Transcript

ANNOUNCER: What are the seal judgments in Revelation? Welcome to Grace in Focus. Today we’re going to talk about the fifth and sixth seal in the Book of Revelation, Tribulation believers who have been martyred during the first four seal judgments, and what happens to them. Thank you, friend, for joining us. This is a ministry of the Grace Evangelical Society. Find us on the web at faithalone.org. We would love to interest you in attending our annual national conference coming up in May, 2026, the 18th through the 21st of May. If you’ve never been, we’d love you to go to our website and read about it, get information about it, and get registered. We’d love to have you with us. Find all the the information you need at faithalone.org. 

Now with today’s discussion, here are Bob Wilkin, Philippe Stirling, and Sam Marr. 

BOB: The last show we talked about the first four seal judgments, which are the four horsemen. Sam just made the point that when it talks about the fourth of the earth was destroyed, that that probably doesn’t say it was the fourth horsemen that did that, but it was one, two, three, and four together. And you were agreeing with that, Philippe, is that right? 

PHILIPPE: Sure, it’s referring probably to the martyrs of the early Tribulation period. And Sam, what was your point about the four being taken up together? This is basically kind of a summary statement. 

SAM: Well, just that we see in the description of the fourth horsemen that he’s been given power over the fourth of the earth to kill with sword, hunger, and death. And so in the second and third horsemen, we see he’s given a large sword, and then the third horsemen kind of represents famine, and then the fourth horsemen is called death. Those are the means by which he’s killing. And then it also says the beasts of the earth, but that’s not really represented by the white horsemen. 

BOB: So then one, two, three, and four are actually occurring simultaneously, and so at the end of this time, we have a fourth of mankind killed. And then what is the fifth seal judgment? 

PHILIPPE: The fifth seal takes us into the heavenly scene, the third heaven, or where perhaps Jesus is what they resurrected believers of the church age, but says, “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.” So these are believers, people have come to believe during these judgments and they are martyred for their faith and they cry out, “How long O Lord holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 

BOB: Now this isn’t the altar in the physical temple in Jerusalem, but you’re saying this is an altar in heaven. 

PHILIPPE: Yes, this is the heavenly tabernacle. When we jump forward to the bowls, we’ll see about seven angels in the tabernacle of God coming down holding each bowl that they’ll pour out on the earth, the final judgment. 

BOB: So there’s like a heavenly temple or a heavenly tabernacle which mirrors the earthly temple. 

PHILIPPE: And so we’re taken into that scene, and those who had been murdered ask the Lord, how long is it going to take to avenge us and the following judgements are going to be the answer to that prayer? 

BOB: And why is it a right robe given to each of them? 

SAM: That was going to be my question, because if you were just reading Revelation, then if you go back to, I don’t remember which of the churches it is, to one of them it said to the overcomer. 

PHILIPPE: That might be Smyrna, the church of the martyrs. 

BOB: Revelation 3:4, they were able to walk with him in white for they were worthy. White garments later in Revelation we’re told are the righteous deeds of the saints. In other words, these white garments are a reward for faithfulness. So wouldn’t that be a suggestion that because they were faithful, they are given these faithful garments? 

PHILIPPE: And those are for Tribulation believers, make that distinction because Smyrna and the churches, that’s a church age believers. But here, these are Tribulation periods, but they also, for their faithfulness, they’re rewarded. 

BOB: It also shows that God’s not only going to reward church age believers, he’s going to reward old Testament believers, and he’s going to reward Tribulation believers. They’re all going to be rewarded. And the Tribulation believers, evidently, if they’re overcomers, they too will rule in the Millennium. 

PHILIPPE: Revelation 20 tells us that those who are of the Tribulation period are resurrected and they will reign with him for a thousand years. 

BOB: The fifth seal then is actually looking at the martyrs and they’re saying how long. And the answer is, it’s very soon. 

PHILIPPE: Yeah, just a little longer, just rest a little longer. It’s all going to happen. 

BOB: And if they’re on divine time, it’s going to seem like a few minutes because of course, we don’t have a definite time on when the fifth seal judgment occurs, but it’s somewhere near the end of the first half. 

PHILIPPE: Yes, because the seventh seal is going to introduce the seven trumpets, which are going to probably start towards the end of that first three and a half. 

BOB: Okay, are we on to the sixth seal, judgment? 

PHILIPPE: Yes, the six seals and takes us back to the earth and this is all going to be a whole series of natural calamities. 

BOB: And this is led to a lot of date-setting. But those aren’t signs that occur before the Tribulation. That’s why you can’t count up the number of earthquakes and go, okay, they’re increasing in frequency. So that shows the rapture must be within so many years. No, this will be occurring during the sorrows, during the Tribulation. 

