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The Temple in the Tribulation | Revelation 11:1-2 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Revelation Bible Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Thank you priest team. Can we come together now to the
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Book of Revelation Chapter 11? Meet me there in your own copy
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of God's Word, Revelation Chapter 11.
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As useful as chapter breaks and verse numbers are in our Bibles,
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they occasionally can be unhelpful to the untrained eye.
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And Revelation 11 exemplifies this because the chapter heading
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may give the impression that the vision John described in chapter
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10 has come to a close and we are now being introduced to an
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entirely new scene. But that is not the case.
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Revelation 11 is a continuation of the vivid experience that we
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explored together last week in chapter 10.
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Now keep in mind that in Revelation 10, the vision there,
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it served as a pause between the 6th and the 7th trumpet blasts,
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and that pause is extended. That vision goes on.
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The interlude remains in effect. Evidently the Lord wants to say
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more to us before we advance in the unfolding of His final
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judgments on the earth. And we are today going to look
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at the 1st 2 verses of this new chapter to see exactly what this
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extended break entails. So if you're there with me,
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let's read Revelation 11 verse one down to verse 2.
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Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and I was told rise
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and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who
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worship there but do not measure the court outside the temple.
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Leave that out for it is given over to the nations and they
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will trample the holy city for 42 months.
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This read verse 3. And I will grant authority to my
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2 witnesses and they will prophecy for 1260 days clothed
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in sackcloth. Let's pray together, Lord, only
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You can make these verses come alive.
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And we pray that you would captivate us with every single
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observation, every cross reference, every application.
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Move us deeply. We pray for something greater
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than just the satisfaction of our curiosity or intellect.
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We pray that You would satisfy our souls, that we would leave
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here more content in Christ, that we would leave here longing
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to worship You as we are beholding Your brilliance and
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Your beauty in this very passage.
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So, Lord, assist the delivery of this message and assist our
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hearts in receiving it with humility and with anticipation.
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We ask these things in Jesus name, Amen and Amen.
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Hopefully you remember how Revelation 10 ended.
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John was explained to us something incredible, but at the
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end of that chapter he was handed something.
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He was handed a little scroll and he was told to take it and
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to eat it. And this as it were, served as a
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symbolic recommissioning for John because immediately after
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he digested the written word of God, he was told that he must
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still prophesied to many peoples and nations and kingdoms.
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But that little scroll is not the only thing that John
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received. We just read that he also was
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handed a measuring rod. Now pause for a moment.
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Hopefully you remember also that John eating the scroll strongly
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alludes to Ezekiel's experience when he was called into the
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ministry early in his book. He too was given a scroll of a
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book written on it with lamentations and woes and and
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really prophecies of judgement. But it was sweet to his mouth.
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And so there's a resemblance there.
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But it doesn't end there. It actually continues because
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Ezekiel, when you Fast forward in his book, beginning in
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chapter 40, he also is taken up in a vision.
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He's placed on a very high mountain and he sees a man with
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a measuring Reed. And this heavenly messenger
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will, from that chapter on to the end of the book of Ezekiel,
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measure the temple complex, and he will explain how this temple
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will at one point host again the glory of the Lord.
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Do you see the parallel? John eats a scroll.
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Well, Ezekiel ate a scroll. John now has a vision with a
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measuring rod. Well, Ezekiel had the same
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thing, though he didn't measure it.
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It was there. And they're measuring a very
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similar object. There are many things that we
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can say about this connection, but I want to simply leave you
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with this. It's clear that John here is
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following the steps of the role of a traditional prophet.
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And understanding that is going to help us interpret the verses
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that we read, specifically the 1st 2 verses.
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And the way we are going to approach this is by answering 2
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simple questions. What is John supposed to
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measure, number one? Number two, why is he measuring
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it? If anyone were to ask you those
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questions, leaving this place, my goal, my prayer.
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Yes, we want our hearts moved. Yes, we want to worship.
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Yes, we must be sanctified. But I also want all of us to be
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able to answer with biblical confidence.
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Now I'll tell you from now these answers will be lengthy, but we
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have to do the work because we want to confirm our conclusions
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are grounded here in Scripture. And so hold tightly to your
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Bibles because we will be looking at different passages.
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But let's now seek by the grace of God to answer question number
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one. What is John supposed to
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measure? Look back again at verse one.
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There are actually three things he's told rise and measure #1
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the temple of God #2 the altar and #3 those who worship there.
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This is what you're supposed to measure and count John.
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And though there are three distinct things, it seems like
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the temple as a whole is what is in view.
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Now this seems seems pretty straightforward, does it not?
