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Southern Adventist University
School of Religion
REVELATION'S ANSWER TO THE MARTYRS CRY
A Class Paper
Presented in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for
RELG 556 Studies in Revelation
by
Myckal Morehouse
October 2009
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Statement of Problem and Purpose . . . . . . . . 1
Significance of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Methodology and Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Seven Seals as a Background . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Suffering of the Martyrs . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Who is Responsible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Time period of Their Suffering . . . . . . . . 13
The Purpose of Righteous Suffering . . . . . . . 15
God's Act of Vindication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The Partial Wrath of God . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Seeing God's Love in His Wrath . . . . . . . . . 18
The Full Wrath of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
ii
Introduction
Statement of Problem and Purpose
According to 1 John 4:8, God is love. Revelation
1:5 says that God’s love is directed towards humanity (us).
How then can this picture of a loving God be reconciled
with the picture of the suffering and torment of the
righteous we see in the book of Revelation? Can true love
allow torment and pain?
Since this problem, reconciling the love of God
with the suffering of the righteous, is such a prominent
issue both inside and outside christianity, it deserves a
careful study. The purpose of this careful study is to
provide a partial answer to this question of why the
righteous suffer, by looking directly at the question of
suffering as posed by the martyrs under the fifth seal. It
is also the purpose of this study to create a sense of
justice in the mind of the reader by viewing God’s own
method of vindicating the martyrs.
Significance of the Study
1
The topic of suffering is such a relevant and
immanent topic in our world, whole religions (Buddhism
being one) have been developed around this topic. This
means that the topic of human suffering has a universal
appeal, and therefore a study of suffering would carry a
high degree of significance.
Delimitation
I will be focusing mainly on the book of
Revelation, and plan to draw most of my conclusions based
upon the texts that answer the cry of the martyrs under the
sixth seal. Although my research may extend outside of
Revelation, it will serve as background information for the
texts within Revelation.
Methodology and Procedure
In this study I will specifically be looking at the
question posed in Revelation 6:10, “How long, O Lord, holy
and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who
dwell on the earth?” Within this question are different
areas of study. The area that covers why God allows the
righteous to suffer. The area that covers how long God will
allow the righteous to suffer. also, we will take a look at
how God can be just in allowing the righteous to suffer,
and His ultimate plan of vindication on their behalf. Since
2
this statement falls within the six seals, it will be
important to establish a background to this text, by
looking at the seven seals and their different
interpretations. This whole topic will be addressed from
the premise that God is love, and that in some way His
character of love can be seen, even in the suffering of the
Righteous. Although Revelation will be our primary focus,
the bible as a whole will be used as a support for the
conclusions drawn in this paper.
The Seven Seals as a Background
Suffering, persecution, and torment are all
prominent themes in the book of Revelation. As Joel
Musvosvi said in his book, Vengeance in the Apocalypse,
"The whole book of Revelation seems to revolve around the
suffering of God's people."1In some cases the suffering
comes from the wrath of the wicked, and in other cases from
the wrath of God. But one question that has been posed over
and over again, even within the book of Revelation, is the
question surrounding the suffering of the righteous. The
1 Joel Nobel Musvosvi, Vengeance in the Apocalypse, vol. 17 of Andrews University Seminary Doctoral Dissertation Series, (Berrien Springs, Michigan: Andrews University Press, 1993), 238.
3
question might be posed in modern circles as, why do good
people suffer? In Revelation the question is posed through
the symbolism of the 5th seal. here we read of martyrs for
the christian faith that cry out, "How long, O Lord, holy
and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them
that dwell on the earth?".1 It is a fair question. A
question that deserves a response. And it is the pivot
point in the book of Revelation when dealing with the
suffering of the righteous. Before we can tackle the
Martyrs question, and excavate the answer from the text, a
background needs to be set. After all, the cry of the
martyrs is part of a series of seals, and thus can only be
understood in its proper light, when understood from the
context of the rest of the seals.
In the vision of Revelation, the seven seals
represent a change in John's visions. Doukhan mentions in
his book, Secrets of Revelation, that from this point
onward, the rest of the book of Revelation is all
futuristic.2 Although the subsequent visions are futuristic,
1 Revelation 6:10, KJV.2 Jacques B Doukhan, Secrets of Revelation: The
Apocalypse Through Hebrew Eyes, (Hagerstown, MD: Review andHerald, 2002), 58.
