The world is not too enlightened, it's not too humane, it's not too civilized, it's not too pervaded with reason and education. To repeat the atrocities of past history, it's going to enter into atrocities that men haven't even conceived of. slaughter and massacre unheard of. Why? Because it'll be turned over.
to Satan, unrestrained. Welcome to Grace to You with John MacArthur. I'm your host, Phil Johnson. A well known basketball coach was asked why his teams were always so successful. The bottom line, it was their will to prepare.
Of course, it's one thing to get ready for a sporting event or any number of everyday tasks, but ultimately, all that's going to matter is how did you prepare for God's great day of wrath? Make sure you're ready for that today. John MacArthur's current series can help with that from Revelation chapter 6, the title of John's study, The Beginning of the End. And now here's John. Turn to the sixth chapter of the last book in the Bible, the book of Revelation.
The sixth chapter. Verses 9, 10, and 11.
Now, as we look at these three verses, I want you to notice three features, just to break it down so you can sort of follow along. We're going to look at the persons involved, the petitions they have, and the promises they receive. Let's look first of all at the persons involved. Verse 9, and when he 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. This seal reveals these souls Under the altar.
How did they get there? Verse 9 says, they were killed.
So it's safe to say these are martyrs.
So, after you have false peace and war and famine and natural pestilence that results in widespread death of a quarter of the population of the world, you have Persecution. resulting in martyrdom.
Now let's go back to Matthew 24. And I want you to keep this flow in mind because this is so crucial to understanding this time period.
So, what happened? The first four things came: seal one, seal two, seal three, seal four. Then came seal 5. The persecution began. People were slain.
We see them in our text, Revelation 6, already under the altar because they've been killed. They're already in heaven there. The slaying begins. It's coming from all over the world. You say, what is precipitating it?
Well, it wouldn't be too hard to figure out. Because Christians all over the world are going to be saying, hey, folks. Do you know what's happening in the world? This is in the Bible. It's not going to be too hard to figure out.
When they see peace, worldwide global peace, followed immediately by worldwide war, followed immediately by worldwide famine, followed immediately by a fourth of the earth perishing in terrible, tragic pestilence, Christians are going to say, Look, this is exactly what Jesus said in Matthew 24 was going to happen. This is exactly what is recorded in the vision of John in Revelation 6. We're telling you, folks, God is going to judge the world, and you are seeing the beginning of the birth pains, and their response is: shut those people up. Kill him. We don't want to hear this.
And once the Antichrist sets himself up as God and the whole world buys it. Then whatever Christians say, Becomes blasphemy against the only true God who is Antichrist. And then Antichrist's own religious system becomes the persecutor, and the persecution really escalates. And it's against Israel and against the believers. To see the escalation of it, all you have to do is go to the next verse, verse 16.
When that thing in the midpoint happens, an Antichrist sets up his career, if you're in Judea, you better run for the mountains. If you're on the housetop, you better not go down to get anything out of your house. If you're in the field, don't go back to get your coat you left in your bedroom. And woe to those poor folks who are with child. Why?
Because pregnant ladies don't run very fast. And woe to those poor ladies who have to nurse a baby and they're carrying it in their arms, and they've got to stop and feed it. And you better pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath, so you wind up not being able to break some silly law, and you're stuck in one spot. Why? Because then there will be great tribulation, the second half.
such as has never occurred since the beginning of the world until now. Unless those days had been short, no life would have been saved. Boy, then the persecution really fires up. All over the place, false Christs, false prophets, showing all their false signs and wonders, trying to mislead everybody. And many are going to be killed.
Jews are going to be killed. As many as two-thirds. Scripture says God will allow to die as rebels who have been purged out, unbelievers. Christians are going to be killed. And we see some of them under the altar in our text.
In Revelation 9, 21, it says later on. That people didn't repent of their murders. of their murders. That's interesting. There's going to be murder all over the world.
Now, what you've got in the Antichrist world is not government-organized. Killings, not like Jesus said in John 16 when he said they'll take you into the synagogues and try you and kill you, and you'll go before courts and judges.
Now it's just worldwide, free-for-all, kill Christians. kill Jews and everybody becomes a murderer. as they are all under the power of Satan.
Now many are going to be killed. The slaughter is going to be massive. Look at chapter 7, verse 9. You get a little bit of a feeling of how many are going to get killed. John says after These things I looked.
And what did I see? I saw a great multitude. Which no one could count from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands. They cried out with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God. Who sits on the throne into the Lamb.
And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell on their faces before the throne and they worshiped God. And they were saying, Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.
And one of the elders answered, saying to me, These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they? What is he talking about? He's talking about that innumerable multitude you can't even count from every nation. Who are they? Verse 14, John said, My Lord, you know who they are.