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Well, like many parts of Revelation, there are debates
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around what exactly this temple refers to, and I think it's
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helpful for us to consider alternative views and
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understandings of this temple in order for us again, to be able
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to understand why we espouse a particular interpretation.
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So be aware that what I'm about to explain are just the general
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points of different explanations for what this temple is.
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If we look at every single idea and point under every category,
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we'll be here for a very long time.
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So this is just really an overview, an overview that we
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have seen before with the the four main ways people frame the
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Book of Revelation. So this will be this will just
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compound what we've been hearing throughout the weeks.
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Well, number one, you have those again who view the Book of
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Revelation as what a chronology of history at large.
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And it's filled with symbols about the different empires and
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leaders and movements and features of history spelled out
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here for us ahead of time. And these individuals who
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interpret the book in such a way are known as historicist.
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This is history told to us in advance.
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And this is how they would teach this part of revelation.
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They would say the temple here is a symbol.
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It is a symbol of the people of God, not just the people of God,
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the people of God preserved and protected.
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But we also saw that there there was a part of the temple, the
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outside court, that was not measured.
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And these individuals will say, well, those speak about not the
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people of God, but those who think they're the people of God,
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the apostate Christians, those who are empty professors in
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Christ. And what they would also say is,
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this is richly symbolic, sure, but it points to a particular
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moment in history. And some, not all, would say
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this actually would speak to the Reformations, purification of
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the Church, the spiritual revolution led by Martin Luther
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in the early 1500s. And they would go on to explain
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that the measuring rod is actually a symbol of the
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rediscovery of true doctrine. And the trampling that we saw
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here explained in the first verses actually speaks about the
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persecution of the people of God by the papal powers, the
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Catholic Church. Interesting.
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But this is not the only group that views this snapshot of
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prophecy allegorically. You have the idealist.
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The idealists also look at the Book of Revelation as hyper
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spiritualized. But here's the difference
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between them and the historicist.
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They don't pin any description, any prophecy, any picture to any
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moment in history. None.
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What they would say is this is just a creative and poetic and
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apocalyptic way of kind of explaining the recurring pattern
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of the struggle between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom
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of darkness, good and evil. And so it's very simple for them
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how they would look at the temple of God here in Revelation
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11. This is a picture again of the
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people of God. The the part that's measured, at
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least the part that's unmeasured, like the historicist
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would say these are the fake Christians.
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And we read there the end of verse 2 how they would be
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trampled the holy city for 42 months.
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Well, the 42 months isn't a literal time period.
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It just speaks about an unspecific, though limited time
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of persecution. Now I say, I said I wouldn't go
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too deep into this, but you may encounter some who see the Book
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of Revelation as spiritual, purely spiritual.
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That would say, no, it's not really about the people of God
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and those who are not really the people of God.
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They would say that the part that's measured, the temple
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complex that actually speaks about the believers in heaven.
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Why? Because you see this consistency
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in the Book of Revelation that wherever the temple is
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described, it's it's mainly found in heaven.
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So these are the protected people of God in heaven, and the
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ones that are being trampled on are actually those who remain on
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earth and are still being persecuted.
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So let me just say this immediately.
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There are clear issues with looking at this temple as a
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symbol for one simple reason. John very clearly distinguishes
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between the temple and the people.
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Did you see that? Look again, Rise and measure the
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temple of God and the altar and those who worship there.
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So here's my response, at least right away.
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If the temple speaks about the people of God, then what about
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the worshippers in the temple? Who do they symbolize?
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Who do they speak about? Are they one and the same?
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Are they different? And this is just one of many
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interpretive obstacles for viewing the temple of God here
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as just symbolism. But then we see something else
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because there are those who actually see this as literal.
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And the first group are the preterist, those who view the
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Book of Revelation not, not as something to come, but something
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that's already been at least most of it, especially the 1st
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century, especially events surrounding the fall of
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Jerusalem, 70 AD. So actually for the preterist,
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this is a rich proof text. They would argue, you see, this
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is dealing with exactly what the main theme that we've been
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proposing, the temple falling, that era coming to an end,
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Christ's prophecy of this judgment is here.
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And they would say this is a text that shows it, that this
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temple is being measured for judgment.
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But there is a part of it that's preserved because there was a
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faithful in Jerusalem at the time of 70 AD.
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And the part that's not measured speaks about the Roman Empire
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trampling upon the Jews for their denial of the Messiah.
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And this is quite interesting, as you can imagine, because they
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from their perspective, don't see this as a spiritual symbol,
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especially the outside court, but as the historical Herodian
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temple that existed but was later destroyed by the Romans.
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Finally, you have the Futurist. And as the name suggests, the
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Book of Revelation is primarily about the days to come,
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especially after chapter 4. And for those who hold to this
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frame of interpretation, the futurist make the case that when
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you consider the dating of the Book of Revelation when John
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compiled it, the majority view is that it was put together in
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9596 AD. Is that before or after the
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temple fell? After it was composed in the
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90s? When you when you keep that in
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mind and consider the wider biblical data of the events of
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the last days, this temple speaks about a literal structure
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found in a literal city called Jerusalem.
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And this is what I believe to be the clearest and the most
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consistent understanding of this passage.
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Allow me to explain further. Let's begin by examining the
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term Temple of God or temple of the living God, or temple of the
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Holy Spirit or God's temple in the New Testament.
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Apart from Jesus claiming that his own body was a temple in
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John 23 main places, notable occasions where it is speaking
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spoken about figuratively are in the books of Corinthians.
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The first two books, the only two books that we have, at least
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you have First Corinthians 619 where Paul says your body
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individually is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
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But then he goes on to say in First Corinthians 316 and 2nd
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Corinthians 616 that the temple of God is the corporate body of
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Christ. But when you look at those
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contexts, what do you discover? That the plain reading is
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obvious. Paul is speaking about spiritual
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realities. There's nothing of an actual
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building in view and his teaching.
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So the context supports the idea that yes, we are indeed indwelt
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by the Holy Spirit. We are to see this as a an
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awesome privilege and it should spur us on to greater holiness.
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But the temple of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit, God's
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temple. That kind of terminology is not
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strictly for the believers sanctified relationship with
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God. You actually find the Lord Jesus
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Christ and the apostle Paul teaching about a temple related
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to a key event in the last days. They don't just bring it up,
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they teach how it's an integral part of the final experiences
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and episodes leading to the culmination of the age.
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You know these passages well, but let's remind ourselves and
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the Olivet Discourse. What did Jesus say in Matthew 24
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when he described the events of the last days?
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He presents a turning point in verse 15.
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He says. So when you see the abomination
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of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel standing in the
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holy place, underline that standing in the holy place.
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Let the reader understand. Then let those who are in Judea
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flee to the mountains. Let the one who was on the
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housetop not go down and take what is in his house, and let
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the one who was in the field not turn back to take his cloak.
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And alas, for women who are pregnant and for those who are
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nursing infants in those days, pray that your flight may not be
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in winter on on a Sabbath, for then there will be great
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tribulation, such as not been from the beginning of the world
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until now. No, and never will be.
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If you read Jesus teaching on the Olivet Discourse very
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carefully before this, He speaks about worldwide events and then
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he zooms into a specific geography, a specific area.
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He's talking about the Jews here, and he highlights the holy
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place. He highlights somebody standing
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in there. And Paul builds on this teaching
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when he reminds the Thessalonians about the last
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days. Here's another important
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reference. In Second Thessalonians 2-3 and
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four, Paul says, let no one deceive you in any way, for that
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day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the
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man of lawlessness is revealed. The son of destruction, who
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opposes and exalts himself against every so-called God or
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object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of
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God, proclaiming himself to be God.
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So in contrast to the symbolic use of imagery regarding the
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temple in 1st and 2nd Corinthians, the surrounding
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passages clearly indicates and what we just read, that the
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temple or the holy place is an actual structure.
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It's an actual edifice. It's spoken about in literal
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terms with physical activity. Did you pick up on how Jesus
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taught about this holy place? He mentioned homes.
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He mentioned housetops, He mentioned fields.
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He mentioned pregnant woman, nursing infants, winter and the
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Sabbath. And when Paul speaks about the
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man of lawlessness who's an actual human being, he says that
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he will take his seat in the temple of God.
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It's very difficult to try to spiritualize these verses when
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you just read it plainly. It's so crystal clear, is it
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not? And once we are willing to
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acknowledge that, then we can move on and say, well, it seems
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as though the Temple in Jerusalem and the events that
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will occur within it at some point play a very important role
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in the drama of the last days. Now, I'm aware that there might
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be hesitation by some to accept that what we read in Revelation
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11 is a tangible thing. So I want us to return to the
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immediate context of Revelation 11.
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We just read the first 3 verses. We're focusing on the 1st 2:00,
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but this whole thing about the temple is just setting the stage
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for the main point of this passage.
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We're going to read about in the coming weeks the two witnesses,
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these mysterious figures who will play an awesome role in
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preaching to the generation before the return of Christ.
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And when you read, though we're not going to get into a detail
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now, when you read about the destiny of their ministry, it
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only confirms that what we're dealing with here is that with
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the temple is literal. OK?
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Are you there in Revelation 11? Look at verse 7.
