Revelation 6:14 (KJV)
14 "And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places".
The language is symbolic and does not literally refer to the Heavens,and every Mountain and Island, so what do they represent?
It helps to see that by the end of chapter 6, the Last Day has arrived, when "the wrath of the Lamb" is finally poured out on the ungodly on Earth. This marks the end of one section of the book of Revelation. Chapter 7 verse 1 to the end of chapter 11 is the next section (going back, to fill in with more details, and culminating again in the Last Day, when God brings to ruin those ruining the Earth, and God's temple in Heaven is opened.) This is necessary to grasp for the symbolism of the heavens, the mountains, and the islands to become clear.
Consider, for example, how a great earthquake is mentioned in 6:12, in conjunction with the events in the verse asked about, and the same earthquake is mentioned twice in the following section, namely, 16:18:
"...and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great." Revelation 16:18 A.V.
This is the same event as in chapter 6, with additional details provided, for this is when the cities of the nations fall, and Babylon the Great is given of the cup of God's wrath to drink, "and every island fled away, and the mountains were not found", with massive hail-stones falling on ungodly men. Put that together with chapter 6 verses 12 to 17 and it is clearly the same catastrophic end-time when great kings down to slaves try to hide from this Last Day, seeking the mountains to cover them from the Lamb. But the mountains and the islands on Earth are removed from their places - not to hide those people, however.
It is the unprecedented earthquake on Earth that causes the Earth to go into paroxysms of convulsions. Will this merely be symbolic of some unseen spiritual event? Consider what Jesus said himself about the time just before he returns with hosts of angels. Jesus used the same words as in Revelation chapter 6:
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heaven to the other." Matthew 24:29-31 A.V.
Note how the reaction of those who are not "his elect" accords with what Jesus said in Revelation 1:7?
Some people think all of this is symbolic of unseen battles in the heavenlies, between angel and demonic forces, but the constant references to people, to places, to earthly events like earthquakes, hailstones, light from sun and moon, all speak of physical things. Yes, there are unseen powers in the heavens beyond the sight of man, but Earth is caught up in events, and its worldly people terrified beyond anything ever experienced by humans. This is the lead-up to God creating "a new heaven and a new earth, in which righteousness will dwell" as detailed here:
"...by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water perished. But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men... But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 2 Peter 3:4-10 A.V.
All these passages speak of the same phenomenal time when Christ shall suddenly return to usher in the Day of Resurrection and Judgment. However those events work out, all who witness them will realise that the words used in the Bible to describe them, did not exaggerate one iota. Nothing in history approaches what will be at Christ's spectacular return. But note that, just as the flood of Noah's day was a literal, global flood wiping out life on Earth bar those 'covered' by God's protection, so it will be literal destruction on Earth, prior to God creating a new heavens and a new earth - a re-creation. (2 Peter 3:12-13)
Detailed comparisons with Old Testament use of earthquakes, sun and moon, stars, mountains, islands, and scrolls can be examined in this book, particularly from pages 174 to 178. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, John Metcalfe. http://www.johnmetcalfepublishingtrust.co.uk/contact_us.htm
The language of Revelation uses the Old Testament symbols and metaphors of Old Testament prophesies. So, we learn these by going back to the Hebrew scriptures of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, etc.
In those prophesies, God used the word "heavens" for the dominion and territory of earthly kings. In the prophesy against Babylon, Isaiah said,
"They are coming in from a land afar off, From the end of the heavens, Jehovah and the instruments of His indignation, To destroy all the land." (Isa. 13:5, YLT)
where the "end of the heavens" indicated the furthest reach of the boundaries of that land, to destroy all the land. A foreign country would enter into the "heavens" of the king of Babylon to destroy Babylon, and the nation of Babylon would be removed from its place among the other nations of the world.
"Therefore the heavens I cause to tremble, And the earth doth shake from its place, ..." (Isa. 13:13, YLT)
The "earth" of this prophesy was the land of Babylon. So, rolling the "heavens" up like a scroll (Isa. 34:4), or the "heavens shall depart as a scroll" is the downfall of that specific nation of that specific prophesy, and their history is recorded upon the scroll and put up in an archive library somewhere in God's history book.
The mountains were symbols and metaphors for mighty kingdoms. God's mountain is God's kingdom, the everlasting kingdom over all the earth.
"And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down," (Isa. 11:9, KJV)
"Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood." (Isa. 34:3, KJV)
The "mountains" that were broken apart became small hills, or small islands.
"I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools." (Isa. 42:15, KJV)
All of the metaphors and symbols of prophesy from the Old Testament are again used in Revelation. The metaphors and symbols are interchangeable from prophesy to prophesy so we have to discern which land or nation the prophet was sent to warn in order to know which kingdom / heaven, or which nation / mountain is being torn down.
In Revelation, the prophet is Jesus, and He was sent to warn John about the coming desolation upon Jerusalem before that temple fell. So, the heaven that was going to depart in history was the Jewish politic of Judea and the first century AD temple which was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70.
Ever since that destruction, all the earth is under the reign of Jesus Christ and His everlasting kingdom.
"Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Eph. 3:21, KJV)
See scripture evidences at ShreddingTheVeil.org.
The Signs of Revelation - Part II: Codes and Symbols of Nature - here
The Signs of Revelation - Part III: Codes and Symbols of Numbers.. - here
The Signs of Revelation - Part IV: Symbols of the Throne Scene - here
The Signs of Revelation - Part V: The Animal Symbols - here
They may just be themselves and did not symbolise others. Reading poetic language require imagination to convert words into visual pictures. "the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together" resembled the smoke came out from a erupting volcano, the smoke was so thick it reached the heaven and spread vigorously to all sides. "Every mountain and island were moved out of their place" resembled a strong earthquake that vigorously shifting the earth crush.
This assumption has support from verse 12 & 13, where the NIV read
12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red,
13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.
In verse 12, the sun turned black was possibly due to the smoke. Occasionally sunbeam would shine through the thin spot, like the seams in between the fibre of the sackcloth. Bloody moon if not during lunar eclipse, was due to air pollution and wildfire would also cause a bloody moon. "Stars fell to earth" resembled meteor shower.
My visual to the description is, when opening the sixth seal, a great earthquake and possible accompanied with enormous volcano eruption, caused the sky become dark and everywhere was burning. The shakes kept on and on where nobody could stand firm on ground, in our sight, everything were as if moving.
