I came across this strange verse in my Bible reading today:
When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. – Revelation 8:1
In this apocalyptic vision that John is shown, the Lord is in the process of opening the seven seals; Jesus is the focus, the Lamb who was slain. But John is seeing a process of the Lord revealing all of human history in one prophetic vision – and the theme is simply this: the Lord wins in the end, he will triumph all his foes and usher in the kingdom of peace and perfection for all eternity, bringing his people in tow.
But here notice something surprising. This is a vision, so it seems to go quickly, until this point. In a vision, John sees the Lamb open the seventh seal, and then there is silence. For thirty minutes, which in a vision must seem like an eternity. The Lord’s timing is not our timing, and things may not go as we think they are going to go. There is also a gravity to this revelation that’s being illumined here. This is such a big deal that it can’t just be passed over until the next thing. You must be patient with it and digest it for some time.
We must also be in awe of the pinnacle of redemptive history as it’s been shown to us: that is the cross and empty tomb. These events are not just a part of the life of Jesus, savior of the world, this is the apex – the culmination of all human history to that point. And every moment of the present is lived out in the shadow of that weekend. Do we have the right amount of silence and awe surrounding what he’s done for us? Do we truly live in light of that reality, or are we just looking for things to help us along as captains of our own lives? In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.