“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”!~ Rev. 6:9-11
Whenever there is a difference of opinion on a text or a portion of Scripture, it is wise to take the principle teaching that most all would agree upon. For example, foot washing. Is it an ordinance for today’s church or not? The principle teaching, that cannot be denied, is ministering in tender love to our brethren. No matter what else it may teach.
So it is with our main text from the book of Revelation cited above. Let us look at the principle teaching and receive a blessing from its truths.
Here we find that there is a soulish body, between death and resurrection, the intermediate state as it is referred to. Their bodies are on earth, the soul in heaven. Our souls can wear clothes; are conscious of what is happening on earth; and rest from precious activity, as God did in Genesis chapter two.
As precious a thought as this is, being conscious in the presence of Christ, Paul tells us our one great desire during this interval will be that we will be clothed upon with our new glorified resurrected bodies like unto His!
“Oh! How precious is the dust of a believer! Though the world mind it not, yet it is precious unto God. The husbandman has some corn in his barn, and he has other corn in the ground; and the corn that is in the ground, is as precious to him as that which is in the barn.”
(Puritan, Thomas Watson)