Rev 11:1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.
First question, which Temple is God talking about, the temple of Salomon which was destroyed in AD70, or is it a future temple yet to be build. And if the latter is true how can God call that temple the temple of God because God does not longer live in a temple but in the hearts of His children. So I think chapter 11 is talking about a situation before AD70.
God Himself lived in the temple, he has the abundance of the Glory, no man can look on Him and live because of His glory. So, why could people look on Jesus and live? Why can the holy spirit live in our hearts and we are A-OK? Because God the Father in the exact same in essence as Jesus as Jesus & the holy spirit in that they are loving, joyful, peaceful, forgiving, kind etc. etc. BUT the Father has the abundance of the Glory........people say WHAT (smile). Think of the trinity in this same way, there is a Three Trillion Gallon Reservoir, in it every oz. of what has the exact same chemical make up, now lets take a 100 gallon barrel (Jesus) another 100 gallon barrel (Holy Spirit) and measure it against the 3 trillion gallons, who has the abundance of the "glory"? If we pour either of the 100 gallons over our heads we will be A-OK, but if we pour the full 3 trillion gallons over our heads, we would surely die right?
So, God Himself was Israel Husband, Jesus is the churches husband, we are his bride, Israel was Gods bride so God rent the temple, left Israel desolate, the diaspora soon followed in 70 AD but God left in 33 AD or when Jesus died in that general time. God will once again be Israel husband when they repent and accept Jesus as their Messiah/Sacrifice, and thus the 144,000 (really 5 million or 1/3 as Zech. 13:8-9 says) have the Fathers name on their forehead. The temple is cleansed when the 1/3 repent JUST BEFORE the DOTL. Thus the Two-witnesses are the 1335 Blessing. So, when this vision was given to John, its not what most people think, he is saying MEASURE the temple (but you did not highlight the other 2 things) and [MEASURE] the ALTAR and THOSE WHO WORSHIP THEREIN.
So, John was being told to measure the Temple, the Altar AND THOSE (Jews) who worship therein. So, who worshiped in the temple? ONLY Jews/Israelis, the outer courts were given to the Gentiles. And he was told NOT TO MEASURE the Gentiles? What is this lingo? John was basically being told that the Two-witnesses were only going to go to the Children of Israel, just like Jesus only went to the Lost Sheep of Israel. They are not being set to get Gentiles to repent. So, in a round about way, we are being shown the 2 witnesses ministry has one purpose the Jews who worship in the altar/temple, the gentiles who worship in the outer court is not the target of their mission.
Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. [KJV]
So in Jerusalem the beast that rises from the bottomless pit murders the messengers of God in Jerusalem and God calls Jerusalem Sodom and Egypt.
Second question, who (or what) is the beast that murdered the 2 messengers of God, a number of possibilities
He is Apollyon, the Scarlet Colored Beast with NO CROWNS in Rev. 17. God let them "be killed" so we can see their 1260 days does not parallel with the Beasts 1260 days. It clues us in that the 1335 happens 75 days before the 1260.