Revelation 11:1-2 & 19
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 to the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

…

And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament…

Rev. 13:4-6
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

Where is the temple of God? Many surmise that the book of Revelation speaks of an earthly temple in earthly Jerusalem. Yet interestingly, the Apostle John clarifies throughout he book that the ‘city of God’ is New Jerusalem, and that the temple is in heaven.

EX: Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in he house of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write on him… the name of the city of my God which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God… (Rev. 3:12)

And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. (Rev. 14:17)

In fact, a simple word search shows that the name ‘Jerusalem,’ which appears three times in the book the Revelation (3:12, 21:2, 21:10) is in every appearance throughout the book only speaking of New Jerusalem.

The city of earthly Jerusalem is indeed mentioned in the book in one passage unambiguously, however it is not called by the name ‘Jerusalem;’ it is given two very different names.

When the two witnesses are killed by the beast from the abyss, it is said:

And their dead bodies shall lie in the streets of that great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (Rev. 11:8)

Of course we know that the Lord was condemned to death in earthly Jerusalem and killed just outside the gates of that city. John is clearly refering to earthly Jerusalem – for Christ was crucified there – yet he does not call it by that name; neither does he refer to it as the ‘holy city’ (as people often call it today) but calls it the ‘great city;’ and says its spiritual name is Sodom and Egypt. This paints a very sharp contrast in context between New Jerusalem and earthly Jerusalem in the book, but the concept is not foreign from the New Testament (see also Gal. 4:22-31).

Likewise, the temple is mentioned several times in the Revelation, and in every case is contextually speaking of a heavenly – not an earthly – temple (EX: 3:12, 7:15, 11:19, 14:15 & 17, 15:5-8, 16:1 & 17).

If, then, Revelation 11:1 & 2 where John is told to measure the temple is a reference to an earthly temple – despite the clarifying verse at the end of the chapter stating that the temple is in heaven (where John is during most of the vision) – it would stand alone as the only instance in the book which refers to an earthly temple.

I’ve heard the question posed about why the historical destruction of he temple in 70 A.D. is nowhere referenced in the book if it were written in 95 A.D. as believed; in actuality the Revelation is not talking about the earthly temple, or earthly Jerusalem as careful study of the context shows.

The book was written on the premise of Christian doctrine in which Christ had already fulfilled the law and the prophets, including the establishment of the eternal temple not made with hands.

For example:

Ezekiel 37:24-28
24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

28 And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

Zecheriah 6:12-13
12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord:

13 Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

According to just these two passages, it is Messiah – the ‘Branch’ and the offspring of David: Jesus Christ – who will establish the temple in the last days. Furthermore, according to these, it will be the eternal temple [or ‘tabernacle’] that He establishes. So… are we still waiting for that to happen? Now that we know Messiah has come, let’s let the New Testament scriptures answer that question:

Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of Majesty in the heavens. 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. (Hebrews 8:1 & 2)

Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldy sanctuary.

…

But Christ being come an High Priest of good things to come, by a greater, and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building. (Heb. 9:1 & 11)

According to Old Testament scripture, Messiah would bring the ETERNAL [not temporary] temple when He came, and according to New Testament scripture, He did. Old Testament prophecies also speak of eternal Jerusalem, yet again the New Testament witness declares that earthly Jerusalem is not eternal nor the fulfilment of those prophecies, for speaking of earthly Jerusalem it is said:

Hebrews 13:14
For here [on earth] we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.

Again John in the Revelation accordingly confirms that it is New Jerusalem that is the city of God.

Jesus declared Himself to be the temple, or more specifically, He declared His BODY to be the temple (John 2:19-22), which also John’s doctrine only further confirms in the Revelation:

Revelation 21:2-3, 22
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

…

22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb are the temple of it.

Paul also teaches that the Church is Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12), and subsequently the temple. Here’s another New Testament prophecy hidden in the teachings of Paul which explains a great deal about the work and destruction of antichrist if we have eyes to see it:

1 Cor. 3:16 & 17
Know ye not that YE are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

IF ANY MAN DEFILE THE TEMPLE OF GOD [antichrist], HIM GOD SHALL DESTROY; FOR THE TEMPLE OF GOD IS HOLY, WHICH TEMPLE YE ARE.

In the context of this verse, Paul is talking about false teaching in the Church, and the corruption of factions. The temple of God is defiled by false teaching. What if there were a teaching which seemed to be biblical, but denied that Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets? Would that not be the very definition of an ‘ANTI-Christ’ teaching? Would it defile those who believe it? The writers of scripture believed so.

What if there were a teaching which seemed to be biblical, but which denied the power of Jesus’ blood? If we believed such a teaching and no longer had faith in His blood for our salvation… would we still be saved? Without BELIEVING in the atonement, without trusting Christ?

Such a false teaching would defile the temple of God indeeed; which temple ye are. But the prophecies also declare there will be a great great delusion, and a ‘falling away:’ (2 Thess. 2:3 & 11-12) the defilement of the spiritual temple, the Church is when the people of God believe teaching that negates Christ as the fulfilment, and as our salvation. Only a great delusion could do this, and it would constitute a falling away, and the desolation of the Church.

Do you seek to speed the day that the ‘third temple’ is built? Do we surmise that the prophecies speak of an earthly temple, and the sacrifice of animals who could never take away sins?

Hebrews 10:1, 4
1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of those things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

… For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

The perfect sacrifice was made once for all, and the Lord has established the perfect tabernacle not made with hands. This is the teaching of the early Christians, and the New Testament writers.

The covenant prophesied is fulfilled in the shed blood of Christ, the tabernacle is fulfilled in New Jerusalem: the Church, and all Israel is united together into the kingdom of David, yet those who do not believe in Messiah do not percieve it – also according to the prophecies:

Isaiah 6:9 & 10
9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of the law, and the prophets; He has ushered in the Kingdom of God, and we all can enter in. There is no promise of another covenant, and temple to be fulfiled, for the everlasting one is established eternal in the heavens – and this is the everlasting covenant and tabernacle promised by God through the prophets.

Consider these passages again:

Revelation 11:1-2 & 19
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 to the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

…

And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament…

Rev. 13:4-6
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them…

The temple is in heaven; but the outer court: the physical body of Christ, the Church in the earth is the ‘outer court’ and the bride of Christ is the holy city of God, New Jerusalem which will be persecuted by the antichrist kingdom ‘forty-two months.’ These passages are in direct correlation: the gentiles [heathen] will tread on the outer court 42 months, this is the reign of the antichrist kingdom to whom will be given power over the saints and all nations 42 months. This antichrist kingdom espressly blasphesme the true tabernacle of God, and those who dwell in heaven: Jerusalem.

To blaspheme these, the antichrist will teach this same doctrine prevalent in the contemporary end time theology: that Jesus did not fulfill the promises, that He did not establish the eternal tabernacle, that his blood has no power to save, but instead we must build an earthly temple, we must honor an earthly city, we must offer sacrifices ourselves. All these defiling teachings blaspheme the True tabernacle in heaven (by making an earthly temple superior to the spiritual one), and them that dwell in heaven (by making an earthky city, and a human genetic race superior to the Church of the Living God: New Jerusalem). And of course, it blasphemes God by making animals blood equal or superior to Christ’s blood shed for you.

Beloved be not deceived, Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of the temple; all who believe in Him shall be saved. Be not defiled with teachings that elevate an earthly city, temple or sacrifice.

Heb. 13:10-14
10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.

12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.

See also post: The Abomination of Desolation