The souls underneath the Altar, though really dead and therefore unconscious (for "the dead know not anything", Eccl. ix. 5), are represented as speaking. They are supposed to utter a demand for vengeance upon their enemies, whose death-dealing power had, after a long interval of peace, broken out against the "partakers with the Altar" afresh. "UNTIL WHEN, O Despot, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood, on them that dwell on the earth?" They desired to know the time when he that went forth conquering with the bow should be stephaned with conquest over the "Great Red Dragon" in the heaven; "red" with the blood of them "slain for the word of the Deity, and for the testimony which they held" against paganism, and the corruptions in the world through lust. The religious war between their Camp and the Dragon had continued over two hundred years since John’s exile; how much longer, they are hieroglyphically supposed to inquire in the interest of their camp, was the sanguinary conflict to endure before "the Dragon and his Angels," who rent them with his "Iron teeth," and "Brazen Claws," should be ejected from "the heaven?" How long till their travailing community should appear in "the heaven?" to give the stephanizing blow to the blood-stained adversary, that, being bruised, he might no more send souls with cruel violence underneath the Altar? Their inquiry had no reference to the time when the Lord Jesus should destroy the Man of Sin-power with the spirit of his mouth, and with the brightness of his presence; for it was not believed by those living in the first five seal-periods, that the Man of Sin-power had yet been born of the Woman. Their supposed anxiety was about the issue of the conflict, which had placed them "as souls slain" underneath the Altar -- the fall of political paganism, and the substitution of a power that would feed and nourish them in civil, ecclesiastical, and social prosperity and peace. They called for divine vengeance "on them who dwelt on the earth," in the period of the fifth seal; not on those who dwelt in Persia, Germany, or in other countries beyond the Euphrates, Rhine, and Danube; for these were beyond the limits of "the earth" at that stage of apocalyptic development. It was the Dragon’s earth, or territory, that was pre-eminently the arena of their conquering unto victory; and they sought hieroglyphically to know for the encouragement of the living saints, when that victory would be?

The answer they received was truly encouraging to all at the time, who, in studying the seals, were able to "see," or discern, the signs of the times. The purpose of the Dragon authorities during the fifth seal-period was to extinguish the name of christianity. Indeed, so satisfied were they that they had given it its quietus, that two pillars were erected in Spain, on one of which was the inscription: "Diocletian Jovian, Maximian, Herculaeus, Caesares Augusta, for having extended the Roman empire in the East and West, and for having extinguished the name of Christians, who brought the Republic to ruin." On the other thus: "Diocletian, &c., for having adopted Galerius in the East, for having everywhere abolished the superstition of Christ, for having extended the worship of the gods." The idea of these emperors was, that the terrible calamities that had befallen the Roman people in the years previous to the celebration of their triumph commemorating their success in rescuing the distressed empire from tyrants and barbarian "wild beasts," Nov. 20, A.D. 303, styled by Gibbon "that memorable era," -- they judged, I say, that the pale-horse ruin had been brought upon the State by the christians. And, when we consider into what extreme degeneracy of faith and practice -- as appears from the seven epistles descriptive of as many states typified by each ecclesia, and by history already quoted -- they had fallen; it is not at all unlikely, that multitudes of them had plunged into the roaring waters of Dragon politics, and by their influence, like the equally demoralized abolitionists of our day, increased the confusion of the times. These emperors regarded them as a sort of copperhead faction among politicians, who only waited a favorable opportunity to seize sovereign power, when they would abolish the worship of the gods, to which they were themselves devoted. This was, no doubt, a correct view of their political relations. They had become like our modern pietists -- political pietists. The professors of our day all pretend to be christians, yet they are as intensely devoted to politics as the old heathen. What popish, protestant, and sectarian politicians now are, the professed christians were in the fifth seal-period under these emperors. Of course, we except from this remark, the "Little Strength" that "kept the word, and denied not the name" of the Spirit, who addressed the ecclesias. Of this sort there are none, and from the very constitution of modern names and denominations of pietists, there can be none, among papists, episcopalians, lutherans, presbyterians, methodists, and such like. These are all Sardian and Laodicean. They have a name among themselves that they are living, and are dead; in fact, they never were anything else but dead -- "dead in trespasses and sins;" they say, "they are rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing; and know not that they are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked;" though with hypocritical words in the exercise of their stereotyped formalism, they claim brotherhood with every criminal they inter, and confess that they are "miserable offenders" in whom "there is no health." There is not an atom of life or strength in such "christians" so-called as these. During the fourth and fifth seals professors of this type abounded in the military and civil service of the Dragon; and their presence there was a source of irritation and annoyance to those emperors, who were fanatically devoted to the gods. They persecuted them, and sought to exterminate the hated name they bore; and if we were to believe the Spanish pillar-inscriptions, and that of the Diocletian medal "no mine christianorum deleto," we should conclude, that the judgments of the fifth seal had accomplished the sanguinary work. But, they did succeed in turning multitudes to the gods, and so extending their worship; and, in a like sense to the extinguishing the name of Whig from the executive, legislature, and armies of the North; so the name of christian was extinguished from the court, and military, and civil service of Diocletian, Maximian, and Galerius. Whigs and Democrats became Federals and Abolitionists according to the safety and profitableness of the change; so the servants of these emperors, became Jovians and Herculeans, worshipping the fortunes of their imperial masters, rather than incur the dangerous liabilities that pertained to a loyal and faithful adhesion to the "Despot" who is "holy and true."

But, the souls underneath the Altar, slain, and reposing in the dust -- those of the slain in previous times who were in very deed saints and faithful in the anointed Christ-Altar, and who had been killed by the Dragon authorities -- "them dwelling upon the earth;" -- are hieroglyphically represented as desiring to know, "until when" the sanguinary conflict was to continue undetermined -- that conflict, in which they had been "conquering" though they had fallen in the war, but in which their camp had not yet succeeded "to conquer?" This question is figuratively suggested in fulfilment in the period of the ten day-years tribulation succeeding, A.D. 303 (Apoc. ii. 10). This has to be remembered that the reply may be appreciated. It was not how long from the time of John’s exile in Patmos; but how long from the termination of the fourth and the opening of the fifth seal to the judicial avengement of their blood upon the Dragon and his angels then in the heaven of Daniel’s Fourth Beast; and making such sanguinary havoc upon those within the Altar, but not then as yet underneath it as to cause three Dragon imperial friends aforesaid, to declare that "the name of the christians was extinguished." "It was answered to them," says the Spirit, "that they should repose yet a short time, chronon mikron, while heos hou, both their fellowservants and their brethren should be filled up, who are about to be killed even as they." This indicates that from the opening of the seal there was to be a period of soul-blood shedding by the Dragon power; and that when this sanguinary work should be over (a work that would be finished in "a short time," then the judicial vengeance should be manifested. History shows that this "short time," reached to A.D. 312-313, when this severest of all persecutions of christians by the power of the pagan government of the Fourth Beast, was put an end to, by the deposition and death of Maxentius and Maximin by the victorious Constantine and Licinius.