Measuring the temple of God
And the Two Witnesses
In Rev. 11:1, 2; there was give John a reed like unto rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein In this passage of the scripture we have the measuring of the temple with a reed as a rod, symbolizing the church and the word. The temple symbolizes the church, and the rod symbolizes the word. The measuring of the courts were left out, for it was given to the gentiles (unsaved), and the holy city (the visible church) would they tread under foot forty and two months which symbolizes 1,260 years
Why does John need to measure the Church? Why would the ministry measure the church today? See Eph. 4;7-13, First I must say the word stature means; Solid carved and cast image of a person – Webster. The church of God is supposed to be the spitting image of Jesus Christ. And the only way you can tell that she is the image of Christ is by sizing her up by the word. This is how one can know if he is in the true church or not. If the congregation I attend which is a image of body, does not match up to the word, which is Christ, then I am in the wrong place, even if it has the name church of God above the door.
Measuring the altar
In looking at this scripture, I must first determine which altar is be referred to here. Because the table had two altars, one was the Altar of Burnt Offering which was in the Courtyard before the Laver and Curtain, which was the entrance to the holy place. The other altar, was the Altar of Incense, or Altar of Consecration, which was in the first room (holy place), before the vail, where the Ark of Covenant was. The Altar of Incense is where the High Priest offered up Incense to God. Why was it necessary to measure this altar, because this typified the believer’s consecration and dedication to God. No flesh was to be burnt on that altar. For flesh shall not glory in His eyesight. All flesh must be slain, for Jesus to reign.
Measuring the worshippers
Why measure the worshippers, because them that worship God must worship him in spirit and truth. John 4.20-24.
The Two Witnesses
The two witnesses mentioned here symbolize the word and the Spirit (John 5:39; Matt 4:4; 1 John 5:8). These scriptures prove the word as a witness and Spirit as a witness (Heb 10:15; Rom. 8:16). This time symbol of 42 months (1,260 years), using one day for a year up through time, denotes the period of time when the word and spirit was clothed in sackcloth, or they were obscured from sight, they did not have preeminence among man openly, they were grieved and forced to mourn (sackcloth) at the present condition. During this time period, even though the church was hid from view and the Apostate church had risen from the people. God yet had a people during this 1,260 years, even though the word and spirit was grieved and mourning in sackcloth and ashes. The Gentiles (Roman Catholicism) was the only visible church in view and the true worshipper of God was hidden in God’s secret holy place. There were a people that God was nourishing and filling them with oil and the light of his word. See Zech. 4th chapter. We get the truth relative to the olive trees. The prophet saw a candlestick with seven lamps and two olive trees, one on the right side and the other on the left side. They each had golden pipes from the tree to the candlesticks. He tells us in verse 6, that his is the Word and by might but by my Spirit, saith the Lord. The Church of God survived in the Holy place of God and was feed by his Spirit. In Zech 14:14 he said, “These are the two anointed ones”
So the two witnesses are the anointed ones. The oil piped from the olive tree into the candlestick and the candle gave the light. The word and the Spirit during this dark age of 1,260 years feed the church, the body of believer scatter throughout the earth.
5And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies; and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
6These have power to shut heaven, that it rain 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.
7And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that
ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall
overcome them and kill them.
8And 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.
In the foregoing scriptures these two witnesses had prophesied for the period of 1,260 years. The beast that ascended up from the bottomless pit made war with them, and killed them.
This was the Protestant Beast in Revelation 13:11. he came from the bottomless pit. The Dragon was thrown down into the pit and this beast came up from the pit, speaking like a dragon. Remember a bottomless pit; symbolizes a religion with no bible foundation. Now in A.D. 1530 we see the dragon being re-introduced in the form of a lamb like beast. He made war with the two witnesses. He killed their influences, He took away their governing power.
For 350 years there were no local congregations of the real church divine in the earth with Christ as head. The spirit of man rule became the head of the church. There was no visible church, according to the New Testament. They were dis-assembled and were scattered by the two horn beast. The two witnesses lay in the street of the great city, spiritually called Sodom (spiritual wickedness) and Egypt (spiritual bondage). The same is true of Christians in protestant churches today, they are yoked up with wickedness and bondage of unregenerate folks. Many today are crucifying the lord afresh and putting him to an open shame in the denominational churches, by the life they are living.
The three days and a half would symbolize 350 years of when the word and spirit to be put in graves, or covered up as in days of Papalism, but were open in the hands of the people.
The sending gifts from one to another would mean that during the 350 years the ministry received their credentials and places to work as gifts form men, but the divine plan of God in gifts is from above. Paul said that He was not of man and neither sent by man (Gal. 1:1)