OUR FATHER WHOSE TRUE WORSHIPERS WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

The book of Revelation chapter 11 verse 1 ( x chapter 10 verse 13) says this;

I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. 

Verse 2 then reads this way.

But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

The Apostle John, in his great vision, was given a measuring rod with which to measure the temple of God and its altar along with its worshippers but in verse 2, he was told to exclude the outer court because it had been given over to the gentiles.

Getting measurements with a measuring rod is the quantifying of the dimensions of a physical space or object.

The temple and the altar, being fixed three dimensional objects, could readily be measured but extending the exercise to the measurement of the worshipers seems to be invoking a different scale. For a hint of what this might be, let's look at the book of John chapter 4 verse 24 which says this;

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

If the worshipers at the altar in the temple of God are worshipping in the spirit, then what is being measured are the spiritual and truth dimensions of their worship.

However, as long as the gentiles are in control the outer court of the temple, there is no spiritual worship of God taking place because the gentiles are not moving in the spirit or in truth and thus there is nothing for the Apostle John  to measure.

Amen.