The 5th seal is the fifth part of a prophecy of the 7 seals found in Revelation 6,8. I believe the 5th Seal is predicting a period of time when a group of people who have risen up to witness to the rest of the earth about Gods law, prophecy and future events foretold in the book of Revelation (See 1st Seal) will be unjustly persecuted and killed by people of earth led by the beast of Babylon.
When we let the bible interpret itself the symbols used in prophecy unlock the mystery of the interpretation and allow us to determine the fulfillment events. The meaning of the symbols is in the bible itself, lets examine:
5th Seal
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the alter the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they had. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
Immediately we notice that from the fifth seal onwards there are no more horses and riders as personifications of prophetic events. I believe this indicates that from here onwards in the prophecy scroll (of the 7 seals), we are no longer looking at new historical periods or movements, but results and consequences of the earlier events. Maybe that is why they call them the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse, because they are the major events that bring about the final apocalypse of the world.
It is overwhelmingly clear from the plain reading of the whole bible that those who die, go to the the grave, and their souls DO NOT go to heaven under any alter (See Acts 2:29,34). The dead are no longer conscious in any way and definitely do not communicate with either God or other humans on earth (See Ecclesiastes 9:5, Psalm 146:4; 115:17). Therefore we must understand the souls of the saints who are crying out to God spoken of by the fifth seal as a poetic symbol similar to that used by God after the first murder and hence death on this planet:
The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.
Since the blood is not literally crying to God then neither are any souls. But instead God is grieved deeply by death and spilling of innocent blood. That is why the blood of those who are killed cry out to him for justice in a metaphorical way. This is to say that the unjust acts of murder cry out and beg God of earth for justice on those committing the murders.
We can also understand that the saints represented by the metaphorical souls were SLAIN, which is a strong word and indicates unjust and potentially inhumane murder or killing. A quick flip through Revelation we can find the associated verses that reveal that it is in fact the apostate religious system of spiritual Babylon that is responsible for these slayings:
And in her (the harlot = apostate church = spiritual Babylon) was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
and likewise this sounds like the very war instigated by the Beast of Babylon upon the two witnesses:
When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Notice that war is made against the two witnesses (those who worship God), who also have TESTIMONY (like the martyrs in 5th seal) and they are then killed. Being killed in a war is akin to being SLAIN. Furthermore their bodies lie in the streets (unburied) of the city where the Lord was crucified. We know the Jesus was crucified and this was for centuries represented and symbolised in the Hebrew tabernacle service as the SACRIFICE on the ALTER of burnt offering. This is the important link for us to understand that the souls of the saints SLAIN UNDER THE ALTER are those of the group represented by the two witnesses who are innocent (like Jesus) but killed in the war by the apostate system of the Beast AFTER they have completed their period of witness described in the 1st and 3rd Seal.
And likewise this is same as the war instigated by the Sea Beast & Earth Beast (Final Apostate Religion and World Government Alliance) upon the saints. These are all parallel prophecies of the same events:
(Sea Beast) It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them (kill them after a struggle during their witnessing period). And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
(Earth Beast) He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
Therefore we see here that after a period of final and most powerful witnessing to the world against the apostate system of worship then in place, the apostate religious and government alliance are finally given authority to harm and kill those who are witnessing, who are the saints. This leads to a period of terrible persecution and the killing of many saints and blood of the innocent slain begins to cry out to God for justice by way of immediate judgement upon the wicked.
It is clear that during this time of widespread persecution there is a rejection of the Word of God by the persecutors. The darkness and lack of the bread of the word of God is also confirmed in the proceeding 3rd Seal. However the persecuted champion the word of God and they have a testimony. The word testimony requires more elaboration and should be examined further to help understand the timing of this Seal:
In the book of Revelation the word testimony means the revelation of Jesus himself with respect to future events.
The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show His servants - things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servent John. who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.
And if that wasn't clear enough:
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
So we can clearly see that a group of people is being SLAIN because they have prophecy and understanding of prophecy. Given it is widely recognised that proper understanding of prophecy was given some time after 1840s, this period of persectuion must also be afterwards. Given there has not yet been a significant war and SLAYING of any group of people since 1840s on account of their understanding of Bible prophecy and future, the events of the 5th Seal must be yet future.
We saw already above in Revelation 1:2 that receiving the testimony also means to bear witness to it. Witnesses are required in court to establish a case - in fact Jewish law required 2 witnesses to confirm a testimony as true (John 8:17). And so by this symbol we can also associate the parallel prophecy of the Two Witnesses (Rev 11) who also have the testimony and who also go through period of persecution:
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
The very strong word WAR used here indicates a large conflagration incited against the group of people who preach the testimony of prophecy and it is the very same unjust persecution by the inhabitants of the earth described in the 5th Seal.
The grievous acts of slaying innocent saints is crying out to God for swift judgement and vengeance on those who dwell on the earth. Please notice that ALL those who dwell on the earth seem to be involved and implicated in this slaying because judgement is requested not on individuals or a group but on those who dwell on earth as a WHOLE. This is telling us of a widespread worldwide movement that is enabling the eradication of the saints.
