Right now in our study of Revelation we are in what we call an interlude, which is when God temporarily stops his judgment(s). At this point we are halfway through the tribulation period which means there are three-and-a-half years remaining.
In this blog we are going to examine Revelation 11:1 & 2, which read: “Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.”
Now these verses may not look like they say much but what I want you to understand is that they foretell some very important events that are about to take place in the remaining three-and-a-half years of the tribulation. So they are preparing us for what is about to come, and I want to explain what those events are.
Foretell #1) They foretell of the rebuilt Jewish temple.
In verse 1 we see John is “told, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar…” Now we are unsure what the reference to the altar is. We do not know if this is a different altar or if this is the same altar that has already been mentioned twice. Once in Revelation 5 and again in Revelation 8. However, I would say “the altar” is not the essence of what is happening here.
What is important here to note is “the temple of God.” There is some debate over this in regards to what temple of God is being referred to here. Some scholars do not take this as a literal “temple” but more of a symbol for the church.
There is another view that this is a literal temple; that is the view I hold to. I believe John is referring to the 4th rebuilt Jewish Temple, which will be rebuilt before the millenium. If you recall your Old Testament the Jewish Temple was first rebuilt under King Solomon; he took it from being a tent to an actual building. The second time was by returning Jewish exiles after 70 years in Babylon, the third time was under Herod, and the fourth time is currently under discussion.
Ever since 1990 there have been talks about rebuilding the Jewish temple in Israel. But it has met much resistance from their Islamic neighbors. However, it will be rebuilt one day because the Bible tells us so in Matthew 24 and here in Revelation 11. Now you’re probably wondering why this is important? That leads us to our next point.
Foretell #2) Verses 1 and 2 foretell of a time when the antichrist will take over the Jewish temple and declare all to worship him.
This means the Jewish temple has a significant role to play during the remainder of the tribulation: it will become the center for which many will worship the antichrist. Paul, through the revelation of the Spirit, prophesied this. He said in 2 Thess. 2:4, the antichrist will “oppose and exalt himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” That means some time after the rapture, during the last half of the tribulation, the antichrist will blaspheme God by sitting on the seat in the temple of God and claim to be God. And unfortunately many will be deceived into believing that the antichrist is in fact God.
This will also be a time when the antichrist will attempt to bring the world into a one world religion. Whether you realize it or not, there are efforts being made now to head into that direction. In fact, a one world religion headquarters called The Abrahamic Family House, which has been constructed in Abu Dhabi, is scheduled to open this year.
I tell you this because, if you think the antichrist is waiting to do his bidding until after the rapture, you’re wrong. The spirit of the antichrist is very much alive and at work in the world today. 1 John 4:3 says, “the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” 2 Thess. 2:7 says, “the mystery of the lawless one (antichrist) is already at work”.
Now you may wonder if the spirit of the antichrist is already at work in the world, what is the spirit of the antichrist doing? The spirit of the antichrist is now present in the world working to do one thing: to deceive and mislead people away from Jesus. 1 John 2:22 says, “This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.” The spirit of the antichrist is opposed to everything Jesus. And just so you understand, his goal is not so much that people would deny God as much as it is to get people to deny Jesus as the Messiah. Neither is his goal to get people to deny that Jesus is a real person or good teacher, but to get people to deny that Jesus is the Son of God.
And I would say he is doing a very good job: In addition, Christianity is at an all-time low in our nation; we now have the largest atheist generation the U.S. has ever had. Furthermore, according to a study done by Legioner, 52% of self-proclaiming evangelicals believe in God but deny that Jesus is the Son of God, which tells us the church is getting away from traditional Christian teachings.
Now you may also wonder why wouldn’t the antichrist want people to deny God altogether? Why just deny Jesus? That’s because he knows anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, also denies God. 1 John 2:23 says, “No one who denies the Son has the Father.” Any person who believes in God but denies that Jesus is the Son of God is not saved. The antichrist knows this, the devil knows this, and so they work to mislead people from believing that Jesus really is the Messiah.
Now you may also wonder how the antichrist is doing that today? He does that through false teachers and false christs. 2 John 7 says, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.” Matthew 24:5 says, “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ, and they will lead many astray.” Matthew 24:11 says, “And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.” All this is led by the spirit of the antichrist.
