The opening of the fifth seal reveals the souls of the martyrs underneath the altar. In the heavenly temple, this is not the brazen altar of burnt offerings, because the Lord Jesus has already paid the price for our sins once for all time by his death on the cross (Revelation 5:9-10; Hebrews 10:12-14). This is the golden altar of incense, and the prayers of the saints ascend before God as pure incense.
When we contrast the dying prayers of Jesus (Luke 23:34) and his first martyr Stephen (Acts 7:60) with these prayers, we note the change from pleading for mercy for sinners to pleading for justice. The martyrs cry out for God to right the wrongs of this world; they cry out for justice.
The Lord's prayers were answered with the thousands of people who repented of their sins and cast themselves on God's mercy in the first century.
Stephen's prayer was answered in the case of the young man, Saul of Tarsus, who was converted to Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 7:58; 9:3-6).
The world does not hate good, moral people; it hates Jesus, and it hates people who bear witness to Jesus (Acts 7:54-57).
While we live on this earth, we must plead for mercy for those around us, not justice. That will come in God's good time.
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After serving Grace Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Louisiana, Bob was honorably retired on Sunday, September 27, 2015, and given the title "Pastor Emeritus." This was forty years to the day after he became their pastor.
He now works for the Presbytery of the Gulf South as...
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