Revelation 6:9-11 — And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Look, I know it’s Advent, and Christmas is almost here. But I’m haunted by the stories of children being beheaded by ISIS for the “crime” of refusing to deny Jesus.
Now let me be honest … there is some uncertainty as to whether the widely reported beheadings have really taken place. But I know that over many years Christians have been killed for their faith. One story I have never been able to clear out of my mind is that of Australian missionary Graham Staines who, with his sons ten-year old Philip and six year-old Timothy (aged 6), was burnt to death by a gang while sleeping in his station wagon at Manoharpur village in India in 1999. It’s just one of thousands over the years, many unrecorded.
My text doesn’t really speak of those already martyred. It speaks specifically of those who will be martyred during the tribulation. I can see that, because they are promised that after a little while they will be avenged … if their martyrdom were before the tribulation it’s possible their slayers could be redeemed. Knowing that, I’m still going to say there much to learn from this passage. Here are just a few things …
The martyrs have died “for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held”. The qualification is not evangelism, but — as with the martyred children — the receiving of the word and the refusal to deny it.
The murderers of the martyrs are “them that dwell on the earth” — Dr. R. L. Thomas identifies this as a “semitechnical designation for mankind in their hostility to God.” The world is, and always will be, mortal enemies to Christians. We should never forget …
The faithful are given robes of white — the formal robes of honor that show their blessedness and the beauty of holiness.
The martyred dead are told to wait for just a little season. It is a mild rebuke, to contain the impatience that is not worthy of their glorified state — but also confirmation of an appointed time for God’s vengeance.
For me, the fifth seal is not just the picture of part of God’s plan for the tribulation. It is also a promise that in due time there will be rewards for the faithful dead — and punishment for their unrepentant murderers!