**Revelation 11:1-2** (KJV):
*"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. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months."*
The measuring of the temple, while the outer court is excluded, signifies a distinction between true worship and what has been profaned by the nations. This parallels Jesus' cleansing of the temple, where He expelled the merchants and money changers who had turned a house of worship into a Bazaar.
### **Bazaars in the Temple**
**Matthew 21:12 (BSB):**
*"Then Jesus went into the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves."*
**John 2:13-14:**
*"Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple those selling cattle and sheep and doves and the money brokers in their seats."*
**John 2:15-16:**
*"So, after making a whip of ropes, he drove all those with the sheep and cattle out of the temple, and he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. And he said to those selling the doves: 'Take these things away from here! Stop making the house of my Father a house of merchandise!'"*
### **Heracleon's Commentary on John 2:13-16**
Heracleon, one of the earliest commentators on John, interpreted this event symbolically:
**Fragment 13:**
*"Those who are found in the temple selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money-changers sitting there represent those who give nothing away out of charity, but regard the entrance of strangers to the temple as an occasion of trade and profit-making, and who provide the sacrifices for the worship of God for their own gain and love of money."*
Heracleon connects the merchants in the temple with religious leaders who exploit worship for material gain. The presence of sellers and money changers reflects a system where spiritual access is commodified, rather than freely given.
**Fragment 13 (continued):**
*"And the whip which Jesus made of small cords and did not receive from another is an image of the power and energy of the Holy Spirit which blows away the wicked. The whip and the linen and the napkin and all such things form an image of the power and energy of the Holy Spirit... The whip was tied to a piece of wood, and this wood is a type of the Cross. On this wood the merchants who were intent on gain, and all wickedness was nailed up and done away... Out of these two substances was the whip made, for he did not make it of dead leather, but in order that he might make the Church no longer a den of robbers, but the house of his Father."*
Heracleon sees the whip as a symbol of divine authority, tied to the Cross, signifying the judgment of those who corrupt worship. The action of driving out the merchants represents a purification of the spiritual community.
### **The Merchandisers of Religion**
Those engaged in the selling of sacrifices and currency exchange within the temple courts symbolize the commercialization of faith. They were not merely providing a service; they were exploiting worshippers for financial gain. This pattern continued beyond the temple period, manifesting in the corruption of religious institutions that turned worship into a Bazaar.
**Revelation 18:13** describes the merchants who trade in “the bodies and souls of men,” reflecting the spiritual commerce that dominates institutional religion. The outer court had become a **Bazaar**—a place of traffic, where faith was reduced to transactions.
### **Bazaars as Mahuzzims**
The book of Daniel describes a religious system that venerates Mahuzzims—strong guardians, or spiritual intermediaries:
**Daniel 11:37-39 (paraphrased):**
*"Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the lawful desire of women in matrimony, nor any God, but shall magnify himself above all. And in his seat, he shall honor Mahuzzims, that is, strong guardians, the souls of the dead; even with a God whom his fathers knew not shall he honor them, in their Temples, with gold and silver, and with precious stones and valuable things."*
Mahuzzims represents the veneration of saints and relics, the institutionalization of religious commerce, and the rise of monasticism, which emphasized celibacy and the worship of the dead. The Greek Orthodox Church and the Latin Church, through councils and decrees, turned places of worship into **Bazaars**, where spiritual power was traded, and salvation was marketed.
### **The Final Judgment on the Bazaars**
The cleansing of the temple foreshadows the coming judgment upon false religious systems. Just as Jesus drove out the merchants, Revelation prophesies the fall of Babylon—the great religious and economic system that profits from spiritual deception.
The temple, measured by the reed in Revelation 11, represents true worship, while the outer court, given to the nations, signifies a corrupted religious order. The distinction between the true temple and the Bazaar remains critical in discerning authentic worship from systems that trade in spiritual merchandise.
The Bazaar is not merely a physical market but a structure of deception where faith is commodified, and salvation is put up for sale. But just as Jesus cleansed the temple, a greater purification is coming—one that will restore the house of the Father to its rightful state.
Then Jesus went into the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves.
John 2:13 Now the passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 And he found in the temple those selling cattle and sheep and doves and the money brokers in their seats.
Heracleon: Fragment 13, on John 2:13-16 The ascent to Jerusalem signifies the ascent of the Lord from material realm things to the animate (psychic) place, which is an image of Jerusalem. (In John 2:14, “In the sanctuary he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business.”) The words, "In the sanctuary, he found” and not "in the temple" are used so that it may not be thought to be the mere “calling” (animate), apart from the Spirit, which elicits help from the Lord. The sanctuary is the Holy of Holies, into which only the High-Priest enters, into which the spiritual go. The temple courtyard, where the Levites also enter, is a symbol of the animate ones who attain a salvation outside the Fullness (Pleroma).
This is a similar to a description of the Temple in the Gospel of Philip
The Gospel of Philip The Temple in Jerusalem
There were three structures for sacrifice in Jerusalem. One opened to the west and was called the holy place; a second opened to the south and was called the holy of the holy; the third opened to the east and was called the holy of holies, where only the high priest could enter. The holy place is baptism; the holy of the holy is redemption; the holy of holies is the bridal chamber. Baptism entails resurrection and redemption, and redemption is in the bridal chamber. The bridal chamber is within a realm superior to [what we belong to], and you cannot find anything [like it…. These] are the ones who worship [in spirit and in truth, for they do not worship] in Jerusalem. There are people in Jerusalem who [do worship] in Jerusalem, and they await [the mysteries] called [the holy] of holies, the curtain [of which] was torn. [Our] bridal chamber is the image [of the bridal chamber] [70] above. That is why its curtain was torn from top to bottom, for some people from below had to go up.
John 2:15 So, after making a whip of ropes, he drove all those with the sheep and cattle out of the temple, and he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.
Heracleon: Fragment 13, on John 2:13-16 Those who are found in the temple selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money-changers sitting there represent those who give nothing away out of charity, but regard the entrance of strangers to the temple as an occasion of trade and profit-making, and who provide the sacrifices for the worship of God for their own gain and love of money.
Heracleon: Fragment 13, on John 2:13-16 (In John 2:15-16, “And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, ‘Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade.’”) And the whip which Jesus made of small cords and did not receive from another is an image of the power and energy of the Holy Spirit which blows away the wicked. The whip and the linen and the napkin and all such things form an image of the power and energy of the Holy Spirit. . . The whip was tied to a piece of wood, and this wood is a type of the Cross. On this wood the merchants who were intent on gain, and all wickedness was nailed up and done away. . . Out of these two substances was the whip made, for he did not make it of dead leather, but in order that he might make the Church no longer a den of robbers, but the house of his Father.
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