In Chapter 8 we will see the 7th seal brokened. When the 7th seal is brokened it brings forth 7 trumpets. Sounding one at a time, each one will bring forth a distinct part of the wrath of God.
When the seal is broken, there will be silence in heaven for about a half an hour. I would like to be able to tell you exactly why there was silence in heaven for a half hour, but it would only be speculation. I would imagine that silence in heaven is not a common event. Usually we have seen the elders and angels before the throne proclaiming praises to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. I would speculate that it was a solemn preparation for what was shortly about to take place. In this John saw :
1) The 7 angels who stand before God, each given a trumpet.
2) Another angel stood at the altar holding a golden censer, and incense was given to him, so that he could add it to the prayers of the saints that were upon the golden altar, that was before the throne.
Remember, in Chapter 5, we saw golden bowls filled with incense, which were the prayers of the saints. In Chapter 6, we saw the saints under the altar crying out with a loud voice,
"How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
On earth, the saints lived with the command from the apostle Paul, in the book of Romans, 12th chapter, verse 19,
"Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine , I will repay,' says the Lord."
This was definitely a common prayer before God, by the saints. So in combination with all the other prayers ever prayed, by all the saints, the response by God to all these prayers were about to be answered. Remember, the apostle Peter wrote in his 2nd letter Chapter 3, verse 9,
" The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
This would seem to be a solemn moment for Jesus. He is glad that His bride, the church, is with Him, but mindful of all those who had refused to receive Him unto eternal life. They must now receive the conscequence of not doing so, which is the wrath of God. Jesus must act, because they are destroying men and the earth, with their militaries and weapons. All who are left are following the commands of the anti -christ and have received the mark of the beast.
3) The smoke of the incense, with the prayers or the saints, went up before God out of the angels hand.
4) The angel took the censer, and he filled it with the fire of the altar and threw it to the earth.
5) There followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
6) The 7 angels who had the 7 trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Revelations Chapter 7
When we finished up Chapter 6, we saw the inhabitants who were left on the earth saying, "Ooops". The sky had opened up and they saw into heaven. They saw Jesus preparing to come to execute His wrath and they knew it. For they cried out saying to the mountains and rocks,
" Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from
the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?"
What we will find herein Chapter 7 are two distinct groups of people.
First, it is going to refer to 144,000 people from the 12 tribes of Israel that will receive a seal from God that will allow them to go through the great tribulation and wrath of God without being harmed.
Second, it will refer to all those who received the truth of Jesus as to be saved, standing before the throne of God. These are the believers whose sins have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. They are also the ones who participated in the first resurrection and were caught up to meet Jesus in the air.
John saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And John saw another angel asending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying,
"Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the bond-servants
of our God on their foreheads."
And John heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. Now the sons of Israel, means the sons of Jacob. Jacobs name was changed to Israel. Jacob had twelve sons, Judah, through which was the lineage Jesus came into the world through Mary, Reuben, Gad , Asher, Naphtali, Mannasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
Now each of the sons families ( Desendents) are referred to as a tribe. Now from these desendents it has been granted that 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes will recieve the seal of God that will protect them from the wrath to come. Therefore we have 144,000 total sealed.
After this scene, John looked and 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.
We saw part of this group in Chapter 6, when the 5th seal was broken. They were waiting for their fellow servants, who were to be killed as some of them had been, to be complete. When we saw some of this group they were under the altar and now we see them before the throne and the Lamb. This is the completed Church (Body)(Bride), however you want to refer to it. The resurrection has taken place and the dead and those who where alive when Jesus returned for them, are now before the throne in their new resurrected glorified bodies. They were all crying out with a loud voice, saying;
"Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to 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 facesbefore the throne and worshiped God, saying;
"Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
be to our God forever and ever. Amen."
The angels are quite amazed at these New Creations that they are looking at. They now see the final product and what their God was doing by going to the earth and dying on a cross. They really had no clue until they saw them complete. These New Creations are a higher being than the angels.
One of the elders asked John,
"These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and from where have they come?"
John replied, My lord you know. Then the elder said;
"These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed
their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they
are before the throne of God; and they srve Him day and night in His temple;
and He who sits on the throne shall spred His tabernacle over them."
