9 For three and a half days members of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb; 10 and the inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to the inhabitants of the earth.
We pick up at verses nine and ten after the two prophets chosen by God had been slayed by the beast from the bottomless pit after preaching for just under three and a half years. The verses go to great length to demonstrate that the celebration of their deaths is world-wide, that people turn their deaths into a celebration of feasting and gift giving, and that this celebration is not regional or tribal but spread across the whole globe.
This commentary at studylight.org relates these verses to the book of Daniel: "In Daniel 9:24-27 there is a prophecy that the enemies of the Jews would corrupt their city and their temple for three and a half years (which is the same as forty-two months, or 1260 days). This happened in 167-164 BC, when the ruler of the Syrian sector of the Greek Empire, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, conquered Jerusalem, killed Jews by the thousand and tried by every means to destroy their religion."
John Gill's 18th century commentary on these verses, at biblestudytools.com, was interesting to read. I love the cadence of this old writing, though the author can't conceive of a scenario wherein news of the murders of the two messengers could spread so fast: "The time that this will last will be 'three days and a half'; after which, as in ( Revelation 11:11 ), they will live again, which cannot be understood literally of so many precise days; for it will not be possible, that, in so short a time, the news of the slaying of the witnesses should be spread among the inhabitants of the earth, and they be able to express their general joy and rejoicing, and to send their gifts to one another upon his occasion."
That passage demonstrates just how much things have changed since the days of that writing; Gill, writing in the 18th century, goes on to conclude that the three and a half days means years instead. These days, of course, thanks to the internet the spread of this news would be global in minutes, so interpreting it literally as three days seems completely logical for modern readers.
If you want to accept Salvation from Christ here are some resources:
A Prayer for Salvation from Christ:
Lord
Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into
my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and
help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer.
A more detailed step by step process:
https://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Jesus-Into-Your-Life
