The text of Revelation 11, in symbolic language, says that the witnesses, which we identified in this Bible commentary as the Bible, were killed near the end of their time of 1260 days (or years) in sackcloth. We saw that terminal time to be 1798. This was during the French Revolution and an atheistic, then deist philosophy applied.

Illustration
    This is a larger copy of one on one of the commentary pages for Revelation 11. You may want to make your window a full screen, unless you already have. If you are familiar with the public attitude, or at least the one that was promoted, during that time, you may enjoy figuring out the symbolic meaning of this. I'll share my ideas below it.

    This is one of many illustrations in a 30 volume set (maybe four or five per volume). The books are a republication of all articles from Le Moniteur, from around the time of the French Revolution. It was one of two major newspapers then published in France. The illustrations were apparently not in the original papers. They were selected from contemporary sources and redrawn (re-etched) for these books. They are on white paper (which has not yellowed). The main text is on bulky, wavy, slightly yellow paper. I photocopied this illustration, then scanned the photocopy. The set takes 6 or 8 feet of shelf space. Most of the illustrations are violence of the war or of the revolution, so not what I wanted to share.
    The text at the top translates as "From an engraving of the time." At the bottom left is apparently the artist's name. At the right, "Reprinting of the Ancient Monitor. — T. XVII, page 42." "T" is for tome which means "volume." At the bottom center we read, "Pilgrimage to the patron of Liberty, (1793)." The first letter is a P in case you are trying to read it in French. This "patron" has replaced the patron saints. The capitalization of "Liberty" indicates that it is the patron's name or his sainthood. The new Frenchman as patron has an ax and a spear and, I think, a bundle of rods, one for each of the departments (geographical divisions) of France. The clouds illustrate the symbolic nature of what the women are worshipping. To the right we see a cathedral blended with trees. Nature has become the place or object of worship.