Revelation 11 is one of my favorite chapters, not only in the Book of Revelation, but in the entire Bible. So please excuse me if I get a little long winded here. Verse 8 says,

And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three–and–a–half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth (Revelation 11.8–10).

The dead bodies of the Two Witnesses (The Church and the Scriptures), laid in the street of the great city. Spiritually this great city is called Sodom, Egypt, and Jerusalem.

What does Sodom bring up in our memories? Vile passion. Exceedingly great sin.
What does Egypt bring up in our memories? Bondage and the desire to return to the world.

What does Jerusalem bring up in our memories? A city filled with much good, but the one that killed Jesus and persecuted all the prophets, or shall we say, God’s Witnesses.
The enemies of the Two Witnesses would celebrate their defeat and death. The bodies would be viewed for three and a half days by those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations.

The people would not allow the dead bodies of the Witnesses to be put into graves, further humiliating them. The enemies want to keep around reminders from that old-time religion, so that they would never go back to that religion again.

The earth-dwellers were glad that the Two Witnesses were dead. For then they were no longer effective. The people of the world want reminders of the Church by viewing abandon and dilapidated meeting houses and other things associated with the Church.

They might go to a library or university to see an ancient Book by which the Church lived, but that no one takes seriously anymore.

Yes, they were so happy that they sent gifts to one another. They celebrated the death of the Two Witnesses because the Witnesses had tormented those who dwell on the earth.

How did the Two Witnesses torment the people of the earth? They tormented them with their prophesying. They spoke the word of God. To sinners, whether in or out of churches, preaching of the word of God torments them.

During that time, the Church and the Scriptures would be hardly visible. There will be few Christians and the world will be ignorant of the word of God because hardly anyone would be preaching it. This is the Dark Ages, but then something would happen. We will see what that was, next year.