Who were the first century martyrs? Did they die in AD70 or before AD70? Did they die for the truth or did they die in denial? Are false witnesses even considered martyrs? Those who remained in the old covenant and died for their (un) ‘belief’ were not the martyrs under the alter in heaven. Martyrs don’t die for bearing false witness.

What does making a martyr mean? Unbelieving Jews today claim to be the all time sufferers for their continued belief in the past old covenant. They claim the perpetual repetition of their many holocausts from AD70 to this day are for faithfully adhering to some old covenant truth. Is their’s a martyr complex or are they really the all time truthful witnesses for the Father? Would they willingly continue to die in the land or outside the land rather than deny the truth that was given to them out of heaven. Is Judaism a martyr’s religion?

It was in fact the unbelieving world of Judaism who tried to silence the truth that came down from heaven. It was the old covenant hold outs who tried to stop the covenant transition by way of the new covenant holocaust? The false witnesses tried to stop the truthful testimonies by way of their first century Jewish murders, beginning with Jesus Himself. Rome didn’t murder the false witnesses in AD70 and make martyrs out of the unbelievers in Jerusalem. The unbelieving Jews made martyrs out of the believing Jews in Jerusalem. Those who stubbornly died in the second death of their old covenant aren’t admired forever for standing up for their heaven-sent truth. They weren’t the real martyrs. They were the instigators of the real martyrdom. Jewish Paul himself was an instigator before he became one of the heroic martyrs, during the first century holocaust of truthful witnesses. Those who were trapped in Jerusalem actually died because they did not believe the true witnesses who told them to get out before the end of their old covenant arrived. They were not victims of the new covenant. They were self-deluded. They bore false witness to themselves and victimized the faithful. And they selfishly (not selflessly) died for it. Old covenant Jerusalem was bearing false witness when it ended in destruction. Jerusalem didn’t die witnessing to the truth. Old Jerusalem died in denial, trying to save their own flesh.

Altruistic witness gives life to the hearer, without regard to the earthly fate of the witness. Although it is well known from the covenant transition writers, i.e. from Josephus and the Bible, that true witnesses often did die for their testimonies, physical death was not the goal. True life for both the martyrs and their audience was the goal. Paul was ready and willing to die telling the truth to his own people. The truth of the good news freed the Jews from the second death of the old covenant, from which Paul was already safe. The spoken truth ended Paul’s earthbound life in obedience to God’s call for honest witnesses. Paul persuaded his fellow believers to take cover in the new and abandon the old before they lost it all to the last old covenant lie. Nobody in the old covenant will ever lie to us again, because nobody is in the old covenant. God’s people are forever in the new.

Acts 21:11-14

LITV ¹¹ And coming to us, and taking Paul’s girdle, and binding his hands and feet, he said, The Holy Spirit says these things : In Jerusalem the Jews will bind in this way the man whose belt this is, and will deliver him up into the hands of the nations. ¹² And when we heard these things, both we and those of the place begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ But Paul answered, What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I not only am ready to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁴ And he not being persuaded, we were silent, saying, The will of the Lord be done .

Dictionary Definition from Oxford Languages 

Martyr: A person who is killed or who suffers greatly for a cause. But not just any cause. The believing Jews were the martyrs. The unbelieving Jews also died for their cause in the end, but they were not celebrated as martyrs of the faith. They murdered the true believers and made martyrs out of them. The believing Jews were then admired as heroes for having suffered and died for a true cause.

μαρτυρέω
martureō
mar-too-reh’-o
From G3144; to bear witness, that is, testify (literally or figuratively)

KJV Usage: charge, give [evidence], bear record, have (obtain, of) good (honest) report, be well reported of, testify, give (have) testimony, (be, bear, give, obtain) witness.

