Understanding Revelation (12:15-16)

"The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth."

(Revelation 12:15-16)

The swallowing of the flood by the earth is a further allusion to the Exodus and Israel's wilderness experience. The flood swallowed Pharaoh and his armies (Exod. 15:12). And later the earth swallowed the families of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, who were in rebellion against Moses (Num. 16:31-32). In both OT instances, God caused the earth to open and swallow that which opposed the establishment and welfare of His people. Interestingly, both Isaiah and the Psalms say that God defeated the evil dragon when He divided the Red Sea to allow Israel through, but closed it again over Egypt (Ps. 74:13-14 [where Leviathan represents Pharaoh]; Isa. 51:9-10), and Ezekiel. 29:3 and 32:2-3 identify Pharaoh with the sea-dragon. And so here, the allusion to the exodus deliverance once again connotes God's preservation and deliverance of His people and defeat of the serpent. The purpose of the protection as it was in Exodus, is to guide the church in the wilderness to the "place" prepared by God for her, which is a sanctuary of protection. 

(G.K. Beale)

Understanding Revelation (12:15)

"The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood."

(Revelation 12:15)

The devil's persecution of the church is pictured here. That picture is as are John's other metaphors of weapons coming out of someone's mouth. These figurative weapons represent words by which Christ and His agents judge sinners or by which the devil and his agents deceive people.

In the OT, "flood" speaks of an army spreading out to conquer, and of persecution of God's people by enemies from whom the Lord delivers, which is the idea in mind here. (Psalm 144:7-8;11) is noteworthy because it is a prayer that God would deliver David "out of great waters," which is a picture of those who speak "deceit and...falsehood."

The devil attempts to destroy the church from within (using deception) and without (using persecution). Just as the serpent deceived the first woman with words, so he attemps to deceive the latter-day woman with a flood of words (2 Cor. 11:3). Satanic agents in the form of false teachers, compromisers, and demons infiltrate the church in order to deceive her to contribute to her demise. 

(G.K. Beale)

Understanding Revelation (12:13-14)

"And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time."

(Revelation 12:13-14)

In verse 13, John returns to describing the battle which rages on the earth between Satan and the woman, this time as the battle takes shape after Satan is cast down from heaven. 

The apocalyptic symbols John uses draw upon Old Testament images of the Exodus. In Exodus 19:4, the Lord says to Israel, “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” As YHWH had done for Israel, so now he does for the woman, preserving her in the wilderness for the now familiar period of three and a half years, this time spoken of as “a time, a times and half a time.”

(Kim Riddlebarger)

Understanding Revelation. (12:10-12)

"And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"

(Revelation 12:10-12)

No longer can Satan enter heaven and make accusations against the saints! For they overcome the Devil by the blood of the Lamb, since their sins have been paid in full, and since Christ’s blood washes them, removing every hint and trace of sin. How can Satan accuse us of anything, since God himself has cleansed us from our sins? The saints don’t fear death, nor do they fear Satan, who can kill the body but cannot touch the soul. But, as John warns his reader, woe to the earth, for Devil has been cast down, and he is furious because his time is short.

(Dr. Kim Riddlebarger)

Understanding Revelation (12:7-9)

"Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world-he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

(Revelation 12:7-9)

John describes the same period of time, yet from a different perspective–not that of the struggle on earth between the woman and the dragon which we see throughout the greater  drama of redemptive history–but this time a “behind the scenes glimpse” of the cosmic and heavenly struggle, which culminates in the banishment of Satan from the presence of God. Once the woman has given birth and the Messiah has come, Satan suffers a great defeat. Again, John describes this in apocalyptic terms, as a war between angelic beings. Says John, “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he [the Dragon] was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.”

As a result of this defeat, says John, “the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” This is what Jesus is speaking of in Luke 10:18, when he says, “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven.” This is the same event described by John in Revelation 20, when the thousand years (the millennial age) begin. “And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.” Therefore, having been defeated by Jesus Christ, Satan is cast down to the earth, banished to abyss, bound by the preaching of the gospel, and now enraged because his days are numbered. But like a mortally wounded animal, Satan is more dangerous now than ever.

(Dr. Kim Riddlebarger)

Revelation (12:6)

"And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days."