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And when they had finished their testimony, that is the 2
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witnesses, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will
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make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their
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dead bodies will lie in the street.
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Of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom in
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Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
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Where was the Lord crucified? Jerusalem.
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Here we have this mention of the great city and more than that,
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these bodies lying down on a street in the great city.
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This is the same context as the Temple early on.
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It only confirms more in the following verse.
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Look at verse 13 of Revelation 11.
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In that hour there was a great earthquake and a tenth of the
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city fell. 7000 people were killed in the earthquake and the
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rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
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So this is even more hopefully persuasive to the one that is
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reluctant to accept this interpretation surrounding this.
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Just like Jesus's teaching and Paul's teaching surrounding this
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mention of a temple. We have a real city, real
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people, a real earthquake. To say otherwise can leave an
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endless list of opportunities and interpretation of what this
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could mean. Now one of the main objections
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you'll encounter if you hold to the literal view is that there
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is no way that God would acknowledge or accept a revival
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of this temple and the sacrificial system.
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How can you even entertain the thought that after the temple
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was destroyed in 70 AD that there's a future time?
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Well, it will resurrect in some way and that God somehow is
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approving of this. Have you not read the book of
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Hebrews? And passages in Hebrews will
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often be quoted to to defend this objection.
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Here's how I respond and what I just explained.
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Did you hear anything of God approving of the temple?
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The honest answer is no. In fact, look back again at
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verse 7 and verse eight. Look at verse 8 specifically.
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And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city
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that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt.
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Does that sound like approval to you for this great city, this
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holy city, to be called symbolically Sodom and Egypt?
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So here's what we're trying to establish that the Bible teaches
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about a literal temple that will exist during the Tribulation
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period and will serve as the setting for major events
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signaling the return of Christ. And the temple here clearly
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doesn't exist. There hasn't been one for a very
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long time, but apparently it's going to reappear.
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Somehow, some way, it's actually going to reappear.
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And this now leads us to our second question.
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Why is John measuring it? Why is John measuring it?
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So we've established that this temple is literal.
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And though there's so much more we can say, we have to move on.
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This act of measuring it is highly symbolic.
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It has many implications that if you remember that John is
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imitating a traditional prophet, makes more sense.
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So let me give you at least two reasons why we can say that when
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John is told to measure the Temple, it carries more
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symbolism that him actually determining the dimensions and
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the heights of the different elements of the temple.
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This is not the only thing that is measured in the Book of
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Revelation. In fact, when the New Jerusalem
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will come down from heaven, after John is told that there's
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going to be a new heaven and a new earth, it's going to be
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measured. But notice the difference.
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Now, are you in Revelation? Fast forward to chapter 21 and
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look at verse 16, Revelation 21, verse 16.
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This city lies Foursquare, its length the same as its width,
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and he measured the city with his rod, tough thousand stadia.
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Its length and width and height are equal.
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He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement,
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which is also an angel's measurement.
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What's the main difference between the city of Jerusalem
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being measured here in the new heaven and earth and what we
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find in Revelation 11? Revelation 11 omits actual
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measurements. We don't have any numbers here.
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We don't have specifics. Those specifics are preserved
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for this new city. Which leads us to our second
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reason why there aren't any measurements.
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Because we find here that John is actually doing something that
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is frequent in the Old Testament.
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John is imitating the actions of some prophets who also explained
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certain prophecies with this act of measuring.
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And this, remember, confirms how we opened the very beginning of
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our study in Revelation, that this book is absolutely
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saturated with Old Testament themes, and measuring is one of
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them. See, if you just read Revelation
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on your own or you just stuck with the New Testament, you
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might be led to different ideas. But if you have the the backing
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of the Old Testament, then you go, I've seen this more than
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once. I've seen this many times
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actually. Let me give you a couple of
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examples. So Amos, Amos was given a
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prophetic word for his people and in Amos 7 verse 7, listen to
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what it said. This is what he showed me.
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Behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a Plumb
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line. Do you know what a Plumb line
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is? It's a chord.
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I don't have one to show you, so just use your imagination.
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It's a chord with a weight on it.
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And it was used in construction or an evaluation to determine if
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a wall or a structure was was straight.
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So Amos sees a Plumb line and then in verse 8 it says, and the
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Lord said to me, Amos, what do you see?
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And I said a Plumb line. And the Lord said, Behold, I am
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setting a Plumb line in the midst of my people Israel.
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I will never again pass by them. The high places of Isaac shall
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be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be
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laid waste, and I will rise against the House of Jeroboam
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with the sword. So a plum line, an actual
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instrument used in construction and measuring, is now symbolized
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as God looking at His people and seeing if they line up with His
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righteousness, if He is with His Holiness, with his commands.
