10 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 6:10

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

— Genesis 3:15

30 Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.

31 For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”

— Acts 17:30-31

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom

— 2 Timothy 4:1

30 For we know the One having said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

— Hebrews 10:30-31

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Salvation and peace from the Lord Jesus to you.

At the opening of the fifth seal, John heard the martyrs call out for the Lord to judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge their blood. Those who died for Jesus’ sake were not calling for personal vengeance or vindication, but justice. They asked God to defend and uphold His own righteous character. From the beginning of humanity, God has promised perfect justice and the vindication of His people. God’s execution of justice is a consistent theme of the Bible. God told Adam and Eve the woman’s offspring would always have conflict with the serpent’s offspring, but one descendant of the woman would crush the serpent’s head.

Vengeance belongs to God, who executes perfect justice. God’s wrath against sin expresses His holy hatred of evil and His just response to sin rather than a desire to merely pay back evildoers. The martyred believers under the altar echo God’s own heart. Believers seek God’s righteous judgment when they pray for deliverance from an enemy. God will always judge righteously and thoroughly. Paul wrote in Romans 12:19, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”