The temple described in Revelation 11 is
the Tribulation temple.

There is no temple today during the church
dispensation. The Church is the temple of
God. Ephesians 2:20-22 " And are built
upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the
chief corner stone;
In whom all the building fitly framed
together groweth unto an holy temple in
the Lord:
In whom ye also are builded together for
an habitation of God through the Spirit.

God recognizes the Jewish temple, even
though it is built by willful men.

"Jesus called the temple that excisted when
He was on earth as "my Father's house"
John 2:16, yet it was built by the wicked
Herod, who slaughtered the babies of
Bethlehem. It was a matter of dispensation.

The reason God "measure" or recognize a
Jewish temple in Jerusalem is because it is
a matter of dispensation. It is time for the
budding of the fig tree, and for Gods to
recognize the Jews.


A great number of the Jew will continue on
in unbelief and will suffer judgment. But
there is a remnant whose unbelief is melting
away. A few are publicly accepting Jesus as
their Messiah.

After the church is taken out of the world,
God turns back to the Jews to begin graft-
ing them into the good olive tree.

Just as the Jewish church had become
corrupt and was rejected of God, so will
the Gentile Laodicean Church with its
lukewarmness, be rejected and spued out
of His mouth (Revelation 3:16).

The gospel was first presented to the Jews.
Because of their unbelief, they were 'cut off '
from their own 'olive tree',
and the Gentiles
were grafted in.

However, in the end, when
"the fulness of the Gentiles
be come in",
the Jews would be grafted back.

Romans 11:21-25
" For if God spared not the natural
branches, take heed lest he also spare not
thee.
Behold therefore the goodness and
severity of God: on them which fell,
severity; but toward thee, goodness, if
thou continue in his goodness: otherwise
thou also shalt be cut off.
And they also, if they abide not still in
unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is
able to graff them in again.
For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree
which is wild by nature, and wert graffed
contrary to nature into a good olive tree:
how much more shall these, which be the
natural branches, be graffed into their
own olive tree?
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be
ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be
wise in your own conceits; that blindness
in part is happened to Israel, until the
fulness of the Gentiles be come in."

This present Church dispensation began with
the Jews.

But they rejected Paul's Good News and, "he
shook his raiment and said unto them, Your
blood be upon your own heads; I am clean:
from henceforth I will go to the Gentiles."
Acts 18:6

The last 1900 years has been the Gentile
Dispensation.

The heavenly messenger also gives a time
limit in Daniel 8:10-14, when the sanctuary
will be cleansed - a period of 2300 days.
"Unto two thousand three hundred days;
then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."

This means that the Great Tribulation, the
judgments of the Day of the Lord, and the
cleansing of the sanctuary all must take
place within a little over six years.

Since the tribulation itself lasts three and
a half years, the judgments of the day of
the Lord cannot last longer than about
three years. Probably less, for it also in-
cludes the period of the cleansing, after
the judgment is over.

The heavenly messenger that spoke to
Daniel, gave a time limit for the Tribulation,
the judgments, and the cleansing of the
sanctuary.

To understand the messenger's information,
there is an event called "abomination of
desolation" which is when the Antichrist
desecrates the Jewish Temple in the middle
of the seven years.

Jesus said it starts the 'Great Tribulation'
which is the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribu-
lation Period (Matthew 24:15-22).

The Fifth Trumpet took about 5 months,
Revelation 9:5, "And to them it was given
that they should not kill them, but that
they should be tormented five months:
and their torment was as the torment of
a scorpion, when he striketh a man."

The first Four Trumpets probably lasted
a few days. A lot like other judgments,
God doesn't delay, once they are poured
out, He works speedily.

There are two witnesses testifying during
the Great Tribulation
Period.


This is one of the most
important times in the
Book of Revelation.

The Two witnesses are martyred during
the Sixth Trumpet, also called the Second
Woe [Revelation 11:12-15].

The length of time of their public testimony
is 1260 days or 3 1/2 years [Revelation 11:3].

The Antichrist during that time reigns 3 1/2
years or 42 months; same as the two
witnesses [Revelation 13:5].

The Antichrist kills the two witnesses [Rev-
elation 11:7]. It shows that these witnesses
begin their ministry about the same time
the Antichrist is fully revealed.