4
especially from John's point of view, the seven seals are
part of the historical section of Revelation.1 Doukhan
would agree saying that "the Leitmotif that occurs in the
seven seals suggests a progression of time..."2 Since these
seals are historical, and since they represent a
progression of time, they must have a starting and end
point. According to Ranko Stefanovich the starting point of
the seals would be the day of pentecost, because this is
when Christ was enthroned in heaven, which matches the
enthronement scene pictured in Revelation 4 and 5. Because
the sixth seal pictures events just prior to and leading up
to the second coming of Jesus, the seals culminate with the
second coming of Jesus.3 Therefore the seven seals cover the
time period between Christ's ascension and His soon return,
and would place the context of the fifth seal and the cry
of the martyrs sometime between these two points.
Now that a general background has been set for the
seals, it woud be helpful to look at some specifics
1 C. Mervyn Maxwell, God Cares: The Message of Revelation for you and your family, (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press , 1981), 188.
2 Doukhan, 58.3 Ranko Stefanovich, Revelation of Jesus Christ:
Commentary on the Book of Revelation, (Berrien Springs, Michigan: Andrews University Press, 2002), 213.
5
regarding the seals, and how they progress and lead up to
the martyrs cry. The seals seem to be broken up into two
different sections. The first section is the scene
portrayed in the opening of the first four seals, and the
four horsemen. The next section is composed of the final
three seals.1
Regarding the first four seals, Stefanovich says
"The scenes portrayed in the opening of the first four
seals describes the consequences or preliminary judgments
intended to awaken God's people and lead them to repentance
and restoration."2 These seals mirror the covenant curses
that God made with the children of Israel in the OT.3 This
is significant seeing that God's blessings were contingent
to their faithfulness to His covenant.4 On the other hand if
Israel apostacized they would face the covenant curses
which included wild beasts, war, disease, and famine.5 This
list of curses is the same list mentioned with the breaking
of the first four seals and connects the curses issued by
1 David Aune, Word Biblical Commentary: Revelation 6-16, Vol. 52b, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1998), 389.
2 Stefanovich, 219.3 Stefanovich, 215.4 For covenant blessings see: Leviticus 26:3-135 For covenant curses see: Leviticus 26:21-26
6
the four horsemen with the curses that result from
apostacy.
Many commentators understand the four horsemen to
be four different stages the christian church went through.1
Stefanovich suggests that the first horse represents the
victorious spread of the gospel.2 Although David Aune, finds
a remarkable parrellel between the white horse under the
first seal and the white horse of Revelation 19, whose
rider is assumed to be Christ, David Aune agrees that this
white horse rather than being symbolic for the Messiah, is
symoblic for the victorious spread of the gospel.3 Since the
seals are historically unfolded, Doukhan places the opening
of the first seal at the beginning spread of early
christianity.4
The second seal reveals a rider on a red horse,
which Stefanovich equates with persecution against the
church.5 Doukhan puts this period around the fourth century,
and equates it more with the churches fight against
1 Maxwell, 185.2 Stefanovich, 228.3 David Aune, 393-394.4 Doukhan, 59.5 Stefanovich, 229.
7
arianism.1 What is interesting in this seal, as pointed out
by stefanovich, is "the word for 'slain' in Revelation 6:9
is the same as that used with reference to the mission of
the rider on the fiery-red horse in Revelation 6:4."2 This
could suggest that the martyr under the fifth seal, were
slain for their testimony under the second seal timeperiod.
The third seal brings a time of famine, according
to Stefanovich. But this isn't a famine simply for food, it
is symbolically a famine for God's word.3 This time period
was a time when the church was dieing spiritually, while
becoming more and more political and merterialistic. He
places the start of this period under Pope Gregory the
Great.4
Finally the fourth seal arrives on the scene.
According to David Aune, the fourth horse is simply a
culmination of all the judgments of the other three horses.
So the four horses describe a gradual culminating work of
judgment.5 Stefanovich pinpoints these judments as God's
1 Doukhan, 60.2 Stefanovich, 231.3 Stefanovich, 232.4 Doukhan, 62.5 David Aune, 389.
8
judgements on His disobedient people to turn them to
repentance.1 Doukhan places this time period during the dark
ages.2 The persecuted had become the persecutors, and by the
end of the fourth seal you find a church that once had been
prosperous, now in a mess. Stefanovich mentions that "the
scene portrayed in the opening of the first four seals
describes the consequences or preliminary judgements
intended to awaken God's people and lead them to repentance
and restoration."3 The first four seals then, according to
Paulien, "represent a general description of the spread of
the gospel (white horse), the resulting persecution and
division (red horse), and the increasing consequences of
rejecting the gospel (black and pale horse)."4
Stefanovich makes a striking statement in regards
to the opening of the fifth seal. He says, "The scene of
the breaking of the fifth seal introduces what seems to be
a crucial theme of the book of Revelation, namely, the
1 Stefanovich, 234.2 Doukhan, 63.3 Stefanovich, 219.4 Jon Paulien, "The Seven Seals" in Symposium on
Revelation-Book 1, Daniel and Revelation Committee Series, vol. 6, (Silver Springs, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 1992), 233.
