Chapter Seventeen/'Slaughtered Souls' Rewarded - Continue

 Underneath this altar are "the souls of those slaughtered because of the word of God and because of the witness work that they used to have? What does this mean? This could not be disembodied souls-like those believed in by pagan Greeks. (Genesis 2:7; Ezekiel 18:4) Rather, John knows that the soul, or life, is symbolized by the blood, and when the priests at the ancient Jewish tabernacle slaughtered a sacrificial animal, they sprinkled the blood "round about upon the altar" of burnt offering." (Leviticus 3:2, 8, 13; 4:7; 17:6, 11,12) Hence, the animal's soul was closely identified with the altar of sacrifice. But why would the souls, or blood of these particular servants of God be seen underneath a symbolic altar in heaven? Because their deaths are viewed as sacrificial. 

Indeed, all those who are begotten as spirit sons of God die a sacrificial death.  Because of the role they are to play in Jehovah's heavenly Kingdom, it is God's will that they renounce and sacrifice any hope of life everlasting on earth. In this respect, they submit to a sacrificial death in behalf of Jehovah's sovereignty. (Philippians 3:8-11; and compare 2:17.) This is true in a very real sense of those whom John saw under the altar. They are anointed ones who in their day were martyred for their zealous ministry in upholding Jehovah's Word and sovereignty.  Their "souls [were] slaughtered because of the word of God and because of the witness work [mar- ty-ry' an] that they used to have." 

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