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
When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.
And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, …
Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as …
And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with …
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, …
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and …
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and …
And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men …
And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was …
And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: