The Scroll
The Beginning of the End
Seal - 5 Martyrdom
7 SHOUTS then Silence before the Great Day of the Lord's Wrath
SEAL 5 Challenge: Patient Endurance
Day 5 - Spirit Life
The Fifth Seal—Martyrdom
Revelation 6:9-11 "When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth?” And a white robe was given to each of them; they were to rest for a little while longer until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed also.
Sign 5 from Matthew 24:9-10 ““Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.” ....
21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
Day 5 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day." Genesis 1:20-23
Seal 5 -martyrdom, Sign 5 -martyrdom, Day 5 -swarms of living...? stay tuned for the answer.
God has set the PATTERN from the beginning of Creation. Each of the 7 days of creation presents a “Theme” and a clue to God's End of the Age path. We see this “theme” repeated in the 7 Seals and in a number of the other “7”s in the Bible. See THE 7s of GOD'S PLAN for more.
Revelation starts with 7 letters to 7 churches. These 7 letters also keep the “themes” and are the Believers instructions for “overcoming” each of the seal challenges of the End Times.
Church 5 Revelation 3:1 "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3 So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. 4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
Day 5 of Creation is all about Teeming Swarms of life, Birds in the sky and Fish in the sea. Today God begins creating "living creatures", things that swarm and fly, things that move and dance. Birds and fish are by inlarge “social” and live in groups. They depend upon each other. They were to “fill the seas and skies”. A big job for small animals. Seal 5 sees Saints gathered under the Altar in Heaven who have paid the highest price for their faith in Jesus. They had hung in there even to the point of death. They did not deny the Lord. They are given ‘white robes’ symbolizing holiness and life. By Seal 5 we are now into the second half of Daniel's 70th Week and into the “Great Tribulation”. Note that the wrath of God has not yet fallen, for these martyrs are asking, "When will you judge?" and are told "...a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been" Even in Heaven they had to endure a "little bit longer". (Rev. 6:11). Why? God is still 'gathering' those who have yet to be saved. This is why Christians are still on the Earth. The job is not finished yet. We are called to be "fishers of men" and to make disciples of ALL NATIONS. Antichrist begins to slaughter all who will not bow to him. Jesus tells us that these days will be the worst the world will ever experience short of the wrath of God. Christians and Jews will be treated horribly. These birth “contractions” will become very intense leading up to our “Birth” by the Rapture. The Temptation to “fall away and betray one another” will be great. We must not forsake the assembly, but must "stick together". Matthew 24:9-10; Hebrews 10:25
How can you survive Great Tribulational Persecution?
Answer : It is all about being Born of the Spirit and enduring by His strength
The Letter to Church 5 is all about being Born of the Holy Spirit. Jesus “has the Seven Spirits of God.” Isaiah 11:2 This refers to the person of the Holy Spirit. But Sardis was a “dead” Church. They did not have the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9-11 warns us that those without the Holy Spirit will not be saved. A few in the Sardis Church did have the White Robes of Salvation and would “be protected”. “Overcomers” are those who “Repent” of “religious or self-righteous works”. Those ‘works’ are the soiled garments God refers to in Isaiah 64:6 The so called "believers" are slipping badly. Jesus exhorts them to, "Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die.." They were not "hanging in there" but were in real eternal danger for loosing even what they had of the Gospel of Jesus.
God’s Promise to all Born Again, Spirit-Filled Believers is nothing less then Great. Though we will be tested to the breaking point, Jesus says, “I will provide you eloquence and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to oppose or refute. But you will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, other relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all people because of My name. And yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives” (Luke 21:15ff). “To Live is Christ and to die is gain…(Phil. 1:21) ” and “If Christ is for you who can be against you?" (Romans 8:31, 37-39). Walking with God by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit will see us through to the End. Ephesians 5:7-21
Being Faithful to your Brothers and Sisters in Jesus will be a key to your endurance. Hebrews 10:23-25 exhorts the Saints, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."
Our "Job" is to fill the Earth with the Gospel like the fish and birds were to fill the Earth. That is why we are "left" here till the "end". See Matthew 28:18-20
We must continue to gather together below as we await the gathering together on the Day of the Lord.
Jesus prayed for us that we would be filled with his joy and perseverance (John 17:13-24).
Do a word study in the Bible on how to “stand firm”.
Pray the 7 parts of the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Note how each part contains and applies the Theme for each Seal.
5. "Lead us not into temptation" Martyrs: The temptation to deny Christ will be strong
1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has seized you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it."
Dear Heavenly Father, The World hates us because we are no longer in league with it. You called us, saved us and appointed us to GO and bear Fruit. Father, give us together one heart and mind as together Your Saints serve one another and encourage one another till You appear. Give us Dreams and Visions that will spur us on. Help each one to examine his or her self to make sure they are Born of Your Spirit and Trusting fully in You for their Salvation. Use us Lord to lead many to You. In Jesus' name we ask....
Each Millenia Holds to the Themes of each "Day"
5th Millennium - Spirit Empowered Living/Dying
From the very beginning or birth of the Church, persecution and martyrdom have been the "norm", just as Jesus warned. Matt 10: 16-23 The first 300 years of the Church saw growing waves of persecutions till the "Diocletian Persecution" in around year AD 300. Even with or perhaps aided by this persecution the Church grew to cover large parts of the 1st century world. Organized persecution died down with the "conversion" of Emperor Constantine. He legalises Christianity with the "Edict of Milan" in AD 313. Now with the approval of the "state" the Church goes on as the one "catholic or universal" and singular Church till the end of that millienium.
From the very beginning the Church has "LIVED" by the power of and through the Person of the Holy Spirit. The Church was born on Pentecost with the giving of the Holy Spirit, Acts 2. The Church grew through the work of the Holy Spirit. Each person who puts their faith in Jesus Christ receives the Holy Spirit. They also become part of the Church Universal, the Body of Christ. If you want to know the Holy Spirit, become a daily part of a local church where He does His work. Read the Bible to hear the words He gave the apostles and prophets. The Spirit works in the church “for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). He wants to work through you to strengthen and comfort others by your ordinary and extraordinary God-glorifying acts of service and obedience (see Romans 12:3-8; 1 Peter 4:7-11). It is Through the fellowship and strength of the Believers that we will stand firm until Jesus returns. Hebrews 10:25
In some sense we can see these last 2000 years of these "last days" as one long day, much like Joshua's Long Day. Joshua 10:6-15 For Joshua, this was a two day fight that last "one day" of 48 hours. These last 2000 years flow together in the same way. We are at the tail end of this "long day" and may very soon experience Daniel's 70th Week as Christ's final generation. Be ready to suffer with Him that you may be glorified with Him.
Click on each seal and scroll down to discover the Events that precede His Return.