Revelation 11:1-3
Three Measurements
Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto
a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and
measure the temple of God, and the altar, and
them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple
leave out, and measure it not; for it is given
unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they
tread under foot forty and two months.
3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses,
and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred
and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
We continue to move through the book of Revelation and so through the
Tribulation itself. We are in the second set of judgments, called the
Trumpet Judgments, and we are on the sixth of those. This judgment
began in \\#Rev 9:13\\ and will continue through \\#Rev 11:14\\, and
appears to be divided into three major events.
1. \\#Rev 9:13-21\\ Four demons from Euphrates and their army of
death which moves to kill 1/3 of world’s population.
2. \\#Rev 10:4\\ Seven thundered which are most likely judgments
along with the promise from God that time was running out and
that the mysteries of God would soon be fulfilled
\\#Rev 10:6-7\\.
3. \\#Rev 11:1-3\\ Three things are measured:
a. \\#1\\ the temple is measured.
b. \\#2\\ the time period of the Gentiles is measured, 42
months.
c. \\#3\\ the ministry of the two witnesses is measured,
1,260 days.
The ministry of the two witnesses is too long to be included into
today’s message so we will look mostly at verses 1-2 this morning.
I. \\#1\\ There Is A Temple.
A. God gives the command to measure the temple.
Rev 11:1 …Rise, and measure the temple of God,
and the altar, and them that worship therein.
B. This command does not mean God wanted John to find out or to
reveal the size of the temple.
1. Why do I say that?
a. Because John never recorded the measurements of the
temple.
b. In fact, it is never recorded that John actually did
measure the temple.
2. The command is given but it is never obeyed—at least
there is no record of it in the Bible.
3. I do not think John was being disobedient.
4. To me that is God’s way of saying He is not as interested
in what the measurement was as He was in what is being
measured, the temple.
C. God was telling us that there would be a temple at or around
the middle of the Tribulation.
1. To be honest, I believe it will be built almost
immediately after the Tribulation begins.
2. But understand there was not a temple when John wrote this
Book and there has not been a Jewish temple in over 1900
years!
a. Throughout the Old Testament, the Jews rebelled
against God.
b. Then God sent His Son, Jesus.
c. The Jews rejected and killed Him.
d. That was around 33 AD.
e. Jesus told them what would happen to the temple.
Matt 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from
the temple: and his disciples came to him for to
shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these
things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be
left here one stone upon another, that shall not
be thrown down.
f. All of this was fulfilled in 70 AD, around 40 years
after Jesus was crucified.
(1) The rebellious Jews rebelled one too many times
to suit Rome, 66-70 AD.
(2) In 70 AD, General Titus was sent to Jerusalem and
completely destroyed the city and the temple,
not even leaving one stone of the temple upon
another.
(3) The stone of the temple are still there to this
day.
(4) Most believe the book of Revelation was written
around 80 to 90 BC, after the destruction of the
temple.
(5) Then in 135 AD, Rome expelled Israel out of
their land.
(6) From 135 to 1948, there was no nation of Israel.
3. We have and are seeing the fulfillment of Bible prophecy
in our generations.
a. The Jews moved back into the land and were recognized
as a nation in 1948.
(1) The land itself has flourish and the population
has boomed.
(2) One source listed Israel’s population at
8.6 million as of this year.
https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/israel-population/
b. The Jews HAVE PREPARED for the temple to be quickly
rebuilt on its original site as soon as they can get
that land back from the Muslims.
(1) The Jewish Temple Institute seems to be the
Jewish entity mostly responsible.
(2) The priests have already been found and trained.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/en/originals/2014/04/third-temple-
jerusalem-priest-offering-rituals-al-aqsa.html#
(3) Their garments for the priests have already been
made.
(4) You can go the Jewish Temple Institute’s website
and see the pictures of the golden vessels to be
used in the temple.
http://www.templeinstitute.org/vessels_gallery_1.htm
(5) I saw a picture of the brazen alter being loaded
by crane onto a truck!
