Revelation 11:6
These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not, and have power over waters and plagues, belongs to the prophecy of the two witnesses given for the time when the church of Christ was to suffer oppression from Rome during papal supremacy. That prophecy foretells the suppression of the Scriptures during that supremacy and the terrible results coming especially upon France from the domination of the man of sin. The forty and two months and the thousand two hundred and threescore days are the same period, representing 1,260 years of papal supremacy from A.D. 538 to 1798. That period terminated in 1798, when a French army entered Rome and made the pope a prisoner who died in exile, after which the papal hierarchy never wielded its former power.
The persecution of the church did not continue through the whole 1,260 years, but God in mercy cut the fiery trial short and through the Reformation brought the persecution to an end before 1798. Those who harm God's witnesses cannot do so without punishment, and this applies to trampling on or distorting His revealed Word. God's written Word and law judge every person's character.
Every verse of Revelation 11 must be read to learn the things yet to take place in the cities. The scenes portrayed in Revelation 18 must be read together with chapter 11 to learn these coming events. The verse shows God makes a wonderful display of His power in the destruction of a sinful city because of its sins. A city recently destroyed illustrates this display of destructive power.
Those who believe prophecy must not ignore this indication, show indifference toward it, or make light of it. Those who have witnessed such destruction must not ignore it, treat it with indifference, or make light of it. Those who have felt the rebuke of God must not flatter themselves that they will build far in advance of former buildings, nor defiantly invest their means to build greater buildings as before, for God will exercise His power to counteract such efforts. The calamity calls those who have abused their privileges and have wronged or taken advantage of their fellow men to hear the voice of the Lord and to make amends for the wrong done.