the time is nigh - Testimony of Two Witnesses

Measuring the Sanctuary and the Myth of the Rebuilt Temple

The prophetic action of measuring the sanctuary in Revelation 11:1-2 serves to establish a clear boundary of divine protection and separation, but its meaning is often corrupted by the unscriptural insistence on a physical, rebuilt temple. The angel is commanded to measure the (inner sanctuary), the altar, and the worshippers, a symbolic act that factually marks the true spiritual church—the body of genuinely committed believers—for preservation from the judgments to follow. Conversely, the outer court (explained below) is commanded to be left unmeasured, exposing it to destruction as it is given over to the Gentiles to be trodden underfoot for forty and two months. This selective measurement strongly supports the Open Theism framework, confirming that the protection is conditional upon active worship ("them that worship therein") and is granted to the individual's fidelity, not merely the physical location.

The critical location is identified as the "holy city," which the text later anchors to a single, verifiable site: the "great city... where also our Lord was crucified" (Revelation 11:8), factually confirming Jerusalem as the ultimate stage. This "great city" is given the symbolic names "Sodom and Egypt," emphasizing its spiritual rebellion and political oppression at the time of the final events. However, the text does not contain a single declarative command that a third physical temple must be rebuilt in Jerusalem to facilitate the ministry of the Two Witnesses or the subsequent Abomination of Desolation. The ministry of the Witnesses itself is defined only by its power and its duration (1,260 days), not by a geographical constraint. Their witness is globally potent, and only their martyrdom, death, and resurrection are factually anchored to Jerusalem.

The popular belief that the two witnesses must stand in front of a rebuilt Jerusalem temple for 42 months, and that this physical structure is the stage for the final sacrilege, is an assumption derived entirely from typological inference and external theological consensus. This notion is factually unsupported by the text of Revelation. The true prophetic stage is the global sphere of their witness, which may occur through any means, including modern technology. The focus remains on the spiritual battle—the assertion of the Beast's authority within the Church, (2 Thessalonians 2:4) and the final test of allegiance—not the physical structure of a stone building. By promoting the unscriptural requirement of a rebuilt temple, the focus is dangerously diverted away from the verifiable spiritual test and towards an irrelevant geographical distraction.

Elucidation of the Unmeasured Outer Court (Revelation 11:2)

The command to leave the outer court unmeasured signifies divine abandonment and exposure to persecution, marking a clear separation between the spiritually protected faithful and the condemned world system.

I. The Factual Act of Exclusion

The action is definitive: the angel is commanded to "leave out, and measure it not".

The Measured Core: The inner sanctuary and the true worshippers are measured (this is an "election") for preservation and divine ownership.

The Unmeasured Court: The outer court is the area factually excluded from this divine hedge. This is not passive neglect but an active command of separation. The unmeasured status signifies that it is not appropriated for protection, reserving it instead for judgment.

II. The Nature of the Persecution

The consequence of this exclusion is immediately stated, revealing the nature and duration of the judgment to which it is exposed: "for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months."

Given to the Gentiles: The term "Gentiles" represents the worldly, hostile nations. The outer court is formally handed over to the control of the opposing, unrepentant forces (the Beast's system).

Treading Under Foot: This phrase symbolizes domination, occupation, and persecution. It is not a brief invasion but a complete, systematic subjugation of the physical and political realm.

Duration: This subjugation is strictly limited to forty and two months (3.5 years). This fixed duration confirms that the judgment on the outer court runs concurrently with the reign of the Beast (Revelation 13:5) and the core period of the Great Tribulation.

III. Spiritual Significance

The unmeasured outer court factually represents the visible, external aspects of the faith and the physically occupied holy city. By leaving it unmeasured, the Dynamic God decrees that the external shell of the faith and the geographical location will suffer the full force of the world's persecution and judgment. However, the true spiritual core (the worshippers within the inner sanctuary) is sealed and protected throughout the same period.