A Finishing Of The Testimony . . . Part 2! Our Text: Revelation 11:1-14 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three–and–a–half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. Now after the three–and–a–half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

Last week we studied how God has been sending messengers proclaiming the Truth of the Gospel from the very beginning. But no matter who He sent, the majority were going to reject His offer of salvation because of a love for sin.

Even when He sent His Son, Jesus, they people rejected Him as they wanted to be the authority of their own lives . . . But this will never be the case!

In one of His last attempts, God was going to send these two messengers, along with the 144,000 witnesses and any others who have received Christ during the tribulation, to proclaim the gospel so that people may be saved.

But first, John was going to have to measure out the temple . . . Let’s pick it up here.

An Accurate Measurement! Revelation 11:1-2 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. There are several instances in which the apostle John plays an active role in his visions in Revelation. (Revelation 1:17; Revelation 4:1; Revelation 5:4–5; Revelation 7:13–14; Revelation 10:8–10).

We also have to remember that his commission was just renewed to write the prophecies yet to come in Revelation: Revelation 10:11 And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

Therefore, John was given a measuring rod like a staff, by either the same angel who spoke with him in Revelation 10:8 or the strong angel he spoke with in Revelation 10:9–11.

Measuring Rod = κάλαμος “Kalamos" = This refers to a reedlike plant that grew in the Jordan Valley to a height of fifteen to twenty feet.

This rod had a stalk that was hollow and lightweight, yet rigid enough to be used as a walking staff (Ezekiel 29:6) or to be shaved down into a pen (3 John 13). The stalks, because they were long and lightweight, were ideal for use as measuring rods.

In Ezekiel’s vision, an angel used a rod exactly link this to measure the millennial temple (Ezekiel 40:3–43:17).

John did what he was told to and measured the temple of God, including the altar, and those who worshiped in it.

We need to point out that obviously, this was not an effort to determine the temple’s physical dimensions. How do we know that? Because no dimensions are given. Therefore, it was rather to convey some important truth beyond just architecture.

It also had to represent something good, because what was “not measured” was something bad: Revelation 11:2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.

So what does it measure? Many scholars believe this to signify God’s ownership, defining the parameters of God’s possessions: Zechariah 2:1-5 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” And there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him, who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. For I,’ says the LORD, “will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”

Therefore, they believe it best to see it as God’s measuring off Israel, symbolized by her temple, for salvation and for His special protection, preservation, and favor. The prophecies yet to be given to John will thus distinguish between God’s favor toward Israel and His wrath on the pagan world.

We have to remember, at the time John wrote Revelation, Israel’s future looked bleak. A quarter century earlier, the Romans had brutally suppressed the Jewish revolt of A.D. 66–70, slaughtering over one million Jews, devastating Jerusalem, and burning the temple. But in spite of that massive destruction, God still had His people! Romans 11:1-5 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, “LORD, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. Zechariah 12:10–13:1 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves. “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. Zechariah 13:8–9 And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the LORD, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, “This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’ ”

• The “temple” does not refer to the entire temple complex, but to the inner temple, made up of the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. • The altar is probably the brazen altar, located outside the inner sanctuary in the courtyard, since that is where those who worship in the temple would have gathered. • And since the people were never permitted into the inner temple; only the priests could enter the Holy Place, the worshipers in John’s vision most likely depict a remnant of believing Jews alive during the Tribulation who are worshiping God.

So since the temple was previously destroyed by the Romans many years before John wrote Revelation, it would stand to reason that it would be rebuilt in the future. The Bible mentions five specific temples: • Solomon built the first • Zerubbabel built the second after the exile’ • Herod built the third (during the time of Christ) • The temple John saw in this vision was the fourth temple, which will be built in Jerusalem during the Tribulation (Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:4), and, along with it, the Jewish sacrificial system will be restored (Daniel 9:27; Daniel 12:11) • The Lord Himself will build the fifth during the Millennium (Ezekiel 40–48; Haggai 2:9; Zecheriah 6:12–13)

Once again, the Tribulation temple (the 4th temple) will be built early in the first half of the Tribulation under the patronage and protection of Antichrist.

Many orthodox Jews today dream of rebuilding their temple, but its site is now occupied (and in the minds of many Jews desecrated) by the Islamic shrine known as the Dome of the Rock.

Because Muslims believe it to be the place from which Muhammad ascended to heaven, it is among the most sacred shrines in the Islamic world. For the Jews to take that site away from the Muslims and build their temple there would be very difficult and even “unthinkable” in today’s political climate. But during the Tribulation, under the protection of Antichrist (Daniel 9:24–27), they will be able to rebuild the temple.

There will be a reinstitution of “temple worship” and this will reawaken interest on the part of many Jews in regards to the Messiah.

Many will realize the impossibility of this system to remove sin: Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

God will use this dissatisfaction to prepare the hearts of the Jews for the day when He will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Him: Zechariah 12:10–13:1 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves. “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.

But this will provoke the insane jealousy of the anti-christ and he will act accordingly . . . At the midpoint of the Tribulation, he will stop their worship, and desecrate the temple.

This is the abomination of desolation: Daniel 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.” Daniel 12:11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),

Then he will set himself up as the only acceptable object of worship: Revelation 13:15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Therefore, John’s measuring of the temple symbolized the marking out of the believing Jewish remnant that God will spare from judgment! Zechariah wrote of that coming day: Zechariah 13:8–14:5 And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the LORD, “That two- thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, “This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’ ” Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with You.

But John was also commanded to, “Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it.” The reference is to the court of the Gentiles, located outside the courtyard containing the brazen altar. It marked the boundary beyond which Gentiles were forbidden to go. In New Testament times, the Romans had given the Jews the right to execute any Gentile who went beyond the court of the Gentiles. For a Gentile to do so was to defile the temple. In fact, if we remember our study in the Book of Acts, it was the false charge that Paul had brought Gentiles into the temple that sparked the riot that led to his arrest and imprisonment (Acts 21:28–29).

We have been clear that God redeems Gentiles, and will continue to do so during the time of tribulation (Revelation 5:9; Revelation 7:9). But He will reject those unbelieving Gentiles who have united with Satan and the beast and oppressed His covenant people, Israel!

Notice again that there is a sharp distinction in this vision between Jews and Gentiles but there is no mention of the church . . . Which we believe to have been raptured already! Part of the reason we can confirm this is that Paul says: Colossians 3:11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Ephesians 2:14–16 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

If the church was still around, these to passages would be viewed as suspect.

By way of explanation, John was told not to measure the outer court because “it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.” The forty-two months (1,260 days; three and one-half years) correspond to the overtly evil career of Antichrist, which dominates the last half of the Tribulation (Revelation 13:5). (We’ll get into this topic with greater detail in future studies.)

So despite all of the efforts of the antichrist to destroy Israel, God will measure off Israel to save, preserve, and protect the nation. As Zechariah wrote, two-thirds of Israel will be purged in judgment and the remaining one-third will be saved and enter the glory of Messiah’s earthly kingdom (Zechariah 13:8–9).

But in order to bring this to pass, God is going to introduce a unique, invincible, two-man evangelistic team . . . But we’ll get to them next week!

Let’s pray . . .