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Day 23 Revelation 11 Revelation 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth, and devours their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rains not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10 And they who dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them who dwelt on the earth. 11 And after three days and a half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe comes quickly. The Angel, Jesus, gave John a rod and told him to measure the temple, but not all of it, only the area where the true worshipers worshiped God in spirit and in truth. Jesus told John not to measure the outer court which was an area given to Gentiles, or unbelievers. God told Moses to build a tabernacle and gave him the measurements for the temple. There would be an inner court where the altar stood before the Holy of Holies and the outer court for Gentiles, those who came to worship God but were not Jews, because only Jews could enter the inner court. The tabernacle Moses made is an exact representation of the tabernacle in heaven. The temple Jesus told John to measure was not a physical temple, but a spiritual one. Paul said those who accept Jesus as Savior and Lord are temples where the Holy Spirit dwells. As Christians, we are the church of Jesus Christ, the body of Christ. We are temples not built with hands, but built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. This is the temple Jesus told John to measure. As Christians, God will measure you for faithfulness and obedience to His Word. If you are found wanting, you will reside in the outer court of the Gentiles, those who haven’t embraced the full gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who add to the gospel for their own glory and not the glory of God. God will not share His glory with anyone. Therefore, the rod given John is a rod of faith to measure true believers in Jesus Christ. Jesus then told John about the two prophets who would testify about Jesus Christ. They would testify for the first half of the Tribulation, forty-two months. Then the Antichrist would make war with them and kill them. However, after three and a half days, God would bring life back into them and they would ascend to heaven. It is this restoration and ascension that many believers believe to be the mid-Tribulation rapture of the church. Until now, all the judgments have been directed at those who rejected Jesus as Savior and Lord to give them a last opportunity to accept Him, and many do during this time and would come under persecution because they accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. As I’ve mentioned before, I believe those who accepted Jesus before the Tribulation started are no longer on earth but with Jesus in heaven. When God restored the prophets to life, you see many accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Who are the prophets? You see a description of them. There are many thoughts as to who they are. Moses is considered because of the plagues mentioned. Also, Elijah because shut up heaven so it didn’t rain for many years until he prayed and the rains descended. Paul told Christians that every person dies once and is then before the face of God. 2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (KJV) There were also two people with Jesus in the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah. However, consider Moses died and God buried him. Elijah did not die. There is one other person in Scripture who never died, Enoch. Genesis 5:21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. (KJV) Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (KJV) As soon as God restored them and translated them to heaven, He brought an earthquake killing 7000 people and of those not killed, many believed and put their faith and trust in God. How do you measure against God’s measuring rod? Which court do you stand in? Let’s pray: Father, let me be found faithful as You measure me with Your rod. Help me walk in You all the days of my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 21 July 2019 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay