SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/15/2015
8:21 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The Temple
Measured PT-2
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Revelation
11:1-2
Message of the
verses: “1 Then there was given me a
measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, "Get up and measure the
temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. 2 “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 under foot the holy city for forty-two
months.”
When I was listening to the sermon that John MacArthur
has on these two verses he made a statement that I think was rather unusual for
him to make, and that is that he had studied these two verses for ten years and
finally found out what he believed they were referring to, and then spent the
rest of the sermon explaining what he had learned. We actually went over what he learned as part
of our last SD on these two verses, but I wanted to cover in a bit more detail
some of the things that he has covered in his commentary about them as he seems
to many times bring out the Greek words to make the passages more understandable,
so as I said in our last SD there may be some things repeated in this SD we
will still go forward with it.
Unlike the prophecy in Ezekiel where we see that there
was a man or an angel to do the measuring and Ezekiel did the recording in John’s
vision he is involved in the measuring of the temple, which as we discussed is
the Tribulation Temple John MacArthur points out that the Greek word for
measuring is Kalamos “refers to a
reed like plant that grew in the Jordan Valley to a height of fifteen to twenty
feet. It had a stalk that was hollow and
lightweight, yet rigid enough to be used as a walking staff (cf. Ezek. 29:6) or
to be shaved down into a pen (3 John 13).
The stalks, because they were long and lightweight were ideal for use as
measuring rods.”
Now we did discuss that there were two reasons for
measuring in the Bible as one is for destruction and the other for ownership,
and in this case it was for ownership, but as we will see he leaves a part of
it out and that is the key to understanding this passage.
MacArthur goes on “Naos
(temple) does not refer to the entire temple complex (cf. v. 2), but to the
inner temple, made up of the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. The ‘altar’ is probably the brazen altar,
located outside the inner sanctuary in the courtyard, since that is where ‘those
who worship’ in the temple would have gathered.
The people were never permitted into the inner temple; only the priests
could enter the Holy Place (where the incense altar stood; cf. Luke
1:8-10). The worshipers in John’s vision
depict a remnant of believing Jews alive during the Tribulation who are
worshiping God.”
In MacArthur’s commentary he states that there will be
five temples built and I have always felt that there would be four. The one he points out that is different than
the one that I had heard of was Herod’s temple and I had thought that that
temple was only remolded by Herod of the temple that Zerubbable built on the
return of the Jews after the Babylonian captivity. We know according to Daniel 9:24-27 that
there will be a Tribulation Temple and I want to point out something that I
learned years ago that has something to do with the rebuilding of the temple in
Israel today, the temple that will be the Tribulation Temple. It was back in the 1990’s that I listened to
a man named Rob Linstead (not sure of the spelling) who told of a little known
passage found in Numbers and also mentioned briefly in Hebrews. The story of the “Ashes of the Red Heifer” is
something that is important to the rebuilding of the temple in Israel. When the young lad found the “Dead Sea
Scrolls” there was in them something called the “Copper Scrolls,” and it was in
them that, as Linstead says, is the directions to where the ashes of the red
heifer are located. Why is this
important? Well in Moses’ day they did
the first sacrifice of the red heifer and the children of Israel had to find a
perfect red heifer and take it outside the camp and burn it and then take the
ashes and put them into a container which was called a corlile (again not sure
of the spelling). These ashes were used
to purify things including the articles that were in the tabernacle and
eventually in the temple that Solomon built.
Linstead says that there have been three of this in the history of the
Jews and the last one was done around the birth of Christ. In 70 AD when the Romans came into Jerusalem
and destroyed the temple the “Ark of the Covenant” along with other things
including the ashes of the red heifer, according to Linstead were hidden in a
cave near the Dead Sea. There was a man
named Jones who actually was Indiana
along with some help from college students was trying to find these ashes. Now here is where the story gets kind of bizarre. Jones was standing outside the cave he was
searching for the ashes in when some Hollywood producers came by and began to
talk to him about what he was doing.
Well the rest is history as the “Indiana Jones” movies came out of this
chance get to gather in front of this cave in Israel. I use to have a video of the original “Indiana
Jones,” hat and all taking about finding the ashes of the red heifer.
Now we have spoken of Romans 11:26 in earlier SD’s which
says that one day “all Israel will be saved,” and it is believed that this
speaks of the time of the Tribulation when this will occur. Perhaps when the temple is rebuilt in the
future, which will be in the first half of the Tribulation when it is believed
that Antichrist will allow this to be done as a part of the treaty with Israel
to bring peace in the Middle East, that this will bring a kind of revival in
Israel. MacArthur writes “The reinstitution
of the temple worship will reawaken interest on the part of many Jews in the
Messiah. Many will realize that ‘it is
impossible for the blood of goats and bulls to take away sins’ (Heb. 10:4. God will use that dissatisfaction to prepare
their hearts for the day when He will ‘10 “I will pour out on the house of
David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of
supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they
will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly
over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 “In that day there will
be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain
of Megiddo. 12 “The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the
house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house
of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house
of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by
itself and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every
family by itself and their wives by themselves. 1"In that day a fountain
will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for
sin and for impurity (Zech. 12:10-13:1).”
The rest of the passage found in Revelation 11:1-2 speaks
of “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 under foot the holy city
for forty-two months.” We have stated
what this means, that God will deal with the Jews during this time period which
speaks of why the court of the Gentiles is not measured. Now the “forty-two months refers to the last
part of the Tribulation period when the most severe judgments will take place. It
will be at this time when what Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24: 15-20 will take
place: “15 “Therefore when you see the
ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet,
standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then those who are
in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 “Whoever is on the housetop must not go
down to get the things out that are in his house. 18 “Whoever is in the field
must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 “But woe to those who are pregnant and
to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 “But pray that your flight
will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.”
We know that many will flee Jerusalem and those that stay will be under
harsh tribulation.
I hope that this passage is more understandable as it is
not one that is easily understood, and it seems to me that the Lord had me
study this passage and the one in Ezekiel at the same time to help me better
understand both of them, for which I am thankful.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: God measures and
also seals what and who belongs to Him.
I read in the book of Ephesians that I have been sealed by the Holy
Spirit: “Eph 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the
message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were
sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance,
with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His
glory.” I am thankful for this sealing showing
to me that I belong to the Lord forever.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To love the Lord with all of my heart, soul,
mind, and strength, and to live in the love of God.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Cornelius” (Acts 10:30).
Today’s Bible
question: “In what city did the jailer
ask, ‘What must I do to be saved’?”
Answer in our next SD.
5/15/2015 9:23 AM
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