The sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up: the sky, in the creation account (Gen 1.6-8), was portrayed as a dome. In John’s vision it rolls back on itself, like an immense sheet of parchment or papyrus that is rolled up like a scroll (5.1); see Isa 34.4. For scroll see 5.1. In at least one language where scrolls are unknown, this figure is translated as “like a sleeping mat that is rolled up and taken away.”

Every mountain and island was removed from its place: God is in charge; these things happen as a manifestation of God’s anger (verse 16). So the passive form of the verb is a way of speaking about God. The whole universe is shaken so violently that all the mountains and islands are thrown out of their places. Even though the passive form in this clause can be thought of as the so-called divine passive, yet to translate “and God moved every mountain…” in this context will sound a little strange. In many languages that do not use the passive, there are other ways to avoid a passive expression without making the agent explicit. Some languages use special verbs to describe the movement of land masses, such as mountains, after an earthquake. In yet other languages collocations such as “suffer move” can be employed.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .