Revelation 11:1-3 ESV
“Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.’”
Now, much of the book of Revelation is written symbolically, utilizing many metaphors (symbols) in order to prophecy coming events in these last days before the return of Jesus Christ. Even the numbers are often used symbolically rather than literally. So we need the wisdom of God to know what is to be taken more symbolically rather than literally. But if we can read this book in light of all the teachings on the last days, but particularly in light of the Messianic age and not by the Old Covenant, it will help us understand.
But first, who is this book written to? To the Lord’s servants, his church, more specifically to the seven churches that were in Asia at that time, but also to the universal church of all time. He wrote this to those who had been set free from their slavery to sin by the blood of Christ shed on that cross for our sins, and through God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ.
To four of the churches he praised them for the good they had done, but he chided them for the things they were doing wrong. And he warned them of some type of coming judgment if they did not repent (turn from their sin) and follow him in obedience. Two of them he had nothing bad to say against, for they were obeying him, and he encouraged them in their walks of faith.
But regarding Laodicea, he was ready to spit them out of his mouth for their spiritual lukewarmness. And so he counseled them in what they should do, and he warned of divine discipline, and he called them to repent and to accept him into their lives truly as Lord and Master of their lives. And he promised them fellowship with him if they would repent and follow him with their lives. And he said he would reward those who conquered (sin and Satan and the flesh, by the Spirit), and who now did what he said to do.
And what follows after this? What follows are the pronouncements of judgments on the earth and on the people of the earth. And followers of Jesus Christ, the saints of God in these last days before the return of Christ, are on the earth. And many of them will be persecuted and put to death for their faith in Jesus Christ during this time of judgment on the earth. “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).
And then we come to this passage in Revelation 11:1-3. So, what is the context here? These words were written to the church. 70% of the church was chided for things they were doing wrong, then they were told to repent, and they were warned of divine discipline and judgments if they did not repent. But they were encouraged if they did repent, and they conquered the sins they were engaged in, by the grace of God, that they would be welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom and into fellowship with him.
And following after quite a few declarations of judgments, we then have these words written about the temple of God. Now what is the temple of God in the Messianic age and prior to our Lord’s return. We who believe in Jesus Christ are that temple. God does not dwell in buildings built by human hands, but he dwells in the hearts and lives of those whose lives are surrendered to Christ, who have died to sin, and who are now living to God and to his righteousness, by the grace of God.
And what is the altar of God? It is not a physical place or thing. It is our fellowship with our Lord, and our times spent with him in his word and in prayer and in the worship of him in spirit and in truth. It is where we humble ourselves and we repent of our sins and we surrender our lives to Christ to be his and to do his will. And it is where we seek him and listen to him and where we get our instructions from him so that we can now follow him in obedience and now walk in his ways, and not in sin.
And who are the nations (the Gentiles) in the last days? They are all nations and all peoples who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Messiah, and who do not submit to Christ as Lord of their lives, whether Jew or Gentile by physical birth. For all Jews who have rejected Jesus as their Messiah are equal to all other peoples who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Not my words. This is what the Bible teaches. So only believers in Jesus Christ are this temple, and all others are “the nations.”
And what or who is this holy city in the last days? She is the Jerusalem who is from above, not of this earth. And we who believe in Jesus Christ are her children. We are the children of the free woman, but physical Jerusalem is of Hagar, the slave woman, for she is still in slavery with her children. And she will never share in the inheritance with the free woman (believers in Christ). So if we belong to Christ, then we are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
[John 8:18-19,38-47; Romans 9:4-8; Romans 11:17-25; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-18; Ephesians 3:6; 1 John 2:22]
So the physical nation of Israel is not God’s Israel. We who believe in Jesus Christ are God’s Israel. And the physical nation of Israel is, thus, among the nations who are trampling on us believers in Jesus Christ (his holy city) in these last days before the return of Christ. Please get this! It is a lie and a deception of Satan to try to get Christians to support the physical nation of Israel (not of God, but of man) and to possibly end up treating as enemies those who the nation of Israel are coming against.
For the Scriptures teach that it is those who deny that Jesus is the Christ who are the antichrist. And the Jewish nation denies Jesus Christ as their Lord and Messiah. So Jesus said they were of the devil, that their father was the devil, not God, and so they did the works of the devil. And who killed Jesus Christ? The Jews. Now some Jews do believe in Jesus Christ but the majority do not, and the physical nation of Israel does not accept Jesus as their Messiah. And so they are going to be against us, not for us.
So, please take this to the Lord in prayer. Please read the noted Scriptures, for these are critical times we are living in now, and many are being deceived by the lies of the enemy regarding who Jesus was and is, and what the gospel was he taught, and who Israel is, the Israel that is of God, and regarding who are heirs of the promise God gave to Abraham and to his seed, Jesus Christ. Only those who believe in Jesus Christ are heirs of that promise and heirs of eternal life with God.
For Our Nation
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
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