Revelation 18:24 And there was found in her the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth.

      When reading the book of Revelation, I am reminded that there doesn’t seem to be any bottom to the depths of malice, degradation, and deceit that man is capable of participating in. If the sin and deviance are evil, then man is there to exacerbate it beyond what it already is. It’s beyond shooting the wounded. It’s the practice of enjoying pure evil. Reading the accounts of the martyrs who suffered through the long and frightful events of church history fills my heart with a concern that the righteous in Christ can be so heavily and in some people’s minds, justly persecuted with organized pogroms and then tortured at the approval of society and the authorities who use, manipulate, and lead them.

      There always seems to be a need for a scapegoat for the miserable members of society to lash out at. All who were slain over the millennia because of a certain group of people who disapproved of someone’s view or thoughts on a controversial principle or an unjust law were justified, regardless of the evil and horrors perpetrated. 2Tim. 4:3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

      Whether it is sound doctrine or common sense that people will not be able to tolerate, to be sure, these people will find a legal way to kill off those they do not want in this world. This is why we continually need the judgments of God and the conviction of the Holy Spirit to overshadow our dark hearts. We need God’s judgment to take place in the church as well as in the nations, so that there is a just voice of reason among the leadership in this world. 1Pet. 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? Yes, as Peter points out, it is time for those who are in Christ to allow the judgments and disciplines of God to clean up and fortify our hearts for the work of God’s kingdom to be present in this world.

      There is going to be quite an amazing roll call when all who had been slain for the sake of God’s righteousness are named in the ceremony of receiving God’s crown of life. James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. There will be multiple blessings for the many saints who, throughout church history, stood up in faith with prayers on their lips, declaring the righteousness and salvation of our God through Jesus Christ. Their courage will be celebrated because they gave their lives for the truth that God had sown in them. Rev. 12:10 And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying: “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ have come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, the one accusing them before our God day and night. 11 And they have overcome him by reason of the blood of the Lamb, and by reason of the word of their testimony; and they have not loved their life unto death.

      All who were slain have sown their life, and hopefully, we can appreciate and become resolved in our hearts to honour our brothers and sisters in Christ who did give their everything for the Word of God that brings salvation to the lost of this world. These heroic Saints have done so much of the hard work, and we need to step up and give what we have gleaned in our relationship with our God to the lost as well. John 4:37 “For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 “I sent you to reap that for which you have not laboured; others have laboured, and you have entered into their labours.” They laboured to the point of martyrdom. The least we can do is get off our self-righteous grandstanding and, through Christ’s finished work of the cross, help bring the kingdom of God to this world.

      We are going to have an eternity to celebrate our Lord Jesus for the sacrifice He gave of Himself for all men so that we would become His righteousness. The scars in the Lord’s body will always be there to show His love for us. The Saints who were slain and those of us who died of natural causes will be healed of all our wounds that were suffered during our lifetime. We will walk in pure healing because of His torturous cross. There really are no excuses for our lack of effort towards the work and calling God has placed upon us. History shows us that we have a lot of events and deeds to be ashamed of that were done in the name of God. But, there are so many amazing Saints who gave their sincere love and work to bring about the kingdom of God to this lost world, and this we need to celebrate with honest gratefulness and thanksgiving to our God for all who have gone before us, making the way and a path we can follow. Isa. 35:8a And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way.