The Measuring Rod of God

 

Then I was given ma measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 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. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for p1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11:1-3 ESV).

 

As we come to Chapter 11 of John’s vision of heaven, the apostle is told to measure the temple of God and to count the worshipers. Perhaps the point of this exercise had to do with how many people could come into the temple courts to worship. John was very familiar with the size of the old temple in Jerusalem. It was enormous by that day’s standards, yet it would be large enough to handle all the people now gathered around the throne in worship.

 

Over the last five decades I have peached in many different venues. In each of the situations the size of the buildings and the number of people in attendance were widely different. One of the first churches I preached was a small rural church near Bryan-College Station. It was a very cold winter day. The Director of Missions for the area had called an asked me to fill in for them in the absence of a pastor. Mary and I arrived at the church to find an empty parking lot. We were a bit early, but it still felt odd. Soon an elderly man arrived in his farm truck. He greeted us kindly and asked why we were there. I informed him I was asked to preach that morning. He was surprised at that and replied that they didn’t know anyone was coming to preach. As a result, they had canceled the services and he was only there to make sure the heat was on so the pipes would be protected from the cold. He was very quick to say that he would make some calls and get the people to come. At the start of the service we had four people in attendance which included both Mary and I. Mary played the piano, I led the music (with gusto, if not clarity) and I preached. It was a delightful experience.  

 

I’ve also preached in large auditoriums with over a thousand in attendance. However, the size of the building and the number of the attendance were never the primary concern. The primary concern was always the Gospel. This is the message God has for John. The “two witnesses” are introduced that they would prophecy, declaring the truth. In our current culture we have seen the rise of a need for bigger churches and bigger numbers of people. I would say that our focus must be away from “bigger” and more toward “purity of message.” We can practice that in our personal lives as well. We, too, should use the measuring rod of God.