He said to me, These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation. How did they get out of the tribulation? They got killed. They've washed their robes, they've made them white in the blood of the Lamb, and now they're before the throne of God, and they'll hunger no more, nor thirst anymore, neither will the sun beat on them, nor any heat. Which gives you some kind of an idea of the life they had to live as they were.
Trying to escape the slaughter.
So, the multitude that are going to come out of the time of tribulation are going to be innumerable. There will be a mass of humanity saved. The fact that chapter 7 begins with the description of the 144,000 witnesses and concludes with these who have been converted is reason to believe the 144,000 are the key evangelists in bringing about the. Presentation of the gospel, which elicited faith in the hearts of this innumerable multitude.
So here they are in heaven, which means they've been killed.
Now, some of them may have died a natural death, but the majority of them will have been a part of the massacre That started before the midpoint and escalated in the time called the Great Tribulation. These in heaven are those who came out of the Great Tribulation.
So the fifth seal then. Deals with the slaughter of Christians that starts with persecution in the first half and becomes wholesale massacre after the midpoint, and they keep killing Christians as long as they can until the very end. But having said all of that, the issue here is not martyrdom.
Some people say this seal is martyrdom, some say this seal is persecution. It is not. I waffle between two things.
Sometimes I say that the seal is vengeance, and sometimes I think it's prayer. And so I would just like to put a slash and say it's a prayer for vengeance or prayer, vengeance.
Now let's look specifically.
So At verse 9. I saw underneath. The altar. It would seem to be that these people were under the altar praying. Their prayers could be symbolized in ancient times by the incense rising from the top of the altar.
It's important at least to recognize this altar because it's going to show up again in this particular book of Revelation. As we have already seen it, do you remember that back in chapter 5, verse 8? There were golden bowls full of incense, which were the prayers of the saints. They may well have been. coming off that same Altar.
The incense may have been there and picked up from there and put into their bowls, which symbolize their prayers. Incense, as I said before, symbolizing prayer. Chapter 8, verse 3: Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer. Much incense was given to him that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar, which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints went up before God out of the angel's hand.
I think that's kind of the clincher. It probably was like the altar of incense, very near the throne of God, very near the sanctuary where God dwelt. The burnt offering altar was out farther away, and there would be no reason for any sacrifice in heaven. But this particular indication that the prayers of the saints still have a place. Seems more reasonable to attach it to the altar of incense, and that's the description in chapter 8 that.
we have there.
So here is a heavenly altar close Through the altar of incense in the Old Testament, but unique to heaven, near the place where God has his throne. The next question, now that we know where, is who? Who's here at this altar? It says the souls of those who had been slain. I've already told you who they are, those souls who were martyrs of the Great Tribulation.
They're described for us in verse 9 of chapter 7, which we read. The next question, we see where they were. We see who they were. The next question that hits us is: why were they slain? Why were they killed?
Because of the Word of God. With the restraining of the Holy Spirit gone, as I noted for you, merciless men will kill those who speak God's truth. Secondly. Because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had maintained. They will kill to silence their intimidating proclamation of the Word of God, and because of the testimony which they maintain, what testimony?
What does that mean? Go back to chapter 1, verse 2. This is a common phrase in Revelation, and you can see it, and it'll interpret for you. What he means, Revelation 1.2 says, The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his bondservants, verse 1, then in verse 2, who bore witness, speaking of John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ. Verse 9, I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom perseverance, which are in Jesus, I was on the island called Patmas.
He was persecuted, put in exile, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
Now go over to chapter 6, and you now know what the testimony means. The word of God and the testimony which they had maintained, namely the testimony of Jesus. They were not only saying what's happening is in the Bible, they were also saying Jesus is the Christ, Jesus is the deliverer, Jesus is the redeemer, Jesus is coming. They had maintained faithfully the testimony concerning Jesus Christ. They had maintained that.
As a part of their Uncompromising commitment. And they will do it all the way to death. without compromising. Yeah. It says in Revelation chapter 12, the dragon that is Satan was enraged with a woman that is Israel, went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, went off to kill the Christians who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
There's the same phrase again. They're committed to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Go to Revelation chapter 20 and verse 4. I saw thrones and they sat on them and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded.
Why were they beheaded? Because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God. And they didn't worship the beast or his image. And they didn't take the mark in their forehead and on their hand. And they came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
That's their resurrection when they get their bodies. All those scriptures tell us that the reason they were killed is because they stuck faithfully to living and preaching the Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The cause of their martyrdom then is faithfulness. to live and speak God's word and Christ's gospel.
So we meet the people.
Now let's get their petition in verse 10 very quickly. They cried out with a loud voice. And their cry is a cry for vengeance. How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth? It's an amazing thing that prayer plays a vital role in final judgment.
Prayer is a force. The force here is prayer for vengeance. What brings about the vengeance? Prayer. Isn't that amazing?
