The history of redemption is written in the blood of martyrs, like that of Daniel in our story. Early in the Old Testament, we see a Pharaoh planning the death of all male children born to the women of Israel. When the Jews were under the dominion of the Persian Empire, Satan inspired Haman, the malevolent favorite of King Xerxes, to devise schemes to kill all the Jews in the land. In the second century before Christ, Antiochus IV Epiphanes became one of Israel’s staunchest enemies, attacking Jerusalem and executing Jews who refused to bow down to Zeus. Herod attempted to kill Jesus by massacring all the little boys in Bethlehem.

The first pages of Church history report that Stephen was stoned to death for insisting that the Jewish religious leaders had killed Jesus (Acts 7). Herod had the apostle James executed (Acts 12:1-2). Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, was burned at the stake because he refused to worship Caesar. Revelation 2:13 mentions Antipas, a member of the Church of Pergamum, who was executed for his faith. And others died under the cruel reign of Emperor Domitian because of their Christian testimony.

Many Roman Christians suffered in the arenas. Believers in the Middle Ages endured the Inquisition. The Huguenots and other Protestants were massacred or exiled during the Reformation. Hundreds of Chinese believers lost their lives during the Boxer Rebellion, and Russian Christians were enslaved in labor camps or sent to Siberia.

The people, the nation God chose for Himself, have suffered martyrdom throughout history. The persecution by Hitler against the Jews of Europe was so intense that, according to some, the Jewish population of Europe was reduced to a number smaller than those who left Egypt with Moses. In 1938, in Germany, hundreds of synagogues were destroyed in a few days, and the windows of shops owned by Jews were shattered. Auschwitz concentration camp was equipped to execute thousands of Jews daily; in the extermination camp of Treblinka, over a million people perished in just a few years.

The infamous Adolf Eichmann, expressing the hatred Nazis had for Jews, said: “I will leap laughing to my grave, because the thought of having five million lives on my conscience is for me a source of extraordinary satisfaction.” Moses’ prediction regarding the persecution of Jews has been literally fulfilled throughout history:

“The Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other; and there you will serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known, wood and stone. Among these nations, you shall find no ease, and there shall be no rest for the sole of your foot; but the Lord will give you there a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a languishing soul. Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear night and day, and have no assurance of your life. In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the fear which terrifies your heart, and because of the sight which your eyes see.” (Deuteronomy 28:64-67)

John tells us that the end of all these misfortunes has not yet come. There will be more martyrs in the future: “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’” (Revelation 6:9-10). These souls under the altar testify to the unspeakable suffering and persecution that will occur during the Tribulation.

The Context of This Martyrdom

“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.” (Revelation 6:9)

Who are these martyrs? To better answer this question, we must first remember that John places them in the future, when the Church of Jesus Christ will have already been raptured, and the dead in Christ will have been resurrected. Thus, these martyrs do not belong to the Church era we are currently living in.

Furthermore, since the martyrs are asking for judgment on those who oppress them on earth, their murderers are evidently still alive. This strongly suggests that these martyrs are faithful believers who will have been killed during the Tribulation. After the Rapture of the Church, God will once again focus on Israel. During the seven years of Tribulation, many Jews will turn to God, just as Daniel Goldman does in our story. In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote:

“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: ‘The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.’” (Romans 11:25-26)

This is another way of saying that Israel will be saved as a nation. The partial hardening of this people will be lifted, and many Jews will turn to God and reject the Antichrist during the Tribulation. Because of this, the Antichrist will kill so many of them that blood will flow like a river.

But if there are no believers left on earth at the beginning of these seven years of Tribulation, how will people be saved? For one, God will send His two witnesses into the world to prophesy and perform mighty miracles. There will also be the 144,000 Israelites who will be “sealed” for God’s service during this period (Revelation 7:4). It is also possible that another means will be used. Dr. Henry Morris mentioned the presence of a “silent witness”:

“Millions and millions of copies of the Bible and portions of the Bible have been published in all major languages and distributed throughout the world… The departure of believers from this world at the Rapture will not make the Scriptures disappear, and there is no doubt that multitudes will be compelled to read the Bible… Thus, multitudes will turn to their Creator and Savior during this period, and they will be ready to testify to the Word of God and even… to offer their lives as they seek to convince the world that all the calamities it suffers are judgments from the Lord.”

During the Tribulation, the killing of martyrs will be as common as it is uncommon in the West today. Those who believe in God during this period will be called to demonstrate their faith—often at the cost of their very lives.

“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” (Revelation 12:11)

During this period, believers will experience increased persecution, but this is nothing new for the people of God. The psalmist already described this persecution:

“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Psalm 44:22)

During Israel’s captivity in Babylon, three young Jews embodied the martyr’s mindset when they accepted death rather than worship the golden statue of the king of Babylon. When threatened with death by fire, they replied:

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)

The prophet Zechariah predicted the future days of Tribulation as a time when two-thirds of the entire Jewish population will be killed. But here is God’s promise for the remaining third:

“I will put this third into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.” (Zechariah 13:9)

The book of Revelation identifies God’s enemies as those who have shed the blood of His people (Revelation 16:6; 17:6; 18:24; 19:2). Jesus referred to this period…

This text is an excerpt from the book “Agents of the Apocalypse” written by David JEREMIAH.

We invite you to read the following article “THE 144,000.”