Revelation 14:1--15:8

An Interlude: The Song of the 144,000

14:1 Then ¹  I looked, and here was ²  the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand, who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 14:2 I also heard a sound ³  coming out of heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. Now ⁴  the sound I heard was like that made by harpists playing their harps, 14:3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No ⁵  one was able to learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth.

14:4 These are the ones who have not defiled themselves ⁶  with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from humanity as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb, 14:5 and no lie was found on their lips; ⁷  they ⁸  are blameless.

Three Angels and Three Messages

14:6 Then ⁹  I saw another ¹⁰  angel flying directly overhead, ¹¹  and he had ¹²  an eternal gospel to proclaim ¹³  to those who live ¹⁴  on the earth – to every nation, tribe, ¹⁵  language, and people. 14:7 He declared ¹⁶  in a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has arrived, and worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water!”

14:8 A ¹⁷  second ¹⁸  angel ¹⁹  followed the first, ²⁰  declaring: ²¹  “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city! ²²  She made all the nations ²³  drink of the wine of her immoral passion.” ²⁴ 

14:9 A ²⁵  third angel ²⁶  followed the first two, ²⁷  declaring ²⁸  in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark on his forehead or his hand, 14:10 that person ²⁹  will also drink of the wine of God’s anger ³⁰  that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur ³¹  in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb. 14:11 And the smoke from their ³²  torture will go up ³³  forever and ever, and those who worship the beast and his image will have ³⁴  no rest day or night, along with ³⁵  anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 14:12 This requires ³⁶  the steadfast endurance ³⁷  of the saints – those who obey ³⁸  God’s commandments and hold to ³⁹  their faith in Jesus. ⁴⁰ 

14:13 Then ⁴¹  I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this:

‘Blessed are the dead,

those who die in the Lord from this moment on!’”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their hard work, ⁴²  because their deeds will follow them.” ⁴³ 

14:14 Then ⁴⁴  I looked, and a white cloud appeared, ⁴⁵  and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man! ⁴⁶  He had ⁴⁷  a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 14:15 Then ⁴⁸  another angel came out of the temple, shouting in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Use ⁴⁹  your sickle and start to reap, ⁵⁰  because the time to reap has come, since the earth’s harvest is ripe!” 14:16 So ⁵¹  the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

14:17 Then ⁵²  another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 14:18 Another ⁵³  angel, who was in charge of ⁵⁴  the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to the angel ⁵⁵  who had the sharp sickle, “Use ⁵⁶  your sharp sickle and gather ⁵⁷  the clusters of grapes ⁵⁸  off the vine of the earth, ⁵⁹  because its grapes ⁶⁰  are now ripe.” ⁶¹  14:19 So ⁶²  the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard ⁶³  of the earth and tossed them into the great ⁶⁴  winepress of the wrath of God. 14:20 Then ⁶⁵  the winepress was stomped ⁶⁶  outside the city, and blood poured out of the winepress up to the height of horses’ bridles ⁶⁷  for a distance of almost two hundred miles. ⁶⁸ 

The Final Plagues

15:1 Then ⁶⁹  I saw another great and astounding sign in heaven: seven angels who have seven final plagues ⁷⁰  (they are final because in them God’s anger is completed).

15:2 Then ⁷¹  I saw something like a sea of glass ⁷²  mixed with fire, and those who had conquered ⁷³  the beast and his image and the number of his name. They were standing ⁷⁴  by ⁷⁵  the sea of glass, holding harps given to them by God. ⁷⁶  15:3 They ⁷⁷  sang the song of Moses the servant ⁷⁸  of God and the song of the Lamb: ⁷⁹ 

“Great and astounding are your deeds,

Lord God, the All-Powerful! ⁸⁰ 

Just ⁸¹  and true are your ways,

King over the nations! ⁸² 

15:4 Who will not fear you, O Lord,

and glorify ⁸³  your name, because you alone are holy? ⁸⁴ 

All nations ⁸⁵  will come and worship before you

for your righteous acts ⁸⁶  have been revealed.”

15:5 After ⁸⁷  these things I looked, and the temple (the tent ⁸⁸  of the testimony) ⁸⁹  was opened in heaven, 15:6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, dressed in clean bright linen, wearing wide golden belts ⁹⁰  around their chests. 15:7 Then ⁹¹  one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath ⁹²  of God who lives forever and ever, 15:8 and the temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and from his power. Thus ⁹³  no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues from the seven angels were completed.