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/164209#.Vc_3fvmrS9I
(6) The Jews have even started raising a herd of red
heifers.
http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/45326/cattleman-raising-historic-
herd-red-heifers-israel-jewish-world/#mSTz5EkHAISpIthR.97
(7) President Donald Trump made another gigantic step
when he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel on December 6, 2017. (Much of Jerusalem
is also claimed by the Muslims and his actions
help to solidify the Jewish’ claim to the land.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_recognition_of_Jerusalem_
as_capital_of_Israel
c. The major event that we are and have been watching for
is the rapture of the church for soon after the anti-
Christ will have a part in getting Israel to sign a
treaty which, among other things, will start the
seven years of Tribulation, and will cause the quick
building of the Jewish temple.
D. But whether the items the Jews have already made will ever be
used in a temple or not, this verse is making it clear that
there will be a temple sitting in Jerusalem around the middle
of the Tribulation.
II. \\#1-2\\ There Is 3 1/2 years.
A. Let me say again, as I have been saying for the last several
chapters, I think we are at or almost at the middle of the
Tribulation.
1. That would be 3 1/2 years into the Tribulation.
2. I know I have emphasized that a lot in the last few
chapters, but it is because God emphasizes it a lot.
3. The middle of the Tribulation is a turning point for the
Jews and the anti-Christ.
B. The 3 1/2 years was first mentioned in the Old Testament.
1. \\#Dan 9:27\\ lays the foundation for its importance.
2. The tribulation will last for 7 time periods, and I
believe those periods are years, hence the Tribulation
will last seven years.
3. In the middle (midst) of those years, the anti-Christ will
break the treaty and desecrate the temple.
4. That is 3 1/2 years into the treaty and divides the
Tribulation into two halves.
5. Both are bad but the last 3 1/2 years are even worse than
the first.
6. \\#Matt 24:21\\ Jesus referred to that last half of the
Tribulation as a "great tribulation."
C. Notice that 3 1/2 years are mentioned twice here.
1. \\#2\\ The time of the Gentiles is 42 months. That is
3 1/2 years.
2. \\#3\\ The time of ministry for the two witnesses is
1,260 days.
(1) Jewish months only have 30 days—all of them.
(2) So 1,260 days divided by 30 is also 42 months.
III. \\#2\\ There is a major event.
A. In this section, God is speaking of more than one thing at a
time.
1. He was not just speaking about measuring but about the
temple.
2. He was not just speaking about what to measure but what
not to measure.
3. He was not just speaking about the temple but also the
Holy City.
4. We already noted God’s attention was more focused on the
temple than the measurement.
B. Now note that He was not telling John just what TO measure but
also what NOT to measure.
Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the
temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is
given unto the Gentiles….
1. I believe this is God’s way of telling us that the
Gentiles will control the temple and for how long.
2. There was actually a court around the previous Jewish
temples that was designated for the Gentiles.
a. Gentiles have always been welcome to worship Jehovah
God, but they could not enter into the temple’s
inner most courtyards because that was reserved for
the Jews.
b. The command NOT to measure the area outside of the
temple may be unusual but not unreasonable.
(1) If no other information was given, we might
suppose God wanted John to take note where the
just the Jews would worship.
(2) But, there is more information.
C. Now notice that God was speaking of more than the temple. He
was also speaking of the Holy City.
Rev 11:2 …for it is given unto the Gentiles:
and the holy city shall they tread under foot
forty and two months.
1. The court which was not to be measured seems connected to
the Holy City being "tread under foot" by that middle
phrase, "for it is given unto the Gentiles."
a. The "holy city" is Jerusalem.
b. It is the holiest city in the world for it is the city
where the Savior walked, was crucified, was buried
arose, ascended from, and will return to.
