On April 20, 1999, my students and I read aloud part of Ray Bradberry‘s Fahrenheit 451.
“Sometimes I’m ancient. I’m afraid of children my own age. They kill each other. Did it always used to be this way?” Clarisse
Each student had to reflect on examples from the novel and either draw comparisons to modern situations or defend that Bradberry‘s version of the future was inaccurate. Standard compare/contrast essay. Since this was prior to students having any consistent access to the worldwide web, I could still send writing assignments home and expect to get some type of original student work product.
At the end of the day, I picked up my toddler from daycare and went home. Typical afternoon. But when I turned on the television, news of a mass school shooting permeated every station. Columbine. We now refer to the violence of that day by just one name.
Not one single student came to school the next day without a fully formed essay. Writing for them became cathartic based on the reality of the situation. Each one of them recognized that Columbine could easily have occurred at their school. Nothing unique existed about this school in Colorado. Every school has students that feel disenfranchised. But on April 20, 1999, two young men made the tragic decision to turn to violence.
”I’m afraid of children my own age. They kill each other. Did it always used to be this way?”
Clarisse, Fahrenheit 451
Two of my students argued vehemently regarding the young woman who was shot and killed in the cafeteria. Cassie Bernall was asked a critical question: Are you a Christian? When she said yes, that marked her for death. Both of my students mentioned Cassie‘s sacrifice in their essays, but they had very different opinions regarding her death. One heralded her as a strong Christian martyr because she did not deny her faith in the face of evil. Another student declared her death a "complete waste" in that her testimony made no difference to that face of evil which took her life.
I have to admit that as a mother, I held my baby girl very tightly that night and was unsure of how I felt about this senseless death. As a parent, I very selfishly would have wanted my child to say no and live. But when I look at the fifth and sixth seals of Revelation, God gives clarity regarding anyone who dies in defense of His name.
The opening of the fifth seal is found in Revelation 6: 9-11. When the fifth seal was opened, John saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and the testimony they had given. In John’s day, the reality of martyrdom followed each and every believer as a dark shadow of fear. Anytime they declared Jesus the Savior of the world, they literally risked their lives.
In the passage, the martyrs cry out to God to avenge our blood. So what is God‘s response? He asks them to rest, and he provides them with white robes which represent their salvation and their purity in His sight. But he also tells them that more martyrs will be joining them. More will be killed just as they had been killed.
If you are anything like me, that knowledge is disquieting. Knowing that more suffering and death is to come does not give the hope that this book supposedly represents.
Looking at the sixth seal, provides some more clarity. The opening of the sixth seal can be found in Revelation 6:12-17. What happens when the sixth seal is opened? Violent earthquakes, the sun turning black, the moon becoming like blood, stars falling out of the heavens, high winds, and the sky splitting apart and rolling back like a scroll.
This may be literal or it may all be symbolic. I don’t have those answers. A lot of people try to predict the end times by charting the cycles of the blood moons and predicting the death of the sun, etc., but the point is no one knows. So what is the significance of the sixth seal?
At the end of Revelation 6, kings, noble, generals, the rich, the powerful, and regular people ran and hid. Rather than calling out to God, they called out to the rocks to fall on them and end their lives. They recognized that the occurrences were the wrath of the Lamb, yet they still did not turn their hearts and minds toward Jesus.
So what hope is to be found in the fifth and sixth seals? Because this is where Revelation seems incredibly frightening.
We do not have to live our lives waiting for bad things to happen. Suffering happens every day. People die needlessly. Mothers cry because their children will never laugh or be held in their arms again. Children watch their parents decay. Natural disasters like earthquakes, and fires, and hurricanes, and tornadoes, and massive floods destroy property and irrevocably alter lives. All of these things have been happening since sin entered the world. That is what sin does. Sin breaks the perfection of God’s creation. But our kind, benevolent God holds back His wrath because He wants to point us toward salvation from this earthly devastation and destruction and guide our sight toward eternity.
The most tragic thing of all occurs when people continue to run away from the Lamb of God. We all know someone who would rather cry out to the mountains to fall and destroy them than confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
2 Peter 3:8-9 reminds us “Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: with the Lord one day is like 1000 years and 1000 years like one day. The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.“
God does not want His creation to run and hide from Him. He holds back His righteous anger because He wishes ALL to repent and come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, His Son.
So what is His promise? What is waiting for those who believe? What is waiting for those who are killed unjustly? What is waiting for those who suffer because of their belief in Christ?
God‘s testimony throughout His word in the Bible tells us over and over that there will be REST ! Is there anyone besides me that feels joy in the idea of simple rest? And we will be provided with white robes to show that we have been sealed by the blood of the Lamb and that God sees us as righteous. Words like Columbine will cease to have meaning. And the only word to proclaim will be Jesus !
What peace this knowledge brings. In Christ, I have eternal rest. All my sins have been washed white as snow in the blood of the Lamb. God’s justice will prevail, but on his time table not mine. All wrongs will be made right. Thanks be to God.
I’ve never been able to come to a conclusion regarding if Cassie Bernall had been my daughter, would I have wanted her to say yes and become a martyr or just say no and live. And I know that my God is OK with my questioning. How do I know he’s OK with my questions and doubts? You'll have to read the next blog that covers Chapter 7 and the sealing of the multitude.
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