Do we even question who the true witnesses were? Which Jews addressed their questions to the One on the throne in heaven, “O Master, the Holy and the True”? The Jews under the alter or the Jews holed up in the land? It was the Jews obsessed with the typical land who removed Stephen and sent him to heaven as the first martyr to follow Jesus. The Jewish falsifiers either murdered the honest witnesses or drove them out of the land to join the 12 tribes in the old covenant diaspora. A newly created spirit-realm Jerusalem, being kept incorruptible in heaven, did not appeal to the Jews still in the flesh mode. Only born again Jews bore true witness all the way to the end of old covenant Jerusalem and the end of the old was the end of the old covenant forgiveness. Paul was willing to sacrifice his old man body to open the eyes of the old covenant brethren before it was too late. Like Jesus, Paul was willing to sacrifice his old covenant life, if it might get the truth to some of his earthbound brethren still in disbelief of the better place.

Revelation 6:9-11

YLT ⁹ And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony that they held, ¹⁰ and they were crying with a great voice, saying, `Till when, O Master, the Holy and the True, dost Thou not judge and take vengeance of our blood from those dwelling upon the land?’ ¹¹ and there was given to each one white robes, and it was said to them that they may rest themselves yet a little time, till may be fulfilled also their fellow-servants and their brethren, who are about to be killed—even as they.

The english word martyr is used only 3 times for the KJV rendering of the Greek word. That same Greek word is used 34 times. It is usually rendered “witness” rather than “martyr”. True witnesses often became martyrs during the covenant transition. That is what gave a new meaning to the word witness.

Acts 22:20 (KJV)
And when the blood of thy martyr [witness] Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.

Revelation 2:13 (KJV)
I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr [witness], who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Revelation 17:6 (KJV)
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs [witnesses] of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

The drunk woman was obviously old covenant Jerusalem. Jesus actually died just outside of Jerusalem proper. He attributes the death of all the prophets including Himself to Jerusalem. Without the instigation coming from first century Jerusalem, martyrdom would not have been a thing. Martyrdom still happens. The covenant transition martyrdom is history.

Luke 13:33

LITV ³³ But today and tomorrow and on the following day I must travel on. For it is not possible for a prophet to perish outside Jerusalem.

The Jewish religious leaders demanded that the Romans put Jesus to death (Matthew 27:22-25). They publicly shouted, “crucify Him” and “Let His blood was on our hands”. Jerusalem was the city where the Lord was crucified. John received revelation from Jesus and bore the true revelation of Jesus. He may be the only apostle who didn’t die for it. The old covenant had not ended yet when he wrote. He derogatorily nicknames old covenant Jerusalem: Sodom and Egypt. True witness was coming from the reborn citizens of Jerusalem. They tried to reach their brethren till the end of their new beginning.

Revelation 11:8

LITV ⁸ And their bodies will be on the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom, and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified.

The first of the 34 occurrences of martyr is in Matthew 18:16. If one witness wasn’t convincing enough to the Jews then two Jewish witnesses were to appear before the old covenant assembly. If Peter’s Jewish brethren didn’t believe Him, then they were to be uncovenanted after the 490 offensive years expired. This forbearance in old covenant witnessing was only until the second 490 years lapsed. The false witnesses were permanently excommunicated from the truth-telling ecclesia. Martyrs by definition are the true covenant witnesses who became the heroes out of the old covenant rescue mission.

