The Book of Revelation - Part 25

18 Oct 2026 · this lesson on the church site

Taught by Dr. Keith Palmer, Grace Bible Church, Granbury, Texas — from the church’s Sunday School series on Revelation. These are lightly edited transcripts of the audio, posted for personal study; the teaching and its content belong to Dr. Palmer and Grace Bible Church. Listen to the originals and find his notes on the church website. Transcribed from the audio by AI. Edited only where the audio was unclear (all edits marked with *). Errors are possible — the recording is the authority.

Review: Where We Are in Revelation (00:00)

Okay, back to the book of Revelation, and we're just rocking along here. We're almost halfway through the book, if you can believe that. It's a big book with lots to cover. So let me walk you through the outline by way of review. You've probably got this memorized or almost memorized by now. The book is outlined as the introduction, the letters to the seven churches, and then the big section we've been slowly working our way through, starting in chapter 4 and running to the end of the book, the things that take place after.

We're thinking about these events primarily as future, and we've seen so much internal evidence that makes that pretty clear. Certainly there are other views, and we've talked about those. But we see this series of visions that John writes about. This is our master diagram, our navigational aid for thinking about the chapters and the visions John sees and the content of those visions. We're right here, literally in the middle of the book. We're in the seventh seal of the scroll as those seals are being opened.

The Seventh Seal and the Trumpets (01:03)

That seventh seal initiates two series of events: the sounding of the seven trumpets and, later on, the seven bowls. From this point on, what we've seen is the unfolding of different levels and different types, and really an escalation of God's judgment upon the earth as he brings about his justice. We're going to look a little more at this today, at the breaking of the seventh seal.

To review, if we unfold the summary of the seals, this is our scroll, and then there's that seventh seal we've been looking at. We've seen the six trumpets, and we're waiting on that seventh trumpet blast. The last one we saw was the 200 million fire-breathing creatures who destroy a third of mankind. That's where we're at. Remember that the seventh seal is made up of seven trumpets and seven bowls.

With that in mind, let's go back to chapter 10 and look at where we've been.

The Strong Angel and the Little Book (02:06)

Revelation 10:1 says, "I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud. The rainbow was upon his head and his face was like the sun and his feet like pillars of fire. He had in his hand a little book which was open." We identified that last time as potentially the scroll, as these actual seals have been opened. Or perhaps it's a different reference to the prophetic books, as we're going to see here, the opening of the prophetic books, since John is bringing the final culmination of all prophecy and Scripture.

Verse 2 continues: "This angel places his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land and he cries out with a loud voice as when a lion roars." Verse 3: "And when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voice." Verse 4: "And when the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write, and I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.'"

Verses 5 and 6: "And then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it and the earth and the things in it and the sea and the things in it." Notice the parallelism with the angel: each foot and the right hand extended to heaven. And then verse 6 says there would be delay no longer. The angel pledges that there will be delay no longer. Verse 7: "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, that seventh trumpeter who is about to blast the trumpet, then the mystery of God will be finished, just as he preached to his servants the prophets."

We talked about this last time. This strong angel comes, and before that final trumpeter blasts his trumpet, bringing the final level of judgment, the angel comes to announce that the end is at hand and that there will be no further delay. Remember that as we've seen each of these successive judgments, they have not fully and finally judged all of mankind. We saw the most recent one in trumpet number six. It was one third of mankind, but two thirds survived. God is delaying that judgment, giving people time to repent. We looked at that in 2 Peter last time. Yet this angel is warning that there will be no further delay, that the time for repentance is closing. Just as the prophets prophesied of old, this is the final act of the play, the final scene, the end.

Imagery from the Prophets (06:15)

Verse 8: "Then the voice which I had heard from heaven I heard again speaking to me and saying, 'Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.'" Again, you can imagine this massive angel with one foot on the land, one foot in the sea, and his hand extended to heaven. And John hears this voice telling him to go take the book, and you're thinking, I don't know if I want to do that. And so he does.

