John's Prophecy of the Temple and the Worshippers of God

Good evening to you. I had a reaction this morning sitting in the pew that I've not had in all the years I've been here, and it caught me a bit off guard. I had to stop and think, what are you doing?

Where are you at? And as I reflected on it afterwards, I thought that it was in reaction to the sermon that God had laid out in my heart to preach tonight. You know, I said, what was that reaction?

It was just, it was instinctive. I just went like this to fasten my seatbelt, like I was sitting in my car. And I thought, what? I'm sitting in the pew. I don't need a seatbelt.

You might need a seatbelt tonight. These are challenging portions of God's Word. In an effort to try and interpret the book of the Revelation, we've been given this revelation by means of vision. John on the island of Patmos receives this revelation, and John is not one to give commentary on what has been revealed to him and what he's given to us. He writes down what he hears, he writes down what he sees, and very few times does he say, this means that. And even when he does say, this means that, you're still wondering, what does that mean? For instance, the text for this evening, Revelation 11 verse 3, and I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth. And then he gives this commentary, these are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And we're like, okay, that doesn't help me.

That doesn't help me. We were forced to make a decision very on in our study in the book of the Revelation to take a literal interpretation approach or a figurative, representative interpretation approach. Let me just remind you of a couple of things, just kind of set the context for tonight. If you bring a literal hermeneutic to the text that you're going to insist that what you read has got to have a literal interpretation, you're going to be lost very, very quickly. Let me show you what I mean. In chapter 1, Jesus was standing in the midst of seven golden lampstands. Hmm.

What does that mean? The seven golden lampstands. Well, they represent the churches to which John was writing. We read in chapter 1, out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword. Hmm. Does Jesus have a literal tongue that's double-edged and sharp like a sword?

Well, no. We're forced to bring a representative or a symbolic interpretation to that. What did it mean? Well, it represents the gospel. The gospel has a double-edged aspect to it. Judgment on the one hand for those who reject, salvation on the other hand for those who believe. The same is true of numbers when we encounter those in the book of the Revelation. Seven is a number that depicts wholeness or completeness. We encounter the seven spirits before the throne and we learn that means here is the representation of the Holy Spirit in all of his fullness.

144,000. Do we take that literally? Do we take that symbolically?

Do we take that figuratively? Well, we learned in chapter 7 that it represents the great multitude of the redeemed from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. You remember, representative of 12 prophets and 12 apostles, you multiply the 12 times 12, you get 144.

You multiply that times 1,000, you get 144,000. So that number is representative of all the redeemed of all the ages. When we come to our text tonight, I want to read to you from just one introduction of one commentary so that you can understand not only what this commentator says, but this is representative. Most of the commentators introduce their commentary on this chapter with similar words.

And this is Kinstemacher from his commentary. Some have considered this chapter one of the most difficult to interpret in the entire book of the Revelation. This passage may well be called the Crux Interipitum.

It is undoubtedly one of the most difficult in the whole apocalypse. In it, John refers to the temple, the holy city, and the two prophets who are killed by the beast and after three and a half days are resurrected and ascend to heaven. Does John intend all this to be understood simply as it is given? The literal temple in Jerusalem, two people prophesying for 1260 days who are killed by the antichrist, raised from the dead and ascend to heaven? A great earthquake that killed 7,000 people and the survivors of which glorify God?

Lots of questions. Well, what do we make of what we're looking at this evening? Let's read again this short passage. 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 42 months. And I will give power to my two witnesses and they will prophesy 1260 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. A reed, a measuring device was given to John. John becomes a participant in a revelation that's a bit parabolic. He's given a reed like a measuring rod and it seems as though he's given that by the angel. The angel stood and speaks to him to rise and measure the temple.

And you remember the angel from chapter 10 was I think either the Archangel Michael or the Archangel Gabriel, one of the two. That word measure is a bit deceiving. And I think we can understand what is being communicated there in relationship to three things. He's to measure three things. Measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. And then there's something he's not to measure in verse 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 42 months. I think what is synonymous with the measuring is protection.

It is a marking out. And there are three things he is to mark out, to measure, to set protection upon. In verse 2 it's clear, leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it. Do not protect it, do not set it aside for it has been given to the Gentiles and they will tread the holy city underfoot for 42 months.

Now we're back to that critical watershed issue. The temple. Is John talking about the literal temple? The temple of the Old Testament which was destroyed in AD 70. Is that what's being referred to, a literal temple that he's to measure?

If you insist that that is the interpretation, that it has to be understood literally, it raises some questions. The first question I would have is what would be the purpose? What would be the purpose of the rebuilding of the temple and the reconstituting of the temple? What would be the purpose if that is the plausible explanation, why would that be in the plan of God? Because it seems to contradict the flow of progressive revelation that the temple in the Old Testament was preparatory, it was a shadow, it was a type, it was pointing to what?

That which will give way to the anti-type. Hebrews chapter 10 tells us that when Christ offered himself as a sacrifice, he made the Old Testament sacrifices obsolete, unnecessary. So if there's going to be a reconstituting and rebuilding of the temple, it seems that the temple is there for the offering of sacrifices.

And I have a hard time reconciling in my mind why God would direct the offering of sacrifices, animal sacrifices, when his son came and offered himself as the sacrifice, which is the sacrifice never to be repeated and makes every other sacrifice unnecessary. Matthew chapter 27 verse 51, we have the record of that phenomena of the veil in the temple being torn from top to bottom when Jesus died on the cross of Calvary. God was putting an end to the symbol because the reality had come. New temple sacrifices in a rebuilt temple would deny the sufficiency of Christ and his atoning work. And in AD 70, God destroyed the temple.

He allowed it to be destroyed precisely because he was judging the Jews and their rejection of Jesus' atonement. So a rebuilt temple, it seems to me, would merely reestablish the rejection of the blood of Jesus Christ and call into question his sufficiency. So until I can get those things reconciled, I cannot hold to a literal interpretation that this temple that John is to interpret, or John is to measure, is the reconstituting of a literal, physical temple.

God is not going to return his people to a rebuilt temple that he destroyed. So that forces us then to consider this symbolically or representatively as opposed to literally. What John is describing here is not future events. John is describing events that his readers are living through, that the Church of Jesus Christ is living through today.

It is very applicable. Therefore, let's think about these things. The temple. Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod, and the angel stood saying, Rise and measure the temple of God. The temple of God. What does the New Testament say about this? Listen to just a couple of verses of scripture that clarifies this for us. 1 Corinthians chapter 6.

What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the temple of God.

Listen to what Peter says. 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 4. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious. You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. We are that temple of God. We are living stones that make up that temple of God. God has chosen not to dwell in a building any longer.

He has chosen to dwell in the hearts and lives of His redeemed people. That's what's going on there in Revelation. So he's talking about the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the temple, the reference to temple there.

And then he says he's to mark those or measure those or set them aside, protect them. Not only the temple of God but the altar and those who worship there, the altar. Jesus Christ is our altar. He is the place where we go as believers and offer spiritual sacrifices. We offer the sacrifice of praise. We go to Him. So we have this, the temple. And then he says the people of God, those who worship there, those who are the redeemed, those who are blood-bought, those who God has set His affections upon and drawn to Himself.

Those are the ones. When they are measured, they are identified as belonging to God and under His protection. And it's good to know that. Good to know that God has claimed us for His own, that we are owned by Him, and with that ownership comes His commitment to protect us and to watch over us and to preserve our lives. Now, I think it's important to understand that what that protection of God means in this context. We know from chapter 6 in our study there, verse 9 through 11, that many will be martyred. And looking ahead into chapter 13 and verse 7, God is going to give the beast power to make war against the saints in order to conquer them. So how do we understand that God is going to protect us and preserve us? Well, it's clear that God will protect His people not from physical harm but from spiritual harm.

There will be difficult days ahead. There will be those who will give their lives in martyrdom. But God will protect the souls of those who have committed themselves to Him.

So I think that's what's being said here. Now, it says, leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it. Do not set it apart.

Do not put protective guardrails around it. For it has been given to the Gentiles. And that reference to Gentiles is not a reference to non-Jews but it is a reference to non-believers. Those who are outside the realm of God's protection. Those who are not a part of the temple. Those who are not a part of the altar.

Those who do not worship. It has been given to the Gentiles and they, unbelievers, the enemies of the gospel, the enemies of Christ, the enemies of followers of Christ, they will tread the holy city underfoot for 42 months. They will tread the holy city underfoot for 42 months. What do we make of this expression holy city?

Well, listen to this quick study. The Old Testament calls Jerusalem the holy city because it was the place God had chosen to dwell with His people. Psalm 48.

The Jews in Jerusalem called themselves citizens of the holy city. Isaiah 48 verse 2. Daniel spoke prophetically about the holy city in chapter 9 verse 24.

Nehemiah noted the restoration of Jerusalem when the Jews resettled in the holy city. Nehemiah 11 verse 1 and verse 18. But in the New Testament there are only a couple of references to this expression. One is at the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry and one is at the end of Jesus' earthly ministry. The first is in the temptation of Christ by the devil himself. And we read in Matthew chapter 4 and verse 5 that the devil took him up into the holy city, sat him in the pinnacle of the temple and said, If you are the son of God, cast yourself down.

That reference. And then a reference in Matthew chapter 27 verse 53. When Jesus had died on Calvary's cross, there were graves that were opened and those who were raised appeared in the holy city according to Matthew chapter 27 verse 53. But after that period the term holy city no longer occurs.