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And the conclusion they're crooked, they're not in
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alignment with me, my will, my mind, my desires.
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And so a sword is coming to my people.
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A sword is coming to Israel because the Plumb line shows
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I've measured. They are not where I want them
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to be. You see this again in another
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part of the Bible that's rarely visited in Lamentations.
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Just listen to these references. Lamentations 2, verse 8,
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Jeremiah's reflecting on the judgement that eventually came
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to Judah. And here's one of the things
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that he says. The Lord determined to lay in
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ruins the wall of the daughter of Zion.
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He stretched out the measuring line.
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He did not restrain his hand from destroying.
28:16
He caused rampant and wall to lament.
28:20
They languished together. So another tool is brought up.
28:24
God has a big tool belt, by the way, and now a measuring line is
28:29
described. Why?
28:31
Because Jeremiah in his book wants to tell the people that
28:35
the judgement that came at the hands of Babylon was not
28:38
accidental. It was not coincidental.
28:42
It was not random. It was measured by God.
28:47
And not only was it decreed by God, it was calculated.
28:52
It was just, it was fair. I looked at your sins and I met
28:58
it with its appropriate response.
29:01
Here is the verdict. My measuring line shows that you
29:05
are found wanting and This is why you were judged.
29:09
So we see it right? And we can, we can go on and on
29:12
with examples, but here's the final one.
29:14
Because this concept of measuring is not limited to
29:18
judgement. It's not limited just to
29:20
evaluating where one stands with God, though that is a prominent
29:24
idea. There's actually positive side
29:27
to this. And you're only going to see it
29:29
with the prophets. So now listen to this.
29:32
I know it's a lot of scripture. I know it's a lot of scripture.
29:35
But listen, we got to know why we believe what we believe, and
29:39
we have to base it on the Bible. And so This is why we're doing
29:42
this. It's heavy lifting, but it's
29:43
important. So you must write down these
29:45
references and you must be a good brain and examine the
29:47
Scriptures for yourself. Zechariah was given a vision and
29:53
in chapter 2 he sees this amazing thing.
29:57
Listen to this in verse one of Zechariah.
30:01
And I lifted my eyes and saw and behold a man with a measuring
30:04
line in his hand. God loves to measure things.
30:10
Verse 2 Then I said, where are you going?
30:12
And he said to me to measure Jerusalem, to see what its width
30:17
and what its length. And behold, the Angel who talked
30:20
with me came forward, and another Angel came forward to
30:23
meet him and said to him, run, say to that young man, Jerusalem
30:28
shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because the
30:32
because of the multitude of people and livestock in it.
30:34
And I will be to her a wall of fire all around the clears of
30:37
Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.
30:40
That's good news. So Zechariah sees this man and
30:45
he goes, What are you doing with the measuring rod?
30:48
He says, well, I'm actually going to measure the parameters
30:50
here. Why?
30:51
To show you that there's going to be so many of the Jews coming
30:55
back. They're going to have so many
30:56
possessions that there won't be room for walls.
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So God's going to determine to actually be their wall, and he's
31:03
going to be a wall of fire around them.
31:06
This is very similar to Revelation 11 in what sense?
31:09
You have this actual city, Jerusalem, but a symbolic act of
31:14
measuring it, right? The temple, Literal rod.
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Yeah. It's in the vision.
31:20
Measuring it. Why?
31:21
This is what we're trying to answer.
31:24
And for God to measure the city and Zechariah in this way says
31:29
something about his relationship with the city.
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I own it. This is mine.
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I determine its boundaries. I determine.
31:43
Its renovations, I determine it's adjustments.
31:47
This belongs to me and Zechariah, I want to tell you
31:52
about an update that's coming. So you have this now in your
31:57
mind. You come to the New Testament
32:00
and you see something strangely mirroring it in John's vision.
32:07
He's told to measure it, the temple, the altar, the
32:11
worshippers in it. And it's the Lord essentially
32:14
saying it's all mine. These belong to me.
32:21
And not only do they belong to me, I will preserve them.
32:24
I will protect them. Here's the answer to our 2nd and
32:27
final question. Why is John measuring the
32:31
temple? God will mark out a Jewish
32:35
remnant in the last days that he will preserve and protect.
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That's the answer. Why will he do that?
32:44
Because God has promised over and over, and the exclamation
32:48
mark is in Revelation rather Romans 11, that this people who
32:53
have rejected the Messiah will one day be saved as a nation.
32:58
They will remember, they will reflect, they will repent, and
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they will be reconciled to the truth, and they as a nation,
33:07
will declare Jesus Christ of Nazareth is our Messiah.
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And here's the point of the vision.