Verse 9: "So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, 'Take it and eat it, and it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.'" Now, we've seen that before somewhere in the Bible. Where has something similar happened in the book of Ezekiel?

You'll notice we keep seeing this over and over. As mysterious as Revelation is, and as much as some of its symbolism and creatures and whatnot puzzle us, we've seen fairly consistently that the imagery John sees often mimics imagery in the prophets of the Old Testament, particularly:

Ezekiel
Joel
Daniel

We're going to see even today some portions from Zechariah. So we have a thought there: we've seen this sort of thing before. It's interesting how the prophets were often called to take a participatory role in their prophecies. We think of prophets who were called to lie on one side and another, and a prophet who was told to take a wife of harlotry, Gomer, from Hosea. Here we see a call, like Ezekiel's, to take a book or scroll and ingest it. Now, I know what you're thinking: how did that go? I don't know. But this is the second time it's happening.

John Eats the Book (07:17)

John takes the book and ingests it, and it does exactly what the angel told him. It makes his stomach bitter, though his mouth is sweet. Verse 10: "So I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it. And it was sweet as honey in my mouth, and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter."

Just stop right there. As we're reading this book and trying to put ourselves in the mind of John, what is he seeing? What are these visions like? I confess that one way I've thought of this is that John enters this, and he's seeing it visually. He's conscious. It's not like he's sleeping, and it's not like it's a dream. He's awake and aware, but he's been influenced by the Holy Spirit in some way. We've seen that language in earlier chapters. I've pictured this as a sort of theater, some celestial theater where he's sitting there watching all these things on a big screen.

But what happens here shows us that John is not just watching some heavenly outdoor movie theater. John is actually interacting with the participants. He's talking to the angels, and the angels are talking to him. He's seeing things and hearing things. At this point he's interacting with these creatures to the degree that he takes the little book from the hand of the angel and ingests it. And just as in Ezekiel, nothing here leads us to believe this is some fictional dream exercise. I know you're thinking, can you actually eat a book? Is that possible? We understand this is not a normal book, and this is definitely a spiritual experience of some sort. But it's more than John just watching a movie. So adjust your thinking. At least I had to adjust mine in understanding what's happening here.

Okay, he takes it and eats it, and just as the angel said, it was sweet in his mouth. But as it digested, the book became bitter. If you ate a book, it'd probably give you heartburn too, right? But that's not the point. The point is the symbolism, as we'll see in a moment.

Recommissioning as a Prophet (10:24)

Verse 11 is the takeaway: "And they said to me, 'You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.'" Just like with Ezekiel, the taking of the book was part of John's commissioning as a prophet. We saw that commissioning back in chapter 1. And just as with other Old Testament prophets, there is a midway commissioning, a recommissioning, a second commissioning, if you will. That's what's happening here as he ingests this book. He's just been told the end is near, the delay is done, this is the final act, and John is the one to announce this final prophecy to the remainder of humanity on the earth. He gets to declare this final piece of prophecy.

Let's look at this final section and then we'll move on into chapter 11. The central idea of these verses, Revelation 10:1 through 11, is that the completion of God's plan of redemption, revealed progressively through the prophets, is about to be fully revealed and completed in the final events, which will come without delay. God's defeat of his enemies, final judgment, and his rule over all things is at hand. That seems to be what this angel is communicating.

Returning to Ezekiel (11:28)

So John again hears the voice from heaven: take the book which is in the hand of the angel and eat it. He asks for the book, and if you want the parallel, we see it in Ezekiel chapters 2 and 3. These are bittersweet words. Think back to the time of Ezekiel. What is Ezekiel prophesying in his day? Do you remember? We're going to go there in a minute, but just before we turn to Ezekiel, what's he doing? That's right: he's prophesying about Jerusalem to the exiles. He is writing during the Babylonian captivity, so he is what we call an exilic prophet. He's explaining to them why this happened and what the future holds.