[14:1]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[14:1]  ² tn The phrase “and here was” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).

[14:2]  ³ tn Or “a voice” (cf. Rev 1:15), but since in this context nothing is mentioned as the content of the voice, it is preferable to translate φωνή (fwnh) as “sound” here.

[14:2]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a new topic.

[14:3]  ⁵ tn Grk “elders, and no one.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but because of the length and complexity of the sentence a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[14:4]  ⁶ tn The aorist passive verb is rendered as a reflexive (“defiled themselves”) by BDAG 657 s.v. μολύνω 2.

[14:5]  ⁷ tn Grk “in their mouth was not found a lie.”

[14:5]  ⁸ tc Several mss (Ì⁴⁷ א 1 1006 1611 2351 Ï^K pc) have the conjunction “for” (γάρ, gar) here so that the phrase reads: “for they are blameless.” Other important mss (A C P 1854 2053 al lat) lack the word. The shorter reading is to be preferred since the scribes were more likely to make the connection explicit through the addition of “for” than they would have been to omit the conjunction. As it is, the passage without the conjunction makes good sense and evokes a very somber tone.

[14:6]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[14:6]  ¹⁰ tc Most mss (Ì47 א* Ï sa) lack ἄλλον (allon, “another”) here, but the support for it is stronger (Ì^115vid א² A C P 051 1006 1611 1841 2053 2329 al latt sy bo). The problem that its inclusion represents is that there is no reference to any other angel in the immediate context (the last mention was in 11:15). In this instance, the longer reading is harder. The word was probably intentionally omitted in order to resolve the tension; less likely, it might have been accidentally omitted since its spelling is similar to “angel” (ἄγγελος, angelos).

[14:6]  ¹¹ tn L&N 1.10 states, “a point or region of the sky directly above the earth – ‘high in the sky, midpoint in the sky, directly overhead, straight above in the sky.’”

[14:6]  ¹² tn Grk “having.”

[14:6]  ¹³ tn Or “an eternal gospel to announce as good news.”

[14:6]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “to those seated on the earth.”

[14:6]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “and tribe,” but καί (kai) has not been translated here or before the following term since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[14:7]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “people, saying.” In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence. For the translation of λέγω (legw) as “declare,” see BDAG 590 s.v. 2.e.

[14:8]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[14:8]  ¹⁸ tc There are several different variants comprising a textual problem involving “second” (δεύτερος, deuteros). First, several mss (A 1 2329 Ï^K) read “another, a second angel” (ἄλλος δεύτερος ἄγγελος, allo" deutero" angelo"). Second, other mss (Ì⁴⁷ א* 1006 1841 1854 pc) read just “another, a second” (ἄλλος δεύτερος). Third, the reading “another angel” (ἄλλος ἄγγελος) is supported by a few Greek mss and some versional evidence (69 pc ar vg). Fourth, several mss (א² [C reads δεύτερον instead of δεύτερος] 051 1611 2053 2344 Ï^A) support the reading “another, a second angel” (ἄλλος ἄγγελος δεύτερος). The reading that most likely gave rise to the others is the fourth. The first reading attempts to smooth out the grammar by placing the adjective in front of the noun. The second reading may have dropped out the “angel” on the basis of its similarity to “another” (ἄλλος). The third reading either intentionally or accidentally left out the word “second.” In any event, this is weakly attested and should not be given much consideration. (If, however, this reading had had good support, with “second” floating, and with “third” in the text in 14:9, one could possibly see δεύτερος as a motivated reading. But without sufficient support for the third reading, the one thing that is most certain is that δεύτερος was part of the original text here.) It is difficult to account for the rise of the other readings if “second” is not original. And the undisputed use of “third” (τρίτος, tritos) in 14:9 may be another indicator that the adjective “second” was in the original text. Finally, the fourth reading is the more difficult and therefore, in this case, to be accepted as the progenitor of the others.

[14:8]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “And another angel, a second.”

[14:8]  ²⁰ tn The words “the first” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[14:8]  ²¹ tn For the translation of λέγω (legw) as “declare,” see BDAG 590 s.v. 2.e.

[14:8]  ²² sn The fall of Babylon the great city is described in detail in Rev 18:2-24.

