The Dead in Christ
9 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. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our blood on these who dwell on the earth?” 11 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.
The saints cry out, “how long” until You take vengeance on our enemies?
Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19
A while longer, “until the numbers are completed.” In reference to the Church, let us rephrase this to say, “a while longer, until all the people who will be saved, have been.”
Notice that the scripture does not use the word martyrs. The Amplified version clarifies this phrase. I saw at the foot of the altar the souls of those whose lives had been sacrificed for [adhering to] the Word of God and for the testimony they had borne. AMP
A life sacrificed is not necessarily one martyred. We are all to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. (Romans 12:11) Have you sacrificed your life for Christ? Given up everything for Him? Has the enemy taunted you, or accused you of “throwing your life away” to preach the gospel? If so, you will be one of those worshiping at the altar, lifting up a sacrifice of praise. Without taking up your cross and following Me (Jesus), you may not be there at all. Mark 10:21
In the final days, the fields will be white with harvest and many will be brought into the family. God always takes vengeance on our enemies. We’re the apple of His eye. Don’t mess with God’s kids! Zechariah 2:8, Deuteronomy 32:10
So the witnesses testify!
12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
When the sixth seal is opened, God causes a shaking of the earth. (Isaiah 24:13) The world groans under the weight of sin. Infested with sin, the earth waits in anticipation for the Lamb’s wrath to come, and the final cleansing. Romans 8:18-22, Matthew 24:29-31
Revelation 6:12-13 describe signs in the sun, moon and stars. Natural phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes, storms, blood moons and the like will increase like a woman in labor as the time grows near. This shaking by God is for the purpose of drawing mankind to Him. They will search for peace, but few there are who find it. (Matthew 7:14) The church’s job is to show them the way.
The prophet foretold the same events in Joel 2:30-32. . . . For in Mount Zion and Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls. Joel 2:32
Mount Zion is symbolic for the new covenant, the throne of David, worship and praise, and the priesthood. Jerusalem is called the city of peace. The Church is the New Jerusalem; the remnant; the people of peace. The Daughter of Jerusalem will bring the message of salvation, deliverance, and peace to the earth in the time of God’s wrath.
The Daughter of Jerusalem
Who is the daughter of Jerusalem? The prophet Micah tells us in Micah chapter four.
6 In that day, says the Lord, I will assemble the lame, and I will assemble those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted. 7 In that day, says the Lord, I will make the lame a remnant, and those who were cast off a strong nation; and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forever. 8 And you, O tower of the flock, the hill and stronghold of the Daughter of Zion, unto you the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the Daughter of Jerusalem. Micah 4:6-8 AMP
Micah 4:7– I will make the lame a remnant . . . those cast off a strong nation.
Gentiles, those not of the family of Abraham, were the “cast off.” See Matthew 22:10-14
Micah 4:8– The Church, the body of Christ, is called the stronghold of the Daughter of Zion; the stronghold against the Evil One. All may run into it and be safe.
Here, unto you the former dominion shall come is addressed to gentiles, the Church, the stronghold. The former dominion was God’s covenant with the children of Abraham. Gentiles need not apply. Under the new dominion, we may enter into the Abrahamic covenant through the blood of Jesus.
Some teach the Church will take the place of Israel as God’s chosen people. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As the end times draw to a close, Christians and Israeli believers will grow closer together. We will all become part of the body of Christ. God loves all of His creation, Gentiles and Israelites alike. So He made a way for us to enter in, through the blood of His Son. We have been made Abraham’s children by accepting that sacrifice; in essence, by circumcising our heart. We are now under a new covenant, the blood covenant of Jesus. We have become His blood brothers and sisters. We enter the kingdom of the Daughter of Jerusalem when we accept Jesus’s sacrifice and are born again through this circumcision of the heart.
The Church is the Daughter of Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ; The daughter is the bride. Jesus is the Bridegroom. We will rule together in His Kingdom. Song of Solomon chapter five.
Revelation 6
15 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 caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face if Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who us able to stand?”
In the last days, people will recognize the time is short and the day of His wrath is at hand. They will try to hide, but to no avail. God, the Hound of Heaven, will seek them until He finds them. Some will repent and come to Him, others will not. We must be willing to net the repentant as He flushes them out. (Matthew 24:14) His judgement will fall on all mankind; rich or poor, big or little, slave or free. Only one group is not mentioned here, the redeemed, the Daughter of Jerusalem.
The people of the earth said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us. . . .” Hiding in the rocks is also mentioned in Isaiah 2:10-22. Isaiah warned in 2:22, sever yourself from such a man. . . . When God takes vengeance on the enemies of the righteous, we had better be severed from them, or we may be taken with them.
In Isaiah 34:1-5, the prophet predicts God’s wrath upon the ungodly nations. Edom is the land of the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. Edomites often dwelt among the Israelites (they are considered brethren through the lineage of Abraham), but more often, Edomites were the enemies of Israel. Edom is a type for idols we dwell with. If we allow Edomites to dwell among us, we may end up a pillar of salt like Lot’s wife, when God destroys Edom. (Genesis 19:26) Don’t say John didn’t warn you!
In the wrath of the Lamb, the word translated wrath is the Greek orgē, anger, wrath, vengeance. Ogrē is from the root oregomai: to covet, desire. This is wrath-wrought vengeance caused by jealousy over the mistreatment of a loved one.
When the dust clears, who is able to stand? Only one will be left standing. And as His body, His bride, we will be standing in Him. We are His legacy from His Father. Isaiah 35:3-5, Psalm 91
This is the testament of God’s redemptive plan, and the witness of His vengeance on the enemies of His loved ones.
So the witnesses testify!