Scripture for Sunday July 21st, 2019
And when they shall have finished their testimony...
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.
8 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.
9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
Revelation 11:8-10
In this dreadful scene, John has portrayed the common attitude toward God and His people of an unholy world deprived of the restraints of the Holy Spirit at the end of the age. The thoughtful Christian can hardly avoid the recognition that such an attitude lies latent within the breast of unredeemed man and that this attitude has manifested itself from time to time throughout human history in producing untold persecution and martyrdom of the saints. However, the results of such oppression have never fulfilled the calculations of the ungodly. They have rather produced a stronger faith and witness for God than before. Just so, the story does not end with the murder of these two witnesses. The rejoicing of the world is both ill-advised and short-lived. For after 3 1/2 days God's Spirit resurrects these two individuals to the consternation of those who behold (v.11). When the enemies of God think they have "finished off" God's prophets, they fail to grasp the power of Him who is the giver of all life.
Schnaiter, Sam, Biblical Viewpoint: Focus on Revelation, Vol. XVI, No. 1. "The King Takes Possession", BJU Press: Greenville, S.C. Aril 1982, page 60-61.