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And none of the calamities in the Tribulation period and none
33:16
of the maniacal attempts of the Antichrist will prevent it.
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We'll stop it. Nothing will stop that promise
33:24
being fulfilled. This is fascinating because it
33:29
seems to be a very important point in the Book of Revelation.
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Let me remind you something. We're looking at the pause
33:36
between the 6th and the 7th trumpet blast.
33:39
Do you remember that? There was a pause with the
33:41
seals, with the 6th and the 7th seal.
33:45
There was also an interlude. What was that interlude?
33:48
The 144,000 from Israel who were sealed and set apart during the
33:53
Tribulation. So what was God saying back
33:56
there with the seals? Up to this point of my program
33:59
of judgement, I'm still keeping my hand on the Jewish people.
34:04
Now you come to the second set of judgement with the trumpets
34:06
and between the 6th and the 7th, what do you realize?
34:09
I'm still keeping my hand on the Jewish people.
34:11
Just different imagery. Do you see this?
34:18
That being said, the Jewish people will not be totally
34:23
spared from the challenges of the Tribulation period, and that
34:26
is clearly indicated by what we read in verse 2.
34:28
Look back at Revelation 11 verse 2.
34:31
The Lord tells John, do not measure the court outside the
34:34
temple. Leave that out for it is given
34:37
over to the nations and they will trample the holy city for
34:41
42 months. For thousands of years the city
34:46
of Jerusalem has been oppressed and controlled by various
34:49
Gentile nations. I mean just read the Old
34:53
Testament. What do you find?
34:54
Siege after siege after siege, until it was finally brought to
34:58
the point where Babylon ransacked Jerusalem, and after
35:02
some time Jerusalem passed to the Medo Persian Empire, then
35:05
Greece, then Rome, and the pattern continued right up
35:10
today. When the when the Jews in the
35:14
city of Jerusalem cannot enjoy full autonomy.
35:18
Do you think a Jew can go to the Temple Mount today and worship
35:21
the way they want to worship? No, they can't.
35:25
It's occupied. There are issues even at this
35:29
very moment that although they've been restored as a
35:31
nation and they have a lot of improvement made, they do not
35:36
have full sovereignty. And whatever harassment the
35:43
Jewish people have known in the past, it will pale in comparison
35:48
with the level of persecution they will know in the world
35:51
under the control of the Antichrist, especially for 42
35:56
months, 42 months, that equates to 3 1/2 years.
36:02
Now there's debate. Is this speaking about the 3 1/2
36:05
years in the beginning of the Tribulation or in the latter
36:08
portion of the Tribulation? One thing is certain, that for 3
36:12
1/2 years they will indeed know a suffering that is unthinkable.
36:21
There will be a trampling. And I find it interesting that
36:24
John is led by the Spirit to use similar language that Jesus
36:27
employed when he spoke about the future of Jerusalem.
36:33
If there's a reference that you must put in your margin if you
36:36
write in your Bibles, it's this one.
36:38
Luke 2124. Listen to what Jesus said about
36:42
Jerusalem. Luke 2124.
36:46
They will fall by the edge of the sword and be LED captive
36:50
among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by
36:55
the Gentiles. Does that sound familiar?
36:59
For how long until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled?
37:05
That's important. So what's Christ teaching here
37:10
while he's prophesying the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD?
37:14
The verses preceding this clearly explain that it
37:18
happened. But notice that after the fall
37:23
of Jerusalem, Jerusalem would come under Gentile control for a
37:28
long period of time. And we're seeing it even to this
37:32
day, are we not? But there's an expiration date.
37:37
Yes, they will come under Gentile control until the times
37:42
of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Implying what?
37:47
That one day Jerusalem will shake free from Gentile control.
37:54
And it makes you wonder whether part of the times of the
37:56
Gentiles includes the 42 months of their peak persecution
38:04
against Jerusalem. Which, if you believe is the
38:06
latter part of the Tribulation, shows that at the end of the 3
38:11
1/2 years, Jesus Christ comes back.
38:14
And when He comes back, what does He do?
38:16
He sets up his rule and reign where?
38:19
Not New Jersey and Jerusalem. Could that be it?
38:25
Could that be what Christ is saying here?
38:27
Gentile control over Jerusalem until the times of the Gentiles
38:30
are fulfilled. You go to Revelation 11, you
38:32
realize that it will be trampled by the nations that word nations
38:36
in Revelation 11 to his Gentiles.
38:39
Same thing, same idea, the nations trampling under foot the
38:43
outer court of the Temple for 42 months.
