Souls Under The Altar

In the book of Revelation we see God pour out his judgement…but WHY, WHEN and upon WHOM was it poured out?

The 5th seal in Revelation 6 reveals the main reason for God’s judgement, it was to avenge the blood of the martyrs.

Revelation 6

9 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:

10 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?

11 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 fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

The martyrs “cried with a loud voice” from under the altar.

In Genesis 4:10 Abel’s blood cried unto God from the ground

In Matthew 23 the scribes and pharisees were warned that ALL the righteous blood shed upon the earth ALL the way back to righteous Abel would come upon them in judgement.

Matthew 23

29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

31…ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

34…I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zechariah son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon THIS generation.

The pharisees were filling up the measure of their fathers.

In Revelation 17&18 we see Babylon’s cup full to the brim with the blood of the martyrs.

Rev. 17

6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus…

Rev 18

6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

If we connect Revelation 17 and 18 to Matthew 23 we must conclude that it was the scribes, pharisees and hypocrites that were responsible for killing God’s servants, even his son, therefore they were Babylon! 

Judgement was poured upon them in 70AD when their house was left desolate, their temple “thrown down” by Roman soldiers (Matthew 23:37&38, 24:2).

Why in Revelation 6 are souls under an altar? What altar are we talking about?

If we turn to Leviticus we see a description of two alters in the tabernacle of Moses. The brazen altar of sacrifice sat outside the holy place and the golden altar of incense sat in the holy place against the veil to the holy of holies.

Blood from a sacrificed animal would be placed upon the four horns of the alter of incense and the remaining blood poured around the bottom of the altar of sacrifice. 

Leviticus 4

5 And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock’s blood…

7 And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour -- all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

The souls under the altar therefore are a reference to how animal blood was poured around the bottom of the brazen altar.

Those slain for the Word of God and their testimony cried with a loud voice “how long O Lord, holy and true, does thou not judge and avenge our blood?” 

Did their cries move God to take action?

There are other places in the bible where this happened.

Exodus 3

7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen -- the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard -- their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know -- their sorrows;

8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians…

What can we take away from Rev. 6:9-11? 

God is just, he sees everything, he cares deeply for his people and our heart-felt cries move him to action.