“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.” (Rev 8:1)
Adequate consideration having been given to the last events of the Lord’s life at the First Advent, and to the experience of the apostles at that time—these being a basis for understanding the future period of silence referred to in the Apocalypse, the silence that will occur at this end of the age—attention will now be focused on concluding events yet to come.
The lesson is that down here at the end of the Gospel Age, between the completion of the sacrifice of the last members of the elect body of The Christ and the future Time of Trouble, there will be a jubilation period in heaven above concurrent with a momentary void in the lives of those remaining below. Thus the seventh-seal silence refers to a situation somewhat similar to the closing events of the First Advent. The comparison is to the departure of the last members of the Little Flock beyond the veil of flesh while the secondary or Great Company class is left behind to await renewed strength and further investiture of the Holy Spirit. (As was typified by Elisha receiving a double portion of the spirit of Elijah).
When The Christ is complete, the half hour of silence will occur, preceding the earthquake. In other words, the silence will take place between the completion of the sacrifice and the Time of Trouble (the full outbreak of the Great Storm). It will accentuate the earthquake, and the earthquake will punctuate the silence. During this interim period, the Church will be formally presented to the Father and given their reward. After their grand entrance (2 Pet 1:11), God has a time scheduled—the exact length of which is unknown (perhaps six months more or less) —that will be a waiting period for the Great Company class.
Very likely, the expression “about the space of half an hour” is meant to be commensurate with the last half of the future “HOUR of power” of the beast in Rev 17:12.
The Great Company will wait down here during the silence, realizing they have missed out on the high calling, sensing an experience of withdrawal and alienation, and wondering where they stand with the Lord.
The Bride will have made herself ready (Rev 19:7), and the Great Company will be deeply disappointed and chagrined at first, for but ever so brief a moment of time, that they were not chosen by the Lord.
“The Harvest [the time of special favor] is past, the summer is ended [winter has come, Compare Matt 24:20], and we are not saved” [not saved with the chief or great salvation, the salvation to which we aspired, the Heavenly Calling]. Jer 8:20
They will realize then that they have not been as faithful to their vows of consecration as they could have been. As a result, they will begin an introspection and examination of their lives and say, “I know the Lord has not been pleased with me to the extent of choosing me as his Bride, but I love the Lord, not the world, and now I need his forgiveness.” Accordingly, this class will cry unto the Lord for help (even as Elisha exclaimed: “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” 2 Kings 2:14) Thus the period of silence will be beneficial in that it will awaken the Great Company (the “foolish virgins”) to their shortcomings and a realization of their need for more of the Holy Spirit.” (“Keys of Revelation”, Pages 201-205 edited)
Continued with next post.
Adequate consideration having been given to the last events of the Lord’s life at the First Advent, and to the experience of the apostles at that time—these being a basis for understanding the future period of silence referred to in the Apocalypse, the silence that will occur at this end of the age—attention will now be focused on concluding events yet to come.
The lesson is that down here at the end of the Gospel Age, between the completion of the sacrifice of the last members of the elect body of The Christ and the future Time of Trouble, there will be a jubilation period in heaven above concurrent with a momentary void in the lives of those remaining below. Thus the seventh-seal silence refers to a situation somewhat similar to the closing events of the First Advent. The comparison is to the departure of the last members of the Little Flock beyond the veil of flesh while the secondary or Great Company class is left behind to await renewed strength and further investiture of the Holy Spirit. (As was typified by Elisha receiving a double portion of the spirit of Elijah).
When The Christ is complete, the half hour of silence will occur, preceding the earthquake. In other words, the silence will take place between the completion of the sacrifice and the Time of Trouble (the full outbreak of the Great Storm). It will accentuate the earthquake, and the earthquake will punctuate the silence. During this interim period, the Church will be formally presented to the Father and given their reward. After their grand entrance (2 Pet 1:11), God has a time scheduled—the exact length of which is unknown (perhaps six months more or less) —that will be a waiting period for the Great Company class.
Very likely, the expression “about the space of half an hour” is meant to be commensurate with the last half of the future “HOUR of power” of the beast in Rev 17:12.
The Great Company will wait down here during the silence, realizing they have missed out on the high calling, sensing an experience of withdrawal and alienation, and wondering where they stand with the Lord.
The Bride will have made herself ready (Rev 19:7), and the Great Company will be deeply disappointed and chagrined at first, for but ever so brief a moment of time, that they were not chosen by the Lord.
“The Harvest [the time of special favor] is past, the summer is ended [winter has come, Compare Matt 24:20], and we are not saved” [not saved with the chief or great salvation, the salvation to which we aspired, the Heavenly Calling]. Jer 8:20
They will realize then that they have not been as faithful to their vows of consecration as they could have been. As a result, they will begin an introspection and examination of their lives and say, “I know the Lord has not been pleased with me to the extent of choosing me as his Bride, but I love the Lord, not the world, and now I need his forgiveness.” Accordingly, this class will cry unto the Lord for help (even as Elisha exclaimed: “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” 2 Kings 2:14) Thus the period of silence will be beneficial in that it will awaken the Great Company (the “foolish virgins”) to their shortcomings and a realization of their need for more of the Holy Spirit.” (“Keys of Revelation”, Pages 201-205 edited)
Continued with next post.