These are the New Creation that are created at the first resurrection. This is what Jesus was talking about when He said in John's Gospel, in the 14th Chapter, verses 2 and 3,
" In my Father's house (God's dwelling place has always been referred to as His
tabernacle) are many dwelling places: if it were not so then I would have told you;
For I go to prepare a place for you. And if he go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
The elder completes the Chapter by saying this,
" They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun beat down
on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne (Notice that Jesus is
on the center of the throne of God) shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them to
springs of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes."
If you would like learn more about these New Creations, please read my previous blogs. Peace to you.
" Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from
the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?"
What we will find herein Chapter 7 are two distinct groups of people.
First, it is going to refer to 144,000 people from the 12 tribes of Israel that will receive a seal from God that will allow them to go through the great tribulation and wrath of God without being harmed.
Second, it will refer to all those who received the truth of Jesus as to be saved, standing before the throne of God. These are the believers whose sins have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. They are also the ones who participated in the first resurrection and were caught up to meet Jesus in the air.
John saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And John saw another angel asending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying,
"Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the bond-servants
of our God on their foreheads."
And John heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. Now the sons of Israel, means the sons of Jacob. Jacobs name was changed to Israel. Jacob had twelve sons, Judah, through which was the lineage Jesus came into the world through Mary, Reuben, Gad , Asher, Naphtali, Mannasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
Now each of the sons families ( Desendents) are referred to as a tribe. Now from these desendents it has been granted that 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes will recieve the seal of God that will protect them from the wrath to come. Therefore we have 144,000 total sealed.
After this scene, John looked and 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.
We saw part of this group in Chapter 6, when the 5th seal was broken. They were waiting for their fellow servants, who were to be killed as some of them had been, to be complete. When we saw some of this group they were under the altar and now we see them before the throne and the Lamb. This is the completed Church (Body)(Bride), however you want to refer to it. The resurrection has taken place and the dead and those who where alive when Jesus returned for them, are now before the throne in their new resurrected glorified bodies. They were all crying out with a loud voice, saying;
"Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to 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 facesbefore the throne and worshiped God, saying;
"Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
be to our God forever and ever. Amen."
The angels are quite amazed at these New Creations that they are looking at. They now see the final product and what their God was doing by going to the earth and dying on a cross. They really had no clue until they saw them complete. These New Creations are a higher being than the angels.
One of the elders asked John,
"These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and from where have they come?"
John replied, My lord you know. Then the elder said;
"These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed
their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they
are before the throne of God; and they srve Him day and night in His temple;
and He who sits on the throne shall spred His tabernacle over them."
These are the New Creation that are created at the first resurrection. This is what Jesus was talking about when He said in John's Gospel, in the 14th Chapter, verses 2 and 3,
" In my Father's house (God's dwelling place has always been referred to as His
tabernacle) are many dwelling places: if it were not so then I would have told you;
For I go to prepare a place for you. And if he go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
The elder completes the Chapter by saying this,
" They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun beat down
on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne (Notice that Jesus is
on the center of the throne of God) shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them to
springs of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes."
If you would like learn more about these New Creations, please read my previous blogs. Peace to you.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Revelation Chapter 6 ( Part 5 ) 6th Seal
When the 6th seal is boken, it will bring forth the 'Day of the Lord'. Righr after the full number of saints, who are to be martyred, are murdered because of their testimony of Jesus, Jesus will gather them together to Himself in the air. At that time, they will be transformed into their new glorified bodies and given white horses. Jesus will then bring them with Himelf to the earth, on their white horses, to execute His wrath. Jesus' wrath will come because He must stop those who are destoying the earth with their military weapons, and to avenge the blood of the saints who were martyred. The world will reap what they have sown. The only ones left on the earth at that time are the ones who refused to receive the truth of Jesus to be saved. Like Noah's Ark rescued those from the flood, Jesus is the Ark that will rescue people from the wrath to come. Anyone can get on it.
John writes;
"And I looked when He broke the 6th seal, and there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became
like blood;"
In the very last chapter of the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi wrote this;
"For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every
evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the Lord
of hosts, 'so that it will leave them neither root nor branch."
This is not a pretty picture and it would be easier to not have to paint it, but the fact is, I did not paint the original. This is Jesus painting and I am just painting what I am seeing. It would be nice to paint a prettier picture concerning the end times and I am sure that you can find many who will do that for you. The apostle Paul wrote in his 2nd letter to Timothy in the 4th Chapter, verse 3 and 4;
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to
have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance
to their own desires; and will turn away from the truth, and will turn aside to myths."
