Shabbat shalom kol beit Yisra'el and Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon and welcome back to this assembly. It's been three weeks now since I last spoke owing to illness and a number ofit's best go silent and invite other ministers to come and talk to us. So for three weeks MLT has enjoyed the ministry of a brother from the USA.

When silence comes in response to prayer, all we can do is wait. Someone once told me that silence is the space between two heavenly devarim (words), and the longer silences are heavenly punctuation marks that mark transition and change. When was the last time something profound silenced you into shere awe? Monumental or epic events in our lives can render us silent but they're rather special because they're not the same kind of event that, for instance, makes us want to burst into song, or shout, or jump up and down, or otherwise express simcha.

Such an event, that provokes silence on a cosmic level, has taken place in the past but will also take place in the future. Such silence can also be the prequel to something important or something big as in this event recorded in the Book of Revelation:

"When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour" (Rev.8:1, NRSV)

Now I venture to suggest that neither events - the one that has happened in the past (more about that in a minute) and this one that has yet to happen - are, or were, something that Yahweh announced, or will announce, like a minute's silence in order to collectively remember someone or a memorial event like, for example, the sacrifices made during the two World Wars. This period of silence lasts around half-and-hour.

When was the last time you were stunned into silence for so long? What would cause someone to do this? And consider also that this may well be heavenly time, not 30 minutes of earth time. Everything in the heavenlies is, so we are led to understand, 365,000 thousand times faster than on earth, so that a thousand years on earth is like one day in heaven. What would half-an-hour of heavenly time be like on earth? That's 182,500 hours or 7,604 days or 20.83 years which is just under 20 years and 10 months.

After this period of time a great calamity befalls the earth causing a third of the planet to be burned up along with a third of all trees and green grass, followed by other disasters as the "star..Wormwood" (Rev.8:11) manifests resulting in a "third of the day [not] shining" with a similar thing happening at night (v.12, NRSV). If Nibiru starts its destructive work next year (and that is a big 'if', obviously) then this may well match the Wormwood prophecy here. But that is just speculation. I just want to feed some thoughts to you for prayerful consideration as maybe we are coming to the end of a long period of prophetic silence. Or maybe it really is a literal terrestrial half-hour that is being spoken of.

Let's take a look at the context of this "half-an-hour" passage. The text before this statement is all about heavenly worship through the sounding of heavenly trumpets and when the seventh and final seal is opened, it does not bring the anticipated end but introduces yet another worship scene in the heavenly sanctuary (Rev.8:1-6) in which seven angels sound seven trumpets (Rev.8:7-11:19). These trumpets are arranged in an interesting tavnith (pattern) of 4+3 (quaternary + ternary) (Rev.8:7-13; 9:1-11:19) and then there is this extensive interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets (Rev.10:1-11:14).

To understand what this passage may be talking about I want you to consider the possibility, as I mentioned before, that this silence in the Book of Revelation is mirroring a similar silence that took place millennia ago, in fact, right back at the re-creation of this world, making the whole Bible a giant chiasmus:

"In the beginning Elohim (God) created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was deserted and empty and darkness was on the surface of the ocean. Amd the Ruach Elohim (Spirit of God) was brooding over the waters..." (Gen.1:1-3, Gorman Gray transl.)

Could the half hour silence in Revelation 8:1 be describing the return of our planet to something paralleling the primaeval silence that preceded the recreation of the biosphere? Could this period of silence premark the arousal of Yahweh Himself in the way described by the navi (prophet) Zechariah?

"Be still before Yahweh, all mankind, because He has roused himself from his qadosh (holy, set-apart) dwelling" (Zech.2:13, NIV).

This silence in Revelation 8:1 is a very peculiar one indeed and nothing like it has apparently ever happened before, nor ever will afterwards. In this interlude there is the promise by Yahweh that He will seal and make safe His servants (Rev.7:1-17) and it is this act of gathering and protection that delays the opening of the Final Seal. This delaying action is an act of grace demonstrating Yahweh's patience toward the Remnant in delaying judgment.