[14:8]  ²³ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[14:8]  ²⁴ tn Grk “of the wine of the passion of the sexual immorality of her.” Here τῆς πορνείας (th" porneia") has been translated as an attributive genitive. In an ironic twist of fate, God will make Babylon drink her own mixture, but it will become the wine of his wrath in retribution for her immoral deeds (see the note on the word “wrath” in 16:19).

[14:9]  ²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[14:9]  ²⁶ tn Grk “And another angel, a third.”

[14:9]  ²⁷ tn Grk “followed them.”

[14:9]  ²⁸ tn For the translation of λέγω (legw) as “declare,” see BDAG 590 s.v. 2.e.

[14:10]  ²⁹ tn Grk “he himself.”

[14:10]  ³⁰ tn The Greek word for “anger” here is θυμός (qumos), a wordplay on the “passion” (θυμός) of the personified city of Babylon in 14:8.

[14:10]  ³¹ tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”

[14:11]  ³² tn The Greek pronoun is plural here even though the verbs in the previous verse are singular.

[14:11]  ³³ tn The present tense ἀναβαίνει (anabainei) has been translated as a futuristic present (ExSyn 535-36). This is also consistent with the future passive βασανισθήσεται (basanisqhsetai) in v. 10.

[14:11]  ³⁴ tn The present tense ἔχουσιν (ecousin) has been translated as a futuristic present to keep the English tense consistent with the previous verb (see note on “will go up” earlier in this verse).

[14:11]  ³⁵ tn Grk “and.”

[14:12]  ³⁶ tn Grk “Here is.”

[14:12]  ³⁷ tn Or “the perseverance.”

[14:12]  ³⁸ tn Grk “who keep.”

[14:12]  ³⁹ tn The words “hold to” are implied as a repetition of the participle translated “keep” (οἱ τηροῦντες, Joi throunte").

[14:12]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “faith of Jesus.” The construction may mean either “faith in Jesus” or “faithful to Jesus.” Either translation implies that ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) is to be taken as an objective genitive; the difference is more lexical than grammatical because πίστις (pistis) can mean either “faith” or “faithfulness.”

[14:13]  ⁴¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[14:13]  ⁴² tn Or “from their trouble” (L&N 22.7).

[14:13]  ⁴³ tn Grk “their deeds will follow with them.”

[14:14]  ⁴⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[14:14]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “and behold, a white cloud.”

[14:14]  ⁴⁶ tn This phrase constitutes an allusion to Dan 7:13. Concerning υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (Juio" tou anqrwpou), BDAG 1026 s.v. υἱός 2.d.γ says: “ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου lit. ‘the son of the man’…‘the human being, the human one, the man’…On Israelite thought contemporary w. Jesus and alleged knowledge of a heavenly being looked upon as a ‘Son of Man’ or ‘Man’, who exercises Messianic functions such as judging the world (metaph., pictorial passages in En 46-48; 4 Esdr 13:3, 51f)…Outside the gospels: Ac 7:56…Rv 1:13; 14:14 (both after Da 7:13…).” The term “son” here in this expression is anarthrous and as such lacks specificity. Some commentators and translations take the expression as an allusion to Daniel 7:13 and not to “the son of man” found in gospel traditions (e.g., Mark 8:31; 9:12; cf. D. E. Aune, Revelation [WBC], 2:800-801; cf. also NIV). Other commentators and versions, however, take the phrase “son of man” as definite, involving allusions to Dan 7:13 and “the son of man” gospel traditions (see G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 771-72; NRSV).

[14:14]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “like a son of man, having.” In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence.

[14:15]  ⁴⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[14:15]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “Send out.”

[14:15]  ⁵⁰ tn The aorist θέρισον (qerison) has been translated ingressively.

[14:16]  ⁵¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s directions.

[14:17]  ⁵² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[14:18]  ⁵³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[14:18]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “who had authority over.” This appears to be the angel who tended the fire on the altar.

[14:18]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “to the one having the sharp sickle”; the referent (the angel in v. 17) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:18]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “Send.”

[14:18]  ⁵⁷ tn On this term BDAG 1018 s.v. τρυγάω states: “‘gather in’ ripe fruit, esp. harvest (grapes) w. acc. of the fruit (POslo. 21, 13 [71 ad]; Jos., Ant. 4, 227) Lk 6:44; Rv 14:18 (in imagery, as in the foll. places)…W. acc. of that which bears the fruit gather the fruit of the vine…or the vineyard (s. ἄμπελος a) Rv 14:19.”

