SEV Biblia, Chapter 11:19
Y el templo de Dios fue abierto en el cielo, y el arca de su Testamento fue vista en su templo. Y fueron hechos relmpagos y voces y truenos y terremotos y grande granizo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Revelation 11:19
Verse 19. The temple of God was opened in heaven] The true worship of God was established and performed in the Christian Church; this is the true temple, that at Jerusalem being destroyed. And there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.] These great commotions were intended to introduce the following vision; for the 12th chapter is properly a continuation of the 11th, and should be read in strict connection with it.
I NOW come to a part of this book that is deemed of the greatest importance by the Protestant Church, but is peculiarly difficult and obscure. I have often acknowledged my own incapacity to illustrate these prophecies. I might have availed myself of the labours of others, but I know not who is right; or whether any of the writers on this book have hit the sense is more than I can assert, and more than I think. The illustration of the xiith, xiiith, and xviith chapters, which I have referred to in the preface, drawn up and displayed with great industry and learning, I shall insert in its place, as by far the most probable I have yet seen; but I leave the learned author responsible for his own particular views of the subject.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven , etc.] The temple at Jerusalem, to which the allusion is, was the place of public worship; this, in times of idolatry, was shut up, and fell to decay; and when there was a reformation its doors were opened, and that repaired; and to this the reference seems to be; and the sense is, that at this time the pure worship of God will be restored, and there will be a free and uninterrupted exercise of it; the temple will be open to all; here everyone may come, and sit, and worship without fear; churches will now be formed according to the original plan, and primitive order and institution of them; and the laws of Christ concerning the admission, regulation, and exclusion of members, will be carefully and punctually observed; the ordinances of Christ will be kept, as they were first delivered, and be purged from all the corruptions introduced by Papists or retained by Protestants; the ordinance of the Lord's supper will be freed from the senseless notions of transubstantiation and consubstantiation, and from all vain and impertinent rites and ceremonies that attend it; and the ordinance of baptism will be administered, both as to mode and subject, according to the word of God, as well as be cleared from the superstitious rites of the sign of the cross, chrism, spittle, etc. in short, all external worship will be pure, plain, and evangelical: hence it appears, that by this temple is not meant the church triumphant, and the happiness of the saints in heaven, as becoming visible, not even the new Jerusalem church state, or the personal reign of Christ on earth for a thousand years; for in that state there will be no temple at all, nor will the saints then need the sun, or moon of Gospel ordinances, ( Revelation 21:22,23); and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament : the ark was a chest, in which the covenant or tables of the law were put; upon it was the mercy seat, and over that the cherubim of glory, shadowing it; between which were the seat of the divine Majesty; this ark stood in the holy of holies, and was seen only by the high priest once a year, and was covered with a covering vail, ( Numbers 4:5); it was wanting in the second temple f310 ; to this the allusion is here; (see Gill on Hebrews 9:4).
