Revelation 11:4-12
Chapter 11
If anyone tries to harm them, fire will come out of their mouths to destroy their enemies; this is how anyone who attempts to harm them will perish.
They have the power to close the sky and hold back the rain during their prophetic period; they also have the power to turn water into blood and punish the earth with a thousand plagues, whenever they wish.
But when my witnesses have completed their mission, the beast that rises from the abyss will make war against them, conquer, and kill them.
Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city, which the believers figuratively call Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
For three and a half days, their bodies will be displayed to people of every tribe, race, language, and nation, who will be ordered not to bury them.
The inhabitants of the earth will rejoice, celebrate, and exchange gifts because these two prophets were a torment to them.
But after those three and a half days, a life-giving spirit from God entered them, and they stood up. Those who watched were filled with great fear.
Then a loud voice from heaven called out, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in the clouds, in front of their enemies.
Commentaries
The Two Witnesses.
The horizon of proclaiming the Word of God extends to all. No one should be excluded from revealing the mystery of God. The Church is compared to a temple, with God’s sanctuary and altar being preserved, even though the outer courtyard is trampled and given over to pagans. This image suggests that the Church will face periods of persecution (42 months, a limited period), but it will not be destroyed or completely wiped out. God’s power supports and guards what is most sacred in the Church. The two witnesses symbolize the prophetic Church; they represent the entire Church’s mission of evangelization before the world. The witnesses die where ‘their Lord was crucified,’ meaning they are mistreated in Jesus’ name. If they persecuted the Master, his followers are also persecuted (cf. Jn 16:20). This is the core reason for all persecution and the defining mark of glory for every martyr: to be a witness to Jesus.