Sep 28

Part 15: The Voice of the Martyrs

Todd Pruitt |Revelation 6:9-11


The section of Revelation which begins in chapter six presents readers with not only interpretive challenges but also significant theological questions related to God’s judgment and mercy. One of the things we learn is that for justice to be done, particular acts of judgment are required. Justice is not an abstract idea but a reality that God is bringing about. We learn also that God’s mercy is not undermined by his purposes to judge the impenitent and those who murder his people. The passage being considered this week concerns the cries of the martyrs, those killed for their faithfulness to Christ. They cry out for justice and God promises to deliver it.

Every month an average of 373 Christians are killed for reasons connected to their faith in Christ. Each month 640 churches or Christian buildings are burned or attacked, while 395 Christians are detained without trial. In 2018 Newsweek reported “Christian persecution and genocide is worse now than any time in history.” And the trend does not seem to be slowing. Christians are being targeted for harassment, imprisoned, beaten, raped, hung, crucified, shot, and bombed. The dangers Christians face in places like Syria, Yemen, Nigeria, India, and Pakistan are chronic and ongoing with the number of the martyrs multiplying daily.

Some may be put off by the cries for justice emanating from the altar where the martyrs are sheltered in the presence of God Almighty. Certainly, it is true that Christians are to love even their enemies and to pray for those who curse them (Matthew 5:43-44). But that distinctively Christian virtue is not in conflict with the desire for justice to be done. Indeed, as we read on in the Book of Revelation we will see the saints in heaven rejoice over God’s ultimate victory over the wicked (Revelation 19:1-5). The Scriptures never teach us that God will not or should not judge the wicked only that we must leave all wrath to him. Our responsibility so long as God’s mercy extends in this world is to be heralds of that mercy in Jesus.

Scripture holds forth the murder of God’s people as a particularly heinous evil. This passage demonstrates that God holds as very precious the lives of his saints. And yet there is a mystery in that the unfolding of redemptive history involves the martyrdom of many of those who trust in him. There is mystery here to be sure. But we are also able to see with the church fathers that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Through their sacrifice God both amplifies the gospel and puts on display the glory of his mercy and justice.