(Revelation 12:6)

This recalls to mind a number of Old Testament events. God kept Israel safe during their 400 years of Egyptian captivity as the people of Israel dwelt safely in Goshen while God’s judgment fell upon Egypt. During the Exodus, God protected Israel in the wilderness while providing them with manna. Just as God provided for Elijah, when he was feed by ravens while hiding in the wilderness (1 Kings 17:2-6), so now God provides for the woman, throughout the entire period of time between Christ’s first and second coming (the 1,260 days).

This, of course, means that the church is the new Israel, protected from Satan’s attacks and given everything she needs during her exile in the wilderness until at last she enters the promised land. Therefore, the church, like Israel, is in the midst of a great exodus from the city of man (John has already called it “Egypt”), wandering in the wilderness, protected by God who feeds us with bread from heaven and who gives us living water, until one day, he will bring us to the promised land, the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem.

(Dr. Kim Riddlebarger)

Understanding Revelation (12:5)

"She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to His throne,"

(Revelation 12:5)

The theme of Christ’s rule is threaded throughout the book of Revelation, leaving no doubt the identity of the Child. We must see the woman as the church that bore the Son; and in time, we must see the Son redeeming the church, which then becomes his bride. The language comes straight out of Psalm 2 concerning the Lord’s Anointed: “Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, you shall shatter them like earthenware.” Another reading for “break” is “rule,” which the Septuagint translators picked up on and John uses here.

John capsules Christ’s birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, exaltation, and coronation in one verse! Here he incorporates the life, death, and resurrection by using ascension and coronation language. So, as John explains how the Christian deals with Satan’s opposition and attacks, he does so by focusing on the triumph of Jesus Christ. We find the centrality of the gospel, not hocus pocus or clever formulas or twelve steps, in resisting the adversary’s assaults.

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation. (12:4)

"His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it."

(Revelation 12:4) 

“His tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth,” indicates his power and strength. This is not meant to be taken literally, because the earth could not contain a third of the stars of heaven! It likely is reference to the angels that fell with Satan now making up the demonic hoard intent on attacking everything godly and good.
The dragon’s ambition can be seen in verse 4. He waited for the woman to give birth so that “he might devour her child.” As we will see, the child refers to Christ. Throughout the history of the world, Satan has sought to subvert and destroy the godly seed through which Christ would come. The background is Genesis 3:15. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Satan’s goal was to destroy the line through which Christ would come. So often the promised lineage of the Messiah faced extinction: at the flood, in Abraham having no heir, in Jacob facing Esau in the wilderness, in David being hunted down by Saul, in the wicked Queen Athaliah killing all heirs to the throne except Joash, in Haman’s plans to destroy all the Jews, in Herod’s attempt to kill all the baby boys around Bethlehem. But God preserved our Savior so that He might go to the cross on our behalf and deliver us from the dominion of Satan! Now Satan’s rage is transferred to the Church.

(Dr. Phil A. Newton)

Revelation (12:3). "The Red Dragon"

"And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems."

(Revelation 12:3)

The use of “dragon” to represent the devil probably originated from the Old Testament’s use of Leviathan, Behemoth and Rahab as creaturely embodiments of evil. It also, just like our day, gave the original audience a mental image of one who is vicious, intent on harm, and who cannot be trusted. J.R.R. Tolkien captures some of this in the Hobbit as he describes the powerful dragon Smaug, that ruined life for the men below his domain, keeping them in fear and dread. The red color reminds us of the second horseman representing war (Rev. 6:4), and rightly so, because he “went off to make war with the saints" (Rev. 12:17). The distorted “seven heads and ten horns…and…seven diadems,” indicates the devil’s completeness in conquering the world after usurping the authority given to man in the Garden. 

The dragon dominates the world by governing global empires, principal authorities, political movements, and philosophical ideas. We see the evidence of his corrupt, deceitful domination throughout the globe, showing up in not only tyrannical rulers but weak and unethical politicians, immoral media figures, greedy businessmen, and a host of others. 

With the background of Daniel chapter seven’s devouring beast with ten horns, the dragon opposes everything that is from God.

(Phil A. Newton)

Revelation (12:2). "The Woman"

"She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth."

(Revelation 12:2)

The woman's birth-pangs refer to the persecution of the covenant community and the messianic line during Old Testament times and especially the intertestamental period leading up to Christ's birth.

