What It Means to be Filled with the Holy Spirit # 25

"I Was In the Spirit ... And Heard" (continued)

"Because of the Word and the Testimony of Jesus" (continued)

John saw the souls of those who lived a life of self-sacrifice "under the altar", and the idea behind the symbolic language of the phrase, "under the altar," is that they subjected their whole "being" to the work of the Cross. In Revelation, the word "altar is used many times, and it is always seen as being in the midst of the Throne. Remember, the "altars" of the tabernacle and the temple, in the Old Testament, were only the "patterns" [examples], of things in the heaven (Hebrews 9:23). So in Revelation 11:, 14:18, 16:7, the word "altar" is speaking of the finished work of Christ upon the Cross; and in Revelation 8:3 and 9:13, the "golden altar" is speaking of the Throne ministry of the One "Who is even at the Right Hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us," it is speaking of our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Thus, in Revelation 6;9, John saw the souls of those who lived a life of self-sacrifice "under the altar"; and in this instance, the word "under" implies subjection - it means that they subjected their whole "being" to the work of the Cross. They chose to hear what "the Spirit saith," they chose to "follow the Lamb" - they chose to follow the Lamb, Who bares the wounds of the Cross in His Glorified Body, they chose to "follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth" (Revelation 14:4). And He said to all, "If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself - that is, disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interest, refuse and give up himself - and take up his cross daily, and follow Me [that is, cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example, in living and if need be in dying also]" (Luke 9:23).

John was "in the Spirit," and he saw that those "souls," like himself, were suffering because of the Word of God and because of the Testimony of Jesus; he saw that they were in such intense pressure and travail that they were crying: "How long, O Lord." - How long do we have to endure seeing the wickedness of the satanic forces prosper? "Then they were each given a long and flowing and festive white robe ..." (Revelation 6:11). This is not the white robe of righteousness, for they received the robe of righteousness the day they were redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; but they were given the festive robe of the feast, which means they were to feast on Christ and all that He Is. And they ere told that they "should rest yet for a little season." They were told to "rest" in the Finished Work of Christ. They were to "rest" in the fact that the Lamb, who bears the wounds of the Cross in His Glorified Body, is sanding in the mist of the Throne. Now, this "rest" does not imply inactivity, for the word "rest" speaks of God's rest: "And He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made". This points us to the New Testament where the Work of God's New Creation was completed in Christ when upon His Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ cried: "It is finished!"

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 26)