Revelation 11:3, commentary and pictures

The two witnesses are the Old and New Testament Scriptures, the Word of God. The thousand two hundred and threescore days are 1,260 years of papal supremacy, reckoned from A.D. 538 to 1798, when papal power was permitted to suppress the Scriptures and oppress the church. Prophesying clothed in sackcloth means they gave their testimony in obscurity and sorrow during the greater part of that time, while religious and civil powers sought to hide, prohibit, distort, and oppose the Word and hunted, imprisoned, and martyred those who proclaimed it. Yet the witnesses continued their testimony throughout the entire period, for even in the darkest times God gave faithful men wisdom, power, and authority to declare His truth. In mercy God cut short the fiery persecution through the Reformation before 1798, and as the witnesses were approaching the end of their work in obscurity a new satanic power was to make open war upon them.

Witnesses Prophesying in Sackcloth

The two witnesses are the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament, the Word of God, the Bible. They are God's two witnesses, His word the Bible. Together they testify to the origin and perpetuity of the law of God, and both bear witness to the plan of salvation.

To prophesy clothed in sackcloth is to give their testimony in obscurity and sorrow during the greater part of the 1,260 years, while God's faithful witnesses remained in obscurity. Their sackcloth marks 1,260 years of testimony under papal oppression, prophesying in obscurity and sorrow until that period ended in 1798. During that time papal power sought to hide the Word of truth from the people and set up false witnesses to contradict its testimony. The Bible was obscured, prohibited and proscribed by religious and secular authority, distorted and perverted in its testimony, opposed, kept locked up in an unknown tongue and hidden away from the people while professed to be revered, and every effort was made to turn minds from it. Papal and civil authorities suppressed and distorted it, and under the rule of Rome it was kept from the people in an unknown language.

Those who dared proclaim its sacred truths were hunted, betrayed, tortured, imprisoned and buried in dungeon cells, martyred for their faith, driven into hiding, or compelled to flee to mountain fastnesses and dens and caves of the earth. Its proclaimers were persecuted, imprisoned, martyred, or driven into hiding. The powers ruling church and state in many nations of Europe were controlled by Satan through the papacy. Yet they continued their testimony throughout the entire 1,260 years, for even in the darkest times there were faithful men who loved God's word and were jealous for His honor. To these loyal servants were given wisdom, power, and authority to declare His truth during the whole time.

The Twelve Hundred Sixty Years

The thousand two hundred and threescore days are the same as the forty and two months, the time in which papal power was permitted to suppress the Scriptures and the church of Christ was to suffer oppression from Rome. By taking a prophetic day for a year, the days represent 1,260 years of papal supremacy, beginning in A.D. 538 and terminating in 1798. That closing came when a French army entered Rome, made the pope a prisoner, and he died in exile, after which the papal hierarchy never wielded its former power.

The verse foretells the suppression of the Scriptures during papal supremacy and points to the terrible results that would come especially on France from the domination of the man of sin. The persecution of the church did not continue throughout the entire 1,260 years, for God in mercy cut short the fiery trial. Through the influence of the Reformation the persecution was brought to an end prior to 1798.

As the witnesses were approaching the termination of their work in obscurity in 1798, war was to be made upon them by a new manifestation of satanic power. That power is the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit, arising to make open, avowed war upon the Word of God. The verse gives one of the great prophetic periods given with the design that it should be studied and in the end fully understood, so reverently laboring to determine its commencing and closing dates is not presumptuous folly. As one of the leading periods it expires about the middle of the nineteenth century.

Study and Present Application

The eleventh chapter must be read verse by verse, together with the scenes portrayed in the eighteenth chapter, to understand the meaning of these things and to learn the things that are yet to take place in the cities. Together they give special indications from God that believers in the prophecies of this book must not ignore. The verse points to the recent destruction of a sinful city as a wonderful display of God's power in judgment because of sin and because of the sins of cities. That calamity calls men who have abused their privileges and taken advantage of fellow men to hear His voice and make amends for wrong done.

It warns against ignoring that rebuke and showing indifference, making light of the destruction, and flattering self with plans for far greater buildings in the future. God will exercise His power to counteract such defiant investment of means as before. The verse also shows the church prophesying in sackcloth during troublous times until Christ appears. Those times are marked by heresies, persecution, opposition from unbelievers and apostates, and turning from truth to fables, yet her witness continues by God's help through those who carry the gospel and its light of truth into the world as His instruments.

With the following verse it presents God's witnesses as channels of light for the world. The two olive trees represent heavenly messengers who supply golden oil to replenish the lamps, so that those entrusted with truth are to receive this provision and communicate the light to people in darkness through the saving message. It shows God's witnesses proclaiming the truth while clothed in sackcloth and covered with reproach. This was illustrated by Luther's defense of the truth at Worms, where he had to live through its persecution and disgrace, then defend it when earthly powers sought to destroy it, before seeing it triumph over papal errors and superstitions.