8:1 silence in heaven. The next event after 6:12–17 would most naturally be the appearing of Christ Himself as the final Warrior and Judge (Mark 13:24–26). The silence may indicate that heaven stands in awe at His presence (Hab. 2:20; Zeph. 1:7). At this early point, the seer is not given a fuller picture disclosing the events of final judgment and re-creation. This reserve maintains the reader’s interest for later cycles of judgment.