Revelatoin: How Long?

 Revelation: Justification by Faith

How Long?

Revelation 6:10 (ESV):

And they cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

In Revelation 6, the souls under the altar ask a rightful question: "How much longer?"
This is not merely a question of the dead crying out to God in their blood, like Abel did.
The living often ask the same question.

For so long the whole world has suffered under the weight of godlessness, and Satan has seemingly always had the upper hand. Sometimes God judges clearly in history, but that is far from always the case:

Job 12:6 (ESV):

The tents of the robbers are at peace,
and those who provoke God are secure—
those whom God has in his hand.

It seems everything is going well for them, and there is no justice.
The Psalms, full of faith, ask the same question:

Psalm 13:2-3 (ESV):

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Psalm 94:2-7 (ESV):

Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
repay to the proud what they deserve!
How long shall the wicked, O Lord,
how long shall the wicked exult?
They pour out their arrogant words;
all the evildoers boast.
They crush your people, O Lord,
and afflict your heritage.
They kill the widow and the sojourner,
and murder the fatherless,
and say, “The Lord does not see;
nor does the God of Jacob notice.”

Psalm 74:10-11 (ESV):

How long, O God, is the enemy to scoff?
Is the foe to revile your name forever?
Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them!

Yet immediately after it says:

Psalm 74:12-13 (ESV):

But God is my King from of old,
working salvation in the midst of the earth.
You divided the sea by your might;
you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters.

God has not forgotten.

For some 6,000 years, since Adam ate the fruit and Cain killed Abel, people have wondered how much longer this would continue.
But to the souls under the altar it was said they must rest a little longer. God would allow this to continue for a little while yet, but soon He will put an end to it.
Then He will come—Jesus—returning as Judge and will judge the earth.
Then it will be over.

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