Remember that Ezekiel is the one who talks about the idols of the heart that led them into disobedience and rejection of their God. Ezekiel is the one in chapter 36 who talks about the New Covenant, the gospel, and this coming Messiah who will actually change the hearts of people

Her's the wording that carries straight on from Part 1: God will give those people his very spirit, and it will be a renovation of the heart. So that's Ezekiel's message, and he writes at a time when the nation has been ransacked and many have been carried off to Babylon, as Daniel and the other prophets were.

Why is he given a scroll that is sweet as honey and then becomes bitter? What is that reflective of in the message of Ezekiel? David says God's word is always good to us. We think of Psalms that compare God's word to honey, and yet this is a bitter word. It's a word of judgment, of rebuke and of repentance. As David says, it's a hard message to swallow. That's certainly what's reflected here. The main message of Ezekiel's prophecy is going to be bitter in light of the judgment and discipline, but there is also some sweetness, some goodness of God.

All the prophets, whether Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or Daniel, may have announced judgment as a primary message, but they always had hope. They always had a part of that message that looked forward to God's redemption, future restoration, and a remnant, and in most cases a coming Messiah. So God's word is always sweet. This is a bitter and hard word of judgment, and yet the hope of future redemption means there is a little sweetness in the bitterness. In a very similar way, that's exactly what's happening here.

What is John about to announce? We just read it. The end of the world. This is the final act and final judgment. Can you imagine? This is the last opportunity humanity has to repent. Once this window closes, eternity is fixed. There's no change. So John is given the call: this is it, go preach it. It is a bitter message that God's judgment, this day of the Lord that prophet after prophet foretold, is here, and this is the last opportunity to repent. It's bitter because John must articulate the final horrors of God's judgment, and yet it's sweet, as David said, in the value of God's word. Possibly that is because there is some hope of future redemption for believers. Remember the souls of the martyrs under the altar? What do they say? How long? How long does injustice reign? Sin reigns? Suffering reigns? How long until God brings justice?

Ingesting the Scroll and the Next Phase (15:44)

There is a hope in the midst of this final judgment that John is about to announce. As God brings judgment on the wicked, it also signals the bringing about of the justice believers have awaited since Genesis 3. And of course there is future redemption in the coming of Jesus.

So John takes the scroll and ingests it. Just as he said, it was sweet in his mouth and bitter in his stomach. Revelation 10:11 says, "They said to me, you must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings." John, as he deals with that indigestion, receives the next phase of his ministry. Turn the page to Revelation 11:1. "Then there was given to me a measuring rod."

Revelation 11:1 (16:48)

This is interesting because it parallels Ezekiel, and it also parallels the prophet Zechariah. We've seen this before. A measuring rod like a staff was given, and someone said, get up and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship in it. 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 underfoot the Holy City for 42 months. I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouths and devours their enemies. So if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way.

These have the power, notice this, to shut up the sky. Which prophet did that? Elijah. So the rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying. They have power over the waters to turn them into blood. Where have we seen that before? Moses in Egypt. And they have power to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. Think about the time of the Egyptians and the Exodus.

Let's stop right there. John takes the responsibility just given to him to begin this final phase. This starts the seventh trumpet, which leads to the seven bowls, which is the final piece of judgment given here.

Two Exegetical Questions (18:55)

As John begins his final prophecy, it says there was given to him a measuring rod like a staff, and then someone said to get up and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship in it. That brings up two important exegetical questions. If you're studying the book with me, or looking at commentaries and doing your own study, you'll know these two questions are crucial. They're not in your notes, but I'll summarize them here:

What is the significance of the measuring? Why is John told to take this measuring device and go measure the temple?
Which temple of God is being referenced? Is there more than one option? Yes, there is more than one option.

Before we jump in and start guessing, I hope you've seen that the book of Revelation is the 66th book in the canon of Scripture. John assumes that we're familiar with the first 65 books, or at least the Old Testament. So much of the imagery Jesus gives John through these angelic messengers is based on Old Testament imagery that is supposed to come to mind and aid us in interpretation.