38:50
This is why you have a strong case that this is speaking about
38:52
the last 3 1/2 years. Because at the end of the last 3
38:55
1/2 years, Christ cracks open the skies and he descends and he
39:00
plants his feet on the Mount of Olives, and he claims Jerusalem
39:03
for himself. This is mine.
39:05
This is mine that harmonizes quite well.
39:12
You can imagine how encouraging this must have been for John
39:15
personally when he received this vision.
39:19
Because if he did write it in the 90s, which most scholars
39:22
believe he did, then it was only 20 something years prior where
39:26
he heard the horrific news that Jerusalem was surrounded and
39:30
destroyed, the Temple was laid waste, a million Jews, over a
39:35
million Jews were slaughtered, countless were exiled and
39:38
dispersed. Israel's future was utterly
39:43
bleak. And John is in this trance.
39:47
He's in the island called Patmos.
39:48
And then at this point in his vision, he sees a temple with an
39:51
altar and people in it. And where is it?
39:56
Well, according to the context, it's in the city, the same city
40:00
that was destroyed, which is a couple of decades ago.
40:04
And he realizes that not only does he see a vision, but he
40:07
sees this measuring rod handed to him.
40:10
And he understands what this means because it signifies God's
40:12
possession and his preservation and His protection.
40:15
So, oh, you have a future for this people.
40:21
And this lines up with the rest of the Scriptures if you have a
40:24
literal understanding of it. Now, I understand some who might
40:29
be hearing this. Hopefully you're convinced, but
40:35
are trying to understand how it's even possible.
40:37
You're telling me that in this kind of climate, politically,
40:42
and it's not projected to get any better, there's going to be
40:45
an actual temple there again? What are the answers for that
40:51
preacher? I don't have to give you 1.
40:54
I can't figure it out. And it made me think, what if
40:57
somebody who knew these prophecies 100 years ago was
41:01
asked, Hey, I, I, I looked at these prophecies about God
41:07
bringing back the Jewish people to their land.
41:09
How, how is that going to happen?
41:11
And I'm sure he had a similar response to this dilemma.
41:15
I don't know how he's going to do it, but it wasn't too long
41:19
ago that he did. And if he brought this people
41:23
back to their nation, how much is it going to take for him to
41:27
build a building again? It's an interesting series of
41:32
thoughts and meditations. If His word is true, and if we
41:36
interpret it I believe the way it should be, then what is being
41:41
foretold here will come to pass. When I given the mechanics, when
41:47
I given the blueprint, all we're told is that it's going to
41:50
happen. Let me end on a different note
41:56
here. One of the things that struck me
41:58
when I was meditating on this very thing was something that I
42:02
already said earlier. And when you look at all these
42:05
prophecies and cross references, you realize God measures things.
42:13
And you know where my mind went, how Jesus in His first coming
42:19
measured the temple. At one point in His ministry,
42:23
actually more than once, the temple before was destroyed.
42:26
Did you know that Jesus evaluated it?
42:30
Let me remind you, He enters into Jerusalem triumphantly and
42:35
in the Gospel of Mark Chapter 11 verse 11, there's this
42:40
interesting detail that he gives us.
42:43
Listen to what Mark says about Jesus after he comes into
42:46
Jerusalem in Mark 1111. And he being Jesus entered
42:51
Jerusalem and went into the temple.
42:54
And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already
43:01
late, he went out to Bethany with the 12.
43:04
Why are we being told that Jesus entered into the temple and
43:06
looked around at everything? Why do we even need to know
43:10
that? Well, just a few verses later,
43:13
what happens? Jesus comes back to the temple
43:16
and he cleanses it. Do you know why he cleansed it?
43:20
Because Jesus here is imitating one of the laws in Leviticus
43:24
that if there was some disease in a home, a priest was supposed
43:28
to go in and evaluate the situation and he was supposed to
43:31
go through all this protocol. And if he returned to the house
43:36
and it was still diseased and contaminated, the final solution
43:39
was what? Destroy it.
43:44
So Jesus, he fulfills that law. He, he imitates that practice.
43:50
He, he comes into the temple and I, I, I love to meditate and
43:55
actually envision what that looked like.
43:56
Here he is the background noise of all the praises and all the
44:01
leaves being wave. All of that now quiets down and
44:06
Jesus without saying a word walks into the temple and with
44:12
those piercing eyes discerns and he walks away.
44:21
And this is not the only time he evaluated.
44:23
As I said earlier, you remember John 2 early in Jesus, Jesus's
44:28
ministry. Let me read to you what he did
44:30
in the beginning. John 214 in the temple, he found
44:36
those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons and the money
44:41
changers sitting there. Do you remember what he did
44:43
then? Right.
44:44
Yeah. He cleansed it.