Matthew 18

CLV ¹ Now in that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who, consequently, is greatest in the kingdom of the heavens? ² And, calling a little child to Him, He stands it in their midst, ³ and said, “Verily, I am saying to you, If you should not be turning and becoming as little children, you may by no means be entering into the kingdom of the heavens.” ⁴ Who, then, will be humbling himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens.” ⁵ And whosoever should be receiving one such little child in My name is receiving Me. ⁶ Yet whoever should be snaring one of these little ones who is believing in Me, it is expedient for him that a millstone requiring an ass to turn it may be hanged about his neck, and he should be sunk in the open ocean.” ⁷ Woe to the world because of snares! For it is a necessity for snares to be coming. Moreover, woe to that man through whom the snare is coming!” ⁸ Now, if your hand or your foot is snaring you, strike it off and cast it from you. Is it ideal for you to be entering into life maimed or lame, or, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the fire eonian? ⁹ And if your eye is snaring you, wrench it out and cast it from you. Is it ideal for you to be entering into life one-eyed, or, having two eyes, to be cast into the Gehenna of fire? ¹⁰ See that you should not be despising one of these little ones, for I am saying to you that their messengers in the heavens are continually observing the face of My Father Who is in the heavens.” ¹¹ – ¹² What are you supposing? If it should be occurring to any man, with a hundred sheep, that even one of them should be led astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine sheep on the mountains, and go and seek the one which is straying? ¹³ And if he should come to find it, verily, I am saying to you that he is rejoicing over it, rather than over the ninety-nine that have not strayed.” ¹⁴ Thus it is not the will in front of your Father Who is in the heavens that one of these little ones should be perishing. ¹⁵ Now, if ever your brother should be sinning, go and expose him between you and him alone. If ever he should be hearing you, you gain your brother.” ¹⁶ Yet if ever he should not be hearing, take still one or two others along with you, that at the mouth of two witnesses, or of three, every declaration may be made to stand.” ¹⁷ Now, if ever he should be disobeying them, tell it to the ecclesia. Now, if ever he should be disobeying the ecclesia also, let him be to you even as the man of the nations, and the tribute collector.” ¹⁸ Verily, I am saying to you, Whatsoever you should be binding on the earth shall be those things having been bound in the heavens, and whatsoever you should be loosing on the earth shall be those loose in heaven.” ¹⁹ Again, verily, I am saying to you that, if ever two of you should be agreeing on the earth concerning any matter, whatsoever it is they should be requesting shall be coming to them from My Father Who is in the heavens.” ²⁰ For where two or three are, gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” ²¹ Then, approaching, Peter said to Him, “Lord, how many times shall my brother be sinning against me and I shall be pardoning him? Till seven times? ²² Jesus is saying to him, “I am not saying to you ‘Till seven times,’ but ‘Till seventy times and seven,'” ²³ Therefore likened was the kingdom of the heavens to a man, a king, who wants to settle accounts with his slaves.” ²⁴ Now, at his beginning to settle, one debtor was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents.” ²⁵ Now, at his not having wherewith to pay, the lord orders him to be disposed of, and his wife and children and all, whatever he has, and payment to be made.” ²⁶ Falling down, then, that slave worshiped him, saying, Lord, be patient with me, and I will pay you all!'” ²⁷ Now, having compassion, the lord of that slave dismisses him, and remits his loan.” ²⁸ Yet, coming out, that slave found one of his fellow slaves, who owed him a hundred denarii, and, holding him, he choked him, saying, ‘Pay, if you are owing anything!” ²⁹ Falling down, then, his fellow slave entreated him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you all!'” ³⁰ Yet he would not, but, coming away, he casts him into jail, till he may pay what he is owing.” ³¹ Then his fellow slaves, perceiving what is occurring, were tremendously sorry, and coming, they elucidate to their lord all that is occurring.” ³² Then his lord, calling him to him, is saying to him, ‘Wicked slave! That entire debt I remit to you, since you entreat me.” ³³ Was it not binding on you also to be merciful to your fellow slave, as I also am merciful to you?‘” ³⁴ And, being indignant, his lord gives him up to the tormentors till he may pay all he is owing him.” ³⁵ Thus shall My heavenly Father also be doing to you [covenant transition Jews in Jerusalem], if each one should not be pardoning his brother, from your hearts.” [A warning to the hypocritical leadership in Jerusalem who unmercifully demanded repayment from their debtors even after being personally forgiven by the king himself]

The old covenant hold outs didn’t accept the newly forgiven brotherhood of the Jews. They hypocritically tried to hold the law mode over the heads of the Christ followers. The head of the new covenant was the blameless One they mistakingly of made a martyr out of. He however did not ascend to be with the martyrs under the alter. His sacrifice was made complete. The body of martyrs under the alter was not yet complete. The old covenant dying body was still trying to stop the new covenant body from living. Their attempt to censor new covenant humanity by way of the most unjust holocaust ever didn’t work. Their attempt to kill the new man solidified the case against the old man. They reinforced the witness by adding to the Jewish body of martyrs. Martyr and witness are the same word in Greek. The body of the true beliefers (martyrs) lived and testified to the age, under the alter. The body of the false faith in the old man died in the murderous flesh-mode of their ‘fact-checking’ operation. Jesus chose to be a martyr for the forgiveness of His people in Jerusalem. The scheduled destruction of Jerusalem under law was for their avarice not their faithfulness. AD70 did not add more Jews to the body of martyrs under the alter. It ended the old covenant resistance. It ended the transitional martyrdom for good.

