The killing of the witnesses does not mean Christ is killed. It is a symbolic method of portraying the fact that the Presence of Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit will be absent from the churches of Babylon (organized Christianity). The witness of the Holy Spirit will be driven from the large cities of the earth. The humanistic Laodicean churches will continue to conduct "worship services" throughout the reign of Antichrist.

The Laodicean churches will be "rich, and increased with goods" because they are subsidized by Antichrist. The seed concealed in the prosperity-success-positive-thinking gospel of today will bear its hideous fruit during the period of Antichrist's rule.

In Revelation 10:11, John is told that he must prophesy "again." The latter-rain revival is the "again prophecy." It is the second and last testimony to be borne to the nations of the earth.

The saints of today are being trained and judged in preparation for their work of testifying to the world. The preparatory judging of the witnesses is mentioned in Revelation 11:1:

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. (Revelation 11:1)

The witnesses are clothed in "sackcloth," signifying that the pomp and finery of the current babylonish (manmade, man-centered, man-directed) churches are absent. The churches of today are attempting to be "queens." They all are daughters of one mother, the Catholic Church, the "great whore" and "mother of harlots" (Revelation 17:5).

The ministry of the victorious saints during the first half of the week will be to bear witness of God's holy Nature, of His wrath against sin, of the soon coming of the great and terrible Day of the Lord. After that, the saints will be used by the Lord to deliver those who flee from Antichrist during the second half of the seventieth week (Joel 2:32).

The empowered saints will warn, warn, warn all men and women, boys and girls, that they must repent and receive Christ for the remission of their sins or else be destroyed in the coming Day of Wrath.

Their testimony will include many works of destruction of catastrophic proportions. The evil of the end-time will be so great God will issue a stern warning to all nations so they may prepare themselves for His coming.

It is difficult to imagine the effect on the nations that the end-time testimony will have. Every aspect of life on earth will be affected. The world governments, so boastful and assured today, will be brought down in humiliation. Every nation will be forced to do the will of God's witnesses. Full authority will have been put in the hands of the saints until their testimony has been given to God's satisfaction.

Without rain, and with wells and rivers turned to blood by the edicts of God's saints, the governments will be compelled to permit the witnesses to declare the whole counsel of God.

To be continued.