A possible literal reading of “the temple” in this passage is to take the referent as the Second Temple (vv. 1–2) and Jerusalem in general (vv. 8, 13) either prior to or after their destruction by the Romans in AD 70 (depending on the date that John wrote). This view is supported by preterist interpreters who understand most or all of the prophecies of Revelation to have been fulfilled in the events of AD 70.13 The main problem for this view is to define what “measuring” means if the temple is in