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.
At this stage of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the dwelling place of FATHER, Jesus Christ, and the Sons are all in the Temple as opposed to the outer court and the holy city. HIS Presence has not yet spread to all of mankind, only the Sons. We shall see in the end, HIS dwelling place will be the entire holy city with no need for a separate Temple and this bespeaks of the full restoration of all mankind. HIS Glory is moving from the inward aspect of the Temple to the outward ends of the earth until it fills the entire earth. In the book of Isaiah, he saw in a vision this reality:
Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!”
This earth is to become HIS Holy city! All of the vessels of dishonor will be ground to dust and reformed into vessels of honor able to receive HIS Glory:
Revelation 21:22 But I saw no temple in it (the holy city), for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
Doesn’t this book then also qualify as a Gospel of good news describing the works of Christ? Couldn’t we then refer to this as the fifth and final Gospel, the one of grace and mercy? Think about it!
The progression of time marches on as we now have greater clarity of the vision originating out of HIS Divine Intent of Love. It is not just to save 5% of mankind and burn up the rest, but instead it is to redeem all of mankind, even from the depths of hell. At this juncture in the vision, the firstfruits are the focus and they are called to operate in their gifts and callings to bring forth the final aspects of the vision- the Holy city where HIS Fullness dwells therein.
As we embrace this spiritual reality, we see the physical city of Jerusalem brought to ruin in our hearts. We no longer yearn for a temple built with hands in a distant land hoping for the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY to reside there. HE now resides in our own temple not made with human hands but HE is the One Who formed us in the womb. We were being formed as future lively stone in the silence of the womb and without hammer or chisel.
Those who confess Jesus Christ as their Savior comprise the outer court, just outside the Temple. They have not received the revelation of being a Son, a member of the Order of Melchizedek, but nonetheless they reside close to the Temple and have taken up residence close to the Temple. These will be served by the Remnant and will more readily receive the fullness of the Revelation of Jesus Christ thus they make up the second “third” of mankind. They are not to be measured yet. At a personal level, the outer court represents our flesh and it will align with the Living Word after the inner man has come unto full perfection. Redemption of the body will come last.
The unmeasured will continue for a period of time. The most precious Truths leading the Sons into the Temple have not been embraced by those who are simply satisfied with the salvation of their souls. Among them are those who have gone on to the revelation of Pentecost and understand the Kingdom at a deeper level yet they are satisfied with the earnest of the SPIRIT and go on about their daily affairs. Some have let their lamps grow dim and have failed to keep their lamps “trimmed”. There is no need to measure them against the standard of Jesus Christ yet. Their time will come when they are face to face with Christ and bow their knee to truly worship Him. For now, they don’t seek the high calling or the intimate relationship with FATHER. They focus on the external hoping that somehow all their rituals will bring forth blessing and glory.
To tread or trample under foot means: To beat down with the feet so as to crush, bruise, or destroy. The “Gentiles” or the nations will continue to operate in dishonor and pursue a path of death and destruction for a period of time. Neither has their hour come yet. They will continue on in their carnal path without regard to the revelation of Jesus Christ. They represent the final “third” but they too are called to be fully restored. Remember the promise given to Abraham in Genesis 22:
15 Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,
16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—
17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
What great news! Can you see how those who “tread down” this Gospel have interpreted the Good News into bad news are not ready to be measured? Their eyes and ears are closed to the mysteries. They remain outside the Temple for their own good. HIS Presence would overwhelm them to the extreme. Our Loving FATHER will deal with them at the appropriate time. Their immaturity needs no measurement. HE will let them be for now.
“Leave out” means to cast out or thrust out. This would denote a rejecting of those who are not among the worshippers, the Sons. This is the same Greek word used to describe Jesus casting out the moneychangers who were in the temple. They were ejected because their carnal nature ruled them. Each of us must cast out that “Gentile” nature of the ego, carnal thinking, and anything else opposed to HIS Divine Intent of Love. The outer darkness is where this carnal nature resides, the furthest point away from HIS Glory.
Forty-two months is half of seven years. It is a number or symbol of incompletion. Incompletion is another way to express failure. Some will trample the Gospel to the point of personal failure. Some have called it a history book. Others have called it a book of opinions. They are moving toward failure, their time of incompletion for they are not called to be spiritually mature and proceed through the “seven” years of perfection. They view themselves as “self-made” and do not have eyes to see. If this number of forty-two months had been intended to be literal, then men would have known the day and the hour of HIS coming. Yet I have heard hundreds of prophecy teachers claim to have unlocked the mystery of his coming over the years. Without exception, their predictions were wrong. Often they would add a caveat to their prediction and defer their prediction out further into the future. Didn’t they hear right the first time? At what point do you call them a false prophet. Only Our Heavenly Father knows the exact point when the Sons are to be fully qualified and measured for duty. The rest will be left unmeasured until it is time for them to be harvested.