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These words are conceived by interpreters to set forth the great success of the witnesses' ministry after their resurrection; it was accompanied with a mighty earthquake, or a great shaking of the kingdom of antichrist; insomuch that a tenth part of the city fell; that is, many nations and kingdoms under antichrist's tyranny and dominion shook off the yoke, and disowned his jurisdiction, and fell off from him.
Observe farther, What this earthquake and fall produced, namely, a twofold effect.
1. Seven thousand were slain.
2. Others were affrighted, turned from their sins, and gave glory to God.
Behold here the great power of the word of God, and the happy success thereof, to the shaking of antichrist's kingdom, which falls not at once, but by degrees, as it rose. The man of sin is to be consumed with the breath of Christ's mouth at first, which is a gradual death, till at last be be quite abolished by the brightness of his coming.
Upon the whole then we may comfortably conclude, that whatever ground antichrist on the one hand may seem to have gained of late in any place, that yet he is certainly in a deep consumation; nay, far gone in it, and will languish more and more till he draws his last breath: and, on the other hand, whatever clouds may overspread the church of Christ in any place, it will not be long ere they will vanish, and that affairs are moving forward towards the church's highest outward prosperity, and most flourishing condition that she shall ever arrive to on this side of heaven, which is to be under the blessed Millinium, or thousand years, which began probably with the resurrection of the witnesses at the beginning of the Protestant reformation, by the preaching of Luther.
Thus speaks our learned Dr. More, Myst. Inq. p 477. "I doubt not," says he, "but this vision of the resurrection of the witnesses was a prediction of our Protestant reformation, begun at Spires in Germany, Anno 1529, when several German princes and imperial cities made a solemn protestation against the innovations and usurpations of the church of Rome; from whence came the name of Protestants, which continues to this day."
"This therefore," says he, [mark his inference]" should make our reformation the more sacred, and keep all persons that wish well to our holy religion, from casting any dirt upon our first reformers, whose names ought to be had in honour, and will be so in the church of God throughout all generations."