thy of notice; for
however they might amuse, they cannot edify.

Four questions are suggested by these verses.--By whom; in what manner,
when, and where are the witnesses slain?

The first question is explicitly answered in the sacred text. The
"beast," of hellish origin, kills them. But it will afterwards appear
that the beast is instigated to this relentless cruelty by another agent
of the devil. Again, as to the kind of death, we may in good measure
learn this from the kind of life. Now it is obvious that to give
testimony, or "prophesy" during the allotted time, constitutes their
life. They live, that they may prophesy. Hence it is usual to speak of
_silencing_, as equivalent to _slaying_ these witnesses. But this is not
strictly correct. Why? Because they have been hitherto "killed all the
day long." (Ps. xliv. 22; Rom. viii. 36.) Doubtless defection and
apostacy do always accompany persecution; and thus the testimony of such
is silenced. But the enemy in this case is "drunken with the blood" of
these witnesses; and this phrase must be understood literally. Moreover,
the enemy gets "blood to drink," because of "shedding blood." (ch. xvi.
6; xvii. 6.) The death of the witnesses is therefore a literal death, of
course it will be also moral,--they will cease to prophesy.

Some have supposed the "three years, or days and a half," during which
the witnesses lie dead are the same as the 1260 days or years; because
if these three and a half days be considered as prophetical, and reduced
to literal days, they will amount exactly to 1260. Such an
interpretation, however, is preposterous; simply because according to
this hypothesis, they _never lived at all_!--The absurdity is evident.

Having ascertained the nature of the death to which the witnesses are
appointed by the Lord of life, we now inquire as to the time of this
mournful event. The text informs us that their death is connected with
the "finishing of their testimony." However the original may be
translated,--when they _shall have finished_,--when they _shall be
finishing_,--or about to finish, affects not the question as to time.
While they live, their work is to prophesy, and their testimony is not
completed. Like their Master, to whose example they are conformed, their
life and testimony are finished together. These facts, briefly and
obscurely hinted here, will be more satisfactorily presented in the
next, but especially in the twentieth chapter, (vs. 1-4.) B