Background in Ezekiel 40 and Zechariah 1–2 (19:56)

When we talk about measuring the temple, we need to lean on the background from Ezekiel 40 and Zechariah 1–2. This may take a little time, and I don't want to blow through it. So hold your place and turn back to Ezekiel 40 for a minute. We see a very similar commission given to Ezekiel late in his ministry. He is called to go measure. Let me explain what happens here. We'll see a parallel in Zechariah too.

Ezekiel 40 (21:03)

Ezekiel 40:1 says, "In the 25th year of our exile," which dates this. Ezekiel is receiving this prophecy 25 years into the 70-year Babylonian captivity. On that day, "the hand of the Lord was upon me and he brought me there. And in the visions of God he brought me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, and on it to the south there was a structure like a city." He brought Ezekiel there, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand, standing in the gateway. The man said to Ezekiel, "Son of man, see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and give attention to all that I'm going to show you, for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. Declare to the house of Israel all that you see."

Ezekiel is taken there, and this man greets him in the land of Israel. Remember that he's in Babylon, in exile, so in this vision he's taken to the land, sees the city and the structure, and meets this man. In Ezekiel 40:5, "there was a wall on the outside of the temple all around." So in this city, in this structure, is the temple, and we assume he's taken back to Israel and sees a temple standing. What's interesting about that? There is no temple there right now. Where are the people? In exile. And what happened to the old temple? Destroyed by the Babylonians. So in this vision he goes back to Israel and there's a temple standing. You need to remember that.

Now he sees this temple, and in the man's hand was a measuring rod of six cubits, each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. He measured the thickness of the wall with one rod and the height with one rod. Then he went to the gate, measured its steps and threshold, and gave the length. The guard room was one rod. Over the next several chapters, he measures everything. You may be thinking, "I'm with you, Pastor Keith, but what on earth does this mean?" Ezekiel is taken by vision from Babylon in exile back to Israel. He sees a temple, meets a man, and they begin to measure the temple. What is the significance of that? What did that temple represent to the people? God's dwelling, God's presence.

Ezekiel receives this vision, and just look at it. They measure all the walls and things outside the outer court in chapter 40. In chapter 41 they go inside and begin to measure the inner parts of the temple, the chambers. In Ezekiel 42:15, "when he had finished measuring the inner house, he brought me out by the way of the gate which faced toward the east, and he measured it all around. He measured the east side, then the north side, then the south side, and then he turned to the west and measured the west side." In Ezekiel 42:20, "then he measured it on all four sides; it had a wall around and gave the length there." In Ezekiel 43:1, "then he led me to the gate facing toward the east, and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east, and his voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory."

So what is the purpose of this measuring? We have the building measuring instructions of the temple. What is the point? The point is that as Ezekiel would deliver this message to the Jewish exiles in Babylon,

Measuring the Temple in Ezekiel and Zechariah (25:25)

The people are sitting in Babylon, having just watched their city destroyed, their temple destroyed, and their friends and family killed, and some of them deported to Babylon. They're asking, what do we think about this? Ezekiel comes back and says, you're not going to believe what I just saw. I saw our temple, and God made me watch the measuring of the temple. Why? To emphasize that this deportation is not the end, that the exile is not the end, that God has not forgotten his people, and that there is a future restoration coming. That's what this measuring exercise does. It communicates to the people that God has not forgotten them, that a restoration is coming, and that yes, the glory of God will one day return to that temple.

So the measuring is an exercise to help them realize God has not forgotten, that they have a future, and that there will be a restoration. The significance here is in both Ezekiel, who wrote during the exile, and Zechariah.

When did Zechariah write? Do you remember Pastor Terry's series from a couple years ago? Hopefully you remember this. You didn't think you were going to get tested on the prophets this morning, huh? After the exile. Zechariah is what we call a post-exilic prophet, because he's writing once the people have largely returned to Israel. But what was the problem? They came back, and what were they supposed to do that they weren't doing? Rebuilding the temple.

