178 - Tribulation Temple - Apostate or Approved - Part 2 [B]

Tribulation Worship: Apostate or Approved Rev. 11:1-2

What distinguishes the first half of the Tribulation from the second half is a visible event that occurs in Jerusalem when that future figure known as the Antichrist desecrates the temple in Jerusalem and that signals a change in what will transpire during the Tribulation period. The trouble that people have is trying to figure out how the details of Revelation chapter four through nineteen fit within that three and a half-year and second half three and a half-year and how they relate to that event at the mid-point known as the abomination of desolation. The seal judgments and the trumpet judgments occur prior to the mid-point of the Tribulation and the bowl judgments take place after that.

There is a gap in these chapters from the end of chapter nine to the beginning of chapter fifteen. In Revelation chapter ten there is the appearance of the mighty angel who has a little book in his hand, and this little book contains the elements of the events that are covered between chapter ten and chapter fourteen. Each of the events in chapters 11-14 actually go back in time dealing with a particular theme and then brings us up to date to the mid-point of the Tribulation period. Chapter eleven focuses on the two witnesses that appear in Jerusalem and who will have a ministry to the remnant of Israel, i.e. believing Jews, those who have trusted in Jesus as the Messiah following the Rapture of the church. Chapter twelve focuses on the remnant. This depicts Israel as the woman. It goes back and shows that it is the woman who gives birth to a male child, the Lord Jesus Christ, and then depicts the persecution of the woman as she then flees from the Antichrist into the wilderness during the second half of the Tribulation period. Chapter thirteen focuses on the personages of the dragon and the beasts, the first beast being the Antichrist and the second beast the false prophet, and the thinking of those on the earth of those who have rejected Christ, rejected God, and who are set in their hostility to God; and no matter what God does in reaching out to them in grace all it does is make them more set in their rejection of God and more hostile to God. Finally in chapter fourteen we see the three angels making announcements in the heavens, and throughout this section we see in the Tribulation period the angelic beings—both fallen angels and elect angels—will become visible and there will be a greater interaction between angelic beings and human beings on the earth.

Now we come to chapter eleven and the first verse brings up several important questions that must be answered before we can really understand what is happening in the chapter. Revelation 11:1 ^NASB "Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, 'Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. [2] Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months'."

As we get into thinking about this passage we have to address a number of important questions, one of which is: When does this measuring take place? Is it at the mid-point of the Tribulation? Is it at the beginning of the second half of the Tribulation? Or is it much earlier? As we look at the text it is important to see where these chapters fit within what God has already revealed. It gives us certain textual clues for the chronology. Chapters eight and nine record the trumpet judgments and in chapter nine the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments are described, both of which involve demonic activity. The last three of the seven trumpet judgments are identified as woe judgments—8:13 ^NASB "Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in mid-heaven, saying with a loud voice, 'Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!'" This indicates an intensity in these judgments. Then the third thing we recognize is that the section from 10:1 to 11:13 takes place prior to the end of the sixth trumpet judgment, the 200-million demon army that is released from the Euphrates. That was also the second woe. In 11:14 we will read ^NASB "The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly." The third woe will be the seventh trumpet judgment or the series of bowl judgment. So this informs us chronologically that the events of the two witnesses that are described in vv. 1-13 of chapter 11 take place before the end of that series of trumpet judgments. Since it has seemed best for us to put this in the first half of the Tribulation this tells us that these witnesses will appear before the mid-point of the Tribulation.

When the church is raptured before the Tribulation takes place there is a shift back to the focus on Israel because this Tribulation period is the last seven-year period in the time frame that God has revealed to Daniel in Daniel chapter nine, which is why it is called the seventieth week or seven-year period, and this completes the time for bringing Israel to a point of national recognition of Jesus as their Messiah and saviour. During this time approximately two-thirds of the Jews who are alive will die, but at least as many Gentiles during that time will die as well. Those Jews who survive are those who have trusted in Jesus as their Messiah. 

Revelation 11:1 ^NASB "Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, 'Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it'." This raises a number of questions. We have to understand the meaning of the word "measure." Is this a literal measurement for dimensions or is it a figurative or idiomatic sense? Is it used for judgment or is it used for making a positive evaluation? Or is it used for demarcating a section of the temple that is to be protected by God? Another question that we must answer is who and what is measured? – trying to identify the worshippers here and the altar that is mentioned. We also need to decide which temple this is. Is this a figurative use of the word "temple"? Then we have to address the question: is this a heavenly temple or an earthly temple? Everywhere else in the book of Revelation where we see the word "temple" it is the heavenly temple. Fourth, what altar is this? Is this the bronze altar or is it the altar of incense?  Everywhere else that we have the term "altar" used in Revelation it is the altar of incense. Fifth, who are the worshippers? Are they apostates? Are they Tribulation believers? Are they apostate Jews worshipping in an apostate temple? Or are they members of the remnant during the Tribulation period? Sixth, is the temple itself apostate? Seventh, when does this measuring take place? Is it in the first or the second half of the Tribulation? Then last but not least, is there any significance to the labeling of 42 months, v. 2, and the description of 1,260 days, which is the same period of time, v. 3. All of these interact with each other, so we can get ourselves in quite a spaghetti bowl of confusion if we are studying through all the issues in this particular passage.