I have no reason to tell you anything but what I believe to be true. I don't collect offerings and therefore I am not afraid of loosing your support. For me, this rings true, " To whom much is given , much is required." So because this is what Jesus has revealed to me in His word, I am now required to share what I know and to be as accurate as possible.
Malachi went on to write;
"But for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings,
and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. And you will tread down
the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am
preparing,"says the Lord of hosts.
So when John wrote that the sun will be black as sackcloth and the whole moon will be as blood, this will be because of the smoke from the burning fire.
The prophet Joel, in his 2nd chapter, is even more descriptive of this event when he writes;
" For the day of the Lord is coming; Surely it is near, A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the moutains,
So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again after it to the years of many generations. A fire consumes
before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden
before them, But a desolate wilderness behind them, and nothing at all escapes them.
Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like war horses, so they run.
..........The sun and the moon grow dark, And the stars loose their brightness.
And the Lord utters His voice before His army; Surely His camp is very great,
For strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the Lord is great and very
awesome, And who can endure it.........Now return to the Lord your God, For He is
gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness."
Jesus, throughout all the prophets, has always foretold of this day and warned everybody so that no soul would have to be lost. This message that was spoken through the prophets, cost every one of them their lives. It was not a message that anyone wanted to hear. But with this message, they all wrote about the mercy and grace of God that gives them a way out. The apostle Peter wrote in the same way in the last chapter of his 2nd letter, when in Chapter 3, verses 7, 9, 10 and 13;
"But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for
the day of judgement and destuction of ungodly men.........The Lord is not slow about
His promise, as some count slowness , but is patient towards you, not wishing for any
to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,
in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed
with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.......But according
to His promise we are looking for a new heavens and a new earth, in which
righteousness dwells."
John finishes Chapter 6 with this;
"and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe fruit
when shaken by a great wind. And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up;
and every mountain and island were moved out of their place. And the kings of the earth
and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strongand every slave and
free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said
to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who
sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come
and who is able to stand?"
The heavens will open and there will no longer be a division between the physical and spiritual realms. Man will be able to look into heaven and see what is coming at them and will desire to hide from its presence.
The prophet Isaiah wote in his 13th Chapter about this day, and refers to the believers role this way;
"I have commanded my consecrated ones, I have even called my mighty warriors, My
proudly exalted ones, to execute My anger. A sound of tumult on the mountains,
Like that of many people! A sound of the uproar of kingdoms, Of nations gathered together!
The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle. They are coming from a far country
From the end of heaven, The Lord and His insrtuments of indignation, to destroy the whole
Land."
If you have not read my earlier blogs, please read The New Creation, June 2011. Peace to you.
John writes;
"And I looked when He broke the 6th seal, and there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became
like blood;"
In the very last chapter of the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi wrote this;
"For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every
evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the Lord
of hosts, 'so that it will leave them neither root nor branch."
This is not a pretty picture and it would be easier to not have to paint it, but the fact is, I did not paint the original. This is Jesus painting and I am just painting what I am seeing. It would be nice to paint a prettier picture concerning the end times and I am sure that you can find many who will do that for you. The apostle Paul wrote in his 2nd letter to Timothy in the 4th Chapter, verse 3 and 4;
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to
have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance
to their own desires; and will turn away from the truth, and will turn aside to myths."
I have no reason to tell you anything but what I believe to be true. I don't collect offerings and therefore I am not afraid of loosing your support. For me, this rings true, " To whom much is given , much is required." So because this is what Jesus has revealed to me in His word, I am now required to share what I know and to be as accurate as possible.
Malachi went on to write;
"But for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings,
and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. And you will tread down
the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am
preparing,"says the Lord of hosts.
So when John wrote that the sun will be black as sackcloth and the whole moon will be as blood, this will be because of the smoke from the burning fire.
The prophet Joel, in his 2nd chapter, is even more descriptive of this event when he writes;
" For the day of the Lord is coming; Surely it is near, A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the moutains,
So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again after it to the years of many generations. A fire consumes
before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden
before them, But a desolate wilderness behind them, and nothing at all escapes them.
Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like war horses, so they run.
..........The sun and the moon grow dark, And the stars loose their brightness.