At the very beginning of Zechariah's prophecy, which we won't look at right now (you can look at it later in Zechariah 1–2), we get a very similar occasion where he's told to go measure the temple, and again there is no temple standing. That's significant. At the time Ezekiel received this prophecy and Zechariah received his, there is no temple physically in Israel because it had been destroyed. The measuring exercise is a motivation and an encouragement: God has not forgotten his people, there will be a temple rebuilt, and there will be the restoration of the people in that way. Does that make sense?

Okay, with that background we can come back to Revelation. Let me summarize what we saw in Ezekiel, and you'll see this in Zechariah if you choose to look. Let me quote from one of my books, which I thought said it really well:

The measurement symbolized God's claim of ownership and indicated that he would again show Israel his mercy and prosper his people in their land.

By the way, did that happen? Did they eventually go back to the land? Yes. Did they rebuild the temple? Yes. So we can see that's exactly what happened. My commentary says:

This measuring in that case was God's pledge to rebuild the city and its temple and restore his people to the land he had promised them, to worship him there. Therefore the act of measuring that Ezekiel and Zechariah observed was a pledge not of their safety in the present circumstance but of ultimate future restoration and protection, something that John's vision seems to reflect as well.

So the commentator is saying there's a parallelism here: the purpose of the measuring is the same for John, for Ezekiel, and for Zechariah. It's God's ownership and a promise of restoration in the future, God showing Israel mercy and bringing about their prosperity. Does that make sense? So it's not so weird when you read Revelation in light of those other two texts, because those texts give us more insight into the measuring. That's what John is called to do here, and John is going to participate in that.

Three Views of the Temple Question (28:31)

Now, the second question we have to figure out is what temple this is. This is where I told you about the different views. Some people believe the events of Revelation happened in the first century, leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. Others believe Revelation is a cyclical revelation that happens throughout church history. Another view is that these are primarily future events, most of which have not come about yet, just given the nature, the uniqueness, and the unprecedented descriptions of what we've been reading.

The events happened in the first century, leading up to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70.
The events are cyclical and repeat throughout church history.
The events are primarily future, and most have not yet come about.

Some of our friends who believe this happened in the first century lean on the idea that for John to measure the temple, John must have written at a time when the temple was standing. That makes sense, right? If what is happening here is the angel saying, "Hey, come out of the vision, leave the Isle of Patmos, go back and measure the temple," then the temple has to be standing. But historically, that is both unlikely and unnecessary. Why is that? Because in Ezekiel and in Zechariah, the parallel passages, neither prophet received their vision at a time when there was a physical temple standing. So this commissioning of John to measure the temple does not necessitate a temple standing on earth at the time. It doesn't require that. Nor does it indicate that there wasn't a temple. It's inconclusive. There could have been one, or there could not have been one, but suffice it to say it's not required in this case.

Yes, David?

Oh, that's a great question. This is what makes some Christians nervous. When we realize the new covenant has been inaugurated, and that the whole sacrificial system, the temple, and the tabernacle were designed to point forward to Christ and were ultimately fulfilled in Christ (Hebrews is very clear about that), what are we to make of a prophecy like this? It takes an Old Testament structure, the temple, that seems to have served its purpose, and now we're talking about it again. I think that's a great question, and I'm glad you're thinking about it, because that's one of the things we have to figure out. If the temple served to point forward to Christ, and if Christ is the true atonement and the true sacrificial lamb (no one argues that), then what are we to make of these references to a temple apparently in the future? That's a good question. I think hopefully we'll get to at least my understanding of the answer as we move along, but I'm glad you're tracking.

Yeah, Lee?

Sure. So Lee is saying, just for those of you listening, that when Christ died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn in two. So it's possible that if there's some future purpose for the temple, that veil would remain torn, or there would be no veil, indicating the access that Christ gave. I don't know. We'll have to see as we go along, but taking it at face value, whenever this happens, let's think about that temple. Even the preterist view, that this was the temple standing prior to its destruction in AD 70, is still post-New Covenant, right? So in one sense the New Covenant has already been inaugurated, Christ has already died, and atonement has already been made. Either position has to wrestle with the significance of it. It's a really good question, and I'm glad we have a class of educated Bible scholars. This is awesome.