The suggestion is that the woman is being tormented and suffering as she attempts to give birth, which fits with a picture of the faithful Jewish community being persecuted in the period leading up to the birth of Christ.

The ultimate source of John's vision here is the prophetic word given in (Genesis 3:14-16) that after Eve's pain in childbirth, her seed would bruise the head of the serpent. The woman, representing God's covenant people, gives birth to the One who will take back what was lost in the Garden.

(G.K. Beale)

Revelation (12:1) "The Woman"

"And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."

(Revelation 12:1)

There is the radiant woman. That woman symbolizes the church. Scripture emphasizes the fact that the church in both Old Testament and New Testament is one. It is one chosen people in Christ. It is one tent; one Vineyard; one family-Abraham is the father of all believers whether they are circumcised or not-one Olive tree; one elect race, royal priesthood, holy nation, people for God's own possession; one beautiful bride; and in its consummation one new Jerusalem whose gates bear the names of the twelve tribes and whose foundations are inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles. 

On earth this church may appear very insignificant and open to scorn and ridicule; but from the aspect of heaven this same church is all-glorious: all that heaven can contribute of glory and of splendor is lavished upon her. She is clothed with the sun, for she is glorious and exalted. She has the moon under her feet, for she exercises dominion. She has on her head a wreath of twelve stars, for she is victorious.

(William Hendriksen)

Revelation (11:13) A Few Things To Contemplate.

"And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven."

(Revelation 11:13)

When the church is gathered into His bosom, then God’s wrath falls upon the world. “And in that hour there was a great earthquake”—a term always portending God’s judgment falling—“and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” John emphasizes that the world watches as God delivers the church from the world. But it watches with dismay and terror. The reaction is great fear falling upon them, terror at the reality that the church is indeed the people of God, and its gospel message is indeed truth and life. The numbers used are not to be taken literally, but indicate the beginnings of God’s wrath falling in significant impact. Even those under God’s wrath without any more opportunity to respond to the gospel, will understand their plight so that they “gave glory to the God of heaven.” This is not a new surge of evangelism but a period when God makes even His enemies to acknowledge that He is Sovereign Lord (Phil. 2:9-11). 

Here are a few things that we must contemplate:
1. The church is on God’s schedule. When the church has finished its gospel work, then the world faces God’s wrath.
2. The church must not grow discouraged in the work. The Lord sustains us until He is ready to take us to glory.
3. The world will grow increasingly hostile toward the gospel. Don’t let this surprise you. But know that a day of reckoning will take place.
4. The gospel will not always be proclaimed in the world. For those among us who are unbelieving, God has shown mercy to you by allowing you to be under gospel ministry. The day will come when that is over. If you have not repented and trusted Christ as your Redeemer and Lord, then you will give glory to God, but not as His follower but as the object of His wrath.
5. Let the church hear the call of the gospel to go forth and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ!

(Phil A. Newton)

Revelation (11:11-12) "The Two Witnesses"

"But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here!" And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them."

(Revelation 11:11-12)

Here is something of the pattern of Christ in His death and resurrection and ascension now belonging to the church. 

John’s use of the past tense envisions the certainty of this future work taking place. Here is the true “rapture” of the church, to use a much misused term. Here we find the church called into the presence of Christ forever. The church will be gathered to Christ but only after its mission is finished and the opposition of the world has run its full course. But Satan will not have the last word! Just as Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended to the Father, so also will all believers in the world at this time.

The forebodings of the world’s hatred that we see at present will be multiplied one day until the voice of the gospel is silenced in the world. But it is only silenced when the work is finished. That means, while God gives us opportunity, we must be about the mission of the gospel. The day will come when we can no longer speak the gospel; and the world can no longer hear the gospel to be saved. So, let us not grow weary in gospel work. Let us tell the good news broadly!

(Phil A Newton)

Revelation (11:9-10) "The Two Witnesses"..cont.

"For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth."

(Revelation 11:9-10)

The scene shows a slaughtering of Christians whose gospel work is completed. The brief time of three and a half days envisions a short period that the world exults over the destruction of Christianity and elimination of the gospel. “And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.” What the world has desired since the emergence of sin comes to fruition. The voice of the good news is silenced. Men are given over to their sin. The gospel that they considered to be tormenting is silenced. Only a few believers who desire to bury with dignity their fallen brethren are left. And even this dignity is denied to heap more shame and dishonor upon the church of Jesus Christ. Though now dead and silenced, the world continues to dredge up more hatred and animosity for the gospel that tormented them with conviction.

