Quiet Earth Fellowservants of Christ

In the opening of the first six seals, God points to the entire New Covenant (testament) period. The first seal shows the LORD Jesus Christ riding a white horse in a victory gallop bringing the good news (gospel) to the sin cursed world, leading all the way to the sixth seal pointing to the second coming of Christ on the last day:

"12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" - Revelation 6:12-17 kjv.

Revelation 7 is an interlude in heaven where we read of the 144,000 remnant of Israel and a multitude from the tribulation. The multitude are those who are God's elect:

"9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen." - Revelation 7:9-12.

Now we come to the seventh seal which will provide a very specific portrait of the things that will take place just before and ending with the last day on earth. Revelation 8:2 - Revelation 11:14 describes the final tribulation and Revelation 11:15 follows with the seventh trumpet --- Christ's reign forseen.

Here in Revelation 8:1 God speaks of silence in heaven. Let's compare this with another verse:

"But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him." - Habakkuk 2:20.

When Christ returns to judge there will be silence:

"21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. 22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;" - Revelation 18:21,22.

The half-hour silence is the brief pause GIVEN TO JOHN between the preceding vision and the following one, implying, on the one hand, the solemn introduction to the eternal sabbatism which is to follow the seventh seal; and, on the other, the silence which continued during the incense-accompanied prayers which usher in the first of the seven trumpets (Revelation 8:3-5). In the Jewish temple, musical instruments and singing resounded during the whole time of the offering of the sacrifices, which formed the first part of the service. But at the offering of incense, solemn silence was kept ("My soul waiteth upon God," Psalms 62:1; "is silent," Margin; Psalms 65:1, Margin), the people praying secretly all the time. The half-hour stillness implies, too, the earnest adoring expectation with which the blessed spirits and the angels await the succeeding unfolding of God's judgments. - R. JAMIESON.

Now note what we read in connection with this in Isaiah 65:

"6 Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom, 7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom." - Isaiah 65:6,7kjv.

In harmonizing these verses, God appears to be saying there will be silence for a period of time. God has given much warning that Christ is coming in judgement, but by His grace He will allow a period to save the last of His elect.

In Zechariah 13, God's elect are described as 1/3; this would leave the unsaved represented as 2/3:

"7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. 8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God." - Zechariah 13:7-9.

2/3 = 666 unsaved
1/3 = 333 saved

I believe we must also look at the half hour period the same way. 1/2 = .5

The number 5 in the Bible points to the grace of God. For example, David picked up five stones when he slew Goliath:

"40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. 41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. 42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. 43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. 45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands." - 1 Samuel 17:40-47.

The number 5 points to grace, see also Luke 1:24.

The silence here is a contrast to the "voices" in the six prior seals. The silence is pointing to the quiet awe and reverence which preceds the following mentioned judgements. To John it seemed like a half-hour since it was heavenly silence and things in heaven cannot be fully described in human terms: "How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."

Revelation 8:1 is teaching that Christ's judgement upon the world will be delayed until the last of the elect are saved because of the grace of God, although because of it's wickedness it should have been destroyed much sooner.

Email: quiet@earthling.net

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