Which Temple Is John Measuring? (32:42)

Okay, so what temple is this? Let's try to identify it based on John's description here. What are our options? Remember, John is still seeing a vision, and that hasn't changed. There is a temple of God in heaven that we're going to read about all the way down in Revelation 11:19. We're not going to get there this morning, but if you want to peek, after the seventh angel sounds his trumpet, it says, "the temple of God which is in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm." And we go, what do we do with that?

So now there's a temple in heaven, and there are all sorts of things going on there. But a lot of events seem to have happened since that heavenly temple appears, so probably that's not the temple John is called to measure. At least, it would be unlikely by context.

There's another contextual clue, and that is Revelation 11:2 indicates that this temple is on earth. Why is that? Because the court, as we saw there in verse 2, is given to the nations, the ungodly nations, the Gentiles, who are going to trample it. If this were a heavenly temple, you would not have unbelieving Gentiles in a heavenly temple. So almost certainly this is not the temple in heaven mentioned in 11:19. This is a different temple, one on the earth, at some point, that John is called to measure.

Now, if we move on, some interpreters believe John is being called to measure the temple that stood in Jerusalem during the first century. That leads to the conclusion that John must have written before AD 70. That's plausible, and it's a decent argument. However, John's description of the trampling is interesting. It doesn't actually fit the historic account of the total destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

How many of you have read Josephus's account of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70? You read Josephus. I had to read Josephus. Josephus was a Jewish historian, and he's one of the few historians whose works have survived from that time, the first century, the early church, and Judaism in that day. I've gone back and read a lot of Josephus. I've not really looked at him much since seminary. His account of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans is one of the most significant accounts there is. But if you read what Josephus says, and as best we can piece together the history of what actually happened in AD 70, it doesn't fit with what John says here.

Testing the First-Century View (34:47)

Why is that? Look back at chapter 11. John talks about, in verse 2, leaving out the court, which is outside the temple, and not measuring it, "for it has been given to the nations, and they will tread underfoot the holy city for forty-two months." Okay, so they're going to destroy the holy city, that's Jerusalem by context. Forty-two months gives us three and a half years. I'll do the math for you: the Romans took Jerusalem in five months. If we broaden that out and say from the very start of the Jewish revolt until the final completion of Rome's destruction of Jerusalem, it was over four years. So that's one historic indication that doesn't quite align with what John is describing.

But I think there's a stronger argument to be made, and it's simply this: John is saying this part of the temple, the part he measures, belongs to God and to the people of God. Don't measure this part. This part is given to the Gentiles, to the pagans, and they're going to destroy it. So the image seems not to be that Gentile nations come in and destroy everything in Jerusalem, which is what the Romans did, but that the Gentile nations come in and destroy part of it while another part is retained. This is the part John is called to measure.

Again, I'm not pounding the pulpit. I'm just trying to put these things together in a logical way. So it just doesn't seem to fit the description of the actual historic events in the first century. But we have to say this too.

A Future Temple (37:53)

The fact that John is seeing and measuring the temple in a vision doesn't necessarily require the presence of a temple on earth at the time of John writing. So this is not necessarily hard evidence that John is writing this down before 70 AD, the destruction of the temple. That is consistent with Zechariah and Ezekiel, who also received similar prophecies at a time when there was no physical temple on the earth in Jerusalem. Again, we're not beating the pulpit. We're just trying to put this together as best we can.

Now, are you ready? Is your seatbelt fastened? Consistent with the overall flow and context of the vision, John is being called to measure a future temple that apparently will be standing on earth in the days leading up to Christ's return. Then we have to say why. We're going to get to the why here. This view best explains a couple of things:

The historic meaning of the measuring. Remember the measuring that we saw in Ezekiel and Zechariah. Those are indications that God has not forgotten his people, and that there will be a restoration. We see that there, and I think that fits what John is saying here.
The 42 months. The reference to the 42 months correlates with Daniel's timeframe of three and a half years for the latter half of the tribulation leading up to Christ's return. If we believe a future-looking perspective makes the most sense, the math works. The same number of days that Daniel is told back in his prophecy in chapter 7 aligns perfectly with the 42 months, or the 1260 days, that John is told. You didn't think you were going to have to do history, prophetic history, or math when you came to Sunday school today, but there we go.
The text itself. Look back at Revelation 11:2: "Leave out the court which is in the outside of the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations, and they will tread underfoot the holy city for 42 months." And then Revelation 11:3: "I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth." He goes on to describe that here.

