And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in Heaven about the space of half an hour. Revelation 8:1
A convicted murderer stood in the prisoner’s dock of the old Saint John County courthouse with his head hanging in shame and hopelessness. The jury had just returned with the guilty verdict, and the courtroom, after the initial murmurs and whispers, grew unusually silent. Looking at the condemned man, the judge slowly shook his head and turned to the lawyers involved in the case, informing them that he would proceed with the sentencing after a brief recess. The judge told me afterwards that he called that recess simply because of the sentence that he must impose. There is only one possible sentence for first-degree murder in Canada: life in prison with no possibility of parole for at least 25 years. The judge said he needed a few minutes to brace himself before issuing such a terrible sentence. Perhaps the half-hour silence in our text is a similar type pause by God before pouring out great judgments on the earth.
The half-hour silence comes as the Lamb opens the seventh seal. The opening of the previous six seals had launched the first series of judgments during the great tribulation. Those judgments had unleashed terrible carnage and destruction on humanity throughout the world. But those judgments were minor compared to the judgments that accompanied the sounding of the seven trumpets of the tribulation. And it was the opening of the seventh seal that introduced the sounding of the seven trumpets. It seems as though all Heaven is to pause for a few minutes to brace for the terrible events to follow. This tells me that God receives no pleasure, no delight in issuing judgment. All of those upon the earth who will suffer from those trumpet judgments fully deserve all that they will receive. The rebellion in their hearts, the immorality, the dishonesty, all of the sinfulness of those dwelling on the earth is fully deserving of God’s punishment. And yet, it seems by our text that God hesitates before delivering that punishment. That is fully within the gracious character of God, because even today, He does not rush to judgment those who deserve it. Consider the time he allowed you and me to come to repentance before he dealt with us in judgment. And during that time, He unfolded to us the Glorious gospel of Christ, that we might be saved. What a loving God!
When wicked men took the Lord Jesus and demanded that Pilate sentence Him to crucifixion, they did so in rejection, openly accepting the blame for His blood. And yet, the shedding of that precious blood, with all of the great responsibility for its shedding, provides the only release from that responsibility. From that moment until now, God has paused to allow us to accept His Son. Oh the greatness of the grace of God. -Jim MacIntosh