Revelation 11 verse 7 to 13
7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
11 And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The two witnesses were to testify for a period of 1260 literal years. This period began in 538 A.D.
538 A.D. marks the rise of papal Rome and a time of spiritual darkness, through which the Bible was to shine amidst the development of error. During the following 1260 years, much of the persecution came against God’s Word by professed Christians. But now, at the close of their time of testimony, as the light of the reformation began to grow brightly, another power would arise.
Further reading:
1260 days of Antichrist was the Papacy from 538 AD to 1798 - Link
The 1260 years of Papal Supremacy - Link
When they had "finished their testimony," the beast that descended from the bottomless pit was to "make war against them" and "overcome them, and kill them" (Revelation 11:7). This was to take place after they had "finished their testimony." When it comes to the Bible, a beast is a representation of a power or empire (Daniel 7:17, 23). The fact that this power is rising from the bottomless pit, and that the year in question is 1798, is indicative of the development of atheism. The historical events that took place in France represent the fulfillment of this prophetic promise. The French Revolution took place between the years 1793 and 1798 for the most part. They established the goddess of reason and regarded religion with contempt.
They threw a large number of Bibles into the street and then burned them in large piles. In this manner, the Bible lay "dead" in the street for "three days and a half" (Revelation 11:8–9), which is to say, three and one-half prophetic days equaled three and one-half years in the literal sense.
“The licentiousness of Sodom in the days of Lot, was repeated in France, especially in her capital. The gross idolatry of Egypt, with its proverbial darkness, was to be found again in modern France. As the Jews, by rejecting the Word of God sent by the prophets, severed their connection with heaven and crucified their Lord, so France repeated the sin, and crucified again the Son of God” (The Story of the Seer of Patmos, Stephen Haskell, p. 201).
“And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified” (Revelation 11:8). France had professed to be a Christian nation, but it now boldly turns from God to “kill” His faithful witnesses. In this way they “commit apostasy.” Describing those who turn from the Bible, the apostle Paul says that “seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:6). As a nation France represented “the tenth part of the city” (Revelation 11:13). Though more blatant than its counterparts, France was one of ten nations making up “that great city Babylon” (Revelation 18:10).
The “earthquake” of revolution that shook the country of France caused great fear and terror to come upon the western nations of Europe (Revelation 11:11, 13). Many of the most talented members of the French nation had fallen. However, this terrible tragedy gave life to the Word of God. People saw what happened to a nation that divorced itself from the Word of God. In England, the Bible and tract societies were established, and the Bible was resurrected throughout Europe (Revelation 11:11). Today the Word of God has ascended into the heavens, beamed through satellites and radio waves, fulfilling the prophecy, “And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud: and their enemies beheld them” (Revelation 11:12).
Further reading:
French Revolution and atheism - Link
The French Revolution and the Catholic Church - Link
The Atheist Martyr: Rebellious ‘Knight’ Inspired the French Revolution - Link