V. Measuring The Temple

"There was given me." It does not say by whom; the statement is indefinite, would seem not to have been the Covenant Angel that gave the rod to St. John Angel must in that case have had it in His hand before, whereas in the description Revelation X 6, 8, 10, no hint is given of His having held anything besides the Book. The Book was in the Angel's left hand, for it was His right hand that He lifted to heaven when He made the oath (Revelation X 5, 6).

The Reed like unto a Rod

The reed came to St. John, not from Christ directly, but from whosoever at that time its possessor; yet under the Lord's eye and sanction. It was given in the course of God's providence, as was a crown to the Rider of the White Horse, and a great sword to Rider of the Red Horse, under the Seals.

"A measuring reed. like unto a rod." Whether by carving or ornamentation or otherwise, it had somewhat of the character of a rod or staff of authority. It was an official rod or septre, the emblem of princely or high magisterial authority. Each prince of a tribe brought one to Moses (Num. xvii.). The rod in the Vision symbolized the civil power, and it was given to St. John in token of the giving of magisterial authority to those whom St. John represented that is, to the Reforming Fathers for the purpose of measuring and: defining the Reformed Church.

"And one said, Rise." This implies vigorous and decisive action after inertness, and
success after depression.

"Measure the temple of God." The symbolic Temple in these Visions represents the Christian Church as to its worship; and here the worshippers themselves are included, and be measured as well. The symbolic measuring with the reed means, marking out the extent of the Temple and ascertaining exactly how much is Temple; defining the dimensions and limits of that which is really holy; marking off that which is profane, however near it may be in position to the holy; making careful and minute distinction between the servants of the true God and those who own allegiance to the Usurper.

The Outer Court

Here for the first time mention is made of the "Outer Court," within the sacred precincts, but outside of the Temple proper. St. John is bid to leave it without, or "cast it out." Here is no question of gathering in converts from outside; it is simply a casting out. Now at length these heathenized worshippers are solemnly denounced, and order is given to St. John to cast out or excommunicate them (compare John 9:34), as having really and manifestly, though not in profession, apostatized to heathenism. This paganized Outer Court, cast out by St. John under Divine sanction, seems no more recognized in these Visions as part of the Temple proper. The casting out implies, moreover, the Reformation of the earthly Church which had become heathenized.

"It hath been given unto the nations." The Angel was speaking while one of the twelve apostles was still alive on earth. The "treading under foot" had not yet begun when the Angel spoke; but it was to begin at some time after, and to continue forty-two mouths,
the same period (there is only one such period) named in Daniel vii. 25, as that of the supremacy of the Little Horn. The excommunication implies that these heathen worshippers had long existed, and had intruded themselves into the Temple, but were at last to be cast out. The "nations" of the Christian Apostasy occupy the outer court of the mystic Temple, because they make an outward profession of Christianity; but they are shut out from the Temple itself land its inner courts.

Under the Fifth Seal the Altar-Court, still undefiled by outward mark of any but the true worship, was yet silent and desolate of worshippers, and no voice heard, from it, but that of the souls of the martyred ones from beneath the altar.

In the scene before the First Trumpet's sounding, "all the saints," and they alone, appeared gathering to the altar and the altar-priest with their incense; while the rest of the professing Israel, though they might enter the court, mingled not in the altar-worship.

In the present altar-scene, far further on in time than that one, the charge to St. John,
as a representative man, to cast out the outer court, for it had been given unto the nations seems to show that those professedly proselyted heathen, who were still heathen in heart, had at this time long occupied the Altar-Court as if it were their proper place, the holy altar still standing indeed, as a witness against them.

Princely Authority Given

How was this great work accomplished, and on a scale of magnitude and notoriety corresponding with the symbolism of the Vision? Those to be now cast out had long ages professed themselves, and had been considered, Christ's true Visible Church "the temple of the Lord are we." All the governing powers and authorities Christendom were still Papal. Yet a reformed and purified Christian Church and worship had to be exhibited openly and publicly before the world, on a grand scale. How?

Princely authority was given to the Reformers, represented by the Reed or Rod put St. John's hands. A most important work had to be accomplished, quite out of the common, and the highest lawful authority had to be obtained. The extraordinary nature of the work to be done required the extraordinary intervention of some adequate authority; princely, not episcopal or priestly; indeed, it is implied that the chief ecclesiastical power at that era was directly hostile to those whom St. John represented.

The Royal Supremacy

The giving of the Rod represents the royal authorization of those whom St. John in impersonated, for the work of the Scriptural reformation of the Church enjoined upon from heaven. This is the very principle of the Royal Supremacy, so clearly laid down our Article 38.

