REVELATION 11:1

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.

The temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein’ signify the church of God. As the church of God is ‘a spiritual house’, to measure the church is to measure her spiritually. Insight into what it means to measure the church of God spiritually was revealed in a vision given to the prophet Zechariah: “I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. 3 And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, 4 And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: 5 For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.” (Zechariah 2:1-5) Since the measuring of ‘Jerusalem’ would result in the Lord being ‘a wall of fire’ around her, and ‘the glory in the midst of her’, to measure the church spiritually is to seal the church with the Holy Spirit, for in the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the Lord will become ‘a wall of fire’ around His church, and ‘the glory in the midst of her’.

Since the sealing of God’s church is carried out through the preaching of the gospel, for those who believe in the gospel are sealed with the Holy Spirit; ‘a reed like unto a rod’ is symbolic of the gospel of Christ. They who believe in the gospel of Christ will be spiritually measured according to Jesus Christ. He is the spiritual measure by whom every servant is measured. Isaiah revealed this truth when he prophesied, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. 17Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.” (Isaiah 28:16,17)

John being instructed to measure the church of God indicates that the servants of Christ will be called to preach the gospel to bring about the sealing of God’s church. This group of servants who will bring about the sealing of God’s church was previously shown in the twenty-four elders, the group of priests. Their sealing of God’s church was previously shown in the sealing of the hundred and forty-four thousand: “And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 4And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” (Revelation 7:2-4)

As the sealing of God’s church is what will give rise to the ‘white horse’ revealed in the opening of the first seal, (see Revelation 6:2) John was indeed prophesying again as instructed in Revelation 10:11: “And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”