And again, I would say the spirit of the antichrist is doing a wonderful job. Never in my life have I seen so many prominent people, who once confessed Jesus, willfully and so publicly turn their back on Jesus Christ. Never in my life have I seen so many false teachers infiltrating our churches, preaching a different gospel, in an attempt to deceive people away from Christ. Our churches are being infiltrated by false teachers from the New Age movement, Deconstructionism, Progressive Christianty, Relativism (there is no absolute truth), and Pluralism (you can believe and worship God how you choose). For example, I read about a preacher who pastors a 10,000 member church in Harlem New York who told his church “the belief that Jesus is the only way to Heaven is insanity”. Then, he told them “Whatever your path is to God, I celebrate that”, which gained much applause. All this is the result of the spirit of the antichrist being present in the world and even having infiltrated our churches. But don’t be alarmed by this, Jesus told us these things would occur the closer we come to him rapturing his church in Matthew 24. It’s called the age of apostasy and we are living in it.
So what about after the rapture? How will the antichrist convince people that he is God? After the rapture of the church the antichrist will be working all-the-more towards a one world religion that is centered on himself. But in the last half of the tribulation those efforts will increase substantially. Aside from sitting on the seat in the temple and proclaiming himself to be God, according to Paul, the antichrist, by the power of Satan, will deceive many by powerful false signs and wonders. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 says, “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders.” In addition to the antichrist, according to Jesus in Matthew 24:24, during the last half of the tribulation, many false christs and false prophets “will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray…” And inevitably, many will be deceived.
Foretell #3) Verses 1 & 2 foretell the setup of the kingdom of the antichrist.
While the antichrist will require himself to be worshiped at the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, he will also set up his global headquarters. It is during this time that the antichrist will obtain being the world’s global leader and achieve a one world government. Now, according to my research, there are some that believe this will be in Rome. However, I am under the conviction that Babylon will be the place the antichrist sets up his headquarters, which is modern day Iraq. I believe it will be a place of great commercialism. I believe the world’s economy will be a one world economy, and that the world’s economy will be entirely based around what happens in Babylon.
Foretell #4) These verses foretell God’s protection over those who have come to believe in Christ.
Again, looking to verse one, John was told to, “Rise and measure…those who worship there.” In other words, John took a measurement of those who worship God in the temple of God. Again, we believe this is the global church present during those days and that God is measuring them to protect them. Now you may wonder why the church will need to be protected?
That’s because during the remaining three-and-a-half years of the tribulation, as the antichrist is worshiped as God by many, the antichrist is going to increase his global war efforts against everyone who opposes him. I also want you to understand what is meant by God’s protection. This does not mean those who have come to believe in Jesus will not suffer or even die. For those who continue to reject the antichrist and his claim to be God, there will be extreme persecution and hardship and even death. God’s protection simply means if they should die, their salvation is secure, and they will go to be with Jesus in heaven.
Foretell #5) These verses foretell that for the remainder of the tribulation the holy city of Jerusalem will be encroached upon.
Looking at verse 2, we see John is also instructed “not to measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months” Let me do some explaining here. The “holy city” is of course Jerusalem. The “forty-two months” equates to the remaining three-and-a-half years of the tribulation period. The “court outside the temple” that “is given over to the nations” is a reference to Gentiles, but John is not just speaking of non-Jews here, these are those who reject Christ and follow the antichrist. And the reason he is told not to measure the court outside the temple, is because of what these Gentiles will be allowed to do there.
What does all this mean? What does it mean these “nations” or Gentiles will trample the holy city of Jerusalem for the next 42 months? For the remainder of the tribulation the followers of the antichrist will be allowed to infringe upon Jerusalem and as they do, the Jews who oppose the antichrist being God will be forced to flee Jerusalem into the wilderness. It also means Jerusalem will go from being a place of holiness to unholiness, a place of hope to a place of hopelessness, a place of redemption to a place of condemnation. Jerusalem will become a place of wickedness. A place of great immorality. It will be a place of great drunkenness. A place with all kinds of sexual perversions and sexual immoralities and sensualiaties.
Now you may wonder why God is going to allow this to happen? Inevitably, this will lead to the eventual destruction of Jerusalem. The rise of wickedness and evil in Jerusalem will also be the reason God condemns it and one day destroys it. And while that sounds terrible, it’s actually wonderful. It’s wonderful because in the end there will be a new Jerusalem, a better Jerusalem, a glorified Jerusalem. For there to be a new Jerusalem, the old Jerusalem must be destroyed.
Foretell #6) Lastly, these verses foretell all this is happening according to God’s plan. I also want you to notice the word “given” in verse 2; the text says, “it is given over to the nations…” In other words, God is allowing the antichrist to sit in the Jewish temple and blaspheme by claiming to be God. God is allowing the antichrist to set up his kingdom in Babylon. God is allowing the antichrist to wage war against those who oppose the antichrist. God is allowing the followers of the antichrist to trample and destroy Jerusalem for the next 42 months. And all of this is going to happen to fulfill the word of Jesus who said in Luke 21:24, “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”