The Blood of Christ is Avenged
The description of how God will avenge the blood of the Martyrs begins with the avenging of the blood of Christ Himself. In the following verses, we read how at the trial of Jesus, those who condemned Him to be crucified called down upon themselves the guilt for His blood.
Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.
“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. Matt. 27:15-26
When the people in Jerusalem called down upon themselves and their children the blood of Jesus Christ, it meant that judgment for His blood would fall upon their city and upon their children.
The Blood of the Prophets who Came Before Christ is Avenged
In addition calling down the blood of Christ upon themselves, we read how this same generation became guilty for all the blood of all the prophets who came before Christ. This judgment was proclaimed over the leaders of Jerusalem by the Lord, who warned the teachers and the Pharisees that by killing the prophets those whom He would send to them, they would become guilty for all the blood of the prophets who came before Him.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started! “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
“Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah,* whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Matt. 23:29-36
The avenging of the Blood of Christ and of the prophets who came before Christ was carried out, in 67 A.D., when Rome sent an army to put down the revolt that was taking place in Judah among the Jews. This campaign took place over approximately 3 ½ years and culminated with the besieging of Jerusalem, itself in 70 A.D. The siege of Jerusalem led to the slaughter of the people living in the city, including the children of the generation that had Christ crucified. In addition, the prisoners of this war were taken into exile and killed in public display in the various coliseums of the Roman Empire. In this way, all the blood of the prophets who came before Christ, and the blood of Christ, Himself, was avenged upon the generation of Jews who crucified the Christ, and their children.
NOTE: Abel became the very the first martyr on earth, when he was murdered by his brother who was jealous of his faith (Gen. 4). Zechariah was killed by king Joash, after the prophet had rebuked him for turning away from the Lord (2 Chron. 24)
The Blood of the Martyrs in Heaven is Avenged
The account of the avenging of all the blood, of the martyrs, is continued in the Revelation, beginning with the opening of the Fifth Seal.
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?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters,[e] were killed just as they had been. Rev. 6:9-11
In these verses, we read how as we approach the end of the Last Days, the Martyrs in Heaven will be gathered at the altar of God. These martyrs will consist of all those who have been killed since the time of Christ, including today’s martyrs, and all those who will be martyred up to and until the events of the Fifth Seal take place.
When these martyrs pray for their blood to be avenged, they will be told that they must wait until the full number of their brothers and sisters were killed just as they had been, which is a description of the Great Tribulation, when the full number of brothers and sisters will be killed.
Accordingly, when the Inhabitants of the Earth kill the full number of God’s people in the events of the Great Tribulation, they will become guilty for all the blood of the Martyrs in Heaven who have been killed since the time of Christ. The avenging of the blood of the Martyrs in Heaven will take place through the events of the Seven Trumpets, as can be seen in the following verses.
And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne.The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. Rev. 8:2-6
In the above scene, John was shown the prayer of God’s people going up before the alter of God, which another picture of the prayer of the Martyrs in Heaven who have been killed since the time of Christ. The fact that John was shown the prayer of the Martyrs in Heaven, before the Seven Trumpets were sounded, tells us that the judgments of the Seven Trumpets will come in answer to the prayers of the Martyrs in Heaven for justice and revenge. In this way, the judgments of the Seven Trumpets will avenge the blood, of the martyrs, who have been killed since the time of Christ. When combined with the judgments of 70 A.D., the sounding of the Seven Trumpets will mean that all the blood, of all the martyrs, from Abel to the Great Tribulation, including the blood of Christ, Himself, will have been avenged
The Blood of the Martyrs of the Great Tribulation is Avenged
In addition, to the judgments of the Seven Trumpets, we read of the Seven Last Plagues that will avenge the blood of those killed in the Great Tribulation itself.
I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by Godand sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb. Rev. 15:1-3
Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.” Rev. 16:1
The above scene is a similar event to how John was shown the prayers of the Martyrs in Heaven before he was shown the sounding of the Seven Trumpets. In this case, John is shown those who had been victorious over the Beast and the number of his name, which is a reference to those who will be martyred for their faith for refusing to take the Mark of the Beast. As with the sounding of the Seven Trumpets, when John is shown the Martyrs of the Great Tribulation before the Seven Last Plagues are poured out, it tells us that the plagues of the Seven Bowls will take place in order to avenge the blood of the Martyrs of the Great Tribulation.
The Wrath of God is Completed.
In the above verses, we read that the pouring out of the Seven Last Plagues will complete the Wrath of God, which is a reference to how all the blood, of all the martyrs, that has been shed on earth will have been avenged as follows.
– When the residents of Judah and Jerusalem were slaughtered by the Romans in, 70 A.D., the blood of all the Martyrs who came before Christ was avenged, including the blood of Christ, Himself.
– When the judgments of the Seven Trumpets take place, after the Great Tribulation, all the blood of all the Martyrs in Heaven who have been killed after Christ will have been avenged.
-When the Seven Last Plagues are poured out from the Seven Bowls, all the blood of the Martyrs of the Great Tribulation will have been avenged.
Following the events of the Seven Seals, the Seven Trumpets, and the Seven Bowls, all the blood, of all the martyrs, who have been killed since the beginning of mankind, including the blood of the Lord, Himself, will have been avenged, and the Wrath of God will be completed.