The following verses are used as a proof reference to show that men have an immortal soul and that when they die; they go immediately to heaven in a conscious state. They are suppose to prove that souls of men are consciously in heaven right NOW.
Revelation 6:9And 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:
Revelation 6:10And 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?
Revelation 6:11And 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 fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
This proves absolutely nothing about anyone ever having gone to heaven- or already being in heaven. Especially when you consider the evidence already presented, that no one ever has! Please read our article, “Where Do the Souls of Men Go at Death?”
The wording here is symbolic and is in figurative language just as in so many other instances in Revelation. Nevertheless, the message is clear, these souls “ARE DEAD”.
The evidence in context also appears to indicate that “these souls” are killed during the events (Tribulation Period) contained in the preceding verses (2-8), especially verse 8, which are events yet to happen! They haven’t happened yet.
These are killed due to their testimony and for their word of God. Jesus tells us that at the end-times (Matthew 24:9; 29), many will be killed for His name’s sake. So the evidence appears more favorably to suggest that these souls will be killed during the Tribulation Period during the reign of the Beast (Revelation 20:4), rather than to suggest that these souls are symbolically under the altar right NOW. But whether they symbolically represent Tribulation saints, or those souls killed during ages past, matters not. The point is they are dead!
We are told these souls are slain! And they are told (symbolically speaking of course, because after all, THEY ARE DEAD) that they “should rest YET” for a little while longer until their fellow servants and brethren should be killed as they were!
The key phrase here that proves these ARE DEAD souls is, “should rest YET”. Meaning that these souls should continue in their resting condition until a certain time period has expired. This state of rest, or resting condition, is also known as death! See the following example:
Daniel 12:13 So, Daniel, be faithful until the end! You will rest, and at the end of time, YOU will rise from death to receive your reward.
Pretty clear isn’t it? It isn’t Daniel’s inert shell body being addressed here as some would have us believe, but rather Daniel, the COMPLETE being himself! The very soul who will rest in the condition known as death and at the end will rise from it to receive his reward.
Another phrase that also catches the eye here is: “And white robes were given unto every one of them“…
How can a spirit, or souls, wear a robe? Remember, their physical bodies are in their graves! So it would be illogical to see it any other way other than symbolically speaking.
So we clearly see no evidence in Revelation 6:9-11, that indicates that the souls of the righteous dead go consciously to heaven at death, or that some have already ascended to heaven and are already there. All the evidence solidifies the direct opposite of that.
Instead of letting the Bible teach them, men will twist and pervert scripture in order to try and force it to say what they believe. Nevertheless, let men be wrong and the Mighty weight of the Word of God, be right!