I’m not a holocaust denier. I believe every holocaust that happened has actually occurred and is horrendous. There is no justifiable reason for any country to sacrifice any whole people group in the name of raising humanity higher. But there really was only one covenant-transition-holocaust. The first century holocaust of believing Jews justified the AD70 holocaust of the unbelieving Jews. God was very patient and merciful not wanting anyone to perish. God started warning His people by way of His two faithful witnesses. John the baptist was murdered for telling the truth before Jesus was. They were the first two martyrs in the most unjust Jewish holocaust ever. After 40 years of good news, the old covenant finally ceased to exist.

Holocaust means whole burnt offering. Those who are deniers of the first century holocaust are now called holocaust unbelievers. In the first century, those who instigated the holocaust were the unbelievers. Since there were no more sacrifices for old covenant sins after AD70, the old covenant Hebrews who remained in the flesh lost their forgiveness, after their second 490 years in the land. While the new covenant Hebrews sacrificed their old covenant flesh to remain faithful to Yahweh, the unbelievers were willing to do anything to try to save their old covenant flesh, even if it meant bearing false witness. In actuality, the old covenant of flesh was the body being sacrificed for the new. The old covenant body of Christ was sacrificed so He would save his people into the new.

There will never be any old covenant flesh body again. The old Jewish covenant in the flesh was replaced by the new Jewish covenant no longer in the flesh. The transition of covenants was not complete until the reverse holocaust was complete. The old covenant body was actually the one being put to death. The acceptable sacrifices were gathering under the alter. Only the acceptable sacrifices done in faith were under the alter. That did not include the old covenant Jews who killed the new covenant Jews. The faith of Christ was in the body of Jewish martyrs. When the hold outs finally died in AD70, they did not join the Jewish body of martyrs in heaven. The holocaust of God’s truthful people assured the destruction of the false witnesses. They instigated it and kept it up with their lies. Everyone left in Jerusalem was lying to each other about both their ongoing and imminent holocaust. The flesh of the unbelievers was burned up inside Jerusalem and therefore unclean.

The writer of Hebrews, however, insists that the sacrifice of Jesus was performed outside of the holy place, and it is this sacrifice which sanctifies his people. This act of sanctification marks the abolition of the necessity of holy places for sanctification. Jerusalem.

Hebrews 13:9-14 – to the 12 tribes in transition of covenants

CLV ⁹ By varied and strange teachings be not carried aside, for it ideal to be confirming the heart by grace, not by foods, by which those who walk were not benefitted.” ¹⁰ We have an altar from which they have no right to be eating, who offer divine service in the tabernacle.” ¹¹ For the animals whose blood is carried into the holy places by the chief priest concerning sin, of these the bodies are burned up outside the camp.” ¹² Wherefore Jesus also, that He should be hallowing the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.” ¹³ Now then, we may be coming out to Him outside the camp, carrying His reproach.” ¹⁴ For here we are not having a permanent city, but we are seeking for the one which is impending.”

Holocaust – ὁλοκαύτωμα
holokautōma
hol-ok-ow’-to-mah
From a derivative of a compound of G3650 and a derivative of G2545; a wholly consumed sacrifice (“holocaust”)

KJV Usage: (whole) burnt offering.

