Matthew Poole and continuators on Revelation 11:1

1 AND there was given to me a reed like a rod , And the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God , and the altar, and them that worship therein o.

The next words tell us the use of this Reed. It was a measuring Reed, such a one as Ezekiel in his Vision, (Ezek. 40.3.) saw in the Mans's Hand. There, the measuring was in order to a Rebuilding, here, in order to preserving.

We cannot well understand what followeth, without understanding the Structure of the Temple. The Iews, for the place of their Worship, had first a Tabernacle, then a Temple. The Tabernacle was a moveable House, which they took down and carried about with them in their Journyings, and pitched down when in any place they pitched their Tents. We read of it, Exod. 40. we read but of one Court in that, into which only the Priests and Levites entred; the People were without it, pitching their Tents round about it. It had in it an Altar of Gold for Incense, Exod. 40.5. which stood before the Ark, v. 26, 27, and v. 29. and an Altar for Burnt-offering which stood by the Door of the Tabernacle. The Temple was built by Solomon, 1 King. 6. and afterwards rebuilded by Zorobbabel, upon their return out of Captivity. That was builded with two Courts, an inne[illegible: 1 letter] Court, 1 King. 6.36. in which was the Altar; and an outward Court, which is called the great Court, 2 Chron. 4.9. and in Ezekiel many times the outward Court. This is called the House, in the first Book of Kings, ch. 6.17. It was in length forty Cubits; the Oracle was within it, v. 19. where stood the Ark covered with the Cherubins. Into the inward Court the Priests and Levites only came; into the outward Court came any of the Israelites. Herod, upon the additional Building to the Temple, added another large Court, called the Court of the Gentiles; but that not being of God's Direction, nor in Solomon's Temple, or Zorobbabel's is not here mentioned. This Temple was a Type of the Church under the New Testament, 1 Cor. 3.17. 2 Cor. 6.16. and is so to be interpreted generally in this Book. For the material Temple at Hierusalem was destroyed by the Romans more than 20 years before this Prophecy, never to be builded more; not one stone was left upon another; so that Iohn here was bid to measure the Church.

Yet not the whole Church, but that part of it, which the inner Court typified; the Altar, and those that worshipped within that space where that was, which of old were only the Priests and Levites; and under the New-Testament signified those who were to be an Holy Priesthood, a Spiritual House, those that should offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable through Iesus Christ, 1 Pet. 2.5. who could indure a measuring by God's Reed, the Word of God.

Marginal references: Ezek. 40.3, &c.