Revelation 11:1–2

11:1 John is given a measuring rod and instructed to measure the temple, altar, and worshipers in the temple. The instructions are reminiscent of what we find in Ezekiel, where a man is given a measuring reed to measure the temple (Ezek. 40:3, 5, 6). Later in Revelation, the heavenly Jerusalem descending to earth is also measured (Rev. 21:15–16; cf. Zech. 2:1–2). The measuring of the temple and the city means the temple or city will be built and will prosper and will be secure from attack. Some interpreters understand John to teach here that the temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt where the Dome of the Rock is presently, and that the altar will be rebuilt as well. It is difficult to be sure which altar John has in mind—the altar of burnt offering or the altar of incense (cf. Rev. 6:9; 8:3, 5; 9:13; 14:18; 16:7)—although the altar of incense seems more likely, since it is associated with God’s sanctuary. When we consider the apocalyptic genre of Revelation and the symbolism pervading the book, a literal reading is unlikely, and thus John is not thinking of the rebuilding of a literal temple or altar. Instead, all three descriptions refer to the people of God, so that the temple and the altar refer to those who worship God. Believers are called a “temple” because they are the dwelling place of God (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16), and indeed in Revelation 21:1–22:5 (cf. also Rev. 7:15) the whole universe is portrayed as God’s dwelling place. The worshipers are individuals of God’s people—they are God’s temple. They are also designated in terms of the altar, for their lives are devoted to and surrendered to God. To say that the temple, altar, and worshipers are measured is to say that God protects and watches over his people—they are under his care, his lordship, and his sovereign oversight.

11:2 John is told not to measure the courtyard outside the temple (cf. Ezek. 10:5; 40:17, 19, 20, 31). The courtyard is given to the nations, i.e., unbelievers, who will trample the holy city for forty-two months. Some interpret this to say Gentiles will literally defile the courtyard outside the temple for three and a half years and will control Jerusalem during this time. Such a reading is unpersuasive and fails to see the symbolism employed here. What John teaches is that the people of God will be protected by him; they will not face his wrath (cf. Rev. 11:1). Nevertheless, they will not be spared persecution from unbelievers. The “holy city” refers often to Jerusalem (Neh. 11:1, 18; Isa. 48:2; 52:1; Dan. 9:24; Matt. 4:5; 27:53). John uses the term elsewhere to refer to the city to come (Rev. 21:2, 10; 22:19), and in Revelation 21:2 the city is compared to a bride, showing that the city could also be a people (cf. comments on 21:1–2). We see a similar concept in Paul, who says the Jerusalem above is the mother of believers (Gal. 4:26). So, when John speaks of the holy city’s being trampled for forty-two months by Gentiles (cf. Ps. 79:1; Isa. 63:18; Dan. 8:11–14; Zech. 12:3; Luke 21:24),¹ he teaches that believers who are even now members of the heavenly city (cf. Heb. 12:22) are persecuted during this time period.

The Gentiles will trample the holy city for forty-two months. Some understand this number literally, taking it to refer to three and a half years in the tribulation period. John draws here on the seventieth week in the prophecy of Daniel (Dan. 9:24–27) and alludes perhaps to the three-and-one-half-year ministry of Elijah (Luke 4:25; James 5:17). I would suggest the seventh week in Daniel designates not a literal period of time but the final era in history, the time between Jesus’ resurrection and second coming. The number seven refers symbolically to this last period of time, and such a symbolic understanding fits nicely with the book of Revelation.

A symbolic reading also accords with the context of Daniel 9, for Daniel learns that the seventy years of exile described by Jeremiah actually refer to a much longer period of time. The meaning of Daniel 9:24–27 is intensely controversial, and space is lacking to defend what is suggested here. When Daniel says sacrifice and offering are ended for “half of the week” (Dan. 9:27), he most likely refers to the death of Jesus, which ended all sacrifices as the final and definitive sacrifice for believers (Heb. 8:1–10:18). Hence, the first half of the seventieth week ended with Jesus’ death and resurrection. John picks up the reference to half a week and applies it symbolically to his readers, designating the time after Jesus’ death when evil rules. Thus, half a week or forty-two months is not a literal period of time but refers to the entire period between Jesus’ resurrection and his second coming. It is described as half a week in dependence on Daniel 9:27. The half-week denoted here may have begun with Jesus’ death or resurrection, or, alternatively, with the destruction of the temple in AD 70, though the former is more likely. In either case, the time period symbolizes the period until Jesus comes again. John refers to this period of time in various ways. Here he speaks of forty-two months (cf. also Rev. 13:5). Elsewhere, he speaks of 1,260 days (11:3; 12:6) and of “time, and times, and half a time” (12:14), another way of speaking of three and one-half years. In every instance, the period of time is the same.

The three and one-half years is a time when evil reigns and the people of God face opposition. We see in 11:2 that believers are trampled (persecuted) by unbelievers (cf. Isa. 63:18; Dan. 8:13) during this time period. In 12:6 we learn that the people of God are nourished and protected by God for 1,260 days, and 11:1 communicates the same notion (that believers are protected by God) when it speaks of measuring the temple. Revelation 12:14 reiterates the same message after telling the reader that the Devil is trying to destroy the woman: even though believers face persecution and death, God is watching over them. In 13:5 we are told the beast exercises authority for forty-two months and during that time makes war against the saints (13:7). The experience of believers during this present evil age is complex. On the one hand, God protects and sustains his own. On the other hand, they face persecution and death at the hands of Satan and the beast. To sum up, forty-two months, 1,260 days, and time, times, and half a time all refer to the same period of time, when Satan and his allies persecute the church, extending from Jesus’ resurrection to his second coming.