By way of illustration we may compare the reformations under Hezekiah and Josiah.
The heathen abominations brought by Ahaz and Manasseh into the Temple and
Court were solemnly cast out; the building purified; injuries to the structure repaired;
the ancient worship re-established.

How and by whom was all this done? Of course the priesthood had to act in it, but did so by royal authorization. The earthly reigning princes, Hezekiah and Josiah, themselves the anointed of God for His service, as much as was the High Priest, acted therein with their authority. No priest could of himself have done it without a revolution; the High Priest's authority was insufficient, much less that of an ordinary priest, posing the High Priest had been on the wrong side.

By the king's mandate and authority the Jewish priests in each case carried out the of purification and reformation in the Temple at Jerusalem. They bore in their hand badge of princely authority as their earthly authorization. Their highest call indeed from above; but under God's directing providence the Royal authorization gave means.

Measuring the Temple

The Vision signified that after the resumption of Gospel-preaching, and the re-commissioning of Gospel preachers, there would be given princely authority to those who John represented; and at the same time they would be called upon to "Rise, and measure" the symbolic Temple. That is they would be directed as from heaven to some definition, constitution, reformation of the earthly Church in Roman Christendom. measuring, coupled with the casting out, implied the re-constitution as well as the definition of what was measured.

Measuring the altar and the worshippers meant to define as alone rightly belonging to the Church of Christ, such as in public profession and worship recognized what that altar symbolized, justification by Christ's sacrifice alone, and through none other Mediator but Him. The rest were to be cast out as apostate and heathen. The living representatives of true professing Christians would take possession of the mystic Altar, and cast out their enemies. Notwithstanding, this system of heathenized worship would still for a while appear attached to the Church Visible; God's time of endurance not having yet expired.

The Reformed Churches Organized

Down to Luther's leaving his Wartburg "Patmos" in March, 1522, in order to resume his public preaching, the established religion in Saxony and elsewhere was the Papal. His idea at first was little more than to secure from the civil power freedom for Gospel preaching. The rod of official authority had not yet been given to the Reformers to empower them regularly to constitute a Reformed Church.

But they were met by the difficulties of providing for the instruction and building up of the Lutheran congregations. Public worship and the administration of the Sacraments could not be conducted decently and in order without some measure of ecclesiastical organization and some plan of discipline.

Rightful Authority Given

The Elector Frederick, thoroughly convinced that the Reformation was in accordance with God's mind and will, determined on giving his authority for organizing the Reformed Churches. He died before this was done, but his brother and successor, the Elector John, in the autumn of 1525 assumed that supremacy in religious matters which, according to the Reformers, was the natural right of every lawful sovereign, and exercised the right with resolution and activity, by authorizing new ecclesiastical constitutions, modeled according to the principles of the great Reformer.

The Reforming Fathers rose up in their strength to execute the important commission entrusted to them of measuring, that is of defining and constituting, the Churches. After ages in which no orthodox Churches had been visible in the light of day, all suddenly, as by the Voice that called light out of darkness, these national evangelic Churches started into existence.

Measurements

New formularies of worship. on Gospel lines, were authorized and introduced. Romish images and superstitions were cleared away from Churches. Ecclesiastical revenues were appropriated to the Reformed parochial clergy and to schools. A fresh supply of ministers of the Gospel were ordained. A general Visitation of the Electorate was made in 1527-8 by Luther and others, on the Prince's order.

From 1526 to 1529 there was a calm in Germany, by which the Reformation profited to organize and extend itself. As the Papal yoke had been broken, an ecclesiastical order needed to be re-established. It was impossible in these Reformed Churches to corn the jurisdiction of the existing bishops. for these continental prelates maintained they were in an especial manner the Pope's servants. There were no Latimers, no Cranmers among them. A new order of things was therefore demanded, if the Church was to be saved from falling into anarchy.

Other Countries Followed

The organization at that time going on in Saxony exercised a powerful influence the German Empire. Like measures followed in other parts of Germany, in Den Sweden, England and Scotland. For this purpose the Rod was given by the civil authorities to the Reforming ministers. The Reformers did not utterly reject an institution because it had become corrupt; they rejected the abuse, and restored the use.

The Reformed Theology

The prominent characteristic of the Reformed Theology was that typified by the Alter in the Jewish Temple - salvation through Christ's meritorious death and His sole mediatorship. "Thou, Lord Jesus, art my Righteousness; but I am Thy sin. Thou hast mine, and given me Thine." A clear distinction was laid down between the righteousness of God and that of man; between the saving work done for us, and that wrought within us when we have learnt to trust in Christ's salvation.

