And when he had opened the fifth seal,
I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God,
and for the testimony which they held.
Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you.
Martyr is the Greek word for witness. It became the name for the witness who is killed for the word. Jesus is the faithful witness. Antipas is called His faithful martyr, slain in Pergamos. Stephen saw the heavens opened and was stoned, praying that the sin not be laid to their charge. Under the altar are the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. They are told to rest yet a little season. A martyr is not a different office. It is a witness whose testimony cost the life.
- The word is witness. The death is what the English word came to mean.
- Antipas is named. Stephen is the pattern in Acts.
- The souls under the altar were slain for the word and the testimony.
Slain for the word of God.
And for the testimony which they held.
My faithful martyr.
- Martyr means witness.
- It names the witness who is killed.
- Jesus is the faithful witness.
- Antipas was His faithful martyr in Pergamos.
- Stephen was stoned for the testimony.
- The souls under the altar cry, and are told to rest.
- The Word – Witness.
- The Cost – The life.
- The Lord – The faithful witness.
- The Named – Antipas.
- The Pattern – Stephen.
- The Altar – Souls of the slain.
- Revelation 6:9-11 – “I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held… and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season.”
- Revelation 2:13 – “Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.”
- Acts 7:55-60 – “He, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven… And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”
- Revelation 1:5 – “Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead.”
- Revelation 12:11 – “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
- Revelation 20:4 – “And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God.”
- Matthew 23:34 – “Behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify.”
- Acts 22:20 – “And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by.”
- Hebrews 11:37 – “They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword.”
- Revelation 17:6 – “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.”
Slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.
Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you.
They loved not their lives unto the death.
Martyr means witness. It is the witness who is killed. The word does not change. The cost does.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.