[14:18]  ⁵⁸ tn On this term BDAG 181 s.v. βότρυς states, “bunch of grapes Rv 14:18…The word is also found in the Phrygian Papias of Hierapolis, in a passage in which he speaks of the enormous size of the grapes in the new aeon (in the Lat. transl. in Irenaeus 5, 33, 2f.): dena millia botruum Papias (1:2). On this see Stephan. Byz. s.v. Εὐκαρπία: Metrophanes says that in the district of Εὐκαρπία in Phrygia Minor the grapes were said to be so large that one bunch of them caused a wagon to break down in the middle.”

[14:18]  ⁵⁹ tn The genitive τῆς γῆς (ths ghs), taken symbolically, could be considered a genitive of apposition.

[14:18]  ⁶⁰ tn Or perhaps, “its bunches of grapes” (a different Greek word from the previous clause). L&N 3.38 states, “the fruit of grapevines (see 3.27) – ‘grape, bunch of grapes.’ τρύγησον τοὺς βότρυας τῆς ἀμπέλου τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἤκμασαν αἱ σταφυλαὶ αὐτῆς ‘cut the grapes from the vineyard of the earth because its grapes are ripe’ Re 14:18. Some scholars have contended that βότρυς means primarily a bunch of grapes, while σταφυλή designates individual grapes. In Re 14:18 this difference might seem plausible, but there is scarcely any evidence for such a distinction, since both words may signify grapes as well as bunches of grapes.”

[14:18]  ⁶¹ tn On the use of ἥκμασαν (hkmasan) BDAG 36 s.v. ἀκμάζω states, “to bloom…of grapes…Rv 14:18.”

[14:19]  ⁶² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s directions.

[14:19]  ⁶³ tn Or “vine.” BDAG 54 s.v. ἄμπελος a states, “τρυγᾶν τοὺς βότρυας τῆς ἀ. τῆς γῆς to harvest the grapes fr. the vine of the earth (i.e. fr. the earth, symbol. repr. as a grapevine) Rv 14:18f; but ἀ may be taking on the meaning of ἀμπελών, as oft. in pap., possibly PHib. 70b, 2 [III bc].” The latter alternative has been followed in the translation (ἀμπελών = “vineyard”).

[14:19]  ⁶⁴ tn Although the gender of μέγαν (megan, masc.) does not match the gender of ληνόν (lhnon, fem.) it has been taken to modify that word (as do most English translations).

[14:20]  ⁶⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[14:20]  ⁶⁶ sn The winepress was stomped. See Isa 63:3, where Messiah does this alone (usually several individuals would join in the process).

[14:20]  ⁶⁷ tn L&N 6.7 states, “In Re 14:20 the reference to a bit and bridle is merely an indication of measurement, that is to say, the height of the bit and bridle from the ground, and one may reinterpret this measurement as ‘about a meter and a half’ or ‘about five feet.’”

[14:20]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “1,600 stades.” A stade was a measure of length about 607 ft (185 m). Thus the distance here would be 184 mi or 296 km.

[15:1]  ⁶⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[15:1]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “seven plagues – the last ones.”

[15:2]  ⁷¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[15:2]  ⁷² sn See Rev 4:6 where the sea of glass was mentioned previously.

[15:2]  ⁷³ tn Or “had been victorious over”; traditionally, “had overcome.”

[15:2]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “of his name, standing.” A new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the words “They were.”

[15:2]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “on.” The preposition ἐπί (epi) with the accusative case could mean “on, at, by, near”; given the nature of this scene appearing in a vision, it is difficult to know precisely which the author of Revelation intended. See BDAG 363 s.v. ἐπί 1.c.γ, “At, by, near someone or someth.”

[15:2]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “harps of God.” The phrase τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou) has been translated as a genitive of agency.

[15:3]  ⁷⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[15:3]  ⁷⁸ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[15:3]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[15:3]  ⁸⁰ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[15:3]  ⁸¹ tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.