Even though these questions are discussed by scholars sometimes people get the idea that if they can't agree as to the meaning of the text then who are we to figure out how all these things come together. Unfortunately in the culture today the worldview of postmodernism has provided a rationale that we can't really know anything for sure and so all we can really know and understand is our own feelings, our own emotions, so let's not get too caught up in the analytical details of the Bible or any other religious book, let's just sit around and worship God, worship our feelings, and just be warm and filled and emote, and not worry about trying to figure out what the Scripture says. But the Bible doesn't approach knowledge in that way at all; it was written so that we may know. Many times in the Scripture we have passages that say, These were written that you may know. It doesn't say that we may easily know, or that we can know without any study. It involves study. In fact, there are different aspects of different doctrines and branches of systematic theology that took centuries for Christians to work through and to be able to really articulate what the Scriptures teach. It is our responsibility to continue that process of studying the Word. 

There are three things that we should recognize at the very foundation of studying the Word of God. First of all, God had a purpose: that we might know these things, and we are to study these things so that they will be a part of our understanding of His plans and purposes. A second assumption that we need to make is that the Scripture was revealed in a way that we might know. It is not revealed to obscure or cover, it is revealed to uncover. In fact, that is the meaning of "Revelation." It is to uncover something, to disclose something. So the Scriptures were written in a way that we might understand them. Third, it is revealed in a way that demands that we study it and study it consistently. God has revealed His Word in a way that demands that we constantly go back and reread, restudy and reevaluate it. As we do that the Holy Spirit works within that process to reveal and to open up to us the meaning of His Word. So it demands a dedication, a commitment; we don't grow spiritually if we don't study the Word of God and come to learn it and understand it.

If we reject the possibility of knowledge (and that happens a lot) it really means: a) that you have a small God who can't communicate clearly. You are saying that God didn't make it clear; b) you have an impotent God who could not design man in such a way that he could understand what He is communicating. He not only communicates clearly but he designed us in such a way that the receiver works, and we can understand what he has to say; c) we are really saying that there is a flaw with the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come and guide us in all truth; d) what we have done is elevate our own subjectivity and arrogant agenda to a level where we have refused to let God work through that garbage in our soul to clarify truth. This happens with so many people. They are so arrogant, so focused on their own agenda, their own independence from God and their own rebellion, that they look at the Word of God and if what it says doesn't fit what they want it to say they say we can't know what it says; e) one of the things that we are saying when we reject the possibility of knowledge is that we are just too lazy to do the work. We are too lazy to study the Word, too lazy to make it a priority in our lives, and so we would much rather take the path of least resistance and go to some church where we can hold hands, sing Kumbaya, rock back and forth, listen to a praise and worship man, and just get all of our emotions stimulated and feel good and not have to worry about thinking.

That brings us to some important principles: a) You can't apply what you don't know; b) You can't know something apart from study. Nothing in life worth doing and doing well is absent of study, learning, working at it. As we study we recognize that study takes time, it takes energy, it means we have to make it a priority, it involves a lot of mental sweat, and when it comes to the Word of God it involves a lot of prayer. Sometimes you have to dig around in a lot of detail just to figure out what is going on in the Word, but the rewards that come are truly tremendous.                  

Revelation 11:1 ^NASB "Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, 'Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it'." This first statement here is a passive verb which doesn't tell us who gives the giving. It is probably the strong angel of chapter ten, but it could be the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ who is just not mentioned here, but the point that the writer is making is not about who gives but the fact that there is this measuring rod that is given to John and the task that he is supposed to carry out. The measuring rod is compared to a staff. The Greek word kalamos [kalamoj] which refers to a type of reed that grows down along the Jordan River valley and grows to a height of 15-20 feet. It was used to carve pens, to make walking staffs, to create measuring devices. The word for "staff" is the word rhabdos [r(abdoj] which is used of a rod or a staff. It may indicate the scepter of a ruler, a shepherd's staff, a traveler's walking staff, and it may connote authority and administration in discipline or judgment. So these terms don't give us a lot of clues but they do indicate some kind of measuring that is going to take place.

