July 4: PIN-DROP SILENCE!
When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Revelation 8:1
We saw the theme of chapter 7: urgent preparation for the return of Christ. The sleeping, lukewarm church is alerted to its desperate need for Christlike character to face earth’s final conflict. The winds of strife are soon to be completely loosed to carry out their devastating work. The restraining of these winds showcases the mercy of God in giving His people time to prepare. The first six seals—all the way up to the opening of the seventh seal—also contain the sealing message of God, providing confidence and assurance of spiritual safety through tribulation. A sealed saint is so settled in the truth that no amount of ridicule, threatening, dissuasion, temptation, torture, or martyrdom will move him or her off of the narrow path of safety. The determined and painful progress of the Reformation has already displayed such character in the millions upon millions of martyrs who held up the banner of Bible Truth.
Silence in heaven? The word of God has “schooled” us in the knowledge of heaven being a place of vibrant activity: myriads of angels sent to and fro on behalf of God’s people, the giving of glory to Him Who was and is and is to come (4:8) by the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders . . . filling the heavenly sanctuary with song and praise. This place is the very pulse of the universe! For this reason, to be told of silence in heaven may seem anticlimactic. But the open[ing] of the seventh seal is equal to the coming of Christ to claim His bride, which obviously has not happened yet. There will be silence in heaven when Jesus leaves heaven to come for us, because all the holy angels will come with Him. Our opening verse is the fulfillment of Mark 8:38; John 14:3; 1 Corinthians 15:23,51; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, and others. In prophetic time*, about half an hour is equal to slightly over a week. This is the approximate length of time for traveling to and from earth, including the time involved in the gathering of the saints.
Chapters 6 and 7, along with the letters to the churches in chapters 2 and 3, center around the gospel message and God’s people from the time of the cross to the second coming. Both pairs of chapters expose the damaging effects of the world’s opposition to the everlasting gospel (14:6), altering it to a different gospel (2 Corinthians 11:4). Chapter 8 leads us directly into the trumpet judgments that are aimed toward the enemies of God. These judgements run parallel to the seals and are redemptive in nature. They are further demonstrations of God’s mercy. The contrast between the saving work of the Lord and the damnable work of the archenemy is sharpened. One of the perplexing aspects for today’s Christians in the trumpet judgements is the allowance by God of His enemies to operate in bringing those judgements about. But familiarity with the Old Testament demonstrates over and over that Satan carries out his work through people, and when God’s people compromise with the world, they actually subject themselves to spiritual damage. The devastation that those under Satan’s leadership inflict—under the restraining hand of God—are judgments. Nevertheless, the power of the pure gospel message to save souls is there for discovery, regardless of how unlikely we may think a person is or who’s side one has served on in the past.
And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever. Daniel 4:34
*Numbers 14:34, Ezekiel 4:6, Luke 13:32