Matthew Poole and continuators on Revelation 8:1

1 AND when he had opened the seventh seal , there was silence in heaven c about the space of half an hour .

That is, the Lamb mentioned, chap. 5.7. who took the Book out of the Hand of him who sate upon the Throne, the Book of God's Counsels, and had now revealed mysteriously to John what should come to pass (under all the Pagan Emperors) to the Church of Christ, until the time of Constantine the Great, who (as was said) about the year 325 had setled the Christian Religion, and shut up all the Idols Temples, having conquered the Apostate Licinius.

He cometh now to open the seventh Seal, that is, to reveal to John what should be in the succeeding time of the Church to the end of the World. But before the great Evils should break out, which were to come to pass in this time, there was in the Church a Rest

for a small time; for whom the year 317 (when Constantine bare the greatest sway in the Empire) [illegible: 1 letter]r 325, when he had got a full Victory over Licinius, the Church had a great Peace for a little time, till 339, when the Empire being divided, and Constantius having the Eastern part, and Constans the Western (both Sons of Constantine) Constantius being an Arrian ▪ (who denied the Godhead of Christ) began again to persecute the Christians; and after him Iulian, who apostatized to Paganism. But after him they had a little further respite to the year 395▪ when Theodosius died, and the Christians Quiet died with him. I rather chuse to interpret this thus; than with those who understand the Silence in Heaven, of a Silence in the third Heavens, in Allusion to the Jewish Order; who, tho they sung during the time of the Sacrifice, and played upon Instruments of Musick all that time, yet kept silence while the Incense was offering. For (as divers have noted) it seemeth hard to judge, that in this Revelation there should be no mention of that▪ short Truce which the Church had during the Reign of Constantine, and for a small time after.