1. And there was given unto me [the John Class] a reed
[perfect standard of judgment by the holy Spirit] like unto a rod [divine
authority]: and the angel stood [these words are not in the
Sinaitic and
Alexandrine], saying, Rise, and measure [consider] the temple of
God [the church class of God as against this perfect standard of qualifications],
and the altar [that which makes possible acceptable sacrifice], and them
that worship therein [in a spirit-begotten condition].
2. But the court [the unsanctified condition] which is without
the temple [the church] leave out, and measure [consider] it
not; for it [the outer court] is given unto the Gentiles [also
to unregenerate Christians]: and the holy city [the Christian church] shall
they [the unregenerate Christians] tread under foot [suppress] forty
and two months [1260 years from CE 539-1799].
3. And I [the Lord] will give [power—not in
Sinaitic
or other ancient manuscripts, but it does not change their mission] unto my two
witnesses [the Old and New Testaments], and they shall prophesy
[speak] a thousand two hundred and threescore days [for 1260 years from
CE 539-1799], clothed in sackcloth [an abased condition bound in dead
languages and suppression].
4. These are the two olive trees [the holy Spirit provided in the Old
and New Testaments], and the two candlesticks [the Old and New Testaments
themselves] standing before the God of the earth [the God of all
society].
5. And if any man [professed Christian] will hurt them
[the "two witnesses"], fire [destruction] proceedeth
out of their mouth [oracles], and devoureth their enemies
[opponents]: and if any man [professed Christian] will hurt
[or disannul] them, he must in this manner be killed [be brought to
naught—in the end the "two witnesses" must and will prevail].
6. These have the power [though put upon and disregarded] to
shut heaven [seal from God’s favor as Elijah prayed 1 Kings 17:1],
that it rain not [create arid conditions spiritually] in the days
[period of time] of their prophecy [in the abased condition]: and
have power over waters [creeds of men] to turn
them to blood
[be repulsive], and to smite the earth [afflict society] with all
plagues [or punishments], as often as they will.
7. And when they shall have finished their [abased] testimony
[at the end of 1260 years in CE 1799], the beast [the peoples' form of
government during the French Revolution] that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit [came
out of the dormant condition] shall make war against them [the Old and
New Testaments, discrediting their testimony, and making it void because when Napoleon
began to ameliorate his position toward the Catholic church in the fall of 1799 following
his defeat in Africa, it seemed that the Word of God was not going to be successful in its
forecast that the oppression of religious tyranny by the Catholic church would end. The
Papacy was soon restored as the religion of France. However, at the end of three and a
half years the promises of the Bible Societies were realized and in 1804 British Bible
Society was printing Bibles. This was to be the means of breaking the power of the
papacy
— for it always knew the Scriptures would be its undoing] 
and
shall overcome them [the testimony of the "two witnesses"] and
kill them [make them appear to have failed in their testimony that
the 1260 years would end the papal power].
8. And their dead bodies [dormant Old and New
Testaments, made so by the seemingly ineffective prophecy of the 1260 years which did not
observantly terminate papacy’s power] shall lie in the street [be in open view in the Roman Empire] of the great city [Babylon],
which spiritually [symbolically] is called Sodom [wickedness] and
Egypt [the world], where also our Lord was crucified.
9. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations [the
Protestant people] shall see their dead bodies [of what seemed like
failed prophecy] three days and a half [three and one-half years from the
fall of 1879 to May, 1803], and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in
graves [be discarded or suppressed].
10. And they that dwell upon the earth [in the society of the old
Roman element, the Catholics] shall rejoice over them [the Scriptures
continued in a dormant condition on a world scale], and make merry, and shall
send
gifts one to another [congratulating one another]; because these two
prophets [Testaments] tormented them that dwelt on the earth [and
now it seemed that the Protestants had erred in pointing at them as the anti-Christ whose
time for consumption had come].
11. And after three days and an half [three and one-half literal
years] the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their
feet [arose from the dormant condition showing their authority]; and
great fear fell upon them which saw them [alarm fell on those of the Catholic
element when they saw the Scriptures arise in May, 1803 and thereafter the groundwork for
the Bible Societies was laid and prospered and the papacy was unable to stop it].
12. And they [the Scriptures] heard a great voice
[proclamation] from heaven [Protestant ecclesiasticism] saying
unto them, Come up hither [be our source of authority]. And they ascended
up to heaven [authority in Protestant ecclesiasticism] in a cloud
[of glory]; and their enemies beheld them.
13. And the same hour was there a great earthquake [the French
Revolution], and the tenth part of the city fell [the French part of the
Roman Empire fell]; and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand
[in the earthquake were abolished seven thousand titles of men—the French Revolution
destroyed the royal house with all its titled entourage—this amounted to some 7,000 titles
in all]: and the remnant [of Christendom] were affrighted, and
[thus the wrath of man] gave glory to the God of heaven.
14. The second woe [of the sixth trumpet] is past; and,
behold, the third woe [of the seventh trumpet] cometh quickly.
15. And the seventh angel [messenger—Brother Russell] sounded;
and there were great voices [proclamations] in heaven [the
spiritual realm of earth], saying, The kingdoms [singular according to
best MSS] of this world are become the kingdoms [kingdom] of our
Lord [Jehovah], and of his Christ; and he [Jehovah] shall
reign for ever and ever [kingdom should be singular according to
Sinaitic and
Alexandrine].
16. And the four and twenty elders [24 courses of the royal priesthood
who served in rotation, see Luke 1:8], which sat before God on their seats
[ruling positions by divine authority], fell upon their faces [do
obeisance], and worshipped God,
17. Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art
to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned
[through His son].
18. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the
dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants
the prophets [Ancient Worthies], and to the saints [the true
church], and them that fear thy name [world], small and great;
and shouldest destroy them which destroy [corrupt—literally to rot
thoroughly—Strong’s 1311—the second death class] the earth.
19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven [was seen in spiritual
control in the divine government], and there was seen in his temple [of
the spiritual conditon] the ark of his testament [The Christ, the
repository of the covenant]; and there were lightnings [diffusions of
knowledge], and voices [proclamations], and thunderings
[controversies], and an earthquake [controversies and revolution],
and great hail [hard truths].