Now in this spiritual Gospel church state, through the pure ministry of the word, and the faithful administration of ordinances, the mysteries of the Gospel, into which angels desire to look, signified by the cherubim over the mercy seat, will be clearly revealed to all Christians, Jews and Gentiles; particularly to the former, from whom they have been hid; the vail that is over their hearts will then be done away, when they shall be turned to the Lord; and indeed the vail which is overall people will then be removed; and those truths which have been so much obscured by antichrist will be clearly seen; and especially the Lord Jesus Christ, the antitype of the ark, in whom are hid the treasures of wisdom; by whom the law, and the two tables of it, are fulfilled; and in whom they are pure and perfect; and by whom the covenant of grace is ratified and confirmed; and in whom it is sure; and through whom God is propitious to his people, and grants them communion with him; he will be visibly held forth in the ministry of the word; and be seen in the glory of his person, and offices, and grace; who has been so long and greatly hid, and kept out of sight by Popish and Mahometan darkness; and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail ; which may be understood of the vials of God's wrath, that will be poured out upon the pope and Turk; which though mentioned last, will be first, and make way for this spiritual state; particularly the things here spoken of may be compared with what will be at the pouring out of the seventh vial, ( Revelation 16:18,21); or this may design the powerful voices, and clear ministrations of the Gospel, and the efficacy of them at this time; which, like thunders, will awaken the consciences of men, and, like earthquakes, will make them shake and tremble, and cry out, what shall we do to be saved? and as lightnings illuminate their understandings, and give them a clear discerning of divine things; and as hail beat down all self-righteousness and self-confidence, and all errors, heresies, superstition, and will worship. Though I suspect, that these several things are expressive of the change and revolution that will be made after a time, in this happy and comfortable state; and that the cold, which generally attends an hail storm, represents that coldness and lukewarmness, into which the churches of Christ will again sink, expressed in the Laodicean church state, in which condition Christ will find them when he personally appears; so that the seven seals, with the seven trumpets, bring us exactly to the same period of time as the seven churches do. And they took all the holy vessels of the Lord, both great and small, with the vessels of the ark of God, and the king's treasures, and carried them away into Babylon. (1 Esdras 1:54) ``4 And open your hearts in his law and commandments, and send you peace,5 And hear your prayers, and be at one with you, and never forsake you in time of trouble. (2 Maccabees 1)
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 14-19 - Before the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet, there is the usua demand of attention. The saints and angels in heaven know the right of our God and Saviour to rule over all the world. But the nations me God's wrath with their own anger. It was a time in which he wa beginning to reward his people's faithful services, and sufferings; an their enemies fretted against God, and so increased their guilt, an hastened their destruction. By the opening the temple of God in heaven may be meant, that there was a more free communication between heave and earth; prayer and praises more freely and frequently going up graces and blessings plentifully coming down. But it rather seems to refer to the church of God on earth. In the reign of antichrist, God' law was laid aside, and made void by traditions and decrees; the Scriptures were locked up from the people, but now they are brought to the view of all. This, like the ark, is a token of the presence of God returned to his people, and his favour toward them in Jesus Christ, a the Propitiation for their sins. The great blessing of the Reformatio was attended with very awful providences; as by terrible things in righteousness God answered the prayers presented in his holy temple no opened __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 ηνοιγη 455 5648 ο 3588 ναος 3485 του 3588 θεου 2316 εν 1722 τω 3588 ουρανω 3772 και 2532 ωφθη 3700 5681 η 3588 κιβωτος 2787 της 3588 διαθηκης 1242 αυτου 846 εν 1722 τω 3588 ναω 3485 αυτου 846 και 2532 εγενοντο 1096 5633 αστραπαι 796 και 2532 φωναι 5456 και 2532 βρονται 1027 και 2532 σεισμος 4578 και 2532 χαλαζα 5464 μεγαλη 3173
Vincent's NT Word Studies
19. The temple (o naov).The sanctuary. Compare ver. 1 and see on Matt. iv. 5.
In heaven. Join with temple of God, as Rev., instead of with opened, as A.V.
The ark of His covenant (h kibwtov thv diaqhkhv autou). Kibwtov ark, meaning generally any wooden box or chest used of the ark in the tabernacle only here and Heb. ix. 4 Elsewhere of Noah's ark. See Matt. xxiv. 38; Luke xvii. 27; Heb. xi. 7; 1 Pet. iii. 20. For covenant, see note on testament, Matt. xxvi. 28. This is the last mention in scripture of the ark of the covenant. It was lost when the temple was destroyed by the Chaldeans (2 Kings xxv. 10), and was wanting in the second temple. Tacitus says that Pompey "by right of conquest entered the temple. Thenceforward it became generally known that the habitation was empty and the sanctuary unoccupied do representation of the deity being found within it" ("History," v., 9). According to Jewish tradition Jeremiah had taken the ark and all that the Most Holy Place contained, and concealed them, before the destruction of the temple, in a cave at Mount Sinai, whence they are to be restored to the temple in the days of Messiah. Lightnings and voices, etc. "The solemn salvos. so to speak, of the artillery of heaven, with which each series of visions is concluded."
