these witnesses; and this phrase must be understood literally. Moreover,
the enemy gets "blood to drink," because of "shedding blood." (ch. xvi.
6; xvii. 6.) The death of the witnesses is therefore a literal death, of
course it will be also moral,--they will cease to prophesy.

Some have supposed the "three years, or days and a half," during which
the witnesses lie dead are the same as the 1260 days or years; because
if these three and a half days be considered as prophetical, and reduced
to literal days, they will amount exactly to 1260. Such an
interpretation, however, is preposterous; simply because according to
this hypothesis, they _never lived at all_!--The absurdity is evident.

Having ascertained the nature of the death to which the witnesses are
appointed by the Lord of life, we now inquire as to the time of this
mournful event. The text informs us that their death is connected with
the "finishing of their testimony." However the original may be
translated,--when they _shall have finished_,--when they _shall be
finishing_,--or about to finish, affects not the question as to time.
While they live, their work is to prophesy, and their testimony is not
completed. Like their Master, to whose example they are conformed, their
life and testimony are finished together. These facts, briefly and
obscurely hinted here, will be more satisfactorily presented in the
next, but especially in the twentieth chapter, (vs. 1-4.) But inasmuch
as many, if not most interpreters, have expressed the opinion that the
witnesses are already slain, the following arguments in the negative are
submitted to the reader.

The 1260 years are not yet terminated, during which,--the whole of which
time,--the witnesses are to "prophesy," (v. 3.) Their testimony is yet
continued, and sensibly felt by the wicked. They still more or less