Sunday School Notes: Revelation 11:1-2

¹ And a reed like a staff was given to me, saying, “Arise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those worshiping in it. ² But the court outside of the temple, cast outside [or “leave out”] and you may not measure it, for it has been given to the nations, and they will trample the Holy City for forty-two months.

John is handed a staff-like reed and told to get up and measure the temple of God. This brief scene calls to mind Ezekiel 40-48, where the prophet is take up to a high mountain and he sees what looks like a city. A bronze man then gets out a measuring rod (or reed) and begins measuring the temple area. Unlike John, the bronze man measures everything, in great detail. Doors, walls, door jambs, all sides. But why? I think the answer to that is in Ezekiel 43:6-12, where the Lord essentially tells Ezekiel He is defining a specific space where He will dwell with His people forever. In this space, God will reside with His people, and no others may enter. So there is a sense of protection within the measured boundaries God has set down. It is a safe place for God’s people.

In Revelation 11, John is told to do the measuring, and he doesn’t measure quite as much as the bronze man of Ezekiel, but I think the idea is the same: the temple is the presence of God, and those within and in His care. Notice that the worshipers are measured, which, I think, underscores the symbolism of the temple.

The temple in Ezekiel was most certainly a Jewish temple, so shouldn’t we regard the Revelation temple as one designed for Jewish worship? Is this addressing Jewish believers specifically? We’ve seen already in Revelation that the Old Testament allusions are not always one-to-one. Especially given that John’s visions are in the light of Christ, the similarity with Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, etc. is always seen through Christ’s redemptive work. John’s visions show how these Old Testament visions are fulfilled in Christ. So, what was in Ezekiel’s day a Jewish temple is, for John, a picture of the church. God’s protection for true, faithful Israel in Ezekiel is God’s protection over the church in Revelation. Ezekiel was written before Christ, so any temple references in Revelation must be seen through Hebrews 10:1-12. Indeed, Jesus makes reference to his death and resurrection in terms of tearing down and rebuilding the temple (John 2:19-22).

What about the “outer court”? Why is this not measured? What does it mean that this court is “given to the gentiles”? These are good questions, because if we are consistent in our interpretation of “measuring,” this court is “unmeasured,” and, hence, unprotected. It has been left for the “nations” or “gentiles” to trample on. So this court must represent unbelievers, surely?

The physical Jerusalem temple had, essentially two courts, an outer and an inner court. Solomon’s temple was quite simple in its layout, but the Second Temple, the temple of the Herodian period, was much more elaborate, with various courts. But there were still essentially two: the outer court, which was the court of the gentiles, and the inner court, which was for Israel. Here’s a simplified diagram (click to enlarge):

Ezekiel’s frame of reference would have been the First Temple (Solomon’s); John’s would have been the Second Temple (Herod’s). Even though they are talking about different temples, their basic descriptions are the same: inner court, outer court, and altar. Solomon’s “inner court” was just for priests, and his “outer court” was for the rest of Israel.

But wait a minute–if the “outer court” was for the rest of Israel, the voice in Revelation must consider this to be unbelieving Israel, since they are not protected, correct? The problem with that is it’s not consistent with the picture of the temple. The gentile worshipers were proselytes, converts to Judaism who were not born Jewish. Yet as “God-fearers,” they would be considered believers. In Solomon’s Temple, the “outer court” was for all non-priests. Were only the priests “true Israel”? No, whatever the “outer court” is meant to be in Revelation, it is part of the temple, part of the believing community, and it is being cut off by God. How can this be?

We’ve already noted the fact that John is told to measure the worshipers as well as the temple and the altar. This hints at the fact we are not talking about a literal temple. What if the temple here is a picture of the church, even each faithful Christian? Perhaps the “inner court,” the altar, the worshipers, represents the believer’s soul, both individually, and corporately as the church. The Lord has been promising throughout Revelation that those who are sealed will not lose hope but will endure to the end and will sit with Christ on his throne. These are those who tend to the altar (a picture of worship), offering themselves as a “living sacrifice” to the Lord (Romans 12:1). The “outer court,” then, represents the believer’s body, both individually, and corporately as the church. There will be persecution. Christians will suffer, be tortured, and even killed. In this sense, they will be trampled on by the nations. And this is no accident. God has not promised physical protection for His people, and the fact the outer court is not measured confirms this.

I think the measuring of the temple is setting us up for what’s to come both immediately, with the two witnesses, and for the rest of the book. We will see a church persecuted, but ultimately victorious. More of that to come!