Notice back in Revelation 11:1 that John is told to measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship in it. So measure the temple, specifically measure the altar, and measure the worshipers. What do we make of that? It is most likely a reference to the altar of incense, and I will tell you why.

Temple History (39:55)

This is not really geography, so let's do some structural reminders. Which temple is this, by the way? Let's do some templeology for a minute.

Who built the first temple? Solomon did. Then what happened to that temple? It was destroyed by the Babylonians in the sixth century BC.
A second temple was built before we get to Herod's. Remember the commissioning of Zechariah and the measuring. What happens in Zechariah's day? That temple is rebuilt. Who was in charge of that project? Zerubbabel. It sounds like a motorcycle, Zerubbabel. He, along with the prophets Zechariah, and we think of Ezra and others who were involved, rebuilt Solomon's temple. We call that Zerubbabel's temple.
Then what happens after that? Herod takes over, and he decides to do a major renovation of Zerubbabel's temple. This is Herod's temple, sometimes called the Herodian temple. This was the temple standing in Jesus' day, and it is the temple that was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70.

The Courts of the Temple (42:02)

So let's remind ourselves what this area outside of the main structure is. What is it called? It's the Court of the Gentiles. If you were non-Jewish, this was as far as you could go. What's this little area right here called? It's the Court of Women. If you were a Jewish woman, you were allowed to go in here but no further. What's this called right here? This is the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place would be inside. But this outer court is where Jewish men and priests were allowed to go.

If we zoom up and look down on it, inside this little courtyard is where the bronze altar was, where most of the sacrifices were made. The laver, or basin, is where the washing was done. Then you'd have to go inside the Holy Place for the altar of incense, which would have sat right here, and the table of showbread. If you remember that from your temple furniture placement, when he talks about measuring the altar, he's probably talking about the altar of incense inside here. You remember when Zechariah the priest, John the Baptist's father, was called to burn incense? He would have gone in here and burned incense on that altar.

The reason we think that's the case is what John says: John is told not to measure the outer court. By outer court he could have meant the Court of the Gentiles, or he could actually have meant this area. There's good reason to believe that this was the area he was not allowed to measure, the area that according to the angel here is given to the Gentiles, because there is a historic event that is going to happen right here, where the Gentiles trample that area in terms of what they offer on that altar. We will see that in the future, but that's probably what he's called to do.

Summary (44:05)

Very quickly, why does John measure the worshipers? When used to describe people, measure has the idea of distinguishing.

Here's our summary. John is called to measure the temple, the altar, and the worshipers. These communicate God's intention to:

Restore true worship
Restore his presence, symbolized by that altar of incense
Restore true believers who are scattered abroad

The outer court, which John has been commanded not to measure, seems to refer to God's allowance that Jerusalem be trampled by Gentiles, and that God will not rebuild it in this condition.

Alright, you've got it all. Let's pray.

Closing Prayer (45:07)

Father, thank you for this time in your Word. Even though we've had to work through some technical issues today, we thank you for the congruity of your Word, that what we saw in Ezekiel and Zechariah corresponds so closely to what we see in the book of Revelation. Thank you for the promise to your people that you have not given up. Your glory will once again reside amongst your people. We thank you for these hard passages that force us back to know your Bible much more closely. So give us grace as we plow ahead. Thank you for the reminders of coming judgment, that we might be focused and that we might be motivated to take the gospel to the nations. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

* = the audio was unclear here and the words were reconstructed from context. Scripture read aloud is in red.

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