Revelation 11:11 Revelation 11:11 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. Mystical Babylon, the Mother of Harlots, and her daughters are now rejoicing and making merry, in hope that the slain witnesses shall never rise again; but their joyful days will not long continue, for after three days and an half (which is but a very short time) the witnesses are revived and raised again; and that dispensation will suddenly change their joys into fears. This mystical resurrection of Christ’ s two prophetical witnesses, is in this verse described by three particulars; that is, first, by the time of their reviving and living again; after three days and an half. Secondly, by the means and manner thereof; the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet. Thirdly, by the present effect thereof; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. First, touching the time of their reviving. \ By the three days and an half, we are to understand the last three days and an half of the late 1260. Prophetical days, before expressed and expounded, even the ending time thereof. The knowledge of this ending time is, that which many godly and learned men have studiously searched, and laboured to understand, whose labours being published, have been profitable to the Lord’ s people, and unto me, that have read their judgments, and have received much light and comfort in many things; but not being fully satisfied in their interpretations and expositions touching these two witnesses and the time of their being killed, and raised again, I am willing to give my opinion also, and the grounds thereof. The 1260 days \ being according to the nature of this prophecy of the revelation, and the prophetical number of such days \ (as hath been proved) each day for a year; that Isaiah 1260 years: And these three days and an half being the ending time of the two witnesses prophesying in sackcloth, and the last of the 1260. Prophetical days; it doth hereupon necessarily follow, and hence I conclude, first, that the ending time of the 1260 days (viz. these three days and an half) are not yet come; and the two witnesses are not yet slain; for their testimony for Christ against Antichrist, is not yet finished \ nor is the tyrannical power of the beast (which was to continue forty two months \ yet ended and expired). For the Holy City is yet trodden under foot by the papal gentiles Revelation 11:2 and the woman (that is, -the Church of God), is yet in the wilderness. \ The tyrannical power of the papal beast, according to the account of the best ecclesiastic historians, began about the year of our Lord 428 in the reign of the Emperor Theodosius the Second, when Pope Sixtus the III, a Roman, who at the instance of the Empress Eudoxias, made a holy day for St. Peter’ s Church. And if the historians say true, we may conjecture, that the ending time of the beast’ s forty two months, and of the witnesses’ 1260 days, will be about 1688 for 1260 and 428 make 1688 or soon after. Secondly, though the 1260 days be almost expired, the testimony of the two witnesses almost finished, and the beasts tyrannical power almost come to its end, yet the full period thereof will not be certainly known to the churches and saints of God, until these two witnesses be killed by the beast. Read Daniel 12:4-9 and Habakkuk 2:3. At the end it shall speak, and not lie. And none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. \ Thirdly, when these three days and an half are come (which are the last three years and an half of the 1260 years), the churches and saints of God shall certainly know them to be the last days, by those most remarkable proceedings and concomitant signs thereof, which are noted in the holy Scripture of Truth, viz. First, then will be such as hath not been heretofore to the Jews Daniel 12:1-10 to the gentiles, Matthew 24:21-30; Lu 21:25-27 and to the Church of God. 2 Timothy 3:1; 1 Peter 4:17 Secondly, then will the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ be preached, for a witness unto all nations, which is the finishing testimony of the two witnesses, for which they shall be slain. Search those scriptures, Jeremiah 10:7-10; Daniel 7:13-28; Zechariah 14:7-9; Matthew 24:14; and Revelation 11:15. Thirdly, then will happen a very great formality, luke-warmness, and worldliness, etc., among church members \ holding up the form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof; kai toutouv apotrepou -Et hos devita, vel au his aversare etc., from such turn away. And the last and greatest apostasy among gospel professors. \ In so much that our Saviour said, when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the Earth? (Lu 18:8 and 1 Timothy 4:1). For which formality, and apostasy, God will shortly and suddenly bring forth such a dispensation of his divine providence, whereby those Laodicean Churches shall be broken in pieces, scattered and dispersed; and then will the two witnesses be killed, by whose mystical resurrection will happen a very glorious reformation \ even the times of the restitution of all things \ viz. churches, ministry, worship, and ordinances, etc. Secondly, touching the means and manner of their reviving. The means of the mystical resurrection, and spiritual reviving of the two witnesses of Christ, is here expressed to be the spirit of life from God, which entered into them. \ The manner is also here declared. and they stood upon their feet. That is, they were raised, revived, and strengthened, emboldened, and encouraged by the spirit of life from God, which was poured upon them, and entered into them, to bear the same testimony of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, against the kingdom of Antichrist, as formerly; and they were by the divine power and assistance of that spirit of life, enabled to stand boldly and publicly to that testimony of Christ’ s Kingdom and Dominion; and this bears some analogy unto that dispensation prophesied of \ O my people I will put my spirit in you, and you shall live. The Lord knows that His servants, His ministers, His churches, and His witnesses, are not able to say, do, or suffer much for Christ, without his Holy Spirit help and empower them, influence and assist them. And therefore, when God hath any eminent work to do, or any excellent witness to bear for Christ, His Truth, Worship, or Kingdom; He doth not only raise up His instruments to do that work, and call up his witnesses to bear their testimony, but He doth spirit them thereunto, as he did in former days. The spirit of God came upon Othniel \ upon Gideon \ upon Jephthah \ upon Sampson \ upon David \ so it shall do upon the servants and witnesses of Christ in that day, when he shall call and raise them up to this work and testimony; and he that is feeble among them, at that day, shall be as David, etc. \ Thirdly, touching the present effect; They that saw these two witnesses of Christ arise from their death, were them that dwell upon earth \ who rejoiced over the dead bodies of the slain witnesses. And now they are sorely amazed, and greatly afraid to see them stand upon their feet. and great fear fell upon them. This fear is not that holy and filial fear of God, which the Lord puts into the hearts of his new covenant people \ but it is that terror and dread, wherewith God smites the spirit and conscience of the adversaries of his people, whereby they are cut to the heart, as they were. \