I think most of us assume that prayer doesn't have much effect. Prayer is one of the seals that brings about vengeance. Prayer is really the force. influencing the Holocaust yet to come in the wrath of God. In the day of the Lord.
Don't underestimate the importance of prayer. Prayer moves God's judgment. In Luke 18, 6 Jesus said, hear what the unrighteous judge said.
Now shall not God bring about justice for his elect who cry to him day and night? Will not God judge when his elect cry out to him? This intercession, then, beloved, in the fifth seal activates. The tortures to come in the sixth and seventh seals, which include the trumpet and bold judgments. And they cry out, it says with a loud voice, Kradzo.
It's a word that means urgency, fervency, very strong word. They're really exercised. They're very impassioned, they're crying out. Just as the glorified 24 elders and the four living creatures and all the rest of the angels in chapters 4 and 5 were loudly praising, these are loudly petitioning. And what are they saying?
How long, O Lord, holy and true? How long, O despotes, the word that means master and sovereign ruler, a stronger word than kurias, meaning lord, the word that holds the thought of might and power and majesty and authority. How long? You're holy. That means you've got to deal with sin.
You're true. You have to be faithful to your promise. You who are separate from evil, you who are faithful to your word, how long before you act against evil and keep your word? By the way, Jesus in chapter 3, verse 7 is called holy and true. Another indication that Jesus and God are the same.
They know that both attributes demand that God act in vengeance. He must end sin's dominance, and he must fulfill his promise of judgment.
So it is a strong and an urgent and a loud cry. And the question is: how long? They know it'll come, but how long do we have to wait? How long are you going to refrain from judging? How long until grace and mercy is exhausted and justice and punishment come?
It's time for prayers of vengeance. The third component in this seal is promise. And in this promise here, there are two things: a gift from God and a word from God. And both indicate promise. 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, should be completed also. First I got a gift. First God acted, then God spoke. There was given to each of them a white robe.
What does a white robe mean?
Well, you say, well, how could they put on a white robe their spirits?
Well, angels are spirits too, but they're seen as being clothed in white. It's a sign of purity, it's a sign of righteousness, a sign of blessedness, a sign of the beauty of holiness. The Greek term is a dazzling white robe of dignity and honor. Reaches to the ground, stole, from which we get the word stole. It's mentioned in chapter 3, verse 5.
Well, what it tells us is the Lord gave them honor and dignity and righteousness and purity to clothe them. Their souls are pure and righteous. As soon as they arrived, I believe they had that. By the way, they're arriving all the time here. More of them are accumulating under the altar.
as more of them are being killed. And when they arrive, I believe they receive this honor and dignity and righteousness and purity and holiness. To each one of them is given upon their arrival a white robe.
Okay. Symbolizing. the perfection that they have now entered into. And then it says, God not only gave them something, but he. said something.
They were told they should rest. for a little while longer. You might say, well, they're being impatient. No, they're not being impatient because they're perfect, and perfect people aren't impatient. They're in heaven.
Don't be concerned that they're impatient. That's not impatience. You say, well, they're bugging God. No, no, they're not bugging God.
Now perfect people don't bug God either. He's just saying It's coming. But you rest a while. Rest has the idea of heavenly rest. Bliss You don't be concerned about it.
It's not quite here yet. You just enjoy the bliss of heaven. You're perfectly holy. You're not out of control. You're not impatient.
You're not bugging me. You just enjoy your rest. A little time yet. A little time yet. Gotta wait a little while longer.
That phrase A little while longer. Is used in chapter 12, verse 12, to speak about Satan's time. He's going to work a little while longer. Just a little well we're We're already moving toward that midpoint, so it's just a little while longer. But what are we waiting for?
Until the number of your fellow servants and your brethren who also are to be killed, even as you have been, should be completed. Also, there's a predetermined prescribed number that are going to be killed, and You're just going to have to enjoy the bliss of heaven until that predetermined number who are scheduled for death. is reached. Satan, the Antichrist, and the ungodly aren't through with the slaughter. It won't end right just right until Christ comes.
So you just rest. Vengeance is coming. The world is headed. in this direction. You can't even think about this without a certain frightening feeling.
On the one hand, we long for the salvation of the ungodly. On the other hand, we long for the vindication of righteousness. On the one hand, we love sinners. On the other hand, we hate their sin. On the one hand, we wish that all could come into the bliss of heaven.
On the other hand, we cry for the destruction of sinners who have shaken their fist in the face of Jesus Christ. and spit on him and crucified him, as it were.
So, our smiles of anticipation are mingled with tears of sorrow. For us in this day, we can at least say today is the day of salvation, can't we? The day of vengeance hasn't come yet. Another thought comes to mind as we close. It seems to me today discipleship is somewhat ignored, and Christianity is fairly cheap, but it may be getting more costly all the time.