Hebrews 10:8

ECB ⁸ Wording above, Sacrifice and offering and holocausts and for sin you neither willed nor thought well – which are offered by the torah; ^{Psalm 40:6-8}

Like Cain, the unbelieving Jews were holocausting their own brethren that God had chosen as His accepted sons, by way of the old covenant sacrifice of His only begotten Son. The old land hold-outs were finally holocausted themselves for their old covenant sin of unbelief. They did not die faithfully. There are no unbelieving sinners in the old covenant land anymore. All the believing sinners moved into the new before the old covenant ended in its disbelief. If the old covenant ended, then nobody can be in it anymore, whether you believe it or not. The old covenant law required continual sacrifices for sins. The old covenant law was completely fulfilled before it all went away in its oldness.

Hebrews 8:13 – to Hebrews in diaspora

YLT ¹³ in the saying `new,’ He hath made the first old, and what doth become obsolete and is old is nigh disappearing. [It does not say temporarily made old or temporarily disappearing only to reappear for its final fulfillment in Christ in a third 490 years when sacrifices cease for Peter’s highly offensive brethren once more].

All the old covenant Jewish martyrs already gave up their old way of life faithfully. Those Jews had their diet (way of life) changed. They no longer live by trying to keep the types. They kept right on living by way of their proper beliefs. They never could and never will keep the types. The types were fulfilled for them if not also in them. Those who still insisted they could keep the types in the flesh all died. People who believe in the old covenant man rather than the new man do not live forever in heaven when their earth bound body eventually dies. Nobody but Christians leaves the realm of earth alive.

Jesus was the first Jew to be born again into His new covenant. He was the first Jew to ascend to heaven. His old covenant Jewish faith made the Way. He was the only Jew who could keep the types. He is not your typical Jew. He died to fulfill and end the old covenant of types. Maybe we shouldn’t try to bring them back.

Trying to keep the copies on earth was definitely not a good move. Bringing them back for their second 490 years in the land was God’s gracious gift to humanity. Bringing the copies of heavenly things back to the land for a third 490 years is merely man’s nonsense. God told His people He was bringing them back for their covenant renewal, even as He was temporarily kicking them out for 70 years. Jesus told Peter that the end of the second 490 was the end of Jewish forgiveness. Peter was not so gracious. Peter was willing to forgive his brethren 7 times.

So why try to recreate the irreconcilable mode of existence that Jesus lived in and died in order to graciously put it to death? The death of old covenant death came when the old covenant ended. God’s people don’t die in His new covenant and God’s people don’t live in His old covenant. God Himself eventually killed the old covenant murderers of the new covenant people. When God kills a people it is never murder. Murder is unjust killing. God is never unjust. He is extremely gracious to His people and all people. He warned the most offensive generation ever for 40 years before He stopped warning them. He was not and is not indebted to people for anything. He fulfilled His gracious promises to His called out people. Those Jews who refused to join the called out ones suffered their second death in the land. Those who were called out are today in the foundation of the redeemed people of God; the church. They are the first century Jewish martyrs who laid down their life on the land to initiate and perpetuate the all-time-truth of the good news. All time is forever now. Now is the only time we will ever have. We are forever present before God. God never ends time or visits us outside of the time He created. Angels actually take time to travel to us. God Himself is not dependent on time, but He never visits us outside of our time; namely present-tense time since its the only time. Unlike His created messengers, God can show up in no time flat. It’s just that no man can see God and live outside of His sacrificial mediation. The new covenant mediator sanctified His people and accomplished God’s continued presence without destroying His people.

The writer to the Hebrews insisted that the sacrifice of Jesus was performed outside of the holy place, and it was this sacrifice that sanctified His people by sending them the Holy Spirit of sanctification. This act of heavenly sanctification marks the abolition of the necessity of the copies of the holy places for typical sanctification. The new Jerusalem is now the holy place of sanctification. The old Jerusalem predated the new creation, therefore it wasn’t actually a copy of the real one in heaven. But it is guaranteed to be the forever better city of God. Paul promised imminent relief from the fear mongering and fearful tyrants taking false cover inside the old Jerusalem. The presence of the Lord destroyed those outside the priestly mediation of the new Jerusalem.

2 Thessalonians 1:7

YLT ⁷ and to you who are troubled—rest with us in the revelation [apocalypse] of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with messengers of his power,