Why does the temple of God matter so much in Scripture? In Revelation 11, John is given a reed like a measuring rod and told to measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there – while the outer court is given to the Gentiles, who will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
In this message from our series Revelation: Jesus Revealed – The View Behind The Veil, we trace the temple of God through the Bible: the past temple, from the tabernacle Moses built to Solomon’s magnificent temple and Herod’s temple; the present temple, as Israel has been regathered to her land while the Dome of the Rock stands on the Temple Mount; and the future temple that will stand during the Tribulation, when the abomination of desolation foretold by Daniel and Jesus is set up in the holy place.
Most personally, believers are the temple of God today. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, bought at a price, so glorify God in your body and in your spirit – and one day, in the new heaven and new earth, there will be no temple at all, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
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Revelation 11:1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel
stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who
worship there.
Revelation 11:2 But 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.
Revelation 11:19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark
of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises,
thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
I. THE PAST TEMPLE OF GOD.
Exodus 25:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
Exodus 25:8 And let them make Me a sanctuary,that I may dwell among them.
Exodus 25:9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle
and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.
In the first five books of the Bible nearly 400 verses are explicitly allotted to
describing the form, materials, and furnishings of the tabernacle\temple.
Yet only 31 verses in the book of Genesis are devoted to the creation of the world.
Psalm 138:2 I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for
your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the
honor of your name.
1 Kings 6: 38 “…So he was seven years in building it.
1 Kings 7:1 But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he
finished all his house.
The Illinois Society of Architects estimated, in 1925, that it would have cost
87 billion dollars.
If that Temple were built in our day, its cost would approach $500 billion dollars
An initial sum of $87 billion 100 years ago (1926) would be worth approximately
1.64 trillion today.
Haggai 2:3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And
how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing?
Ezra 3:12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses,
old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the
foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud
for joy,
Jewish historian Josephus described Herod’s Temple this way:
“When the morning sun hit the golden sections, it flashed so brightly that people
nearby had to turn away, while travelers seeing it from afar thought the white
stone walls looked like snow on a mountain.”
John 2:18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to
us, since You do these things?”
John 2:19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three
days I will raise it up.”
John 2:20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and
will You raise it up in three days?”
John 2:21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.
II. THE PRESENT TEMPLE OF GOD.
Psalm 79:1 O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance; Your holy temple
they have defiled; They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.
Jeremiah 16:15 “…‘The Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the
land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.’ For I will
bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.
Ezekiel 36:24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all
countries, and bring you into your own land.
III. THE FUTURE TEMPLE OF GOD.
Revelation 11:1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel
stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who
worship there.
Revelation 11:2 But 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.
Luke 21:24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive
into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of
the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Daniel 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the
middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing
of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation,
which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”
Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken
of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),
Revelation 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven
and the first earth had passed away.
Revelation 21:22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the
Lamb are its temple.
IV. THE PERSONAL TEMPLE OF GOD.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the
Spirit of God dwells in you?
1 Corinthians 3:17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him.
For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your
body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6:13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—-
and God will destroy both one and the other
Psalm 17:15 “… I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.
1 John 3:2 “…. we shall be like him.
