How To Live by Dying!
"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."
Revelation 6: 9
In the Old Testament, the blood of a sacrificial
bull was poured out at the base of the altar
(Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:7).
The blood pooling at the base of the altar
was a stark image of death by sacrifice.
In his vision of heaven, John saw a sacrificial altar under which
were souls of the martyred during the Tribulation (Revelation 6:9).
They were “under the altar,” a picture of sacrifice. Only instead of
the blood of a bull, it was the blood of martyrs for the Lord.
But note where the souls of these martyrs were seen: in heaven!
They gave their earthly life for Christ, and He gave them heavenly
life for eternity. That's the “give and receive” transaction Christians
make when they believe in Christ: We give our life to and for Him,
and He gives eternal life to us.
You may never be called upon to sacrifice your life as a
martyr. But Christians are called to be a “living sacrifice”
for Christ throughout life (Romans 12:1).
"It is better for me to be
a martyr than a monarch."
Ignatius (martyred ca. A.D. 1100)