And the Lord utters His voice before His army; Surely His camp is very great,
For strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the Lord is great and very
awesome, And who can endure it.........Now return to the Lord your God, For He is
gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness."
Jesus, throughout all the prophets, has always foretold of this day and warned everybody so that no soul would have to be lost. This message that was spoken through the prophets, cost every one of them their lives. It was not a message that anyone wanted to hear. But with this message, they all wrote about the mercy and grace of God that gives them a way out. The apostle Peter wrote in the same way in the last chapter of his 2nd letter, when in Chapter 3, verses 7, 9, 10 and 13;
"But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for
the day of judgement and destuction of ungodly men.........The Lord is not slow about
His promise, as some count slowness , but is patient towards you, not wishing for any
to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,
in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed
with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.......But according
to His promise we are looking for a new heavens and a new earth, in which
righteousness dwells."
John finishes Chapter 6 with this;
"and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe fruit
when shaken by a great wind. And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up;
and every mountain and island were moved out of their place. And the kings of the earth
and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strongand every slave and
free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said
to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who
sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come
and who is able to stand?"
The heavens will open and there will no longer be a division between the physical and spiritual realms. Man will be able to look into heaven and see what is coming at them and will desire to hide from its presence.
The prophet Isaiah wote in his 13th Chapter about this day, and refers to the believers role this way;
"I have commanded my consecrated ones, I have even called my mighty warriors, My
proudly exalted ones, to execute My anger. A sound of tumult on the mountains,
Like that of many people! A sound of the uproar of kingdoms, Of nations gathered together!
The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle. They are coming from a far country
From the end of heaven, The Lord and His insrtuments of indignation, to destroy the whole
Land."
If you have not read my earlier blogs, please read The New Creation, June 2011. Peace to you.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Revelation Chapter 6 ( Part 4 ) 5th Seal
When the 5th seal was broken, John 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.
I guess you can say that writing this blog puts my life at risk. That's ok, I have always known the risk of defending and proclaiming the truth. The reward far out ways the consequences. With my love for Jesus, it has never been a conscern. One thing to notice is that it says that they maintained their testimony. Despite what might happen to them, they did not shy away from their testimony of Jesus.
John saw these souls crying out with a loud voice, saying,
"How long , O Lord, holy and true, wilt thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Those left on the earth who are quilty of killing and shedding the blood of the saints, will reap what they have sown.
The saints were each given a white robe, and were told that they should rest 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 complete also.
When it says that they are under the altar, it made me think as to why are they under the altar. Paul wrote in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians, in the 5th chapter, verse 8, "we are of good courage, I say, and to prefer rather to be absent from the body and too be at home with the Lord." What Paul is saying is that, for a believer, when they die their soul is present with the Lord. Then why do we see them under the altar? We find them in heaven, where the presence of the Lord is, but they are waiting in white robes under the altar for what? We know that they are waiting for the full number of martyrs to be complete, but why?
The altar is where the sacifices are made for the forgiveness of sins. We saw in Chapter 5, verse 6, that John saw a Lamb in the middle of the throne. The Lambs ( Jesus' ) blood that was slain on the altar of God, for the forgiveness of sin, is what allows us to come into His presence. We read that, though our sins are red like cremson, they will be white as snow. From His throne, when Jesus looks through His altar, where His blood flows red and looks at the believers red sin, He sees white. If you look at anything colored red though red glass, it is white. Thus the white robes.
John writes in Revelation Chapter 7, verse 14,
".....These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." The overcomers reward in the letter to the church in Sardis was that they would be clothed in white garments. Why are they waiting under the altar?
The Apostle Paul wrote this in his letter to the Ephesians in Chapter 5, verses 25 -27, when comparing the relationship between a man and his wife, to Jesus and the church.
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having clensed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless."
Jesus will return to call to himself a spotless and blameless bride, the church. Those under the altar are waiting because the bride is not yet complete. Jesus will not return for a bride that still has parts missing. Part of the bride is still on the earth with sinful bodies. So Jesus still has to view them through His blood to see them without sin. When the body is complete, then Jesus will return to call her to Himself.
This is what we have read in Paul's letter to the Thessalonian's in Chapter 4, verses 16 and 17,
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then those who are alive and remain shall be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord."
