The Revelation of Jesus Christ
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they ~ried with a loud voice, saying, How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our bloo~ on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them: and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." Here we have a body of people, crying out for judgment and vengeance upon those who had shed their blood and taken their lives. Of course, this great company of martyrs is not the church, for we have seen that the church is to be trans lated before the seals are broken; but this company of mar tyred people is the Jewish remnant. When the church is taken away, God is going to deal with Israel once more. Many Jews will turn to God in that day. The Apostle Paul says: "Blind ness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gen tiles be come in" (Rom. 11 :25) . He further says, in the twenty-sixth verse of the same chapter: "And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." In other words, Israel. nationally, is to be saved; the veil of blindness will be taken away; and many of the Jews will turn to God and reject the claims of the Antichrist, giving their allegiance to God and His Christ. As a result, the Antichrist will make their blood run like a· river. There will be a great company of martyred Jews in that day. "How long, 0 Lord .. . dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" Why do they pray for vengeance? Is that the attitude we .are to take toward those who injure us? Then why does the martyred company pray such a prayer? A man prays accord ing to the attitude God is taking toward the world in the dis pensation in which he lives. This present age is the age of grace. God is showing grace and mercy to the worst of men, and we are told to pray for them that despitefully use us. But in the tribulation period God will be meting out judgment upon the earth. Thus it is that the company of souls " under the altar" are praying according to the plan and purpose of God in that day, asking that judgment may fall upon their enemies. ·
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