Though the Two Witnesses are
resurrected
and raptured during
the Sixth Trumpet,
its clear that they
began
their testimony
3 1/2 years earlier near
the start of the Great Tribulation.

John was given a "reed unto a rod". He
was given a reed which looked like a rod.

When property is possessed or redeemed
there must be a survey and an inventory.

Here, John has the rod. He, as an apostle,
is the divinely instituted representative
of the Church. And the Church is to take
part in judging the world.

"Do ye not know that the saints shall
judge the world?" 1 Corinthians 6:2

"And there was given me a reed like unto a
rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and
measure the temple of God, and the altar,
and them that worship therein. But the
court which is without the temple leave out,
and measure it not; for it is given unto the
Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread
under foot forty and two months."
Revelation 11:1-2

Until now, John has been a spectator of
what was happening in heaven. With the
eating of the little book, he is taking part
in what is to take place.

Though John represents the whole Church,
he is not the sole-inheritor of the title-deed.

In the last verse of Revelation 10, the
Mighty Angel [Christ] tells John, "Thou
must prophecy again before many peoples,
and nations, and tongues, and kings."

This indicates a break in the prophecy.
This switches now from heaven to earth.

We have seen what is happening in heaven.
We shall see the development of events on
earth, resulting from what has happened in
heaven.

The enforcement of judgment upon the
world is the bitter part of the little book.

Before the earth can be taken over by the
saints, it must be purged and cleansed.

No one can find pleasure in that. No one
can find pleasure enforcing judgment on
those who deserve it. God Himself says,
"I have no pleasure in the death of the
wicked."

John, by eating the little book, received the
title-deed to the earth.

Men have tried for ages to get conrol of the
world, but the saints inherit it! "Blessed are
the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

The victory is sweet!

But it becomes bitter, when the saints have
to enforce possession away from the wicked.

"And I went unto the angel, and said unto
him, Give me the little book. And he said
unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall
make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy
mouth sweet as honey.
And I took the little book out of the angel's
hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth
sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten
it, my belly was bitter." Revelation 10:9-10

By opening the seals of the book of the
title-deed, Christ is taking possession of the
earth so that He can give it to His saints.

John, one of the apostles, "caught up into
heaven" (Revelation 4:1), an official of the
raptured Church, by eating the book, is
receiving the title-deed of the earth.

"And the angel which I saw stand upon
the sea and upon the earth lifted up his
hand to heaven,
And sware by him that liveth for ever and
ever, who created heaven, and the things
that therein are, and the earth, and the
things that therein are, and the sea, and
the things which are therein, that there
should be time no longer:"
Revelation 10:5-6

There was to be no more time (delay of
time). The time allowed for Satan to do
his thing on the earth was over. Now it
ends.

The judgments of God are cutting short
the days of his wickedness.

"And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion
roareth: and when he had cried, seven
thunders uttered their voices.








And when the seven thunders had uttered
their voices, I was about to write: and I
heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,
Seal up those things which the seven
thunders uttered, and write them not."
Revelation 10:3-4

God sealed the Seven Thunders. Some
times He has a purpose in withholding
certain details concerning His plans to
prevent Satan from being able to take
advantage of this knowledge.

It may be related to the fulfillment
of God's purpose to take the kingdoms
of the world from Satan.

The fact that Satan legally got the earth
away from Adam and it was recognized by
God, shows in Satan's remark to Jesus in
the wilderness temptation when Satan....
"And the devil taking him up into an high
mountain, shewed unto him all the kind-
doms of the world in a moment of time.
And the devil said unto him, All this power
will I give thee, and the glory of them; for
that is delivered unto me; and to whoever
I will I give it." Luke 4:5-6

Adam betrayed the trust God gave him.

When he obeyed Satan in the Garden of
Eden, he legally gave the earth to Satan.

Romans 6:16 say "Know ye not that to
whom ye yield yourselves servant to obey,
his servants ye are to whom ye obey. . . ."
Adam obeyed Satan and became his servant.

The earth hasn't belonged to God. So Christ
has to take back legal possession of it.

