ACC ~ Revelation 11 v19

THE GOSPEL AND MERCY FOR SINS. VICTORINUS OF PETOVIUM: That “the temple of God which is in heaven was opened” signifies the appearance of our Lord. For the temple of God is his Son, as he said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” And when the Jews said, “It was built in forty-six years,” the Evangelist said, “He was speaking of the temple of [his] body.” The “ark of the covenant” is the preaching of the gospel and mercy for sins and everything whatsoever which will have come with him. That, he says, appeared. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 11.6.

THE CHURCH BEARS THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST. TYCONIUS: When Christ the Lord was born, the temple of God was manifested in heaven, that is, in the church. The temple of God can be understood as the body of Christ, as the Lord himself said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”… Although the ark often signifies the church, here the ark is said to have appeared in the temple, and by adding the “ark of the covenant,” he indicates that there is something more exalted to be comprehended. Moreover, by saying “in heaven” he urges us to penetrate some mystery, so that this might be understood: the temple is the church, and the ark of the covenant is the mystery of the incarnation of Christ, who, like that ark, bore the tablets of the covenant within himself. For he came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it, … as God promised through Jeremiah that the ark of the covenant would be taken from human hearts, certainly referring to that ark of the Hebrews, which was in Jerusalem. That is, [he promises] that the church will be called the throne of the Lord. He says, “When you have multiplied and increased in the land, says the Lord, they will no longer say ‘the ark of the covenant of the Lord,’ nor will it come to mind. In those days and at that time they will call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord, and all nations will be gathered to her in the name of the Lord.” … The lightning is those virtues by which Christ the Lord makes his apostles to shine. The voices and the thunder are the preaching of the apostles, who thunder to the peoples as though they were clouds. Hail always harms itself when it dashes against fruit and breaks apart, and it diminishes itself even as it causes ruin. So also the fierce multitude of the Gentiles persecutes the faith of Christ, yet afterward are themselves broken apart and become smaller or nonexistent. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 11.19.

THE SAINTS RECEIVE KNOWLEDGE PREVIOUSLY HIDDEN. OECUMENIUS: “And the temple of God in heaven was opened,” it says, “and the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple.” When this had been said, those good things, which had been hidden, and in addition certain new mysteries were seen by the saints. For this is the significance of the ark of the covenant being opened. And [Paul] shows that the good things of the coming age are hidden from people at the present time by saying, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, that God has prepared for those who love him.”And that there will be certain mysteries and another knowledge that is now unknown, the Lord shows when he said, “I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” While the saints have been thought worthy of these things, for the sinners “there were flashes of lightning, voices, and thunder, earthquakes and heavy hail.” This is the third woe. From that which is familiar to us, the passage depicts those punishments and terrors from God that come upon the wicked. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 11.15-19.

PUNISHMENT WILL FALL ON THE LAWLESS. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: By the opening of heaven and the vision of the covenant is shown the revelation of those blessings that have been prepared for the saints. According to the apostle, these blessings are hidden in Christ in whom the fullness of deity dwells bodily. And these things will be revealed when the punishments of Gehenna rain down upon the lawless and impious like terrifying voices and lightnings and thunder and hail. The earthquake signifies the transposition of present things. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 11.19.

CHRIST’S DIVINITY WAS HIDDEN IN HIS BODY. BEDE: Formerly the temple of the Lord on the earth contained the ark of the covenant hidden behind the mystical veil. However, since the veil of the ancient temple and the wall of partition have now been torn asunder by the sword of the blood of the Lord, in the church, the temple of the living God whose citizenship is in heaven, the ark of his incarnation is laid open to all the world. For just as the manna from heaven was in a pure gold [container], so is his divinity in his holy body. EXPLANATION OF THE APOCALYPSE 11.19.