(Phil A. Newton)

Revelation (11:8) "The Two Witnesses"...cont.

"And [the two witnesses] dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified."

(Revelation 11:8)

This introduces the aftermath of the witnesses' death. The picture here probably indicates not a literal and complete extermination but that the true church will seem defeated in its role of witness, will appear small and insignificant throughout history may be temporarily silenced (as in parts of the world even today), a universal silence will fall on the church at the very end of history. And just as small groups of believers continued to exist through earlier local and temporary silencings, so a small remnant of witnesses remain in the future scenario of verse 8. 

The great city is compared here to Sodom (because of its wickedness) and to Egypt (because it persecuted the saints). The city is to be understood symbolically, this means that the city is not located in any one geographical place but is to be understood as any ungodly spiritual realm existing on earth. The last clause, where also their Lord was crucified, continues the spiritual description of the city begun by the identification with Sodom and Egypt.

In this light, the world city is also spiritually like Jerusalem, which had become like other ungodly nations, and even worse, by killing Christ. In John's time, the reference to "the great city" would be primarily to Rome and any of its allies, since it was the center of the ungodly empire which persecuted God's people at that time.

(G.K. Beale)

Revelation (11:7) "The Two Witnesses"...cont.

"And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,"

(Revelation 11:7)

This gospel age is going to come to an end. [(Matt. 24:14) "This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."] The church, as a mighty missionary organization, shall finish it's testimony. The beast that comes out of the abyss, that is, the anti-Christian world, urged on by hell, shall battle against the church and shall destroy it. The beast will not kill every believer. There are going to be believers on earth when Christ comes again, although they will be few in number [(Luke 18:8) "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"] but the church itself, as a mighty organization for the dissemination of the gospel and regular ministry of the Word, will be destroyed.

By way of illustration, think of conditions in Communist China at the present time(1967); to be sure, there are sincere believers in Communist China, but where is the powerful, official, unhindered and public proclamation and dissemination of the Gospel? And is not this condition spreading to other countries? 

(William Hendriksen)

Understanding Revelation (11:5-6)

"And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire."

(Revelation 11:5-6)

Verses 5-6 emphasize answered prayer and spiritual power in the face of worldly opposition. The identification with Moses and Elijah reinforces that God works on behalf of the church as He did with them. Fire fell from heaven and devoured the company of soldiers that came to arrest Elijah. He prayed and rain did not fall for three-and-one-half years. Moses and Aaron turned the water of the Nile into blood, and struck Egypt with plagues. Christians must recognize that the call to gospel ministry is not a call to walk in our power or ability. It is a life of dependence upon the Lord. Here is the assurance that the Sovereign Lord answers the prayers of His people in the furtherance of the gospel. Again, the language is not to be taken literally, but rather applied to strengthen our faith and resolve to trust the Lord who has commissioned us as ambassadors of His kingdom, preaching the gospel of repentance to a sinful world.

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (11:3-4) pt.2

"And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth." 

(Revelation 11:3-4)

PART 2:

These messengers “prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth,” the same timeframe of their opposition by the world. As we see in (Rev. 10:1-7), the ministry of the gospel is not forever; there’s a terminus for that gracious work. “Sackcloth” was the garment of mourning and repentance. It indicates that the prophetic work conveys a message of repentance, as well as a sense of grief at the rebellion of the world against the gracious provision of God through Christ. “These are…the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth” indicates the source of the church’s power and strength for ministry. The lampstand in Zechariah’s prophecy indicated the power of the Holy Spirit. “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts” (4:6). Standing before the Lord of the earth is similar language borrowed again from (Zechariah 4:14) to indicate God’s messengers anointed by the Spirit, living in God’s presence. The significance is that the two witnesses—the church—would take a message of repentance to the world, and would do so by the strong presence of the Lord’s Spirit upon them.

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (11:3-4) Part 1

WEDNESDAY 

"And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.  These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth."

(Revelation 11:3-4)

PART 1:

The same God that gives authority to the nations—the world in opposition against God and His people—to trample the church, is the same God that gives authority to His two witnesses to carry out gospel ministry.

