Revelation 6:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

P. Who could reach such absurdity of thought as to suppose that necromancers, ventriloquists, and enchanters work wonders through God? I will recall the Law, which assigns the ultimate penalty to anyone who dares to do this. After this, how is it not senseless to think that one condemned to death is not displeasing to God? For He would not fight against His own laws. C. You reason excellently. Moreover, in this case we would have to consider the souls of the saints, freed from their bodies, as contemptible and of no account. We would have to think they have come to such a miserable condition that they are subject to evil and unclean spirits. These spirits would easily force them, against their will, to follow wherever they wished.

Under the altar means under the earth. For both heaven and earth are called altars. In this way the proposed Law created the face of truth when interpreted in relation to two altars: one gold, within, and the other bronze, without (cf. Ex 27:2; 30:3). We understand that heaven is called an altar by our Lord, who gave us testimony. He says: "When you bring your gift to the altar," and our gifts are undoubtedly the prayers we are obliged to offer, "and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there" (Mt 5:23-24). Prayers undoubtedly ascend to heaven. Therefore the golden altar that was inside is understood as heaven. For the priest who had Christ's commandment entered once a year into the temple to the golden altar.

If the opening of the four seals is referred to events from the life of Christ, then it will be entirely right to refer this opening to the prophets and saints who had died before. They cry out to the long-suffering of God, by which He endured persecutions from the Jews even unto death on the Cross.

Thus the fifth saving work of the Lord, performed as a gift to the human race, removed the Lord's fifth seal and granted us forgiveness of sins and nearness to God. This work was the bonds and blows by which the Lord stood before Pilate, and which He endured from Pilate himself in humility. Isaiah spoke of these blows where the angels of God ask the Lord: "What are these wounds on Your hands?" And He answered: "Those with which I was wounded in the house of those who love Me" (Zech 13:6). These blows gave healing to our wounds, which we suffered on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Robbers fell upon us, bound us, wounded us, and left us half dead, according to the parable in Luke (cf. Lk 10:30-37). He also broke our bonds, the nets of sins with which we are entangled.

After saying that the Church now endures manifold afflictions, John also tells of the glory of souls after the suffering of the body. I saw, he says, under the altar, that is, in the hidden place of eternal praise. This is the golden elevation within, near the ark of the Lord’s Body. Upon it there is offered to the Lord not body and blood, as outside, but only the sacrifice of praise, the incense.

The understanding of these verses of Revelation is connected with verses 4-5 of chapter 3 and verses 13-17 of chapter 7. In every age, those who strive toward the Light (cf. 1 Jn 1:5) thereby bear witness to the image's striving toward its Prototype. If the earthly life of the Prototype was joined to the labor of preaching, persecutions, sweat, blood, and the Cross, then likeness to God on earth is the uncomplaining bearing of one's cross unto blood and death. The white garments are the clothing of the age to come for those who bore witness to God in this life.

While the body sleeps the sleep of death, what happens to the soul? The word of God reveals to us that after separation from their bodies, our souls are joined, according to the good or evil qualities they acquired in earthly life, either to the angels of light or to the fallen angels. By their nature they belong with the angels to one order of beings. Like them, they are divided by quality, by good or evil, which free will has added to a nature originally blameless and holy. We find indisputable proofs of this in Holy Scripture and in the writings of the Holy Fathers. The Lord promised the repentant thief that his soul would immediately pass from the cross into paradise. "Amen, I say to you," He told him, "today you will be with Me in paradise" (Lk 23:43).

"I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain." From the description of God's appearance to John, one can see that its features are taken from the description of the Old Testament tabernacle. Heaven corresponded to the whole temple. The throne of God corresponded to the Ark of the Covenant, on which God visibly manifested His presence. The four living creatures around the throne signified the cherubim overshadowing the Ark. The seven-branched lampstand, standing before the Ark though separated by the veil, was depicted by the seven spirits. The altar with the Lamb standing upon it pointed to the altar of the tabernacle with the sacrifice laid upon it. The souls under the altar recall the blood of sacrifices poured out at the foot of the altar.

Thus the souls of the righteous in the world beyond the grave turn to the Master of the living and the dead with prayers for the punishment of those living on earth who persecute the faith. Consequently, they also pray for an end to the sufferings inflicted by them upon the confessors of the faith. One must not ascribe to the saints only a supposedly vengeful feeling that moves them to pray for the avenging of their blood. Nor may one deny them a benevolent feeling that moves them to pray for their persecuted fellow workers and brethren. On the contrary, even when they speak of the avenging of their blood, they desire no evil for their enemies and murderers. That would be contrary to the Gospel. They desire only the triumph of truth. All this does not destroy, but confirms, the teaching of the Orthodox Church concerning the prayers of the departed saints for the Church on earth and for those who ask their prayers.

How does the region of paradise, opened to John in the Spirit and located beneath the altar, show within itself no souls except the souls of martyrs? How did Perpetua, the most courageous martyr, on the day of her suffering, in a revelation of paradise, see there only martyrs? It was because the sword, the guardian of paradise, gave place to no one except those who departed this life in Christ, and not in Adam. After a new death for God, and an unusual death for Christ, there follows a transfer to another personal dwelling place. Therefore recognize the difference between the death of a pagan and that of a believer. If you die for God, as the Comforter exhorts, it will not be in a noble fever on a bed, but as a martyr.