3. The Power and Persecution of the Witnesses
Revelation 11:5-6 – The witnesses have power to shut heaven (like Elijah), turn water into blood (like Moses), and bring plagues.
The Old Testament (Law and Prophets) recorded such judgments.
The New Testament (Gospel) brings spiritual judgment through the preaching of truth.
Revelation 11:7-9 – The witnesses are killed, and their dead bodies lie in the street.
This is an initial representation of times in history when the Bible was suppressed, such as during the Dark Ages when Scripture was forbidden or controlled by the Papacy, but more specifically during the French Revolution, when they worshipped the Goddess of Reason and got rid of (“killed”) the Bible.
Revelation 11:11 – The witnesses resurrect after three and a half days (3 and a half years, a day for a year).
The period of three and a half years when the Bible was effectively banned in France refers to the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution, specifically from November 1793 to April 1797.
During this time, the French revolutionary government implemented a policy of de-Christianization, which included:
* The closure of churches and persecution of clergy.
* The replacement of Christianity with the Cult of Reason (1793) and later the Cult of the Supreme Being (1794).
* The confiscation and destruction of religious texts, including the Bible.