Why is that? Because God took up residence, not in Jerusalem but in the church. In short, the New Testament shows that earthly Jerusalem lost its claim to be called the holy city when the Holy Spirit changed his dwelling place from Jerusalem to the hearts of God's people, the saints.

And they are persons of every nation, tongue, tribe and people. And together they are the residents of the holy city, the New Jerusalem. So the Christian church is symbolically called the holy city. So when it says here, they will tread the holy city. They will have power to make war, to create havoc, to bring persecution to God's people, the church. The trampling of the holy city. It refers to a period of persecution that Christians are going to suffer and have suffered throughout the ages.

We're, I fear, too soft in this country. We've known very little persecution. I sat here and sang the hymns with you, the mighty fortress is our God, and I was thinking about the believing church in Ukraine and how singing that song, what it would mean to them as opposed to us sitting where we're sitting. In the other two hymns we sang, similarly.

That context would change an awful lot. So it says, again there in verse 2, that these non-believing haters of God, haters of his church, haters of his gospel, haters of his followers, they will tread the holy city underfoot for 42 months, a set period of time. Now I think we're bound if we have been forced to interpret the temple in a representative way, in a symbolic way, that we're forced to do that with these numbers as well.

We're not talking, in my opinion, I don't think we're talking about 1260 days, a set period of time. It's a short period of time that God is going to define and God has set the limits and God has set the parameters of that. Now, I know that's not very satisfactory so let me offer you some references to Scripture I think that will help us. In Luke chapter 6 and verse 45 we're told about the ministry of Elijah. And listen to this verse, Luke 6 verse 45. No, it's not that verse. I thought it was Luke 6 45.

Well, that was not correct. I said Luke 6 45, didn't I? Maybe it was Luke 4 45.

Nope. Anyway, you know the Bible tells us not only I'm confident it's in Luke but it's also in James that Elijah had a ministry where he shut up the heavens for three and a half years for 42 months. Now I think it's interesting in the context that verse 6 tells us about these two witnesses. These have power to shut heaven so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy. So here's a reference to two witnesses that prophesy and one of the effects of their prophecy is the heavens are shut up.

There is no rain. Huh. Makes you wonder if maybe Elijah is not in mind there. But we'll deal with that, Lord willing, next week. By the way, we're not going any further than verse 2 tonight. So when I say we need to fasten up our seat belts, we've moved fairly quickly through the first 10 chapters of Revelation. But we are in the spiritual weeds, if I could put it that way.

So it's going to require time to think through and take our time and slow down. I appreciate the prayers this evening that were offered for clarity and I've been asking God for clarity because this is really challenging material to understand. The children of Israel. They wandered in the wilderness for 42 years. Two years, they wandered around until the penalty for their unbelief was brought upon them. And so there was two years and then there were 40 years. Remember, all the men who were under a certain age or over a certain age were to die.

That was the penalty. So 42 years. And you go back to Exodus and you read about the encampments. It's one of those places that's similar to genealogy. Well, they camped here, they camped there and you just kind of skip over it. But I read through that this week and I enumerated the number of encampments.

You know how many there were? 42. 42 encampments.

You say, well, what point are you making? Well, this is talking about 42 months. They will tread the holy city underfoot for 42 months. I want to suggest to you that the experience of the new covenant believer, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, is similar to that which the people of God faced in the wilderness. They were traveling. They were pilgrims. They were sojourners and they were making their way through difficulty, through tribulation, on their way to what?

The promised land. We are travailing. We are pilgriming.

We are sojourners, aliens in this country. We are making our way toward heaven and there are many obstacles along the way. There are difficulties. There are persecutions.

There are challenges. And that's part, I think, of what our attention is being drawn to here. I think also, when we think about the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, that it was approximately 42 months, about three and a half years that He was on this earth.

And He warned His disciples, the warnings are in the New Testament scriptures, that we shouldn't be surprised by suffering and persecution, that we should anticipate it, expect it, prepare for it, be steadfast in the face of it, I think is what He's saying. There's more that I think will further help explain this. We're just touching on this 42 months because that's going to come up a number of times here. We'll see it again there in verse 11 of chapter 11.

Now after three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them. So it's talking about that same period of time. It's a time period. It's a reference to the time of tribulation, a time of intense tribulation that was prophesied by Daniel. We can read about that in Daniel chapter 7 and verse 25, chapter 12 and verse 7. A reference of tribulation prophesied by Daniel.

And for Daniel it was way out into the future, but for John it had begun, starting with the resurrection of Christ and continuing until His return. John is writing to churches. He's trying to galvanize churches.

He's trying to strengthen the churches, to warn them of difficulty and tribulation, and to remind them of the promises of God, that there is safety and protection for the people of God by God's design. And again, that does not mean that there won't be physical harm. There will be.

