Be Ready

DEVOTION

THE REVELATION

BE READY

Rev 6:9-11

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.

NIV

We have run out of the four living creatures to invite John to come and see what has been revealed as the lamb opens the fifth seal and more of the scroll is revealed, yet John is there to view what now can been seen. He saw an altar with souls under it. These are the people who have been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. The Greek word translated slain, carries a far more brutal meaning than our word slain implies. This word means to butcher an animal for sacrifice. If this writing on the scroll is of things that are now and that which is to come and we have had somewhere around two thousand years or so from the time John was able to see this portion of the scroll it is possible that some of those souls are already there, under the altar. But it is also possible that some more will join them. Many people have indeed been martyred for their faith. Many of the Apostles were butchered for their faith in Jesus and the testimony they maintained. We are seeing Christians being slain even today in other parts of the world and even some here in American. The number of those killed for the sake of the gospel may not yet be complete. We should know those who have been slain are not actually crying out for vengeance, but some people have used the term blood cries for blood, in the sense that justice might be served that every murderer, every persecutor of such a crime will be punished. We have to believe those souls who are under this altar are not sad, or are crying for justice, for they are with God and must be in a state of perfect contentment and joy. Yet there is more to join them. We should be ready for such a fate if that is what is to come. Many people who join the armed forces know they may have to give their lives for their country. They know it could happen even when they are not deployed in some battle zone. We have had extremists murder our soldiers who were at home. We also have all the people who serve as police who know they might be killed in the line of duty and still all these people willing do their jobs. This is the attitude we Christians need to have. We will live out our testimony of the gospel, speaking out, living out loud, and knowing that we might be killed for our faith someday.  A day could come when we will be actually murdered, slain, butchered because we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior. But there also is another form of being slain that may not include actual murder. This is the simple persecution by those who oppose God and his standards. We could lose our jobs, or be passed over for promotions or one of many other forms of hatred toward us, if we continue to be the voice for God to those who need to hear the truth. But it is most likely what John saw was actually murdered members of the Body of Christ. We need to be prepared if we are the part that completes the number. This is not just dying because we are believers, but this is brutal butchering, as we have witnessed these Islamic terrorists groups like ISIS do to Christians. We need to be ready to maintain our testimony if we are meant to be a part of that number. That is not to say we will be, but if we are, we need to be ready.