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BOB: All right, so read the sixth seal, please. 

PHILIPPE: So verse 12, “I looked when He opened the sixth seal and behold, there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come and who is able to stand?” So by the way here, it seems like the people on earth have a glimpse of that heavenly tabernacle, the One who sits on the throne and the Lamb and they are taking refuge, fleeing, hiding 

BOB: And they see it as his wrath. Because the Tribulation period is a time of the outpouring of God’s wrath on earth, the Lamb is also the Lion. The Lamb of God, not only takes away the sin of the world, John 1:29, but He does pour out His wrath during the seventieth seven. 

PHILIPPE: And John, even in the gospel of John just pointed out that all judgment has been given to the Son. 

BOB: John chapter 5. So that means not only the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne Judgment and the judgment of the sheep and the goats, but it also means the judgments of the Tribulation. These are all judgments which precede the Great White Throne Judgment. So what are our concluding points then on the sixth seal? 

PHILIPPE: Well, those are natural calamities that are taking place and it gives us a glimpse of how people are going to react to that. Many will apparently believe, many will be martyred, but most here are told that they’re hiding from the Lamb. 

BOB: Right. There is going to be something called the mark of the beast. Once a person takes the mark of the beast, they’re going to be sealed in unbelief. 

PHILIPPE: That will be in Revelation 12. There it’s introduced as the beast from the sea, the beast from the land, the false prophet, and he’s the one that regulates all economic matters and uses the mark of the beast. 

BOB: Now, is that part of the seals, the trumpets, or the bows? 

PHILIPPE: Well, there’s Revelation chapter 12, 13 and 14 focuses on personages and it’s an interlude basically that pauses, you know, what’s happening of the trumpets and the bulls. 

BOB: All right, Sam, any closing comments on this? 

SAM: If we got a second, I just wanted to point out a connection, potential connection between the end of the sixth seal judgment and then all the way in Revelation 18 with what Philippe was saying, we get a glimpse of how the people on the earth are going to react and it’s clear that they know who is exacting this judgment on the earth. But then there’s going to be a period in that same inner period that y’all were talking about with the mark of the beast where people try to resume a normal way of life. They want to go about, there’s going to be merchants who are going to be trading and making lots of money and rich people who are going to be profiting off of all this. And then at the fall of Babylon and chapter 18, they’re mourning all of this. And so we see the kings and the merchants mourn, but then the shipmasters, specifically for some reason, they recognize God’s sovereignty, that this is a righteous judgment that He’s exacted on this group of people. And I think that’s kind of similar to what we see here in verses 16 and 17. It’s not talking about the shipmaster specifically but we see the people. They’re not ignorant of God’s existence at this point, but they still choose not to believe. 

BOB: Or they some of them made believe, right? Some, Bob Bryant argues that during the Tribulation, there will be untold millions that come to faith. 

PHILIPPE: Then to think there’ll be hundreds of millions, right, even out of that population that’s gradually decreasing because of all the deaths occurring. 

BOB: As long as they haven’t taken the mark of the beast and they haven’t become sealed and unbelief, the possibility of believing is there. Good point Sam linking that with chapter 18. You know, a lot of people don’t study the book of Revelation. They don’t study the book of Daniel. They don’t study the prophetic books, but that’s a huge mistake, don’t you all think? 

PHILIPPE: Yes, because here we talk about judgments, but still talking about how God is the wrath of the Lamb, the matter of justice, the prayers of all those who suffered at the hands of others, and were martyred for their faith through the centuries and millennia even focuses on the Tribulation sense here who believe, but the idea is when the angels talk to go out there, the censors, where the prayers, ascending, and everything, that’s a collection of all who have prayed to God for justice and everything.

BOB: And God is just, and that is the message of the book or revelation, as God is just, and whatever people so they reap. Basically, 2 Peter 3:9 says God wishes none should perish, looks at the Tribulation, and God knows that when that comes, there’s going to be these billions of death, as long as there’s enough repentance worldwide, the Tribulation is postponed, Daniel’s seventieth seven is postponed. 

Well, this has been very challenging stuff. I hope you all are praying about these issues, studying these issues, because they have a definite impact on our walk with Christ, because we realize we’re not going through this, and we also realize that if we are overcomers, Revelation 2 and 3, then we’re going to walk with Him in white, and we’re going to rule and reign with Him. The kingdom is coming soon, and how we long to hear Him say, “Well done, good servant.” 

So in the meantime, what are we going to do? We’re going to keep grace in focus. 

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Now we thank you for joining us all this week on grace in focus. Have yourself a great weekend.