Saying, How long, O Lord.—How long will it be from this particular time, the Spring of 1518?—Rev. 3:7.
Holy and true.—See Rev. 3:7; 1 John 5:20; Mark 1:24.
[Dost] WILT Thou not judge.—Deliver us from the tomb. The judges of old were deliverers.—Judges 3:9-11.
And avenge our blood.—Cast off from all favor a system of nominal Christianity which is not Christianity at all.
On them that dwell on the earth.—On these that are “Of the earth, earthy.”—Rev. 17:5; 3:10; 8:13; 13:8, 14. “The answer is given by the angel of the waters. See Rev. 16:4-7.” (Cook.) Quite true. The answer is in Vol. III of Scripture Studies.
6:11. And [white robes were] THERE WAS given unto [every one] EACH of them a white robe.—“God's grace cannot admit to heavenly perfection those who have not robes of spotless righteousness. How gracious is the provision of our God in thus presenting us with the Robe which covers all the repented-of blemishes of the past as well as the unintentional and unwitting imperfections of the present!”—Z. '11-342; Rev. 3:4, 5; 19:8.
And it was said unto them.—Not actually, but by the teachings of the parallel dispensations, which show that as Christ was raised from the dead in A. D. 33, the sleeping saints would be raised 1845 years later, in the Spring of 1878. See Rev. 3:14, 20.
That they should rest yet for a little season.—Greek Chronos, 360 years. See Rev. 2:21. This is the item which Pastor Russell had in mind in the following footnote: “When, in a succeeding volume, we examine the wonderful visions of the Revelator, it will be clearly seen that the time here pointed out by the word ‘henceforth,’ as marked by events, synchronizes closely with 1878, as indicated by the prophecies herein noted.” (C. 241.) Luther nailed the proclamation on the church door at Wittenberg [pg 119] Oct 31, 1517, which was already one month into the year 1518, Jewish reckoning. But it took some time for the news to travel to all parts of Europe. Three hundred and sixty years from the Spring of 1518 brings us to the Spring of 1878, when we understand that God's promise made to the sleeping saints was fulfilled. They were raised from the dead, and Babylon was cast off.
Until their fellowservants also.—The other members of the Little Flock, all bond-slaves of Jesus.—Gal. 6:17, Diaglott, footnote.
And their brethren.—Fellow-believers, the Great Company.