There has been. And it will continue until Christ pulls the final curtain on this period of church history. So, this outer court. Gentiles, they are permitted to touch the outer court and to trample on the holy city. But note again, for a limited time, for 42 months, they're not able to destroy the church because the church is the inner sanctuary. As we sang Martin Luther's hymn, his power is great, but he will not overcome, will not prevail, because God will see to it that His church is preserved. So, I think that's the message from these first couple of verses this evening. That God has committed Himself to the safeguard of His church.

He gave His Son for His church. He has redeemed us. He's taken ownership of us. He has assumed responsibility for our soul's keeping and the body they may kill. But God will safeguard our souls. We wrestle with this question, well, why would God in His sovereign power, able to control all things, why would He ordain this? Why would He warn us of this? Tell us of this?

Why is this going on? Why is there the persecuted church around the world? It raises questions in our minds, doesn't it? But there's more to us than our physical bodies, right? Our souls are going to live forever and God will keep us, keep us in the faith, keep us trusting Him, keep us relying upon Him, keeping us in the difficult hour. 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. Are you included in that number, by the way? Are you part of the people of God? Are you one who frequents the altar of God?

I think the reference there to the altar of God is a place where incense is offered, not where sacrifice is offered because Christ has offered Himself once and for all, never to be repeated. But as the people of God, we go to that place where we offer prayers to God, incense rises to Him, we're praying to Him, we're worshiping Him, we're thanking Him, we're committed to the ministry of prayer. That is descriptive of the people of God and those who worship there. This is our delight to be with the people of God, to worship with the people of God, to worship our God in spirit and in truth.

This is a safe place. But there is, outside the court, which is outside the temple, it's been given to the Gentiles. God has done that. It has been given to the enemies of Christ, the enemies of the gospel, those who oppose us, those who would kill us.

And they will tread the holy city, the people of God underfoot for 42 months. So, let's intensify our prayers. I think we can be pretty self-serving in our prayers. We're very fervent and earnest in those things that pertain to us, those things that touch us, but not so much when it's things that come to our attention that don't personally affect us. But may we grow in our urgency and our perseverance in praying for what seems to me to be the pertinent thing that's front and center in our face is the church in Ukraine, the church in Russia, those believers.

It's heart-wrenching. We've heard reports, we've received messages, perhaps on our phone, of Christians gathering, singing, worshipping, praying to God. This passage is real to them.

What's being described here by John is touching them. And who's to say it's not coming here and coming quickly? So, let's look to God. Let's be sure that we're near to Him, walking with Him, not distant from Him, in fellowship with Him, enjoying His blessings and His presence in our lives, and be thankful for God's kindness that allows us together in places of worship like this where we can enjoy worshipping our God. And it's not something we're doing alone. We're doing it with a community of faith, brothers and sisters that we've come to know and love and look to and realize they have a testimony of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. God has brought us together.

And this is good, but it's temporal. And it's all preparation for what we're going to be doing throughout all eternity. So, let's look forward to that and rejoice in that. And thank you for your prayers as we continue to make our way through Revelation. I communicated to somebody the challenges I was facing, and they said, Well, nobody would hold it against you if you just quit. I said, I can't quit.

I can't quit. We're going where angels fear to tread, they say. But God will help us. And for a good many of us, we've not heard any other interpretation of the book of Revelation apart from a literal interpretation, a dispensational, premillennial interpretation of the book of Revelation. So, this is new to us, new to many of us. So, withhold your judgment, keep studying, praying. And I think as we continue to move through these next couple of chapters, things will begin to dovetail and become clear. I wish that I could be a bit clear in my presentation. I spent an awful lot of time in preparation for this. Sometimes I've come to the conclusion, sometimes little is much.

When you have more thoughts in your head than you could possibly deliver, it sometimes makes for not as clear of a presentation as you would like. So, may God help us, may God give us understanding as we seek to know Him and His Word better. Let's pray. Father, thank you tonight for your Word. Thank you for the fact that you are controlling redemptive history for your own purposes. Lord, we thank you for the fact that we're kept by the power of God.

We thank you for the fact that you have owned us, you have redeemed us, you have paid a terrible cost to make us your own. Therefore, we have confidence that you will be with us, that you will preserve us, that you will keep us by your power until that day that we are in your presence. Lord, help us as we continue to live out our lives in this world. Help us not to be ashamed. Help us to be bold in our witness. Help us to understand and not be surprised by those who would oppose us, those who would be against us and against the Christ that we claim to know and love. Lord, we ask that you would work in hearts and lives, that there would be others who at present are marked as unbelievers, that would come into the fold, that would come and be made a part of the temple, who would be made worshipers of you. Do it for the good of those we know and love, and do it for your own honor and glory's sake, we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.