Word of Encouragement (11/02/2021)
“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been” (Rev. 6:9-11).
This prayer is offered by those, who are now in heaven. They are described as “those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.” I do not think that this description refers only to those who were actually martyred for their Christian witness. It seems that there are different “classes” of Christians in heaven. This is not to deny that all believers will be glorified and perfected in the image of God and, as a result, we will all be “not able to sin.” In this regard, we will all be “equal.”
But we cannot deny also that Paul often speaks of rewards that Christians will receive according to their service to the Lord. Paul even says, “If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Cor. 3:15). In a similar vein, we can think of the thief on the cross. Even though Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43), having been dramatically saved at the very last minute, he had no time to work for the Lord. Surely, he cannot possibly occupy the same place of honor as Paul in heaven!
Even so, I believe that even the thief on the cross is included in those who are described as having been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had born. The purpose of Revelation is not to provide a detailed, photo-like description of heaven. As a prophetic book, it is highly symbolic and simplistic. So, the unbelievers are consistently described as “those who dwell on the earth” (even though believers dwell on the earth, too). This description is used in this very prayer (v. 10). It shows their earthly-mindedness as their dominant characteristic. This is not to say that all unbelievers are equally earthly-minded; some may be very religious, even. But insofar as they don’t desire the heaven of the Bible, they are all considered earthly-minded.
The believers, on the other hand, are consistently described as “witnesses” in Revelation. This is to show what our main mission in life is. Are we all as zealous as Paul in bearing witness to Christ? Unfortunately, no. But Revelation reminds us of what our fundamental identity is, why God has brought to Himself, why God is extending our lives day to day, why God has made us the way we are and blessed us with what we have, and why God has brought us into the various relationships we have in this life.
It seems that God sees you as His witness. God treats you as His witness. He provides you with everything you need to be His joyful, winsome, competent witness. God constantly provides you with the opportunity to bear His witness (even when you are alone, doing what you are doing for His glory). And, when you die, He will honor you as His witness: He will see your death as the death of one who was slain for the word of God and for the witness you had borne. May the Spirit imprint this deep in our soul so that God's view of us will be our view of ourselves, which will compel us to live as God's witness in all that we do!