“ When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and 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 dwell on the earth?”
And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also. “ Revelation 6:9–11
——————
Thus far ( in what is turning out to be quite an adventure leading up to Easter….. ) we have looked at the sanctity of blood in its association with life, its holiness in being set apart exclusively for the atonement of sin, it’s prophetic connection from Exodus to Calvary, and it’s sealing of the New Covenant in Christs own blood….
But what about the passage we opened with?
Here’s a sample from the other end of the Bible…..
“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. “ Genesis 4:9–11
And one from our Lord…
“ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, —-how will you escape the sentence of hell? ——
Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the —-guilt of all the —-righteous blood shed on earth, from the —-blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. “ - Matthew 23:29-36
The justice for which Christ died suddenly begins to seem a lot more terrifying doesn’t it?
If you thought that holy people shouldn’t be petitioning God to take revenge, but forgive and love their enemies, you should think again…. Because in the book of Revelation, they are !
Because what these martyrs are asking for … is —-justice—- be done for the willful shedding of righteous blood!
It is even more chilling when you realize the words the mob was chanting when Pilate hesitated to pronounce sentence….
“When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified. ” — Matthew 27:24–25
And they said it before the first drop was spilled, because the scourging followed it…..
Here is the Law…
“So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.” … Num 35:33-34
All the way back to Genesis, there is a connection between the ground BEING DEFILED because of the bloodshed on it, here is just one example…
Ezekiel 36:17–19 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the —blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their —idols wherewith they had polluted it: And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.
Well, Jerusalem was completely razed to the ground in 72 AD, by Rome.
What about the petitions of the people we opened with? They are told, that there IS A FINITE NUMBER of people destined to suffer a similar fate … till finally… … well … you can read the book of Revelation to find out the rest, but we close with a snapshot from Moses and Isaiah….
“ Vengeance is Mine, and retribution,
In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them. For the Lord will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free.
And He will say, ‘Where are their gods, The rock in which they sought refuge? Who ate the fat of their sacrifices, And drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you, Let them be your hiding place!
See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.
Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven, And say, as I live forever,
If I sharpen My flashing sword, And My hand takes hold on justice,
I will render vengeance on My adversaries, And I will repay those who hate Me.
I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword will devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the long-haired leaders of the enemy.’
Rejoice, O nations, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And will render vengeance on His adversaries, And will atone for His land and His people.”
- Deuteronomy 32:35–43
“ The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
(Isaiah 24:19–25)
Hallelujah!