AR 485, 485 - A Reed and a Measuring Rod to Measure

AR 485 [1, 3]

Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod.
(Revelation 11:1)

This symbolically means
that the Lord gave John the ability and power
to learn and see the state of the church
in heaven and in the world.

A reed symbolizes weak power,
the kind a person has of himself,
and a rod symbolizes strong power,
the kind a person has from the Lord.
Consequently John's being given
a reed like a measuring rod
symbolizes power from the Lord.
That it was the ability and power
to learn and see the state of the church
in heaven and in the world
is apparent from the events
that follow in this chapter to the end.

A rod symbolizes power
because in olden times people in the church
made wooden rods,
and wood symbolizes goodness.
It also substituted for the right hand
and supported it,
and the right hand symbolizes power.
It is owing to this
that a scepter is a shortened rod,
and a scepter symbolizes the power of a king.
Moreover, "scepter" and "rod" in Hebrew
are the same word. (i.e., מַטֶּה.)

AR 486 [1, 2, 3]

And the angel stood by, saying,
"Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar,
and those who worship there."
(Revelation 11:1)

This symbolizes the Lord's presence
and His command to see and learn
the state of the church in the New Heaven.

The Lord is meant by the angel,
here . . . and elsewhere,
since an angel does nothing of himself
but is impelled by the Lord.
. . . The angel's standing by
symbolizes the Lord's presence,
and his speaking symbolizes the Lord's command.
To rise and measure means, symbolically,
to see and learn.

The temple, altar, and those who worship there
symbolize the state of the church
in the New Heaven -
the temple symbolizing the church
in respect to its doctrinal truth,
the altar symbolizing the church
in respect to the goodness of its love,
and those who worship there
symbolizing the church
in respect to its formal worship
as a result of those two elements.
Those who worship symbolize here
the reverence that is a part of formal worship,
since the spiritual sense
is a sense abstracted from persons,
as is apparent here also from the fact
that John is told to measure the worshipers.
These three elements are what form the church:
doctrinal truth, goodness of love,
and formal worship as a result of these.

It should be known that the church exists
in the heavens just as on earth,
and that the two are united
like the inner and outer selves in people.
Consequently the Lord provides
the church in heaven first,
and from it, or by means of it,
then the church on earth.
That is why the New Jerusalem
is said to come down from God
out of the New Heaven (Revelation 21:1-2).

To measure means, symbolically,
to learn and investigate the character of a thing
because the measure of something
symbolizes its character or state.