Who are the two witnesses with this prophetic authority? Some identify them as the reappearance of Moses and Elijah or Elijah and Enoch or other figures. But the literal use of “two” doesn’t seem to fit the context. The symbolism in “two” has significance for several reasons. First, Deuteronomy 19:15 required that every word of testimony be established by the mouth of two or more witnesses. So, two witnesses proved the reliability of the word spoken. Second, Jesus sent out His disciples in their gospel ministry two by two. It reflects the pattern of the earliest Christian evangelistic work, giving some indication of the content of the prophetic work by the two witnesses. Third, “the two olive trees” phrase borrows similar images from Zechariah 4. He spoke of Zerubbabel and Joshua as two olive trees serving prophetically as king and priest in the renewed Jerusalem and rebuilt temple after the exile. Similarly, just as John has already told us, Christ has made His redeemed to be priests that reign upon the earth (Rev. 1:5-6; 5:9-10). Rather than seeing “two” as a literal number, it seems more in keeping with the passage to indicate this as another symbol for the church on mission in the world.

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (11:2)

"But do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 

(Revelation 11:2)

If the temple signifies the church dwelling in the midst of Christ's and God's presence, the outer court (which is part of the temple) must therefore represent the church and its exposure and vulnerability to the world system in which it lives. The "holy city", which is to be trodden underfoot, is equated with the outer court. In Revelation, the "holy city" refers either to the future heavenly city or two it's earthly manifestation in the form of the church (Rev. 20:9: "they... surrounded the camp of the Saints and the beloved city"). As Revelation develops, we shall see how the world system is ruled by demonic forces. Yet believers must live within it and remain physically unprotected in the midst of persecution.  They will suffer as they maintain faithful witness to Christ in the midst of a pagan society, but they will be kept spiritually safe. Note that both parts of the temple (inner and outer court) belong to God, and the period of trampling down of the outer court (and the holy city) will cease, at which point all creation will be restored under the rulership of Christ.

What, then, is the significance of the forty-two months? If the picture here of the "temple" and the "altar" is symbolic, then so is that time period. The reference is to the time of tribulation prophesied by Daniel either as a "time, times and half a time" (three and a half years or forty-two months) or as one thousand, three hundred and thirty-five days (the equivalent). For Daniel, this lay far off in the future, but for John it has begun, starting with the resurrection of Christ and continuing until His return.

(G.K. Beale)

Understanding Revelation (11:1)

"Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there,"

(Revelation 11:1)

The measuring is equivalent to the numbering and sealing of the church. Several indications reinforce this.

 First, John is told, as part of his ministry, to measure three things: “the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.” The measuring rod is similar to the image in Ezekiel 40-48 where the prophet in exile travels with an angel to measure the re-established and re-constituted temple. It will be the source of spiritual life flowing throughout the world, as a mighty river flows from the temple to give life to others. It is a picture of security and triumph in the Lord. John borrows from this prophecy and applies it to the church.

Jerusalem’s temple had already been destroyed by the Roman General Titus in 70 A.D., so there was no temple or altar to measure. The message reinforced throughout the New Testament is that once Christ died and the veil into the Holy of Holies was split from top to bottom, indicating that the way to God was forever opened through Christ, the physical temple had no more usefulness in God’s economy (Hebrews 7-10). Instead, the church had become the temple: “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16) The church is “being fitted together…growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:21-22). Peter uses similar language in (1 Peter 2:4-10). The overcomers in Philadelphia, Jesus said would be “a pillar in the temple of My God” (Rev. 3:12). So, “the temple of God” in this passage alludes to the church. Just as the temple in Jerusalem was God’s dwelling place, now, with the completed redemptive work of Christ, the church is His dwelling place.

Third, “the altar” is a repeated term in Revelation. It is associated with the believers in the presence of the Lord who had been killed for their testimony of the gospel, now crying out for God to avenge their blood (6:9). It’s the place where the prayers of the saints are as incense in God’s presence (8:3-5). It emphasizes being in the presence of God (9:13; 14:18; 16:7). “Measuring the altar’s dimensions,” signifies that the saints have access to God and enjoy his protective care. At the altar they are safe. “Those who worship in it” further indicates, the redemptive people of God being marked out or measured by the Lord. How do you measure worshipers but by numbering them as people of God’s care?

Here’s the point that John makes. God knows His own, marks them out carefully, and secures them with His presence. The church is accounted by Him.

(Dr. Phil A. Newton)