[15:3]  ⁸² tc Certain mss (Ì⁴⁷ א*^,2 C 1006 1611 1841 pc) read “ages” (αἰώνων, aiwnwn) instead of “nations” (ἐθνῶν, eqnwn), which itself is supported by several mss (א¹ A 051 Ï). The ms evidence seems to be fairly balanced, though αἰώνων has somewhat better support. The replacement of “ages” with “nations” is possibly a scribal attempt to harmonize this verse with the use of “nations” in the following verse. On the other hand, the idea of “nations” fits well with v. 4 and it may be that “ages” is a scribal attempt to assimilate this text to 1 Tim 1:17: “the king of the ages” (βασιλεὺς τῶν αἰώνων, basileu" twn aiwnwn). The decision is a difficult one since both scenarios deal well with the evidence, though the verbal parallel with 1 Tim 1:17 is exact while the parallel with v. 4 is not. The term “king” occurs 17 other times (most occurrences refer to earthly kings) in Revelation and it is not used with either “ages” or “nations” apart from this verse. Probably the reading “nations” should be considered original due to the influence of 1 Tim 1:17.

[15:4]  ⁸³ tn Or “and praise.”

[15:4]  ⁸⁴ sn Because you alone are holy. In the Greek text the sentence literally reads “because alone holy.” Three points can be made in connection with John’s language here: (1) Omitting the second person, singular verb “you are” lays stress on the attribute of God’s holiness. (2) The juxtaposition of alone with holy stresses the unique nature of God’s holiness and complete “otherness” in relationship to his creation. It is not just moral purity which is involved in the use of the term holy, though it certainly includes that. It is also the pervasive OT idea that although God is deeply involved in the governing of his creation, he is to be regarded as separate and distinct from it. (3) John’s use of the term holy is also intriguing since it is the term ὅσιος (Josios) and not the more common NT term ἅγιος (Jagios). The former term evokes images of Christ’s messianic status in early Christian preaching. Both Peter in Acts 2:27 and Paul in Acts 13:35 apply Psalm 16:10 (LXX) to Jesus, referring to him as the “holy one” (ὅσιος). It is also the key term in Acts 13:34 (Isa 55:3 [LXX]) where it refers to the “holy blessings” (i.e., forgiveness and justification) brought about through Jesus in fulfillment of Davidic promise. Thus, in Rev 15:3-4, when John refers to God as “holy,” using the term ὅσιος in a context where the emphasis is on both God and Christ, there might be an implicit connection between divinity and the Messiah. This is bolstered by the fact that the Lamb is referred to in other contexts as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (cf. 1:5; 17:14; 19:16 and perhaps 11:15; G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 796-97).

[15:4]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[15:4]  ⁸⁶ tn Or perhaps, “your sentences of condemnation.” On δικαίωμα (dikaiwma) in this context BDAG 249 s.v. 2. states, “righteous deed…δι᾿ ἑνὸς δικαιώματος (opp. παράπτωμα) Ro 5:18. – B 1:2 (cp. Wengst, Barnabas-brief 196, n.4); Rv 15:4 (here perh.= ‘sentence of condemnation’ [cp. Pla., Leg. 9, 864e; ins fr. Asia Minor: LBW 41, 2 [κατὰ] τὸ δι[καί]ωμα τὸ κυρω[θέν]= ‘acc. to the sentence which has become valid’]; difft. Wengst, s. above); 19:8.”

[15:5]  ⁸⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[15:5]  ⁸⁸ tn On this term BDAG 928 s.v. σκηνή 1.b.α states, “ἡ σκηνὴ τοῦ μαρτυρίου the Tabernacle or Tent of Testimony (Ex 27:21; 29:4; Lev 1:1; Num 1:1 and oft.…) Ac 7:44; 1 Cl 43:2, 5,” and then continues in section 2 to state, “Rv 15:5 speaks of a ναὸς τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. God’s σκ.= dwelling is in heaven 13:6, and will some time be among humans 21:3.”

[15:5]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “the temple of the tent of the testimony” (ὁ ναός τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, Jo naos ths skhnhs tou marturiou). The genitive “of the tent” is probably an appositional genitive and should be rendered as “the temple, which is the tent.” The entire expression, then, would be “the temple which is the tent of testimony,” that is, “the heavenly equivalent of the tent or tabernacle that was with Israel in the wilderness” (G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 801-2).

[15:6]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “wide golden sashes,” but these would not be diagonal, as some modern sashes are, but horizontal. The Greek term can refer to a wide band of cloth or leather worn on the outside of one’s clothing (L&N 6.178).

[15:7]  ⁹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[15:7]  ⁹² tn Or “anger.”

[15:8]  ⁹³ tn Grk “power, and no one.” A new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of the temple being filled with smoke.