Revelation 11:19
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Study Note
Study Note
The opening of the heavenly temple and the appearance of the ark of the covenant -- previously lost since the Babylonian destruction -- functions as the decisive symbolic act concluding the seventh trumpet's proclamation of God's reign (v. 15-17). In Jewish tradition (2 Maccabees 2:4–8; 4 Baruch) the ark had been hidden by Jeremiah or an angel before Babylon's attack, to be restored in the messianic age — its appearance here signals that the eschatological moment has arrived. The cosmological phenomena accompanying the vision (lightnings, voices, thunder, earthquake, hail) are theophany markers derived from Sinai (Exodus 19:16–19), reinforcing that the covenant is being fulfilled rather than abrogated. The ark's reappearance also frames the woman of chapter 12 as the faithful covenant community continuing into the new age.
Other Translations
And there was opened the temple of God that is in heaven; and there was seen in his temple the ark of his covenant; and there followed lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail.
And opened was the sanctuary of God in the heaven, and there was seen the ark of His covenant in His sanctuary, and there did come lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail.
And the house of God which is in heaven was open; and the ark of his agreement was seen in his house, and there were flames and voices and thunders and an earth-shock and a rain of ice.
Cross References
Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not …
And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my …
And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony …
And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between …
And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, …
And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the …
And they departed from the mount of the Lord three days’ journey: and the ark of the covenant of the …
And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth–horon, that …
Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?