Revelation 11:19 (WEB)
God’s temple that is in heaven was opened, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant was seen in his temple. Lightnings, sounds, thunders, an earthquake, and great hail followed.
As quoted in the map (KJV)
Revelation 11:19 (KJV)
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.
Key words
- ἠνοίγη ὁ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦēnoigē ho naos tou theou · Greek
- 'the temple of God was opened' — the heavenly sanctuary.
- ἡ κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκης αὐτοῦhē kibōtos tēs diathēkēs autou · Greek
- 'the ark of his testament' — the ark, lost since the Babylonian exile, is seen in heaven.
Why it matters
John sees the heavenly temple opened and the ark of the covenant within it — and the very next words (there were no chapter breaks in the original) describe a Woman clothed with the sun. Pitre argues John is identifying the two: the ark seen in heaven is the mother of the Messiah. This is the biblical root of the Assumption: the new David has brought the true ark into the heavenly sanctuary.