Revelation 8:1

1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

A. Here is real drama. You know that something important is about to happen. But, you wait. You keep waiting for 10, 15, 25 minutes. Still waiting. The drama is building.

B. The silence (calm and quite) is a sharp contrast to the loud persecution and chaos on earth.

C. If the 6 th seal is the Second Coming, what is expected in the 7 th seal? This seal must deal with eternity.

D. Some believe that the silence is to emphasize that we are in the presence of God. Habakkuk 2:20, “The Lord is in His holy temple: Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” We are now entering the presence of God. In awe, we stand in silence.

E. Others, I among them, believe that the silence indicates that God does not do anything rashly. Even when He is ready to destroy the world, He waits calmly. This is a picture of the longsuffering, endurance and patience of our God. God will not end this world out of any anger of the moment. Count to 10 is good advice when we are angry. God waited 30 minutes, in silence, to assure everyone that this was His determined will and not His momentary wrath.