9
situation of God's people in the hostile world."1 Under this
seal we have a group of martyrs, that have been slain for
their testimony of Jesus, that cry out underneath an altar.
The cry of the Martyrs is for God's vengeance and justice
on their behalf. But this cry for vengeance is a holy cry
for God to vindicate His own name.2 It is a cry for legal
justice to be done.3 Almost all the commentators I read,
made a reference to the blood of abel which cried out for
vengeance against his brother in Genesis 4:10. Obviously
blood has no hate, but the evidence of blood demands an
investigation, and justice. Therefore the focus is on the
fact that God's people suffer in this world, and He has an
answer for their cry.
The Suffering of the Martyrs
Who is Responsible
It is important to note at the outset that God is
not the author of suffering. For, as Musvosvi points out,
He is a holy God, and therefore can not be responsible for
unholy suffering.4 The reality that God is not the author of
1 Stefanovich, 248.2 Stefanovich, 240.3 Stefanovich, 238.4 Musvosvi, 220.
10
the Martyrs suffering can also be seen within the book of
Job, a book that clearly deals with the subject of
righteous suffering. Within the first two chapters of Job,
there is a clear picture of who instigates suffering, and
it is shown that suffering does not originate with God.1 God
is the author of life. Jesus said, "I am come that they
might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly."2
The real author of suffering begins to be revealed
as we listen to the martyrs own words: "And they cried with
a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost
thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on
the earth?"3 The Martyrs identify that the ones who are
guilty of their blood, and thus are the target of their
vindication, are "them that dwell on the earth". In
reference to Babylon the Great, in Revelation 18:24, it
says that "in her was found the blood of prophets, and of
saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth." We find
then that God is not responsible for the suffering of the
righteous, as Musvosvi mentions, it is the wicked who have
1 see Job 2:3-72 John 10:103 Revelation 6:10
11
been responsible for not only the death of God's people,
but also God's own Son. 1 Those that dwell upon the earth,
as well as the harlot named Babylon the Great, must
represent those who are in rebellion against God and His
people, and it is this group that is responsible for the
martyrs blood.
There is still someone else who bears ultimate
responsibility for the suffering of the righteous.
Musvosvi says that the "ultimate enemy of the people of God
is the devil."2 In Revelation 12, Satan is portrayed as a
raging dragon with seven heades, who seeks the destruction
of Christ and His people, and makes war with God's last day
church. The most striking point concerning Satan's
persecutions is found in Revelation 12:10.3 Here we see that
Satan is seeking to make a legal case against God's people,
and rises up as the prosecuter, and persecutor. But the
verse clearly shows that His claims are false, because in
verse 11 it says of the martyrs, "And they overcame him by
the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death." The martyrs
1 Musvosvi, 195.2 Ibid., 200.3 Ibid.
12
death, is the very event that reveals that Satan's claims
against them are false.
Further evidence that Satan is the true source of
righteous suffering can be drawn by looking at Revelation
13 and 17. In Revelation 13, the picture of two persecuting
powers comes to view: The beast which rises out the sea,
and the beast which rises out of the earth. Both of these
powers seek to harm and destroy God's people. It is
interesting to note though, that these powers are
controlled by the same satanic dragon of Revelation 12.
Revelation 12:2 says "the dragon gave him his power, and
his seat, and great authority." The devil may use different
avenues at different times in earth's history to accomplish
his purpose, but ultimately, he is the one to blame for the
suffering of the righteous. It is no coincidence that the
harlot of Revelation 17, whom the bible says "in her was
found the blood ... of all that were slain upon the earth,"1
is being carried along by the same satanic dragon. It is
clear who is ultimately responsible for the suffering of
the righteous martyrs under the fifth seal.
