Revelation uses the word “soul” ( psuche ) seven times (6:9; 8:9; 12:11; 16:3; 18:13, 14; 20:4). (Two moose just walked past my library window . . . .)
The “seven” is suggestive of Genesis 1, and the other sevens of Revelation. Whether or not we can match up the seven uses of the word with seven days of creation, there is definitely a sequence to the use of the word. In 6:9, we are introduced to the souls of those slain for the word of God and testimony of Jesus who cry for vindication. The final use of the word matches: John sees “the souls of whose who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God” come to life and reign with Jesus (20:4).
The movement is from martyrdom to monarchy, from victim to vindication, from execution to enthronement.
Addendum: A reader asks if the martyrs’ desire for vindication makes them selfish. I think not. God’s reputation is damaged if His people are slaughtered and He does nothing; the martyrs want God to defend His reputation; He’s promised that His people will share His glory and authority, and so that’s what they want to happen. There is a kind of self-interest, but it’s enclosed within a desire for God to triumph. Nobody in the Bible thinks: “I want God to triumph, but I don’t care what happens to me.” God triumphing includes vindication of His people.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