It was not indeed alleged that previous generations had been wholly ignorant of truths, or had ventured openly to call in question the doctrine of free justification trust in Christ. But the Reformers one and all were persuaded, that if these truths not been denied, yet in later times they had been so grievously displaced, so completely pushed into the background, as to exercise far less than their due influence on the and characters of Christians.

Only One Mediator

They saw that practically a crowd of human and angelic mediators had been interposed between the worshipper and the Saviour Himself. They knew from their own experience how ideas of superabundant merit in the Saints, and of their prevailing intercession, so filled the spirit of the sin-stricken, that Christ was virtually shut out, and His all sufficient sacrifice and mediation practically denied. The blessed Virgin, and a multitude other beings with whom the popular imagination had peopled the heavenly places were thus exalted into rivalry with the King of Saints Himself, or else were allowed to intercept His grace and glory from the worshipper.

But in the countries in which the principles of the Reformation prevailed, all such creatures created Mediators were dethroned. Saints, priests, and even sacraments became subsidiary; the wall of partition that had been made to separate Christ from the believer was broken down; and in the blessed consciousness of spiritual freedom inspired by God's gratuitous mercy, now understood, all notions of human merit, of sufficiency of superfluous satisfaction, were utterly rejected.

Another fundamental principle of Reformation teaching was the truth that a man's religion is a personal concern; that he will have to appear personally before the judgment seat of Christ, there to be brought face to face with the great Searcher of hearts; that he will be dealt with as an isolated individual, responsible for his own gifts and opportunities; and that his eternal destiny will depend upon the issues of that judgment.

No Purgatory

So long as men continued to believe in a Purgatory, the most careless might hope that even if he died impenitent, there was room for correction and amendment afterwards, and that he might pass at last into the realms of the blest; moreover, the devotions and offerings of survivors might really be of advantage to him, Therefore he need not be deterred from his unholy ways by the prospect of the worm that dieth not and the fire that is not quenched. All these refuges of his were swept away by the Reformation.

The Reformed Confessions

Now were drawn up those celebrated Confessions of Faith, which were put forth as the standards of doctrine for their respective Churches. First the Confession of Augsburg, presented to the Diet and to the Emperor, June 25, 1530; then the Helvetic, the Gallican, the Belgic, and others; afterwards the English Articles, 1562.

These Confessions of Faith are the solemn promulgation of the principles of the Reformation. They may differ on non-essentials, but they are in admirable harmony on the grand fundamentals. They represent the" measuring" of the symbolic Temple and of its worshippers. and the leaving out of the Outer Court and the nations therein. (See Art. 19 of the 39 Articles.)

The Reformed Churches now appeared to view regularly constituted. This concludes the second grand epoch of the Reformation. The first embraces Luther's discovery of Christ the Saviour, and of the Usurper. The second includes the renewal of Gospel preaching, and the regular constitution of the Reformed Churches. The third-hereafter to be treated of, includes the political elevation of the Protestants. In this third epoch the Protestant body was officially recognized as legitimate in the empire, and as independent of the Roman Pontiff.
Protestantism.

Some speak of Protestantism as if it were a mere system of negations, but how different is its inspired portraiture here! With what dignity and importance and Divine approval do these prophetic pictures invest the Reformation as an historic event, and the formal teachings of the Reformers!

The Bible was now everywhere translated and printed in the tongue of the common people; the pure Gospel intelligently preached by hundreds, free from the glosses of the Fathers; the Papacy everywhere denounced as Antichrist; the Day of Judgment held forth as certain, fixed, quickly coming, and to terminate the Papal reign and power; the all his adherents excommunicated by the Reformers; and the Reformed constituted according to a regular and orderly system. The Lord had indeed things for His people.

THE REFORMATION: ITS ESTABLISHMENT AND RESULTS Revelation XI 3-13

The Holy city shall they tread underfoot," St. John is told that the "nations," or Paganized Christians shall tread under foot, as being in authority, the mystic Temple-court and the for forty two months. Treading the Holy City under foot means the introduction of heresies, apostasies, and practices. The statement is analogous to Luke 21:24, "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the e fulfilled." These words relate to the whole time of the Jewish desolation, all of the Temple onward for many long centuries. This would suggest interpreting the forty-two months of a long period.

The "Holy City" of these Visions, that is, the faithful in Christendom-is territorially Roman "Great City." In all this symbolism a proportion of scale is observed: the Great City stands for all Papal Christendom; the Holy City for the society of Christ's true servants within it. (Compare the symbolism of the Locusts, under the Fifth Trumpet)