In that day, thousands and thousands will seal their testimony with their own blood. Thousands of believers are going to be true to the Word of God and true to Christ, and it's going to cost them their lives.
Some people think that that'll be the church because they don't believe the church will be raptured before the tribulation. Certainly, that's a possibility, and those people can amass a good argument. In either case, whether it's Church, as we know it, people who are alive then, or whether it's new believers who are alive then, they will pay dearly for their faith. They will stand the acid test of being faithful unto death. I'd like to be able to stand with them in eternity and not feel embarrassed, wouldn't you?
Boy, you look at the news today and you imagine that man is so sophisticated. He thinks that his evolution has brought him so high I mean, he's got to be long past the days of massacring people, no? Man is a wicked, wretched animal, and it's only the restraining power of the Holy Spirit that holds him back. The world is not too enlightened, it's not too humane, it's not too civilized, it's not. too pervaded with reason and education.
To repeat the atrocities of past history, it's going to enter into atrocities that men haven't even conceived of. Slaughter and massacre unheard of. Why? Because it'll be turned over. to Satan unrestrained.
So these saints are said To be under the altar praying for the day when righteousness is vindicated. And the Lord says. I give you righteousness.
Now in promise of a future righteousness. for all in the kingdom. And in the eternal state as well, I give you. The reminder, there's a little time. Enjoy the bliss of heaven.
For us, there's still a lot of time.
Well, what is a lot?
Some time. We're still in the age of grace, aren't we? And we have to show mercy and compassion to those around us. And bring them the saving gospel, which alone. Can keep them from this.
Can we be as faithful as these dear folks will be to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus? I hope so. That's John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University and Seminary. Today's lesson here on Grace to You is from John's study called The Beginning of the End. You know, John, in a series like this, really all your teaching, I am amazed by the amount of detail you bring into it.
A lot of work goes into your sermon preparation. And with that said, this teaching method of dealing with a text of scripture and all the details in the context, some people would say it doesn't work for everyone, for every age group or for every culture. And so let me ask, when it comes to making God's Word relevant, does this one teaching method work in every case?
Well, it's not a matter of whether it works. I mean, what do you mean works? I mean it's uh attractive or entertaining. No, it it it has to be done this way. It's the only way you can get to the meaning.
An ancient truth ancient revelation has an ancient context. You do no service to scripture if you don't deal with that context. This is the thing that I hear. Story of Goliath is an illustration. David puts stones in his sling.
kills Goliath. What stones do you have in your sling that'll kill the Goliaths in your life? This is an abomination. Right. This is a travesty.
What was going on between Goliath and David had nothing to do with your spiritual struggles. It had to do with the honor of God being protected when it was being assaulted in the abominable religion and action of the Philistines. But this is common stuff. Where you take a story in the Bible and you ignore the meaning, you ignore the history, you ignore the context. You can't do that and come to an accurate interpretation.
You prostitute the scripture and you literally substitute your own interpretation for the one that God Himself. ordained. We're so grateful that the Lord has led us to do the hard work.
so that you can be protected from wrong understanding, so that you're not tossed here and there by waves and winds of doctrine, trickery of men, craftiness and deceitful scheming. God's Word doesn't need new methods, fresh techniques, doesn't need your clever ideas, doesn't need your creativity. Listen, it doesn't need you at all to do anything but set yourself aside and find out what God meant by what He said. Grace to you has always been committed to that. It'll never change.
We thank you for your partnership. And if you haven't gotten in touch with us before, contact us. Start receiving our monthly newsletter. and learn to be a part of a group of folks who interpret the Word of God accurately so that they can receive the full revelation God intended. Thanks, John.
And again, friend, with every monthly letter, you will receive an offer for a book or some other resource by John, and they are always free.
So ask to start receiving our monthly letter when you contact us today. You can email your request to letters at gty.org. That's letters at gty.org. Or you can use our regular mail and write to grace to you, box4000, Panorama City, California, 91412. or call us at 80055 BRACE.
However you get in touch, be sure to ask to start receiving our monthly letter. And if you're looking for a particular resource that will deepen your study of Scripture, let me suggest our flagship resource, the MacArthur Study Bible. The Study Bible has 25,000 detailed notes that help you understand and properly interpret what you read in God's Word. To order your copy of the MacArthur Study Bible, it's available in the English Standard, the New King James and New American Standard, and the Legacy Standard versions. To order, call us at 80055GRACE or shop online at gty.org.
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Now for John MacArthur and the entire Grace to You staff, I'm Phil Johnson. Be back next time when John shows you why you need to care about the future events that are laid out in Scripture, even if you may not be around to experience them. It's another 30 minutes of Unleashing God's Truth one verse at a time on tomorrow's Grace to You.