God created the world and it belonged to
Him but He then gave legal stewardship or
dominion of it to Adam:

" And God said, Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness: and let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and
over all the earth, and over every creeping
thing that creepeth upon the earth.
So God created man in his own image, in
the image of God created he him; male
and female created he them.
And God blessed them, and God said unto
them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth, and subdue it: and
have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowl of the air, and over every
living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 1:26-28

The book in Revelation 5, held the title-deed
to the earth. Now with the book open, Christ
stands on land and sea. He is determined to
take possession of the earth.

His purpose in taking over the earth is to be
able to give it to the saints. In the next scene
He gives the book to John, who is the official
representing the Church.

"And the kingdom and dominion, and the
greatness of the kingdom under the whole
heaven, shall be given to the people of the
saints of the most High, whose kingdom is
an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions
shall serve and obey him." Daniel 7:27

Christ is the Mighty Angel.

The little book in His hand is the same book
that He had in Chapter 5.

In that chapter, a sealed book is handed to
Christ. He was the only one found worthy
to open it. He looses the seals so the book
can be opened.

When Christ, in Revelation 10, is seen, all
the seals have been loosed. He has a book
that is now open. This has to be the same
book.

No one but Christ had the right to open the
'little book' which contained the title-deed
to the earth.

To set foot upon the earth was the way to
take possession in the Old Testament.

God told Israel when they went into the
land of Canaan, "every place that the soles
of your feet shall tread shall be your".
Deuteronomy 11:24

He said the same thing to Joshua in his
book Joshua 1:3.

Now Christ will take possession, as He
stands on the earth and sea.

"And he had in his

hand a little book

open:

...........

and he set his right

foot upon the sea,

.........and
his left foot on the earth." Revelation 10:2

God had given the earth

to Adam and Eve.

Satan tempted them in

the garden of Eden

and they sinned which gave

the earth to Satan.

Here Jesus has come back

with the 'litte book' opened.

It is the title-deed showing that His death

and resurrection had bought back the earth and

He has come to legally possess it.

There are other references that can be associated
with Christ.

When the Angel speaks in Revelation 11:3, of the
Two Witnesses, he speaks of them as "my two
witnesses". This is proof that the Angel is Christ.

No created angel could make that remark. It is a
sure thing that this 'mighty angel' is the Lord Jesus.

The Angel is described in the words

"And his face as it were the sun" .

This is clearly the Person of Christ

of the vision in Chapter one.

In that vision, He walks

among the golden candlesticks and He looks were

"as the sun shineth in its strength".

Revelation 1:16

At the Transfiguration in Matthew 17:2 His "face

did shine as the sun".

He appeared in the brightness of the midday sun,

to Saul on the Damascus road.

In the Old Testament, He was spoken as "the sun

of righteousness, arising" with healing in his wings.

Malachi 4:2

The Angel has 'the rainbow

on his head'.

The Greek says "the",

not "a",

indicating a particular

rainbow.

The rainbow is seen in the fourth chapter as a part

of the throne of God.

The rainbow concerns the covenant God made with

Noah not to destroy the earth (Genesis 9:11-17).

This shows that though Christ will deal out judg-

ments, they will be a cleansing, preparing the

earth's regeneration, not to completely terminate it.

The angel in Revelation 10 is

'clothed with a cloud'

Clouds are associated with deity.

God manifested Himself at

Mount Sinai in a thick cloud.

(Exodus 19:16)

He went before the children of

Israel in a 'pillar of cloud'.

Christ represents Himself as coming in the clouds

of heaven (Matthew 24:30)

In Revelation 1 He is said to be coming as a King

"Behold he cometh with the clouds" verse 7.

The angel in

Revelation 10,

is identified as

Christ.

He is called a

'mighty angel'.

Comparing

angels to

humans they are all mighty, but from

other high angels this term is Almightiness.

In the book of Revelation, the word "angel" is used
for different kinds of persons. It can refer to good
angels or bad angels, even to Jesus Christ, Himself.

They may be identified by their descriptions. This
follows the rule that when Christ is mentioned,
some portion of the first chapter is repeated. There
is added the rainbow which was around the throne.
The rainbow is the sign of God's purpose to redeem,
not to destroy the world and the human race.

2011