Why are the two witnesses killed and their bodies left in the street?
The two witnesses are killed because the beast—the Antichrist and his revived Roman Empire—makes war against them, overcomes them, and puts them to death. Their bodies are left in the street of Jerusalem, spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, due to mortal hatred and a desire to destroy them.
Les explains that the beast from the bottomless pit is not a wild animal but an authority or government—either the Antichrist himself or the revived Roman Empire. This government makes war against the two witnesses, doing everything it can to destroy them. Despite the witnesses' power to resist, the beast overcomes them and kills them. Their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where the Lord was crucified—identified as Jerusalem. They are left to rot on the sun-drenched streets because of mortal hatred for these two men.
And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.