Revelation 6:9-17
Verse 9-10 the next seal being the fifth has the Apostle John observing an Altar and the souls under it that were slain for their testimony of the Word of God crying out for vengeance.
The Altar that John sees here could be the Golden Altar of Incense in 8:3. Altars mentioned through out the book. It does make sense that it could be this Altar for it carries the smoke of incense which is the prayers of the saints on it.
So we have incense and a vial both representing the prayers of the saints. Again this points to the Seven Churches as the subject of the book of Revelation and their involvement in what will be taking place during the Tribulation Period. If we research through the Epistles to the Churches in the New Testament, we would see that Judgment is given to the Church and why, because it is the Body of Christ of which Christ the Judge is the Head.
Being this Altar is burning the incense of the prayers of the saints, then this would be the likely place for these martyrs for the scene has them praying to God for vengeance. There are other Bible teachers that believe that this is the Altar of sacrifice represented on the earth at the Tabernacle and Temple.
The understanding is that since they are martyrs which too is a sacrifice, it is fitting for them to be there. Regardless, it is an Altar and apparently this is where they have been assigned by God for their Comfort.
Notice that they all are given white robes which represent holiness, purity and being washed clean by the blood of the Lamb. They were instructed to rest which also means that all their needs are provided and that they will never suffer again.
Now there seems to be two opinions concerning who these martyrs are. One opinion is that they are only the Tribulation martyrs since others were to join them out of the Tribulation Period. The other opinion involves all martyrs from the beginning of time.
This passage is not specific enough to say which one is right and again it really does not matter. My opinion is that it is all martyrs for the statement that they were slain for the testimony of the Word of God and we can see that through the whole Bible.
So we will take this scene for what it is and that the martyrs are enjoying themselves as well as being in the box seats of the Throne Room to watch all that is taking place!
Verses 12-17 the sixth seal is opened, a great earthquake happens and a Solar and Lunar Eclipse takes place per the description of the sun like sack cloth which is dark and a blood red moon. If you have ever witness a Solar and Lunar Eclipse you would see why John describes them as such. They do take on this appearance he describes.
We see stars (meteors likely) falling to the earth and the heavens depart like a scroll. Apparently something of quite a supernatural magnitude takes place with the skies for John to say that they roll up like a scroll. Must be some major activity with the sun, moon and stars to give this appearance?
We should also note that this could reference something of a spiritual nature in which the physical sky disappears to where men on earth are seeing into the spirit realm at this moment for verses 15-17 demonstrate this by the rulers of the earth trying to hide themselves. We also have and example of this in Acts 7 when Stephen is being stoned to death and looks up to see Jesus stand up to honor and receive him up into Heaven.
The fear was so great these rulers wanted the mountains and the rocks to cover them so they would not have to look on to the face of Him who sits on the Throne. So they had to see something to be in such fear.
We also see movement in the mountains and Islands which is not unusual in an earthquake to be moved out of place, for when the Indonesian earthquake of 2005 to place, there was geographical movement that has been recorded in the earth.
Now a point of dispute and that is when all this will take place in the Tribulation Period. Well some believe that there will be different earthquakes through out and others believe that this is the one that takes place when Jesus returns at the end of the seven years and places his feet on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and it splits.
Again the facts are that these events are going to happen, so the precise timing may or may not be revealed to us until we are standing in Heaven watching.
However a side note. There has been much discussion of a cycle of Solar and Lunar eclipses according the NASA that will take place around the feast of Israel in 2014 and 2015. They are to take place both in the Spring and the Autumn of those years.
It is understood that this will not be repeated for hundreds of years. I don’t know how they know these things but if true, then if these eclipses are to coincide with the earthquake of the sixth seal, then this could not happen at the end of Tribulation, for they are coming upon us only in one more year from now.
This could be very exciting for those who await the return of Jesus in the Rapture for this would indicate a soon return.
So the Sixth seal has been opened and we move onto the Seventh.