The dead are raised first because the souls of the dead are under the altar and their bodies are buried or in ashes throughout the earth. It will take a twinkle of an eye longer to transform their bodies to the new glorified bodies when they join up with their souls, since those who are still alive are intact with soul and body. Jesus will gather them all together ( One Body ) to Himself in the air, with their new glorified bodies, and there they shall always be with Him. They will be One with Him on His throne of rule. A creation that will be higher than the angels.
In Revelation Chapter 19, verses 7 and 8;
" Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made Herself ready." And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."
What are the righteous acts of the saints? The main one is the act of receiving what Jesus did for them on the cross and coming under His blood and allowing Him to come into their hearts to make them a new creation.
In verses 11 and 14 John saw this;
" And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He will wage war............And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, where following Him on white horses."
So these souls will go from waiting under the altar, to receiving their new glorified bodies. They will then be given white horses to ride with Jesus, when Jesus comes to the earth to avenge the blood of the saints and to destroy those who are detroying the earth.
I guess you can say that writing this blog puts my life at risk. That's ok, I have always known the risk of defending and proclaiming the truth. The reward far out ways the consequences. With my love for Jesus, it has never been a conscern. One thing to notice is that it says that they maintained their testimony. Despite what might happen to them, they did not shy away from their testimony of Jesus.
John saw these souls crying out with a loud voice, saying,
"How long , O Lord, holy and true, wilt thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Those left on the earth who are quilty of killing and shedding the blood of the saints, will reap what they have sown.
The saints were each given a white robe, and were told that they should rest 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 complete also.
When it says that they are under the altar, it made me think as to why are they under the altar. Paul wrote in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians, in the 5th chapter, verse 8, "we are of good courage, I say, and to prefer rather to be absent from the body and too be at home with the Lord." What Paul is saying is that, for a believer, when they die their soul is present with the Lord. Then why do we see them under the altar? We find them in heaven, where the presence of the Lord is, but they are waiting in white robes under the altar for what? We know that they are waiting for the full number of martyrs to be complete, but why?
The altar is where the sacifices are made for the forgiveness of sins. We saw in Chapter 5, verse 6, that John saw a Lamb in the middle of the throne. The Lambs ( Jesus' ) blood that was slain on the altar of God, for the forgiveness of sin, is what allows us to come into His presence. We read that, though our sins are red like cremson, they will be white as snow. From His throne, when Jesus looks through His altar, where His blood flows red and looks at the believers red sin, He sees white. If you look at anything colored red though red glass, it is white. Thus the white robes.
John writes in Revelation Chapter 7, verse 14,
".....These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." The overcomers reward in the letter to the church in Sardis was that they would be clothed in white garments. Why are they waiting under the altar?
The Apostle Paul wrote this in his letter to the Ephesians in Chapter 5, verses 25 -27, when comparing the relationship between a man and his wife, to Jesus and the church.
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having clensed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless."
Jesus will return to call to himself a spotless and blameless bride, the church. Those under the altar are waiting because the bride is not yet complete. Jesus will not return for a bride that still has parts missing. Part of the bride is still on the earth with sinful bodies. So Jesus still has to view them through His blood to see them without sin. When the body is complete, then Jesus will return to call her to Himself.
This is what we have read in Paul's letter to the Thessalonian's in Chapter 4, verses 16 and 17,
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then those who are alive and remain shall be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord."
The dead are raised first because the souls of the dead are under the altar and their bodies are buried or in ashes throughout the earth. It will take a twinkle of an eye longer to transform their bodies to the new glorified bodies when they join up with their souls, since those who are still alive are intact with soul and body. Jesus will gather them all together ( One Body ) to Himself in the air, with their new glorified bodies, and there they shall always be with Him. They will be One with Him on His throne of rule. A creation that will be higher than the angels.
In Revelation Chapter 19, verses 7 and 8;
" Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made Herself ready." And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."
What are the righteous acts of the saints? The main one is the act of receiving what Jesus did for them on the cross and coming under His blood and allowing Him to come into their hearts to make them a new creation.
In verses 11 and 14 John saw this;
" And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He will wage war............And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, where following Him on white horses."
So these souls will go from waiting under the altar, to receiving their new glorified bodies. They will then be given white horses to ride with Jesus, when Jesus comes to the earth to avenge the blood of the saints and to destroy those who are detroying the earth.
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