Never Promised to be Easy

There is wisdom in the old adage that tells us to avoid discussions of politics and religion.

People hold strong views on both, and some folks do not want to hear another viewpoint, or have their beliefs challenged. So, unless you intend to create a riff, or stir up trouble, it’s best to leave discussions on politics and religion alone. Or is it?

Most people don’t like to consider the nuances when forming an opinion, we tend to want it said in a few words, and with a determined clarity, rather than having to listen to, or read, the various sides in a debate.

And in today’s hyper-sensitive world where our opinions are often shaped by sixty second sound bites, or social media memes, we too often make our decisions based on perception as opposed to reality. A lie told long enough can, for some, become the truth. Reality can become, for some, what they want it to be rather than what is.

It’s difficult for most of us to find the time, or the inclination, to listen to, or read about, and think through the various nuances of a subject to form an opinion. Instead, we listen to others, hear an opinion that sort-of sounds good to us, and set it as our view.

There are other subjects that are difficult for us. We don’t like to talk about, or think about dying, even though we all know it is a reality that cannot be avoided. We don’t like to think about any potential pain and suffering we might experience in life, even though we know it’s highly possible that it will become a part of our lives, or of those we love.

It’s best not to dwell on such things; they can depress us. On the other hand, we shouldn’t live with denial either. Lying to ourselves that all will be well when all is not well only brings more anxiety into our lives.

Most of us have questions about the suffering in the world. Some of it we understand. Much of it seems so useless. When the Lamb opened the fourth seal in the Revelation given to John, a pale horse galloped across the land and its rider’s name was Death. The opening of the fourth seal revealed Death by violence, famine, disease, and wild beast.

(See the Revelation 6:7-8.) We look at the violence in the world—domestic violence, stabbings, shootings, gang wars, drug wars, wars of conquest (Russia’s war on Ukraine) and wars of annihilation (Hamas and other such entities on Israel) and the suffering that results on the innocents, and we see the writing on the scroll. The four horsemen of the apocalypse remind us of all the evil that is continually riding, marching, and roaming across the earth. (The four horsemen of the apocalypse are found in Revelation 6:1-8.)

Why do innocent people have to suffer? Why must the children of Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza have to suffer for the power struggles or misplaced zealotry of a few? Why do those who are doing God’s work, the work of the kingdom of God, in the world have to be subject to torture, horrors, and death? Isn’t good supposed to overcome bad? Doesn’t God have the power to stop it? Shouldn’t God protect his people from the sufferings of life? Before we go on, perhaps we should remind ourselves that Jesus, the Son of God, did not avoid torture, horrors, and death—execution by crucifixion encompassed all three; torture, horror, and death. But I digress.

In the vision (Revelation) John received on Patmos, he saw the Lamb open all seven of the seals that secured the scroll—the plan of God—that he took from the right hand of the One on the throne. We have seen what the first four seals revealed—the white horse and rider of conquest, the bright red horse and rider of war, the black horse of death by human-made famines, the pale horse of Death by violence, famines, disease.

The opening of the fifth seal revealed, under the altar of heaven, the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given. Again, one wonders why these people had to suffer and die, and why were their souls, in the vision, under the altar. We’d like a simple and easy answer to our query. There will be no simple or easy answer forthcoming.

Those souls under the altar, those who had suffered and died for their work in the kingdom of God, had a question too. (Some people have been taught that one should not question God, but that is not based on biblical teaching; for there are often times in the scriptures when the people of God question the Almighty.) And so it is that those souls, “cried out with a loud voice, ‘Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?’” (Revelation 6:10)

When will God’s justice be served? In his letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul wrote, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” The apostle was quoting the Law (the Torah) from Deuteronomy 32:35. Our personal vengeance will not reflect God’s justice. The desire for vengeance can bring us down and make us like those who have caused pain, death, and destruction. We work for justice, not vengeance. Vengeance is best left to the One who knows the entire story.

So those souls under the altar ask God when he will judge and avenge.

In response to their question, they are each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer. Why? Why are they asked to be patient? And why are they given white robes?

The white robes are given them to remind them their deaths have meaning; their lives were not wasted. What they did—their testimony of the word of God—was important. Christians should stand firm in the face of injustice. Believers in Christ as Savior and as Lord, should endure in sharing their testimony of what Christ has done in his death, burial, and resurrection.

There’s more to come. “They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow servants and of their brothers (and sisters), who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed.” (Revelation 6:11)

Before God’s justice is served, and it will be served, many will go through sufferings and death for the sake of the gospel.

The souls beneath the altar remind us not to give up.

We do not understand; but we go forth by faith and do what the Lord has called us to do—to be his witnesses wherever we are even to the uttermost parts of the earth.

It was never promised to be easy.