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Revelation 11:1-2
The Apostle John has just been given the little book from the hand of the mighty angel and has eaten it as he was instructed to do (Revelation 10:8-11). As the little book, or the Word of God, is sweet to those who welcome it into their lives, it is bitter for those who love God to see others refuse Him. In measuring the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there (Revelation 11:1) is taking account of the Christian population – those who are truly obedient to God with a sincere heart to following Him in salvation through Jesus Christ. John was instructed in Revelation 11:2 (NKJV), “2But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.” This reference to the “Gentiles” is believed to be directed to those who are not believers and saved through Christ Jesus as was those the Apostle Paul referred to in 1 Corinthians 5:1 declaring, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles – that a man has his father’s wife!” This reference to “Gentiles” is found in other places in Scripture such as in Paul’s teaching to flee from idolatry in 1 Corinthians 10:14-22 as Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 10:20, “Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.” The mighty angel continues in his instructions to John in Revelation 11:2 stating, “And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.” This is the persecution that the Church will face from the secular community – the “Gentiles” as Paul has described in 1 Corinthians.
This is a promise of the weighing of the Church; the dividing of the sheep and the goats.
Jesus declares in Matthew 25:31-32, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.” I believe that there will be many people in heaven that we may not expect to see there, but their hearts are right with God through salvation in Jesus Christ. I also believe that there will be an absence of many people in heaven that we may expect to see there because their hearts are not right with God but are proud and arrogant as were the Pharisees. But what matters to you and to me is…is your heart right with God, and is my heart right with God? Are we striving to let people see what we want them to see on the outside superficial crust and trying to hide our inner sins so that no one really knows who we are, or are we striving to present ourselves humbly and sincerely to God by opening our hearts to Jesus, and giving our inner sins to Him to forgive and cleanse us from them? The Bible teaches us in John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Receive Jesus today – open your heart for His Holy Spirit to come into your life and make you a new person, and you too will be a child of God.
Dear LORD,
The scholars debate today’s Bible passage of possibly being the most difficult to interpret in the whole Bible. We do not know everything about You, but we know that You love each of us and desire that we open our hearts to You through salvation in Jesus Christ, Your One and only Son who You sent to save the world from sin (John 3:16-17). Please let it be so LORD, and lead us to Jesus. In Jesus name I pray, amen.