not denied My name,” (Rev. 3:7-8).
Jesus could’ve said the same thing to these martyrs in Revelation 6—You are not forgotten or overlooked. I see your sacrifice. I know your deeds. You have kept My word, and have not denied My name. I will judge and avenge your blood on those who dwell on earth.
Because Jesus is holy, He cannot tolerate any sin going unpunished—especially when that sin is the sin of persecuting His people.
And because Jesus is true, He will certainly hold every persecutor accountable.
In Luke 18:7 Jesus asked His disciples…
7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?
[Illus] Graham Staines was an Australian missionary serving the poor and the lepers of Odisha, India. He had been serving there for decades when a Hindu fundamentalist group claimed that Graham was forcing Hindus to embrace Christ as Savior. They burned Graham and his two sons (ages 6 and 10) alive.
That was in 1999, but Graham can still be heard crying out, “How long, O Lord?”
How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?
India still ranks in the top 10 of persecuting Christians. Hindu extremists believe that all Indians should be Hindus, and any who convert to Christianity (or any other religion) are often physically attacked and forced to reconvert to Hinduism.
For every brother or sister who dies, another soul is added underneath the altar, and asks, “How long, O Lord?”
[App] It may bother us to think about Jesus bringing vengeance on our persecutors. After all didn’t Jesus die for us while we yet His enemies?
Yes, He did.
But when Jesus comes again, He will not die for His enemies.
When He comes again, He will crush His enemies and avenge the deaths of those who stood on the Word of God.
And we should pray, “Yes, Lord! Even so, come.”
[TS] …
Notice #3: The Answer They Are Given - Patience (v. 11)
Notice #3: The Answer They Are Given - Patience (v. 11)
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.
[Exp] Slain because of the Word of God and their testimony, crying out for vengeance, they are told to wait.
They are clothed and comforted with white robes (i.e., they are clothed and comforted with the righteousness of Jesus).
They are told to rest for a little while longer. This rest is a rest in Jesus, the One who has eternally saved the, clothed them in righteousness, and promises to avenge their deaths.
But notice why they must wait—more will be added to their number—they were told 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.
[Illus] When a famine devastated North Korea in the 1990s, Hee-Yol escaped to China. While there, she heard the Gospel, and gave her life to Jesus. A few years later, however, she was caught and sent back to North Korea. She was tried and sentenced to four years in prison. She said cried, blamed God, and pleaded with Him to save her. The prison was worse than she imagined. She said about two prisoners died of starvation every day.
Two years into her four-year sentence, she was released, and a few years after that, she escaped North Korea again. She ran to China and then to South Korea. She says, “In the most difficult time in my life, I found God through suffering. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
Hee-Yol also asks us to pray, “I ask those who have been praying for North Korea from all around the world, to pray for North Korea to be able to come to the gospel. The North Korean citizens are like slaves. With the light of the Lord, they would be freed.”
[App] One day those who belong to Jesus in North Korea will be freed. And those believers who starved to death in those prisons will be avenged.
But today we are to pray and wait—until the full number of the martyrs comes in.
[TS] …
Conclusion
Conclusion
It’s not easy to wait, but we aren’t to just wait… we to rest.
Jesus is sovereign and we can trust His sovereign power to avenge His own at just the right time.
It’s not easy to wait, but we aren’t to just wait… we are to pray.
Visit one of the following websites…
opendoorsusa.org
joshuaproject.net
persecution.com
…to learn more about how you can pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world.