"And when he broke open the fifth seal, I saw an altar, and underneath it all the souls of those who had been martyred for preaching the Word of God and for being faithful in their witnessing. They called loudly to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge the people of the earth for what they’ve done to us? When will you avenge our blood against those living on the earth?” White robes were given to each of them, and they were told to rest a little longer until their other brothers, fellow servants of Jesus, had been martyred on the earth and joined them." Revelation 6:9-11
There are a number of ways I could go with this sobering glance into eternity but as I continue my series of messages entitled "For Heaven's Sake" I want to focus on the observation that the souls of these courageous martyrs were indeed very much alive!
In my research I have found as many as 20 theories on what happens to the soul upon death but there are six predominate ideas considered credible by a significant number of people. You may be interested in a thorough study of each of these beliefs but in this post I will only give a brief mention.
Secular Humanism
Humanists have a variety of ideas about the soul but generally discount the existence of a soul. It simply does not exist or is somehow tied into a universal consciousness.
Transmigration
This theory holds that the soul is immortal and that upon physical death it reincarnates into another life form. The soul transmigrates either upward to a better life for or downward into a lesser life form depending on how well the life was lived.
Annihilation
Annihilation is adhered to by Seventh-Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses with minor variations. It holds that the human soul is not immortal and therefore, it ceases to exist upon death. They teach that the soul only becomes immortal upon the initiation of a relationship with the Holy Spirit of God.
Purgatory
In Roman Catholic theology, purgatory is an intermediate state after physical death in which some of those ultimately destined for heaven must first "undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven".
There is a system of ways by which a soul in purgatory can reach the purification required to be admitted to heaven.
Soul Sleep
Seventh-Day Adventists believe that the soul is not mortal will cease to exist upon physical death until regenerated by God at the resurrection.
Eternal Soul
Mainline Protestant Christians believe (including Wesleyans and me) that the soul is immortal and upon physical death it will slip immediately into a fixed eternal existence in Heaven or in Hell. That eternal destination is fixed by an individual spiritual decision of the will during the lifetime of the person.
Randy Alcorn is a pastor who has written some fifty books, many of which deal with this topic of the eternal soul and eternity. I share an article from him based on our text as I close out this post:
1. When these people died on
Earth, they relocated to Heaven (v. 9).
2. These people in Heaven
were the same ones killed for Christ while on Earth (v. 9). This demonstrates
direct continuity between our identity on Earth and our identity in Heaven. The
martyrs' personal history extends directly back to their lives on Earth. Those
in the intermediate Heaven are not different people; they are the same people
relocated—"righteous men made perfect" (Hebrews 12:23).
3. People in Heaven will be
remembered for their lives on Earth. These were known and identified as ones
slain "because of…the testimony they had maintained" (v. 9).
4. "They called
out" (v. 10) means they are able to express themselves audibly. This could
suggest they exist in physical form, with vocal cords or other tangible means
to express themselves.
5. People in the intermediate
Heaven can raise their voices (v. 10). This indicates that they are rational,
communicative, and emotional—even passionate—beings, like people on Earth.
6. They called out in "a
loud voice," not "loud voices." Individuals speaking with one
voice indicate that Heaven is a place of unity and shared perspective.
7. The martyrs are fully
conscious, rational, and aware of each other, God, and the situation on Earth.
8. They ask God to intervene
on Earth and to act on their behalf: "How long…until you judge the
inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?"(v. 10).
9. Those in Heaven are free
to ask God questions, which means they have an audience with God. It also means
they need to learn. In Heaven, people desire understanding and pursue it.
10. People in the
intermediate Heaven know what's happening on Earth (v. 10). The martyrs know
enough to realize that those who killed them have not yet been judged.
11. Heaven dwellers have a
deep concern for justice and retribution (v. 10). When we go to Heaven, we
won't adopt a passive disinterest in what happens on the earth. On the
contrary, our concerns will be more passionate and our thirst for justice
greater. Neither God nor we will be satisfied until his enemies are judged, our
bodies raised, sin and Satan defeated, Earth restored, and Christ exalted over
all.
12. The martyrs clearly
remember their lives on Earth (v. 10). They remember at least some of the bad
things from earth, since they even remember that they were murdered. (Heaven's
joys are not rooted in ignorance, but perspective.)
13. The martyrs in Heaven
pray for judgment on their persecutors who are still at work hurting others.
They are acting in solidarity with, and in effect interceding for, the
suffering saints on Earth. This suggests that saints in Heaven are both seeing
and praying for saints on Earth.
14. Those in Heaven see God's
attributes ("Sovereign…holy and true") in a way that makes his
judgment of sin more understandable.
15. Those in Heaven are
distinct individuals: "Then each of them was given a white robe" (v.
11). There isn't one merged identity (ala Nirvana) that obliterates uniqueness,
but a distinct "each of them."
16. The martyrs' wearing
white robes suggests the possibility of actual physical forms, because
disembodied spirits presumably don't wear robes. The robes may well have
symbolic meaning, but it doesn't mean they couldn't also be physical. The
martyrs appear to have physical forms that John could actually see.
17. God answers their
question (v. 11), indicating communication and process in Heaven. It also
demonstrates that we won't know everything in Heaven—if we did, we would have
no questions. The martyrs knew more after God answered their question than
before they asked it. There is learning in the present Heaven.
18. God promises to fulfill
the martyrs' requests, but says they will have to "wait a little
longer" (v. 11). Those in the intermediate Heaven live in anticipation of
the future fulfillment of God's promises. Unlike the eternal Heaven—where there
will be no more sin, Curse, or suffering on the New Earth (Revelation 21:4)—the present Heaven coexists with and
watches over an Earth under sin, the Curse, and suffering.
19. There is time in the
intermediate Heaven (vv. 10-11). The white-robed martyrs ask God a
time-dependent question: "How long, Sovereign Lord…until you judge the
inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" (v. 10). They are aware of
time's passing and are eager for the coming day of the Lord's judgment. God
answers that they must "wait a little longer" until certain events
transpire on Earth. Waiting requires the passing of time. (This seems to refute
the "no time in Heaven/ instantaneous resurrection" theory, as well
as soul sleep.)
20. The people of God in
Heaven have a strong familial connection with those on Earth, who are called
their "fellow servants and brothers" (v. 11). We share the same
Father, "from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named" (Ephesians 3:15, ESV). There is not a wall of separation
within the bride of Christ. We are one family with those who've gone to Heaven
ahead of us. After we go to Heaven, we'll still be one family with those yet on
Earth. These verses demonstrate a vital connection between the events and
people in Heaven and the events and people on Earth.
21. Our sovereign God knows
down to the last detail all that is happening and will happen on Earth (v. 11),
including every drop of blood shed and every bit of suffering undergone by his
children. Voice of the Martyrs estimates that more than 150,000 people die for
Christ each year, an average of more than four hundred per day. God knows the
name and story of each one. He knows exactly how many martyrs there will be,
and he is prepared to return and set up his Kingdom when the final martyr dies.
How is your soul today?