2. To "thread under foot" means to trample, to stomp on.
a. It shows disrespect and some measure of ability.
b. While the Gentiles were welcome to come to the outer
court to worship, they had no business stomping on
the holy city (Jerusalem) for 42 months.
c. The only way Jews would even let the Gentiles do
that is if they were forced to do so.
d. This act implies that the Gentiles have conquered or
taken the temple.
3. That very deed was also prophesied by Jesus:
Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of
the sword, and shall be led away captive into
all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down
of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles
be fulfilled.
a. Jesus was also speaking about the time of the
Gentiles.
b. Revelation 11:2 tells us how long the time of the
Gentiles will last, 42 months.
c. But Jesus was also giving an end-time prophecy of
violence, death, and captivity for the Jews.
Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of
the sword, and shall be led away captive into
all nations….
(1) So this is not just the Gentiles trampling on the
place and people of God.
(2) This is the Gentiles conquering and killing the
Jews.
D. Which 42 months will the Gentiles trample under the holy city?
The Bible does not come right out and say, but we can make
some educated, Biblical guesses.
1. The location of the prophecy in the book of Revelation
would indicate it is the last half of the Tribulation.
a. As I have already pointed out, we seem to be at or
very near the middle of the Tribulation at this point
of the book of Revelation.
b. Apparently, there are about 42 months left in the
Tribulation.
c. That would be last half of the Tribulation.
d. It appears that the time of the Gentiles will run
pretty much from the middle of the Tribulation until
the end of it.
2. \\#Dan 9:27\\ Daniel’s prophecy would indicate this is the
last half of the Tribulation.
a. We also know that the anti-Christ will make a treaty
with the Jews which he will honor until the midst or
the middle of the period of seven times (middle
of the seven years).
b. That should make the anti-Christ, the aspiring world
ruler, a friend of Israel for the first half of the
Tribulation.
c. It would seem that when he breaks the treaty in the
middle of the seven years that he is turning against
the Jews.
d. It also makes sense that if he is the evil man the
Bible makes him out to be, he will try to hurt the
Jews and the holy city from that point on.
e. How much damage will he do?
(1) Two weeks ago, we looked at the end of the
Revelation 9, where the army of 200 million
kill 1/3 of the world’s population.
(2) At that time, I told you that the 200 million
might be the anti-Christ’s world army
completing his conquest of any nations who
stood against him.
(3) At that time, I told you how Daniel 11 prophesied
the coming of a Greek king who desecrated the
temple, killed and enslaved the Jews, and was
the epitome of evil.
(4) And I told you that king was a type of the anti-
Christ; that what he did was merely a small
picture of what the real anti-Christ would do.
(5) So go back and read about this man, Antiochus IV
Epiphanes, multiply what he did by 1,000, and
you will get an idea.
E. What might make the anti-Christ turn against the Jews at the
half-way point of the Tribulation?
1. I believe the Bible tells us but not straight out.
2. \\#2Thess 2:3-4\\ says the anti-Christ will go into the
temple and proclaim himself God.
2Thess 2:3 …the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all
that is called God, or that is worshipped; so
that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,
shewing himself that he is God.
a. We know at the middle of the Tribulation, there will
a temple and an angry anti-Christ who breaks his
treaty with Israel.
b. My guess is that after the anti-Christ tries to pass
himself off as God, the Jews reject him; and he
turns on them.
c. Jesus described what it will be like in both Matthew
and Luke’s gospels.
Matt 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the
abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel
the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso
readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into
the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come
down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return
back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and
to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the
winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such
as was not since the beginning of the world to
this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened,
there should no flesh be saved: but for the
elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
There is no doubt that this is complicated, mainly because so many
different Bible passages crisscross over the midpoint of the
tribulation.
Things are lined up for John’s prophecy to be fulfilled like it has
NEVER been. 100 years ago, people would have laughed at you if you
had told them that you believe these chapters could ever be
fulfilled. Who is laughing now?
Get ready, friend. Things are happening right now.
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