John is give instruction: "Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it." The word "measure" is the Greek word metreo [metrew] from which we get our English word metric, having to do with types of measurement. It is used in different ways in the Scripture. It is used in the sense of just taking a literal, physical measurement to get the dimensions of something. It is used for evaluating something for someone. It is used to speak of apportioning or dealing something out or distributing something, and it is used in the sense of to think or to learn or to know about something. It is used in Matthew 7:2 for a synonym of judging: ^NASB "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure [metreo], it will be measured to you." So there it has the idea of evaluation or even judgment. In the Old Testament there is a parallel passage or similar situation to the one we have in Revelation 11 in Zechariah chapter two, vv. 1-4. A man is told to measure Jerusalem. Here it is a picture of God's judgment on the city during the time of the Tribulation. ^NASB "Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, {there was} a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, 'Where are you going?' And he said to me, 'To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is.' And behold, the angel who was speaking with me was going out, and another angel was coming out to meet him, and said to him, 'Run, speak to that young man, saying, 'Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the multitude of men and cattle within it'. For I, declares the LORD, 'will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.'" So this measurement refers to God's evaluation of Jerusalem and then His protection. It relates to the fact that Jerusalem is viewed as God's city, God's possession. And it is His possession, His city whether it is apostate or not. God has set His name on the temple mount, the Old Testament says that mount Zion is His, and this is true whether the Jews are obedient or disobedient, whether they are apostate or not. This is reflected in the terminology we often use to refer to Israel as the holy land or Jerusalem as the holy city or the temple mount as the holy mount. That word "holy" is from a word group in both Hebrew and Greek that indicates something that is set apart for the service of God. It doesn't mean that it is necessarily righteous or that what is going on there at any particular time is right but it is emphasizing the fact that this area has been set aside in God's plan and purposes and has set His name on that.

When we look at the context of Revelation 11:1, 2 we realize that to understand this idea of measure it seems to indicate an evaluation marking off something as God's. And it is contrasted to verse 2. That is really our clue as to how to understand this. John is to measure the temple, the altar of God and those who worship in it. But he is not to measure the outer courtyard outside the temple, he is to leave that unmeasured because that has been given to the Gentiles and they will tread under foot—an image of military domination and control—the holy city. Jerusalem is called the holy city even in this time when it is under Gentile domination. The word "leave out" is a Greek word meaning to cast out, a word that is used in the Gospel narratives for casting out a demon—ekballo [e)kballw]—and it is really a play on words here to emphasize what is being said: "the outside court cast out," if we were to translate it literally. It emphasizes the separation between the inner court that is measured and all of the other areas that are given over to Gentile domination. It is a picture of rejection; that God has rejected the outer courtyard and the Gentile control, and so we see then in verse 1 that this is a picture of acceptance or approval on these worshippers in the Tribulation temple. So as we summarize, the worshippers are measured; the Gentiles are not measured. It could be protection or delineation of ownership or judgment where God is evaluating and approving those worshippers who are within the temple, those who are coming to observe and worship Him through the sacrifices of the temple at that time, in contrast to the Gentiles. The contrast to the Gentiles indicates something positive in relation to the temple. Altar worship and the sacrifices are something negative in relation to the Gentiles; God has rejected them.

This leads us to an important question. Why is their worship acceptable? Today in Israel there is hope by various groups to rebuild the temple. They are hopeful of some event taking place that would somehow give them control of the temple mount and they would be able to build third temple. They are not accepting Christ as their Messiah, they don't believe that the Messiah has come and that their sins are paid for, so their motivation is wrong, their desire is wrong, their spiritual condition is wrong. So why do we say that these worshippers in 11:1 is acceptable. The point is made throughout the Scripture that acceptable worship is always the matter of the soul relationship with God, not external ritual. It is believed that these worshippers are Jewish believers who accept Jesus as their Messiah once the Tribulation has begun, and they are involved in temple worship and sacrifices as an expression of their relationship to God through Jesus Christ. Passages in the Old Testament that focus on the reality of that heart or soul relationship to God rather than sacrifices are verses such as 1 Samuel 15:22 ^NASB "… Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, {And} to heed than the fat of rams." Psalm 40:6-8 ^NASB "Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired; My ears You have opened; Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required. Then I said, 'Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart'." This is a messianic psalm and it refers to the Lord Jesus Christ but it depicts the fact that the issue is the heart's attitude of faith in God, obedience to Him, more than the externals of sacrifice. Psalm 51:16, 17 ^NASB "For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart [humility], O God, You will not despise." Other passages are Jeremiah 7:22, 23; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8. For believers of all ages the issue is that heart or soul relationship to God, not the externals of the ritual even in the Old Testament period. So these who are worshipping the Lord in the Tribulation temple who are approved by God have trusted in Jesus as Messiah and that is the basis for their approval. They are bringing Levitical sacrifices, not new covenant sacrifices. God approves them because they are justified by faith, not because of their sacrifices.

The application we learn comes out of what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in John 4:23, 24 ^NASB "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." When we come together as a body of believers we come to worship Him and that worship must be that kind of worship that can be approved and accepted by God. There are certain qualifications and conditions that are laid down in the Old Testament for Old Testament worship, and in the New Testament for New Testament worship. Here the condition "in spirit and truth" should be understood to be more of an instrumental, "by means of the Spirit and by means of the truth." When John uses the en plus the dative construction of both Spirit and truth in the Gospel of John it always has that instrumental sense. We are baptized by means of the Spirit (John 1:33); John 17, we are sanctified by means of truth. That is the qualification for believers in this church age. We must be in fellowship, we must be walking by the Spirit, and that expresses the condition for our worship to be acceptable and to be approved by God. The standard is truth which is that which is revealed on God's Word. When we are not walking by the Spirit we are walking by the flesh, and when we are not walking by means of God's truth we are walking by means of worldly thinking. The5re is only one way to come to God and that is by faith alone in Christ alone, and there is only one way to worship Him and that is by means of the Holy Spirit and by means of truth.   

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