Marko Jauhiainen, «The Measuring of the Sanctuary Reconsidered (Rev 11,1-2)», Vol. 83 (2002) 507-526
The act of measuring in Rev 11,1-2 does not portray the Church as spiritually protected but physically vulnerable, as normally thought. Not only are there lexical and interpretive difficulties with the traditional view, it is also not supported by the OT and extra-biblical evidence commonly adduced. Reading two kai/j differently and recognizing an allusion to Ezek 8:16 LXX addresses both the lexical and interpretive issues. The act of measuring is used to communicate the fact that contrary to Ezek 8–9, this time God will not abandon his earthly sanctuary, though idolatry among his people will still be judged.
the motif of the trampling of the holy city by the nations56. In the OT it is always Yahweh who brings the nations against the "holy city"57, as a consequence of his people’s idolatry. The purpose of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC was to judge Judah, but at least some OT prophetic texts suggest that one purpose of the final eschatological trampling of the holy city will be redemptive, to purify the people and bring about repentance among them (so, for example, Zech 12–14; Dan 11–12)58. It is also worth noting that if our reading of John is correct, he is by no means alone in the NT in warning some in his audience about the impending judgment. For example, the author of 1 Peter, which has a number of conceptual parallels with Revelation, exhorts his audience by alluding to Ezek 9,6 LXX 59: