Revelation 11:19Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"The temple of God was opened in heaven" is the manifestation of our Lord. The temple of God is His Son, as He Himself says: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." When the Jews say that this temple was built in forty-six years, the Evangelist says: "He spoke of the temple of His body" (Jn 2:19-21). The ark of His covenant is the proclamation of the Gospel, the forgiveness of sins, and all that will come with Him. John says that this has already been made manifest.

The opening of heaven and the appearance of the ark signify the revelation of the good things prepared for the saints. According to the Apostle's word, they are all hidden in Christ, in Whom the whole fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily (Col 2:3, 9). When terrifying blows, lightning, thunder, and hail overtake the lawless and impious, these good things will be revealed through the change of the present order in the earthquake, when the eternal torments also begin.

The temple of God, once built on earth, kept the ark of the covenant hidden behind the mystical veil. Now, since the veil of the old temple and the dividing wall were destroyed by the blood of the Lord, the ark of His Incarnation is revealed to the whole world in the Church. She is the temple of the living God, and her citizenship is in heaven. As the heavenly manna was kept in pure gold, so the Godhead is kept in the holy body of the Church.

The opening of heaven and the appearance of the ark indicate the revelation of the good things prepared for the saints. All these things are hidden in Christ, in Whom the whole fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily (see Col 2:3, 9). The earthquake signifies a change in the present order of things.