Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals:
Friday July 4 2025
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Revelation 6:9-11-When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
When John wrote this passage in Revelation, he taught us some important lessons about the dead saints. 1. The dead saints here had been slain (or killed) because of their faithfulness to Jesus. 2. They are existing separate and apart from their bodies. Materialism (the teaching that matter is all that exists) is not true. 3. These Christians are conscious, although they are physically dead. 4. These disciples are “under the altar,” i.e., , they are not in Heaven or on Earth, but are instead somewhere “in between” (in Hades). 5. They are aware of their life on Earth, and how they were killed. Memory is retained after death. 6. They are able to communicate with words. They maintain individual identities, and communication is possible. 7. They feel anger and grief that they have not been avenged, implying they have some understanding of what is happening on Earth. 8. They are not all knowing after death: they still have much to learn. 9. They cry out to God, which simply means that they are praying. 10. They are comforted by God.
Indeed, these same truths are found echoed throughout other Scriptures (which we may study on soon). However, all of this raises a very intriguing question.
How can these things in Revelation 6:9-11 be true in light of this text by Solomon?
Ecclesiastes 9:5-For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.
Does Solomon here teach that the dead are unconscious, or at least unaware of events on Earth?
Recently, we examined the phrase “under the sun” that is found throughout Ecclesiastes. By using this phrase, Solomon was saying that he had tried to find purpose and lasting joy “apart from God.” He discovered that trying to find such meaning in life apart from God and His Word is “vanity of vanities.” It is futile. Applying that perspective from Solomon, it tells us about the emptiness of life in the face of death. When we look at life and death from that point of view (apart from God), it seems like a person lives for a while, and then dies, and that’s it. It seems like “the dead know nothing.”
But that perspective is not true!
Do you see the point?
“The dead know nothing” is only true if God isn’t factored into the equation. But when you put God back into the picture, everything turns around! Because God exists, Solomon is saying that it is not true that the dead know nothing!
“Ecclesiastes presents two contrasting ways of looking at man’s plight in the world. One is the secular, humanistic, materialistic viewpoint that interprets all things from a limited earthly perspective. The other is a godly, spiritual perspective that interprets life and its problems from a God-honoring viewpoint. Many scholars believe Ecclesiastes 9: 1-10 reflects the earthly perspective that is unaided by divine revelation. That is, a strictly human perspective is that the dead are conscious of nothing at all. Since this is only a human perspective, the verse certainly does not teach God’s truth. This being so, the verse cannot be used to support the contention that there is no conscious existence after death.” (Ron Rhodes, Commonly Misunderstood Bible Verses: Clear Explanations For The Difficult Passages, 92-93 (Kindle Edition); Eugene, Oregon; Harvest House Publishers)
I find it very encouraging to know that our loved ones who have died in Christ are with the Lord. They are praying to Him, and He is comforting them with the assurance that He is still at work in the world.
Father, thank You for our victory through Christ. Even in the face of death, You comfort and encourage us. Thank You for loving and caring for Your people who have died. Help us to continue on in the full assurance that nothing-not even death-can separate us from Your love. Amen.
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