What about the forty-two months? Why such a specific number for the trampling of the “Holy City”? And is this “Holy City” literally Jerusalem, or is this another symbol? If we assume a 30 day month, then 42 months = 1,260 days. If there are 12 months to a year, then 42 months = 3.5 years. If you’ve read ahead in Revelation 11, then all these numbers should look very familiar. But if they all mean “three and a half years,” why don’t they all just say “three and a half years” instead of “42 months” or “1,260 days”? Why not use a consistent way of referring to 3.5 years?

The best answer I can come up with for this question is that the numbers bring to mind Scripture passages that might be relevant. For example:

• 2 Kings 2:24: Some boys are mocking Elisha, so Elisha curses them. A female bear comes out of the woods and kills forty-two of the boys.
• 2 Kings 10:14: Jehu, in the process of wiping out Ahab’s descendants, encounters relatives of Ahaziah, King of Judah. Ahaziah walked in the ways of Ahab, so Jehu’s men killed them–all forty-two of them.
• Luke 4:25: Jesus talks about how in the time of Elijah, heaven closed for three-and-a-half years, bringing famine to the land.
• James 5:17: James refers to the same event, saying Elijah prayed that it wouldn’t reign, and for three-and-a-half years it stopped raining.

Beyond Scripture, a couple of contemporary events (i.e., contemporary to John) might be pertinent:

• First century Jewish historian Josephus, in his Jewish Wars (1:19, 5:394), mentions Antiochus Epiphanes’ attack on Jerusalem, saying it lasted three years and six months (from 167 BC to 164 BC).
• The first siege on Jerusalem by the Romans was in October of 66 AD. Jerusalem fell sometime in August, 70 AD, a little over three-and-a-half years. If Luke 21:20-24 is a reference to the Roman siege of Jerusalem, note Jesus’ words in verse 24: “Jerusalem will be trampled by the nations.” Sound familiar?

[Note: Someone in the group correctly pointed out that I am assuming a late date for the writing of Revelation (mid-to-late 90s AD), and not a mid-60s date, by suggesting that the Fall of Jerusalem would be in the minds of John’s readers. However, as we discussed back in chapters 2 and 3, I think the situation described there lends itself better to the Domitian persecutions than the Neronian era. However, this is just a suggestion, and I don’t mind if people disagree with me. As long as whatever alternative suggestion you come up with is consistent with Scripture, that’s fine with me! :)]

Given this, it seems to me that the number forty-two is supposed to suggest a period of trouble, violence, and, for the church, persecution. Three-and-a-half years is also about the length of Jesus’ earthly ministry, during which he was mocked and scorned, culminating in his brutal death. Again, I think Revelation 11:1-2 is setting us up for what we’re about to see: a church witnessing faithfully, but suffering as a result of that faithful witness.

What of the “Holy City”? Is this literally Jerusalem? And if so, the Jerusalem of John’s day, or a future Jerusalem? And if not, is it another symbol?

There’s no question that, in the Old Testament, the “Holy City” refers to the physical Jerusalem of that time (see Nehemiah 11:1, 18; Isaiah 48:2; 52:1; Daniel 9:24). Matthew 4:5 and 27:53 also speak of physical Jerusalem as the “Holy City.” But, as we will see in future chapters, Revelation uses the term “Holy City” to refer to Jerusalem, but in a different way:

• Revelation 21:2: The Holy City is the new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven from God, like a bride adorned for her husband.
• Revelation 21:10: John is taken up to a high mountain so he can witness the descent of “the Holy City,” Jerusalem.
• Revelation 22:19: If anyone takes away from the words in Revelation, God will take away his share in the tree of life, and “the Holy City.”

Throughout Scripture, Jerusalem, sometimes “Zion,” the center of worship for God’s people, is used as a way to speak of God’s people. A strike against Jerusalem is a strike against the people of God wherever they actually live (see, for example, Psalm 116:18-19; Psalm 122; Psalm 125:2; Psalm 135:1; Psalm 147:2; Isaiah 4:2-6; Isaiah 5:3). I think there’s sufficient basis in Scripture to see the use of “Holy City” in Revelation 11:2 as a reference to God’s people, not necessarily to physical Jerusalem. Indeed, what else could the Revelation 21 and 22 passages be referring to other than the people of God? What else could it mean to have one’s share in “the Holy City” removed, if this is not speaking of being counted as one of God’s people, the church?

It seems clear to me that Revelation 11:1-2 is talking about the persecution of the church from “the nations”–i.e., unbelievers. While God has not promised Christians physical protection during this time of persecution, despite their faithful worship and testimony, He has promised eternal protection for each Christian’s soul. This is important to remember as we look at what the voice says about the Two Witnesses.

Lord willing, We’ll pick up with Revelation 11:3 next time…