With the removal of God’s present day saints (holy ones) to their place of safety called “her (God’s church) place” located in a “wilderness” (Rev. 12:6,14), the Great Tribulation will begin.  But before that time the “Beast” (government–Rev. 17:3,7,12,13,17) and the “False Prophet” (Rev. 16:13; 19:20), empowered by the dragon/Satan (Rev. 13:2,4,5,7,12,; 17:12) will have come on the scene and will be ruling the world.

Revelation 6:9-11 takes place well into the Tribulation when the world’s remaining people will have been suffering like never before experienced (Mat. 24:21).  Let us pick up the narrative with the opening of the fifth seal which is dual in scope–it involves an incidence of group suffering that had taken place at an earlier time, as well as a time of group suffering that would come to pass later, both of which involved massive destruction and death : “And when He (the Lamb of God) had opened the fifth seal I (John) saw under the alter the souls (bodies) of them that had (earlier) been slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held.  And they (the previously slain) cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge (our slayers) and avenge our blood on them (the slayers) who dwell on the earth ?’  And white robes were given to them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little while (longer) until their “fellowservants” and their “brethren” would be killed as they had been.”  Those under the alter asking God to deal with their slayers were the millions who had been killed in the distant past because of their stand for God.  In the distant past God’s people by the millions were killed by the Roman Empire at the behest of the Catholic Church.  During the “Inquisition” an estimated 50,000,000 people, most of them God’s people, were killed because they would not obey the church’s heathen doctrines.  Those same doctrines form the foundation of the Catholic/Protestant religion today.

Remember that the second martyrdom of God’s saints that Jesus was showing John has yet to be fulfilled.  In the vision Jesus told John that there will be many more killed during a future period of terror called the Great Tribulation (Rev. 7:9-17).  These future martyrs are the subject of this series.  Recall that those who were martyred in the past heard “a voice” say to them that others must also be martyred before vengeance will be exacted by the Lord upon those who had killed them and who would kill their fellow saints in the future.  The two groups of martyrs are spiritually the same people–saints of God.  Also, those who will have killed both groups of saints are physically the same people–the Roman Empire of old (the original “Beast”) and the final (7th) resurrection of that empire known today as the European Union.  The original Satan-powered Beast had killed tens of millions anciently at the behest of the Catholic Church.  This state/church duo is depicted in Revelation 17:5,6 as a woman (church) riding (directing) a Beast (government).  Note that she was “drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus.”  The Beast/Catholic combine, led by the False Prophet, will kill millions more in the future.  I believe that the False Prophet who will oversee and direct the Tribulation slaughter of God’s people will be the Catholic pope reigning at that time.  Now that we know who will be killed, the question is: Why?

The answer lies in the description the Lord voiced to John in Revelation 6:9.  These martyrs, like their brethren and fellowservants of old, will be killed “for the Word of God and for the testimony which they will hold.”  We read about these Tribulation martyrs in Revelation 20:4.  Here John saw the souls of them who “had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, who had not worshiped the Beast, neither his image, nor had they received his mark in their foreheads.” In 17:13,17 we are told that the people of the Tribulation period would be forced to take a mark in their forehead or on their right hand in order to transact business (buy, sell, work, etc.).  These future martyrs will refuse to take the Beast’s mark.  They will repent of their previous sins and will convert to Jesus Christ.  They will do so knowing that their decision will cost them their lives, that they will be beheaded.

I was told from day one that just before the Great Tribulation everyone in “the ____________ church” (fill in the blank) would be snatched up to heaven in a “rapture,” and that would end any possibility for salvation for the rest of humanity still alive.  This is a lie straight out of the mouth of Satan, as is most everything else coming from the world’s pulpits today.  I have repeatedly proven this fact to those who seek God’s Truth.  The martyrs of the Inquisition were not required to take a mark, nor were they all beheaded.  In fact, there is no mention of the ancient martyrs having to receive a mark.  History records that few were beheaded and that the Romans used a variety of methods to kill those who would not obey Catholic dictates.  One of the main reasons for their deaths was their refusal to observe the Sunday sabbath that was made a law specifically for the church in 364 A.D. at the Council of Laodicea under the direction of Pope Sylvester I.  Roman Emperor Constantine had passed such a law for the empire in 325 A.D. at the Council of Nicea.  Those early Christians gave up their lives rather than bow to Satan.  Modern, more intellectually inclined “Christians” joyfully and proudly obey him while ridiculing those who follow the Biblical God.  The Lord, through the Apostle James (2:10) notes that breaking one of His commandments is to break them all (which Jesus called iniquity–Lawlessness).  Jesus said He would reject those guilty of iniquity (Mat. 7:23).  God commands that we abstain from even the APPEARANCE OF EVIL (1 Thes. 5:22).  Observance of the Sunday sabbath was, is and will ever be sin, as is the celebration of Christmas and Easter.  All are abominations to the Lord.  Read The Mark of the Beast.” Key word=”Mark,” and Persecution, using that word as your key term.  To read the series on Christmas and Easter use those words as keys.  L.J.