16:15. Behold, I come as a thief.—A thief comes unexpectedly, for the purpose of securing jewels only.—Mal. 3:17; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 3:3; Matt. 24:42-44; 1 Thes. 5:2.
Blessed is he that watcheth.—“Because not heedless, careless, indifferent servants of the King, but faithful and earnest ones, the Watchers discern that there are three words of distinctly different signification, used in respect to the Lord's Second Advent; namely, parousia and epiphania and apokalupsis. Parousia is used in respect to the earliest stage of the Second Advent, while apokalupsis relates to the same Advent later.” (Z. '02-86.) “The Greek words apokalupsis and apokalupto signify revealment, uncovering, unveiling (as of a thing previously present but hidden). The name of the last book of the Bible is from the same root—Apocalypse or Revelation.”—Z. '02-92; 1 Cor. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:7; Lu. 17:29, 30.
And keepeth his garments.—Holds fast to his pledge of consecration even unto death.
Lest he walk naked.—As the nominal churches are doing even since the war council at Washington, May 6, 1917.
And they see his shame.—During the apokalupsis epoch now at hand. (Rev. 3:18.) “The exposure to the world that they lack what constitutes the Christian state.”—Cook.—Matt. 5:43, 44.
16:16. And [he] THEY gathered them together.—The three unclean spirits do the gathering.—Rev. 19:19.
Unto a place called in the Hebrew tongue [Armageddon] ARMAGEDON.—“The fact that St. John has employed a word (Har-Magedon), ‘The destruction of their troop,’ not found in connection with any locality or historical event of itself points to a figurative interpretation. (Zech. 12:11.) Nor indeed are we to think of literal warfare.” (Cook.) “The word ‘mountain’ in the term Armageddon—‘Mountain of Megiddo’—seems to have been used because Megiddo was in a mountainous region, though the battles were fought in a valley adjacent. The meaning here is, that there would be, as it were, a decisive battle which would determine the question of the prevalence of true religion on the earth. What we are to expect as the fulfillment of this would seem to be, that there will be some mustering of strength—some rallying of forces—some opposition made to the Kingdom of God in the gospel by the powers here referred to which would be decisive in its character.” (Barnes.) Another view of Volume VI, Scripture Studies, as it appeared to the worshipers of the beast and his image, may be had in the plague of darkness upon the Egyptians described in Ex. 10:21-29. The 3-½ days of terrible darkness over the land of Egypt represent the 3-½ years of the great war and indicate its close shortly after the publication of this final witness of the church. While this plague was still in progress, Moses said to Pharaoh, “I will see thy face again no more.” It is even so; Pastor Russell passed forever out of reach of the antitypical Pharaoh, Satan, in the fall of 1916. But in steadfast belief that “his works do follow him,” we hold that he supervises, by the Lord's arrangement, the work yet to be done. See Rev. 16:1.
16:17. And the seventh [angel].—Volume VII, Scripture Studies.
Poured out his vial [into] UPON the air.—Seemed to the clergy to be directed against the ruling powers. “The terrors of the revelation of Christ will thus appear spread out over the Universe.”—Cook.
And there came a great voice.—An earnest and vigorous setting forth of this prophecy and that of Ezekiel.