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.
Finished their testimony. The same verb is used of Paul's ending his ministry by a violent death (2 Timothy 4:7).
The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit - `the wild beast ... the abyss.' This beast was not mentioned before, yet is introduced as "the beast." John, viewing revelation as a whole, mentions objects to be described hereafter by himself (Revelation 17:8: cf. Daniel 7:11): a proof of the unity that pervades Scripture.
Make war against them. So Daniel 7:21; the little horn among the ten on the fourth beast: Rev. 11:31 , the willful king, answering to 'the little horn' of the third beast; Revelation 8:9,23-25 : the earth-sprung beast: Revelation 13:11, note: seeming to be the 'beast from the bottomless pit,' or abyss, which is distinct from "the sea" (Revelation 11:1; Daniel 7:3).