6:7 Then 1 when the Lamb opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!”
8:1 Now 2 when the Lamb 3 opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
15:5 After 4 these things I looked, and the temple (the tent 5 of the testimony) 6 was opened in heaven,
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
2 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the resumption of the topic of the seals.
3 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the Lamb) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
5 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.”
6 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).
sn In the OT the expression “tent of the testimony” occurs frequently (130 times in Exodus through Deuteronomy). The “testimony” refers to the ten commandments, i.e., the revelation of the righteous will of God (Exod 16:34; 25:21; 31:18; 32:15; 40:24). It is little wonder that the wrath of God upon an unrighteous, lawbreaking humanity follows in John’s description.