Revelation Chapter 8

The Seventh Seal

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

We continue with the explanation of this verse as explained in the Southern Wisconsin notes.

That the hour is a time of judgment is well established by these verses, but why a half an hour if this is not a fixed time span?

The word “half an hour” is made up of two words, which are only used together here in the seventh seal!

The word “hour” Strong’s # 5610 hora, means an hour.

Half Means to Divide

The word a “half” Strong’s # 2255 is more interesting, even though it actually means “one half”. From that definition, we see that it’s used to divide any other word that it’s used with. For example, Strong’s # 2255 is the same word “half”, used in time, time and a half, a time in the New Testament.

HALF hemisus ^2255^, an adjective, is used (a) as such in the neuter plural, in <Luke 19:8>, lit., “the halves (of my goods)”; (b) as a noun, in the neuter sing., “the half,” <Mark 6:23>; “half (a time),” <Revelation. 12:14>; “a half,” <11:9,11>, RV.# (from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words) (Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

If we go to the Old Testament and the book of Daniel, we find the same “time, times and a half a time”. Since this is the same wording and applies to the same chronology events, we decided to look up the word “half” in the Old Testament and see what it means. OT: 2677

OT:2677 chetsiy (khay-tsee’); from OT:2673; the half or middle: KJV – half, middle, mid [-night], midst, part, two parts. (Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.) OT:2673

OT:2673 chatsah (khaw-tsaw’); a primitive root [compare OT:2086]); to cut or split in two; to halve: KJV – divide, live out half, reach to the midst, participle (Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

 In other words, both the Old and New Testament word “half” means to divide in two, either halving something or dividing it into two parts. That concept actually fits with the thought of judgment here in that there was going to be a judgment and separation of the wheat and the tares at the end of the age, and one of the halves of the two, the tares were to be burned!

There are also the 1845-year parallels that are made up of two 1845-year periods that point to the exact time that this seal is opened. The term half an hour could then refer to a divided period of judgment, or a double judgment such as the two 1845-year periods, in the sense of two halves which are the same. We consider this very interesting because in the Old Testament there are some references that use the word double which seem to refer to this same parallel. In the use of the word divide we are taking something and dividing it in two. In the following references something is either duplicated or doubled. In both situations we wind up with two items.

“Behold, I will send for many fishermen,” says the Lord, “and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes. And first I will repay double for their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable idols.” (KJV Jer 16:16-18)

“Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.” (KJV Jer 17:18)

“Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.” (KJV Isa 40:2)

“Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee; (KJV Zech 9:12)

See the Chronology book for a detailed discussion of these references and how they point to an 1845-year judgment period, not only for the gospel age church, but also for the nation of Israel. The idea of half an hour pointing to the 1845-year parallels would be very interesting, because those parallels point to the exact time that we think this seal is opened.

Continued with next post.