Revelation chapter 11 is one of the most important and one of the most exciting chapters in Revelation. Five reasons:
1. It points to the rebuilding and destruction of the temple of Jerusalem.
2. It shows the destruction of Jerusalem by the Gentiles.
3. It ties in with the prophecies of Jesus.
4. It also covers the great salvation of Israel and the coming kingdom of God.
5. It is a summary, an overview of the rest of the book.
The subject of the whole chapter could be the great salvation of Israel and the coming kingdom of God. But first we have to look at verses 1& 2 which speaks of the great destruction of Israel.
READ v. 1. Here comes the great judgment of Israel, of the temple, their altar worship, the people, and the city. John is instructed to take a rod and measure the temple, the altar and the people who worship there.
The words “rod” and “measure” are used in the Bible in two ways:
1. The rod can be used to measure a building for construction or for restoration, or it can be used to measure a place for preservation or protection.
The possible meaning here is that God could be saying the HE wants the true worshippers of Israel preserved and protected while the antichrist and Gentile nations trod Jerusalem underfoot. He could be saying that He wants a remnant of Jewish believers saved, protected, and preserved during the great tribulation.
2. The word “rod” can also mean to measure a place for destruction and punishment or correction.
The possible meaning here is that God could be saying that He wants the temple and the Jewish people measured for judgment and correction; that in the last days they must be judged along with everyone else because of their unbelief, or denial and rejection of Jesus as God’s Son.
Which one of the two did God mean? Before we can give an answer to that, we have to look at several facts.
1. Scripture says that the antichrist is to actually walk into the temple and demand that the world give their first loyalty to him and the state.
Jesus said this would happen. READ Mt. 24:15. Remember Jerusalem is looked upon by several major world religions as being one of the religious centers of the world. No better place could be chosen to launch the worship of the state, especially when an attempt will be made to wipe out all Christian believers.
2 Thess. 2: 3-4 says that the antichrist will set himself up in God’s temple, declaring that he is god, that is, that he and the state can meet the needs of man and bring utopia to the world. READ.
So this passage clearly says that the antichrist is going to appear in the temple. This means that the Jews must rebuild the temple in Jerusalem before this event can ever happen. The temple was destroyed in 70 A.D.
2. There are five temples mentioned in Scripture that need to be noted at this point.
- Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 7); destroyed by Nebuchadnezar in 587 B.C.
- Zerubbabel’s temple (Ezra 3:12); he rebuilt the temple after the Babylonian captivity, but it was desecrated and dedicated to the god of Jupiter by Antiochus Epiphanes in 168-170 B.C.
- Herod
- S temple (Jn. 2:20); this was the temp0le that existed in the days of Jesus and was so well known to Him. It was destroyed by Titus in 70 A.D.
- There are two future temples yet to be built.
- The temple of the tribulation, the one to be rebuilt during the first three and ½ years of the antichrist. (2 Thess. 2: 4; Rev. 11:2)
- The temp-le of the millennium, the temple of our Lord.
3. Now note what John is told to do. He is instructed to take the rod and measure the temple, the altar, and the worshippers. There are several speculations as to what is meant here. And really it’s not known for sure if this is meant to be literal or symbolic. We could spend days discussing this and still get no where.
So what we WILL say is that it seems that God is telling John to measure the temple for judgment and correction. The Jews are just as guilty as the Gentiles in rejecting Jesus. They are just as guilty as most others in rebelling against the Lord.
So God has to judge them just as He has to judge all the ungodly and evil of this world. God has no favorites and shows no partiality. All the ungodly and evil are to be judged in the last days including the ungodly and evil of the Jews. So the Jews with their temple and their city will be trodden underfoot by the antichrist just as so many others will be.
Any person who doesn’t approach God through Jesus is worshipping a false god. There is only one true and living God and that is the Father of Jesus Christ. A worshipper may be a Jew or a Gentile—it doesn’t matter—he must worship God through Jesus Christ or else his worship is false. This is the reason God marks the Jewish temple and worship for destruction. He is judging and condemning false worship. Once the temple is destroyed in the end time, the self-righteous spirit of the Jews will be broken and they will turn to Jesus and many thousands will be saved. But until they do, the unbelieving Jews are marked for judgment just as all other unbelievers are.
READ v. 2. The court of the Gentiles and the city of Jerusalem are not measure or marked for judgment. This court was the outside courtyard of the temple. The temple was divided into four courts, all surrounding a center building or shrine called the Holy of Holies. Moving out from the Holy of Holies was first the court of the priests (where the altar of the burnt offering stood), then came the court of Israel or of Jewish men, then the court of the women.
These were the inner courts, the temple proper, the worship center for Jews only. No Gentile was ever allowed within these court barriers. Surrounding these courts for the Jewish worshippers was a huge outer court, the court of the Gentiles. This was the only court the proselytes and interested persons were allowed to enter.
Why would this court not be measured for judgment? Because they will already be under the antichrist and his government. They will already be under a one world government. But this will not be the case with true Jewish worshippers, or with true Christian believers, or some other strong worshippers of other religions for that matter. The antichrist will have a problem securing the loyalty of people all around the world who have strong faith.
This passage, verses 1 and 2, is a prophecy. The temple will be destroyed and Jewish worshippers will be persecuted. The antichrist is going to attack them with a vengeance never before seen in the history of the world. This goes for Christian believer of strong faith as well.
42 months, (3 ½ years) is the set time that the antichrist and his terrible persecutions will be unleashed on the world.
- This will be the time that the holy city will be oppressed, 42 months. (Rev. 11:2)
-This will be the time that the two witnesses will bear testimony to Israel and to the world, 1,260 days. (Rev. 11:3)
-This will be the time that the woman in the desert will be preserved: 1,260 days (Rev. 12: 6, 14)
-This will be the time that the beast will be allowed to blaspheme God: 42 months (Rev. 13:5).
Scripture teaches that the antichrist will rule for a 7 yr. period. 3 ½ yrs. leading up to the tribulation, and 3 ½ yrs. of unparalleled trials of the great tribulation.
This 3 ½ years of the great tribulation are the final days of the antichrist. It is in the last 3 ½ years of his rule that the antichrist will launch the worst tribulation the world has ever known.
God is telling us in these first 2 verses of chapter 11 that He is going to judge sin and unbelief. He always does. But there is a limit to the judgment. It will last only 3 ½ years. God will stop the judgment and have mercy upon all those who will turn to Him for mercy.