Unfortunately, such delays are often reckoned by us to be disasters in the making as we wait in frustration for certain things to happen. Yahweh's delays do not indicate Yahweh's indifference of sluggishness (Lk.18:1-8; 2 Pet 3:4-13) - there is intelligent and loving purpose behind such apparent delays and I say 'apparent' because they aren't really 'delays' at all but purposeful periods of preparation. Doesn't Yah'shua (Jesus) tell us so?

"Then Yah'shua (Jesus) told his talmidim (disciples) a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: 'In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared Elohim (God) nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'' For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear Elohim (God) or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' And the Master said, 'Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not Elohim (God) bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find emunah (faith) on the earth?'" (Luke 18:1-8, NIV).

"They will say, 'Where is this 'coming' He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.' But they deliberately forget that long ago by Elohim's (God's) Davar (Word) the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same Davar (Word) the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Master a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Master is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of Yahweh will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live qadosh (holy, set-apart) and godly lives as you look forward to the day of Elohim (God) and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" (2 Peter 3:4-13, NIV).

The brief half-hour period of silence displaces ceaseless praises by living creatures (Rev.4:8), elders (5:9), malakim (angels) (5:11-12) and the triumphat Messianic Community (Church) (7:9-10). Silence, then, is appropriate, do you not think, in anticipation of Yahweh's coming judgment:

"I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Yahweh. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth" (Zeph.1:17, NIV).

We know - and have been saying so for some time now - that we are on the edge of the Penultimate Judgment before the Final Judgment and Second Coming, and since the prophetic tavnith tends to repeat itself, we may likewise expect the equivalent of 'about half-an-hour's silence' before all hell is let loose. Please note that the seventh seal includes, first, a massive earthquake and then the seven trumpet judgments (8:1-9:21) followed by the seven bowl judgments (16:1-21), the seven bowl judgments flowing out of the seventh trumpet judgment and coming in rapid succession. When therefore a massive earthquake strikes you will likely know that multiple 'big' events are about to follow. The silence of awe and anticipation at the grim reality of the judgments Yahweh is about to release consisting both of natural disasters and the devastation caused by the effects of demonic activity let loose on mankind.

You have all heard the expression, "the calm or lull before the storm". It is important that your mosty important decisions are made no later than during this period of calm, but preferably before. Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm, when it comes, will pass, even if it may never seem to end. Some of you may feel you are in such storms right now. Spring will come. But first endure the winter calmly and patiently, making the best of things. So use the calm wisely - mentally, emotionally and spiritually prepare yourselves for it will go a lot better for you if you are willing to go through the storm. Resenting the storm will just make your situation worse. Accept it, adapt to it and prosper in it as best you can, as a sailor does in a strong wind.

When the Collapse comes, there won't be any quick fix. Do not expect one, for one will not be forthcoming. That is why you have been prepping all this time, to tide you over for a long spell of difficulty. Those who neglected to do so, as I have warned so many times, will bitterly regret they did not. It seems we have been given more grace than even I imagined, so use it. Consider this part of the economic calm and so make ready. Don't take the collapse and all that comes in its wake personally.

I do not know whether it will be possible to keep in contact with you all after the curtain draws which is why I want to encourage you now and hope that you will remember these things. Some of you have our website DVD and can study our materials off-line. Don't get apathetic, get enthusiastic instead. Oh, but how, when you do not feel much like being enthusiastic? Enthusiasm is aroused by two things. Firstly, an ideal, which takes the imagination by storm. You already have that, or should, and that is called Messiah and His Kingdom. The second thing you need is an intelligible plan for carrying that idea into practice. It seems to me the most important two things we can be doing is finding out the location Yahweh wants us to be in and getting it ready through prepping - the other is to prep for evangelism because desperate souls will want help and guidance and will be ripe for salvation. There are going to be plenty of those around; prepare for the ones Yahweh will send you to and will send to you.

I wish I could give you specific details but each must find his or her own revelation and some things will not, in any case, be revealed so that we might learn more emunah (faith) and greater patience. These two you are going to need in copious quantities, so immerse yourself in the calm before the storm and take that calm with you into the storm. Find that heavenly shalom (now) and make its long acquaintance. Be calm. Don't go storming imaginary mountains or you will die in the foothills cursing difficulties which do not exist. Don't try to control the storm or get stressed out by it for stress can be an addiction and worry can be our lunge for control and we shall forget that the answer to each moment in the storm will always be Yah'shua (Jesus)!