44:46
You know, the word found there in the Greek, it doesn't denote
44:50
accidental discovery. Like he came in like, oh, what
44:53
is this? It actually speaks about
44:55
scrutinizing. He examined intensely and so in
45:01
the beginning of his ministry, he goes, my house is
45:04
contaminated, it's time to cleanse it.
45:08
So he cleanses it. And in the Mark 11, by the end
45:11
of the the story, he goes back to the temple because again,
45:15
that's what the priest would have done to see.
45:18
Is it still clean? And it wasn't.
45:23
What was the final solution? Leviticus, if it's still is
45:27
unclean, if it's still polluted, bring it down.
45:31
What did Jesus say? Not one stone will remain.
45:35
Not one stone will remain. God loves to measure things.
45:40
And here's the here's the thing that moved my heart.
45:43
If he was interested in measuring that temple, if he's
45:48
measuring the future temple in the tribulation period, what
45:51
about the temple today? Where is that you and me, us.
46:00
Do you think he has a measuring line for us?
46:03
He does and he measures a lot more than you.
46:06
And I think let me give you one thing.
46:09
You remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7.
46:11
One and two judge not unless you 2 be judged with a judgement
46:16
that you pronounce with that measure, it will be measured to
46:22
you. Awesome.
46:24
So Jesus actually measures how we judge others.
46:32
How generous are you and I with our love and forgiveness?
46:36
How patient are we with others? And here's what he does when he,
46:40
when he examines the measure we use, he takes it into account
46:45
when we need something from Him. This is fascinating.
46:53
What else does he measure? Well, look through the New
46:56
Testament, I realized that He actually measures my motives,
47:00
not just my actions, not just what you do, but why you do it.
47:05
Oh Lord, He is very committed and invested in His temple
47:13
today. And here's how I found myself
47:17
praying in light of our study in Revelation, relearning that God
47:21
loves to measure things, more spiritual realities than
47:24
anything else. Search me, examine me and see if
47:30
there'd be any wicked way in me. And Lord, I pray that you
47:36
cleanse me. Cleanse me.
47:39
I want you to find everything in me that is pleasing to you.
47:48
And He is so gracious if we are but honest, and we invite Him to
47:53
do that work in US. Let's end here. 2 questions were
47:59
answered today. What is John measuring?
48:02
A literal temple to come. Why is he measuring it?
48:06
Because God wants to tell us in this vision that in the last
48:09
days he is going to preserve a remnant of Jewish people.
48:13
Because He promised the Jewish people that they would be saved.
48:17
And with all the chaos in Revelation and all the schemes
48:21
of the Antichrist and all the evil that will erupt, nothing
48:24
will be able to prevent that plan.
48:27
What does that mean for you? He's a faithful God.
48:31
Another layer I just learned, I guess, that God likes to measure
48:34
things. So what does He find in me?
48:36
That's what we're leaving with today.
48:38
And this is how we're ending today.
48:40
So let's pray and ask the Lord to measure our hearts.
48:58
Father, we ask you with many verses that were shared and many
49:03
thoughts and observations that were made, that You would not
49:05
allow us to lose touch with how this speaks to us personally.
49:13
And so we pray, Lord, that you would receive glory and honour
49:17
for helping us understand these verses.
49:21
And Lord, thank you for leading us and guiding us to the truth
49:25
of how you who evaluate and assess should be mindful of your
49:34
omniscience in our own lives. So Lord, even now we pray that
49:39
from head to toe, if there's anything that we know that we've
49:42
been harboring, justifying, trying to hide in the walls of
49:46
our hearts behind certain closed doors, things that nobody else
49:51
may know about. But you see, we pray, Lord,
49:53
today, use it, use this service, use this time to cleanse us and
49:58
to purge us and to renew us. Lord, only you can do that.
50:01
By the power of the Holy Spirit, man can only go so far.
50:05
So Lord, we surrender our hearts to you.
50:07
We pray that your power would be made known in the sanctuary.
50:12
We give you praise and glory and honor in Jesus name, Amen.
50:16
If you need to do business with God and you prefer sitting down
50:21
to speak to Him, remain seated. You don't have to stand up with
50:23
everybody else. I want to give you this time to
50:25
actually commune with the Lord. If you want to stand and you
50:28
want to sing, you can do that as well whenever you're ready.
50:30
But I just really want to take this time to respond to Him and
50:33
to seek Him. And so let's just do that for
50:36
these next few moments. We're in His house and we've
50:38
heard from Him, so let's give the time to speak to Him now.
50:41
Again, if you want to stand, you can do that.
50:43
If you want to remain seated, you're free to do that as well.
50:45
But let's just at least seek the Lord before we close this
50:48
service officially.