I will jump in here and answer the questions. The Two Witnesses are the faithful witnesses of the New Testament congregation (Elects) with power to preach Salvation Gospel, as well as judgments as often as they like:
No, the faithful testimony started at Pentecost until the judgment of the unfaithful congregation prior to the Second Coming. It is the whole New Testament period where Faithful Witnesses went into the world with a testimony. Here are my answers:
1. Power over all plagues?
The Faithful Witnesses exercise this authority by proclaiming God’s Word and praying according to His will, just like Elijah did (James 5:17–18).
God executes the judgment they declare.
What does that judgment look like upon those who harm them?
Spiritual famine: they lose the opporunity to hear of God’s truth (Amos 8:11) of they threat the faithful Witnesses with death. There are many incidents in Church History all over the world for the past 2,000 years.
Waters becoming blood: their congregation’s teaching becomes polluted, bringing death rather than life. The truth they reject stands against them in judgment.
The fire from the witnesses’ mouths illustrates the same principle:
“I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood” (Jeremiah 5:14). Their persecutors may appear comfortable outwardly while coming under devastating spiritual judgment.
“As often as they will” means their will agrees with God’s will. Their authority comes from faithfully declaring
His Word, whose judgments God carries out—not from choosing personal revenge.
Throughout the Church’s history, whenever a congregation persecutes and silences faithful witnesses, it rejects the gospel they bring. God judges that congregation by withdrawing the truth it despises, leaving its people under false teaching—a
famine of hearing God’s Word (Amos 8:11–12).
Thus, the witnesses’ testimony brings judgment repeatedly wherever it is rejected. The same gospel brings life to those receiving it and becomes a testimony of death against those rejecting it (2 Corinthians 2:15–16).
The persecuted Church bears witness; God executes judgment upon the persecuting congregation.
Selah!
Their testimony for the purpose for salvation has been silenced within the fallen congregation. That is when their testimony is finished, the beast will come out and eventually kill (silence) them.
3. Street of the great city where Jesus was crucified?
Jerusalem, on this side of the Cross, represents the covenant congregation—the church. Here she has become apostate, hence her spiritual names,
“Sodom and Egypt” (Revelation 11:8; Matthew 23:37–38). Once a place where God’s truth was proclaimed, she has become a house of abominations and spiritual bondage.
The street represents the public setting within the congregation where the witnesses proclaimed God’s Word. Their dead bodies signify that their faithful testimony has been silenced. The people no longer hear the truth they brought; instead, they delight in the false doctrines proclaimed by false prophets and false christs.
4. A world watching their death, exchanging gifts in celebration?
The unsaved within the church rejoice when faithful testimony is silenced because
it exposes their sins. Just as the wise men brought gifts to honor Jesus as King (Matthew 2:11), exchanging gifts here signifies honor and approval. These professing Christians celebrate one another and honor their false prophets and false christs,
seeking praise from men rather than the honor that comes from God (John 5:44).
This is why, in Revelation 9, God will allow the false prophets and christs (spiritually as locusts) to harm those men who have not yet seal by God in the congregation so they will believe a lie as a judgment. This explains why God has to seal his people FIRST before the loosening of the beast/locusts from the bottomless pit. Selah!
5. Their dead bodies being raised, standing on their feet, ascending to heaven before a literal world watching?
Rise from what death? Neither physical death nor spiritual death—the witnesses are already saved and sealed. Their rising signifies
the restoration of their silenced testimony. God empowers them to prophesy again, now declaring His judgment against the unfaithful congregation.
He calls them out so they will not share in her judgments (Revelation 18:4), just as He brought Lot out of Sodom. Remember, this city is
spiritually called Sodom and Egypt. He who has ears, let him hear.
Yes, they ascend “to heaven in a cloud,” but
I understand this as spiritual imagery, not the final rapture. God calls them out of the fallen congregation into fellowship with Him; the cloud signifies His glorious presence.
Where can that fellowship continue? In a home, a faithful Bible study at McDonald’s, or believers gathering at a library or campground.
God’s presence is with His people wherever they gather in Christ’s name (Matthew 18:20).
They remain faithful through this short season of judgment upon the harlot.
The final gathering to Christ comes afterward, at the last trumpet (Revelation 11:15; 1 Corinthians 15:52).
6. Great earthquake, 1/10 of the city fell, seven thousand die?
The earthquake signifies spiritual judgment. The fallen tenth represents the fullness of congregation’s fall and the loss of her standing as the earthly representative of God’s kingdom, just as Old Testament congregation was left desolate at the Cross.
The seven thousand signify the completeness of those judged within that fallen congregation—professing Christians who lack God’s seal. I connect this with Revelation 9:4–6: they seek death but cannot find it. In this interpretation, they cannot find salvation through dying with Christ; they remain under judgment.
The remnant are the faithful witnesses, who fear God and glorify Him for avenging their testimony against their persecutors. Given spiritual discernment, they recognize and proclaim the judgment falling upon
Babylon the Great—the unfaithful church throughout the world—whose judgment comes in “one hour” (Revelation 18:10). Remember, they recognize the abomination of desolation in apostate church is because they were given the "spirit of life" in order to discern the signs of Christ's return.
I believe this judgment is unfolding now. Look at the spiritual condition of churches throughout the world.
Do you have eyes to see it?
Or are you so busy preparing to escape a seven-year bloodbath through the rapture that you refuse to recognize the spiritual corruption in your own church—and the church next door, and the next? And you believe that the two literal fire-breathing men will someday appear to protect the Jews of National Israel during the tribulation, humm?
Selah!