BIBLE
DIGEST - Number 75 September
1996
THE SOULS UNDER THE ALTAR
by Allon
Maxwell
|
"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 thou wilt judge and avenge our
blood on those who dwell upon 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 brethren should be complete, who were to be killed as they
themselves had been." Revelation
6:9-11 The passage above, is often erroneously quoted as
"proof" of the doctrine of the "Immortality of the Soul".
However, when it is used that way, it contradicts the great weight of other
Scripture, which plainly says that: *
The dead are "asleep"
without any conscious existence. Daniel 12:2
& 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15
& Ecclesiastes 9:5 *
All hope of life after death
depends entirely on God's promise of a future resurrection of the Body. 1 Corinthians 15:12-21 Since the rest
of Scripture tells us plainly that the dead are "asleep" and that
"the dead know not anything", these verses cannot be saying
the opposite! That
is our starting point. A BOOK OF
SYMBOLS We must be
cautious about applying literal meanings to the symbols used in the
Apocalypse. Especially, it is very dangerous to use such a vision as a
foundation for theology about "inherent immortality of souls". The Apocalypse
is largely a book of prophecy about events future to John's day. It is a
record of John's vision of the long period of history between the first
century and the final establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. John uses
symbols which properly understood, and with the hindsight of nearly 2000
years since John's day, enable us to identify broad time periods in history.
We are able to recognise events leading up to the final day of Judgement and
the establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth. We are able to perceive the
part played by empires, and the Apostate Church, as they impact on God's
people. "SOUL",
"PSUCHE", & "NEPHESH" The word
"Soul" in this passage, is from the Greek word "Psuche". This is a
fairly complex word with a variety of meanings. According to the lexicons, it
means "animal life" or "breath" or "the inner
self". Bromley's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says that
it is "natural and physical life". Sometimes it means simply
"the person". It does not mean "immortal
soul". The Hebrew
equivalent in the Old Testament, is "nephesh". When God says, "the life
of the flesh is in the blood" Leviticus
17:11 the Hebrew word translated "life" is "nephesh".
Other similar uses of "nephesh" in this way, are found in Genesis 9:4 & Leviticus 17:14. THE ALTAR John's vision
of "souls under the altar" is using an Old Testament symbol to
prophesy of a time which was to come, when many would be martyred,
sacrificing their lives for the word of God. The use of the
word "altar" in Revelation 6:9,
reminds us of the Brazen Altar in It is worth
noting that John nowhere says that this altar is in Heaven. The
"sacrificial altar" on which the vision said these martyrs would
shed their blood is actually on earth ..... not in Heaven. THE LOUD VOICE As to the dead
crying out to God ..... that also is another picture from the Old Testament.
Compare this vision with similar figurative language which God used about the
blood of Abel which "cried from the ground". Genesis 4:10 John's vision
is not given to say that martyred saints can speak from beyond death. They
could not literally be doing this because other scriptures tell
us plainly that they are dead. They are asleep, and they "know not
anything". Ecclesiastes
9:5 But for the purpose of the vision they are
made to speak with a "loud voice". This is no
different to "the voice of Abel's blood". Abel's blood did not have
a literal voice. But God could see it, and "hear" its
silent effective witness to murder. Just so with
these martyred saints. Their blood also cries out in witness against those
who had murdered them. Although the voice is not literal, it is
"loud". It will be heard. For God it speaks eloquently, against
their murderers. THE WHITE ROBES
These white
robes are also mentioned elsewhere in Revelation. Revelation
7:13-17 tells us that they are to be worn by the resurrected
saints who have gone through a period of great tribulation, sealing their
obedience in blood, but rising again to worship before the throne of God, in
The Kingdom Age. Revelation
19:6-8 tells us that "fine linen, bright and pure"
is the righteous deeds of the saints who are the Bride of Christ. The time for
the saints to receive these white robes is clearly beyond the resurrection,
when Jesus will be seated on His throne. However in
John's vision, the robes are awarded in prospect, to reassure
living readers that the lives of the martyrs have not been sacrificed in
vain. The vision is
also an encouragement for living readers who may themselves be confronted
with the prospect of their own martyrdom. They too are reassured of their own
place in the resurrection of the righteous. THE JUDGEMENT
OF THE PERSECUTORS The martyrs are
depicted as crying for vengeance. Of course this cannot be taken literally as
something uttered by followers of Jesus! This only
serves to reinforce that this is a vision with a symbolic meaning. In the
face of martyrdom, true saints do not call for vengeance. Instead they bless
their enemies, asking God to forgive. (See Stephen's words in Acts 7:60.) Vengeance must
be left to God. Romans 12:19 The time for
this is described in Revelation Chapters 18
& 19 & 20. There, the future destruction of
all who persecute the saints, is described in fearsome detail. THE TRIBULATION
OF THE SAINTS In the
meantime, John's vision says to his readers, persecution will not cease
immediately. There is more to come. Until Jesus
returns, the "tribulation of the saints" can be expected to
continue from time to time. Many more will be called to lay down their lives
during the times of persecution which lie ahead. John's vision
still speaks in our day. Any in our own time, and in any future time prior to
the return of Jesus, are given the same assurance that faithfulness unto
death will not be in vain. They
also will receive the "white robes" which will be given to those
who have come out of the "Great Tribulation". Revelation 7:13-17 |