The time period of Their Suffering
1 Revelation 18:24
13
The fifth seal, according to Paulien, represents
two time periods. The first time period is the martyrs cry
for vengeance. This is bviously before judgement has fallen
and therefore represents the timeperiod that is before the
pre-advent judgement.1 Maxwell mentions this specific
timeperiod, as the timeperiod of papal persecution, during
the 1,260 year reign of the papacy.2 The second portion of
the fifth seal relates directly with the martyrs being
given white robes, which Paulien identifies as the
timeperiod of the judgement.3 Maxwell pinpoints that date as
being the close of the 2,300 year prophecy of Daniel 8:14,
in the year 1844.4 The timeperiod of their actual suffering
must then be before the pre-advent judgment as well.
Paulien places the fifth seal "between the great
persecutions of the Middle Ages and the conclusion of the
investigative judgement."5 But it must be noted that in
response to the Martyrs cry, the Lord answers that the
number of martyrs is not yet complete. So the cry of the
1 Paulien, 236.2 Maxwell, 188.3 Paulien, 236.4 Maxwell, 188.5 Paulien, 236.
14
martyrs represents the cry of God's suffering people for
justice, from the timeperiod when Cain murdered Abel, down
until the last martyr is sacrificed.1
The Purpose of Righteous Suffering
The purpose of righteous suffering does not have
one answer, but many. As has been mentioned before, The
curses brought on by the first four seals, which lead up to
the martyrs cry, are representative of the curses
pronounced on God's people for covenant unfaithfulness.
These curses were allowed by God to bring about true
repentance and lead God's people out of apostacy.2 As the
church began to historically follow the unfolding of the
seals, we see a progression of apostacy which eventually
led to the protestant reformation. So one of the reasons
for God to allow His church to suffer was to lead to a
reformation of His people.
But the purpose of Righteous suffering goes even
deeper. Musvosvi points out that the Martyrs were killed
under a legal process.3 This is seen clearly when we look at
the legal way in which Satan sought to bring false charges
1 Musvosvi, 197.2 Stefanovich, 216.3 Musvosvi, 199.
15
against God's elect in Revelation 12. Maxwell brings out
that these people were sacrificed, which is why the martyrs
are presented as crying out under the altar. And it was not
the actual martyrs that cried for vengeance but the crimes
committed against them that cried out for vengeance.1 The
martyrs have made their choice, in the face of false
charges, to be faithful even unto death.2 It is this
faithfulness even to death that has proven that Satan's
claims against them are false. As Musvosvi has said, "By
the decision that the saints have made in relation to the
cross, they have been judged by the gospel and found worthy
of eternal life."3 It is God who can now be glorified in His
act of vengeance, and judgement against the wicked,4 because
it has been shown that their accusations against the
righteous have been proven false.
God's Act of Vindication
The Partial Wrath of God
1 Maxwell, 217, 218.2 Musvosvi, 196.3 Ibid., 205.4 Ibid., 213.
16
Maxwell sees that God's immediate response the
martyrs cry is to give them white robes.1 As has been noted
earlier, these white robes and the cry to hold on, points
to the time of the preadvent judgement.2 Musvosvi points out
the the Martyrs were persecuted in a public way, and
therefore must be vindicated in a public way.3 God
therefore, conducts a public investigative judgement, as
mentioned in Daniel 7, for all the heavenly realms to
witness.4 White robes are given symbolically, at this time,
symbolizing the righteousness of Jesus.5 This cloak of
righteousness, covers their mistakes, that they might
forever be saved from the second death.6 This is God's first
respons to the martyrs cry.
But white robes are not the end of God's answer.
Being a holy God, He will not let the martyrs blood go
unvindicated.7 This vengeance from God comes in the form of
the covenant curses, which Stefanovich says "when exercised
1 Maxwell, 192.2 Paulien, 236.3 Musvosvi, 236.4 Ibid., 237.5 Maxwell, 187.6 Ibid., 190.7 Musvosvi, 220.
17
upon the nations who have shed the blood of His people,
they are judgements of vengeance."1 These judgements are
initial administered in the plagues released by the seven
trumpets.2 The connection between the seven trumpets and the
martyrs prayers, is seen in Revelation 8:3. Here an angel
offers up the prayers of the saints to God, and in response
to these prayers, the seven angels with the seven trumpets
prepare to sound. These trumpets bring a group of plagues,
but even in these partial plagues can be seen the mercy and
love of God.