The judgement requested here is the wrath of God poured out on the earth in the prophecy of the 7 bowls of wrath, we can confirm this through link with one of the Angels who is pouring out the wrath:
And I heard the angel of the waters saying: You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be, because you have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due. ... true and righteous are your judgements.
God here responds with utter destruction of the wicked becuase of the unjust end time persecution of his people just at the right time, after he has put forth every effort to save as many as would be saved.
And likewise in Revelation 18 we can also confirm that it is in fact the apostate end time world religious system of the harlot of Babylon that is responsible for the worldwide persecution and slaying of the saints whose BLOOD is crying out in the 5th Seal:
For her sins (Babylon) have reached to heaven (cries of saints reached the alter of God), and God has remembered her iniquities (How long until you remember to judge?). Render to her just as she rendered to you (persecution of 5th Seal), and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.... Therefore her plagues will come in one day, death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who JUDGES her.... And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.
It is abundantly clear from plain reading of scripture an through the many associations that the persecution by Babylon which will arise in the end time will be followed by swift judgement from God.
The important word to understand this part of the prophecy is REST. Rest or sleeping in the bible is also used by Jesus to describe the state of the dead. (See Matthew 9:24) By this word rest we can understand that these people who are being persecuted to death are the ones who have just been preaching the three angels message as described in the 1st and 3rd seal:
Right after three angels message mandate:
Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me: "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now." "Yes" says the Spirit, "that they may REST from their labors and their works follow them."
You see all of those who are killed by the apostate religious world system are called blessed for several reasons.
Therefore we can confirm and conclude that this period of peresuction corresponds to the period AFTER the preaching of the three angels message (Rev 14, 1st Seal, 3rd Seal), and AFTER the two witnesses (Rev 11, 1st Seal, 3rd Seal) finish their testimony. This period of persecution also corresponds to the war against the saints by the beast (Rev 11, Rev 13).
What about all the people being persecuted and killed at the moment? I believe the persecution and bloodshed of our time and the world wars of the last century is described more generally by the red horse of the 2nd Seal. The 5th seal is a special time of widespread persecution that will conclude with the final wrath of God upon this world and coming of Jesus.
The persecution is allowed to continue until the number of those to be slain is completed. What is this number? We don't know, however there is another related number that can help us to understand the meaning of this, it is the 144,000 sealed saints:
saying: "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of God on their foreheads." And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed.
This demonstrates to us that God knows exactly and precisely which and how many of His people are to be sealed and pass through the great tribulation, that terrible but defining moment of the great controversy. This group will have to stand after the close of probation, without an intercessor through Jacobs trouble and will need to have had a complete victory (in Jesus) over sin and over self to survive this ordeal. They are the ones who validate the plan of salvation in the face of the very powers of darkness personified and unleashed on the earth at that time.
Now consider that if God knows exactly and precisely those who are appointed to pass through the great tribulation then it follows that He also knows those who he has appointed to be spared this ordeal. They are the ones who are slain in the 5th Seal. They are the ones who are called "blessed" as dead because they REST from their labours and their works follow them AFTER the great tribulation is over. It is a difficult time, bu God allows persecution to continue that he may actually spare a large number of people, a great multitude (Rev 7:9,14) from a time worse then death. Those who are slain during the 5th Seal die as a witness for the word of God, but in so doing they are given rest, and spared the horrors of the great tribulation.
When the number spoken of in the 5th Seal is completed, we are left with 144,000 of the sealed. A perfect number representing the final generation of Gods end time people who pass through the time of severe judgement on the world and time of trouble such as never was.
The white robes in revelation prophecy represents the righteous acts of the saints. We can also see them being given right after the final judgement being cried for by the saints is poured out which helps us to confirm the link between the timing of the 5th seal to be right before the final judgement:
And to her (Gods faithful church = saints) it was granted (given) to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright (like white robes), for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
The saints who are given white robes symbolically are told to wait "a little while longer" which means that soon after their persecution they will be glorified and exalted. And we can see this confirmed by the 144,000 and great multitude:
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands...These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
The 5th Seal represents a period of time when a group of people who have risen up to witness to the rest of the earth about Gods standard of living, prophecy and future events foretold in the book of Revelation will be unjustly persecuted and killed. The persecution of the 5th seal follows and is against and as a consequence of the mighty movement described by the 1st Seal. This movement arises during the period of the 3rd Seal in response to the state of the false religion symbolised by Babylon. The metaphoric souls of the saints who cry under the alter are the people of the 3rd Seal and also the Two Witnesses (Rev 11) and also the great multitude in heaven which believed in the three angels message (Rev 7). Violent unjust persecution arises against them because they speak against all the sin and false religion of Babylon. They restore the truth about Gods law and prophecy and warn the earth about judgements that are soon to follow on the earth.