Bible Strands
Revelation 15:5
After this I looked, and the temple—the tabernacle of the Testimony—was opened in heaven.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — John records a vision for the church, positioned directly after the declaration of universal worship and immediately before the seven angels depart with the seven final plagues.
The words — The Greek ἰδού (idou) functions as "behold" to arrest attention, while ἠνοίγη (ēnoigē) literally means "was opened," indicating a divine action rather than human initiative.
The thread — The opened sanctuary aligns with Revelation 11:19’s revelation of the heavenly ark, recalls the Levitical charge over the tabernacle of the Testimony in Numbers 1:50, and parallels the torn temple veil in Matthew 27:51.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to acknowledge that divine judgment issues from an unsealed heavenly sanctuary, demanding sober recognition of God’s exclusive authority over worship and wrath.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
Cross-references
- Revelation 11:19 Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.
- Numbers 1:50 Instead, you are to appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, all its furnishings, and everything in it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its articles, care for it, and camp around it.
- Matthew 27:51 At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, and the rocks were split.
- Exodus 38:21 This is the inventory for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, as recorded at Moses’ command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
- Numbers 1:53 But the Levites are to camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony and watch over it, so that no wrath will fall on the congregation of Israel. So the Levites are responsible for the tabernacle of the Testimony.”
- Exodus 25:21 Set the mercy seat atop the ark and put the Testimony that I will give you into the ark.