"When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and of the testimony which they have maintained..." Revelation 6:9. Christian martyrs who've gone before us maintained their testimony to a brutal end, one that God knew they would have and did not interfere to stop, because He knew their witness would be what the next generation of believers needed to maintain their faith when persecution came their way.