Bible Study Library

Dear Disciples:

We’ll only cover two verses in this lesson, but chances are at the end of it your head will be swarming so much you’ll beg for a break.

You see, chapter 11 is often considered the most difficult chapter of the book of Revelation. It is loaded with symbolism, requires some exploration of Greek words, and draws on Old Testament and cultural knowledge not possessed by most modern readers.

We’ll study this chapter in three lessons: Verses 1-2, Verses 3-14, and Verses 15-19.

V. 15 actually begins a new topic (the 7th Trumpet) and is in that sense a separate study from the rest of the chapter.

In vv. 1-2, an angel gave John a reed and told him to measure the temple. There are three specifics to this command:

1. “Measure the temple of God and the altar” (v.1)
2. “Count the worshippers there” (v.1)
3. “Exclude the outer court” (v.2)

The outer court, John is told, will be given to the Gentiles, who will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

Keep those bold words in your mind: Temple, Worshippers, and Outer court.

We need to answer the following three questions to understand what this passage is telling us:

1. What temple?
2. Why measure it?
3. Who are the Gentiles that will trample it?

1. What Temple?
The first thing that stands out here is that when John wrote this (around AD 90), there was no temple!

The temple Herod had built for the Jews, and Jerusalem itself, had been completely destroyed in AD 70 by the Roman General Titus. There’s no mention in Revelation of the temple or Jerusalem being rebuilt, yet this angel talks about the temple and the “holy city” as if they still existed.

Hmmm…

Another clue to what the angel meant is the word he chose to refer to the temple. Before we get into the Greek, let’s remember how the temple itself was laid out.

 

Note: The temple wasn’t round and its sections weren’t concentric circles as in this diagram. This simple illustration is only meant to show the various sections of the temple and their relative positions. To see realistic renditions of both Solomon’s and Herod’s temples, click here and here.

“Sanctuary”/Temple Building: In the center is a building that contained the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Only certain priests could go there.

Inner Court: Just outside the temple building was the Inner Court, which actually contained three courts: The Court of Israel, the Court of Priests, and the Court of Women. These courts were the place Israelites would gather and worship.

Outer Court: Outside those courts was the Outer Court, also known as the Court of the Gentiles. Gentiles who wanted to worship YHWH (our God) could do so there.

Two Greek words are translated “temple” in the New Testament.

• naos (ναος) - The Sanctuary
• hieron (ìερον) - The Sanctuary plus the courts

The angel speaking to John used the word naos (Sanctuary) to refer to the “temple” in verse 1. However, he actually described all three sections:

• Measure the naos (Sanctuary)
• Measure or “count” the worshippers (the Inner Court)
• Do not measure the Outer Court

2. Why measure it?
“Measuring” something in biblical prophecy is not for determining its size. The command to measure consistently signifies that something major is about to happen — the object being measured will soon either be destroyed or protected.

For example, notice measuring Jerusalem for destruction here …

“I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their foes, because they have done evil in my eyes and have provoked me to anger from the day their forefathers came out of Egypt until this day.” (2 Kings 21:13-15)

… and for protection here …

“Therefore, this is what the LORD says: `I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the LORD Almighty. Proclaim further: This is what the LORD Almighty says: `My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem’” (Zech. 1:16-17).

 In Revelation 11, measuring the sanctuary and inner court signifies that they will be protected, as we’ll see.

3. Who are the Gentiles that trample it?

Let’s put our Greek hats on again for a moment.

“Gentiles” in Greek is simply the word ethnos (εθνος), from which we get our word “ethnic.” The word literally just means “nations.” [Note: The Hebrew word for Gentiles, goyim, also means "nations"].

Sometimes it specifically means non-Israelites. Other times it generically refers to all the nations in the world.

What is this passage trying to tell us?

I believe the temple here is symbolic rather than literal:

• The Sanctuary = Jesus
• The Inner Court (the worshippers) = Christians who are “asleep” (i.e., who have died)
• The Outer Court = Christians who are still in the world at the time

I freely admit — as should everyone would who interprets Revelation 11 — that I come to this conclusion based on a mixture of logic, presupposition, hypothesis, and hunch. No matter how you interpret this text — even if you believe it’s a literal temple that will someday be rebuilt — people will be able to raise reasonable objections.

Ultimately, the best interpretation will be one that fits best with the rest of Revelation, and the correct interpretation will be the one that actually happens!

There is plenty of support for the concept of the temple representing Jesus and his church.

• In John 2:19-21 Jesus told the Jews that if they destroyed the temple He would build it again in three days. They balked at Him, but John explained “the temple he had spoken of was his body.”
• Christians as part of the temple is something we’re familiar with.
  • In 1Cor 3:16 Paul tells (Gentile!) Christians that they are the temple of God;
  • In 1Cor 6:19 he tells them that their body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; and
  • In 2Cor 6:16 Paul tells them “we are the temple of the living God.”
• The strongest support for the temple representing Jesus comes from Revelation itself. In Rev 21:22 John sees the new Jerusalem, looks around and says “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.”

So we know that the temple can be a symbol of Christ. Like other things from the Old Testament (the Sabbath, the sacrifices, etc.), Christ fulfilled the purpose of the temple. All who are part of Christ’s body are part of the temple.

The unique part here in Revelation 11 is the outer and inner courts distinguishing between Christians on earth and in heaven.

Remember, “Gentiles” are people who are not part of Israel, and the church is Israel. What I believe the angel is telling John is that the Gentiles — the Antichrist and his minions — will torment Christians on the earth for 42 months, which is the same amount of time John says the Antichrist will rule.

John was told to measure the sanctuary and inner court — Jesus and Christians who are no longer alive on earth — to draw attention to the fact that Christians who are on the earth will not be measured — they will not be protected from the Beast.

Let me restate that. The point is that while the Antichrist will not be able to faze Jesus or Christians who are already asleep, he will be allowed to torment and even kill Christians on earth for a limited period of time.

The point of verses 1-2, then, is to say that Christians who are on the earth at this time will be oppressed by the Beast for 42 months. That insight will help open up the rest of the chapter in our next study.

In closing, I’d like to ask you to thank God right now that though He allow us to suffer, He always limits our suffering. And though He allows us to die, He guarantees our eternal life.