Seeing God's Love in His Wrath
One thing that must be noted is that these plagues
are partial in their reach. Doukahn mentions that these
trumpets function as an announcement to those that dwell on
the earth that God's judgements are going to fall.3 Doukahn
connects the trumpets with a warning call to the
inhabitants of the earth to repentant.4 The plagues fall in
succession, but as is seen in Revelation 9:20 "the rest of
mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not
1 Stefanovich, 218.2 Ibid., 219.3 Doukhan, 79.4 Ibid., 80.
18
repent of the works of their hands..." It is now being
shown in a public way, that even when given an opportunity
to turn from wickedness those who have persecuted and
killed God's faithful are set in their ways, and refuse to
repent. Paulien mentions that "it is the rejection of the
cross that brings down the wrath of God."1
2 Peter 3:9 says "The Lord...[is] not willing that
any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
Even the His act of vindication God works for the salvation
of the wicked. In the end, God's judgements upon them are
shown to be true based on the fact that the wicked refuse
to repent. These partial judgements fall upon the wicked
during the timeperiod between the cross and the 2nd coming
of Christ.2
The full wrath of God
God's character is now cleared, and the way has
been fully prepared for God to fully avenge His people on
their persecuters. Musvosvi mentions that the the seven
1 Jon Paulien, Decoding Revelation's Trumpets, vol. 11 of Andrews University Seminary Doctoral Dissertation Series, (Berrien Springs, Michigan: Andrews University Press, 1987), 323.
2 Ibid., 353.
19
last plagues of Revelation 16, are also an answer to the
Martyrs cry for vengeance.1
Unlike the seven trumpets, These are not partial
plagues, but complete plagues.2 The plagues function in a
destructive capacity, that permanantly liberates God's
people from those who had oppressed them.3 Specifically, the
plagues bring about the final demise of the one institution
responsible for the death of all the martyrs from the
beginning of time, Babylon the Great.4 This is why Musvosvi
mentions that the downfall of Babylon pictured in
Revelation 18:20 is also in answer to the Martyrs cry.5 He
continues by saying, "The judgements of Babylon are symply
a reversal of what she has done to the saints."6
Conclusion
Revelation reveals that we are caught in the middle
of a Great Controversy. Satan is seeking to bring in false
1 Musvosvi, 238.2 Hans K. LaRondelle,"Contextual Approach to the
Seven Last Plagues" in Symposium on Revelation-Book 2, Daniel and Revelation Committee Series, vol. 7, (Silver Springs, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 1992), 134.
3 Ibid.4 Ibid.5 Musvosvi, 241.6 Ibid., 245.
20
accusations against God's people in an attempt to show that
their fidelity is false. God on the other hand is seeking
to save His people, and legally can do this by allowing all
to see that His faithful martyrs are willing to be
sacrificed even under the false charges of Satan. God's act
of vendication not only clears His own name along with the
Martyrs, but reveals in a public way that Satan's claims
are false, and that the wicked really are deserving of the
wrath to come. In a climactic work, God avenges His people
by pouring His wrath double upon those who created such
sorrow for God's people on earth. God's final act on behalf
of the suffering of the Righteous is a promise, "...there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither
shall there be any more pain: for the former things are
passed away."1 The way that God deals with the suffering of
His people is not only complete, but in the end will be
seen as fair.
1 Revelation 21:4
21
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Aune, David. Word Biblical Commentary: Revelation 6-16. Vol. 52b. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1998.
Doukhan, Jacques B. Secrets of Revelation: The Apocalypse Through Hebrew Eyes. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 2002.
Holbrook, Frank B., ed. Symposium on Revelation-Book 1: Introductory and Exegetical Studies. Daniel and Revelation Committee Series, vo. 6. Silver Springs, MD: Biblical Research Institute, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1992.
________, ed. Symposium on Revelation-Book 2: Exegetical and General Studies. Daniel and Revelation Committee Series, vo. 7. Silver Springs, MD: Biblical Research Institute, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1992.
Maxwell, C. Mervyn. God Cares: The Message of Revelation for you and your family. Nampa, ID: Pacific Press , 1981.
Musvosvi, Joel Nobel. Vengeance in the Apocalypse. vol. 17 of Andrews University Seminary Doctoral Dissertation Series. Berrien Springs, Michigan: Andrews University Press, 1993.
Paulien, Jon. Decoding Revelation's Trumpets. vol. 11 of Andrews University Seminary Doctoral Dissertation Series. Berrien Springs, Michigan: Andrews University Press, 1987.
Stefanovich, Ranko. Revelation of Jesus Christ: Commentary on the Book of Revelation. Berrien Springs, Michigan: Andrews University Press, 2002.
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