Bible Studies

The Three Angels Message

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and Worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." (Revelation 14:6-7).

In verse 6 we find the fulfillment of Jesus’ commission to His disciples in Matthew 28:19 and 20. Here, Jesus asks His people to tell others the good news of the Gospel: there is an escape from the bondage of sin and death. Those proclaiming the Three Angels’ Messages are actually God’s people living on the earth working to share the Gospel with the world.
Revelation 14:7 reminds us who God is and why He deserves our love and devotion. God wants us to know that we are living in the time of judgment and the wording used here is the same as what is used in the Fourth Commandment:

"For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Exodus 20:11).

This Lord made the heavens and the earth. He created each of us. And He will finally judge the world. By keeping His designated day of worship, the seventh day, we are reminded of His Creation and show our allegiance to Him as Creator. It is interesting to note that at the same time in history that this message in Revelation began to be understood and preached, another message was also being given: the theory of evolution. Darwin’s theory denies Creation and points us to nature instead of the God who created nature.

The fact that God includes the reference to the Creator in the First Angel’s Message shows that the Creation story will be a point of contention at the end of time, which indeed it is. Also, Creation is tied in closely to the Sabbath day, which was instituted in Eden. Because the Sabbath will be an important point for the end times, it is logical that Creation would be too.

"And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." (Revelation 14:8).

In this message we find the same type of warning that Jesus gave in Matthew 24:24:

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

Jesus wants us to understand that there is an Enemy whose sole desire is to deceive us and keep us from being saved. Satan has even created false worship to achieve his purpose. Jesus does not want us to be left in ignorance about this false system of worship and who is behind it. If we simply adhere to God’s true worship, we can avoid all forms of false worship and the deceptiveness of Babylon.

What does it mean to "drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (Revelation 14:8)?

In Isaiah 55:1 God gives an invitation to buy wine and milk without money and without price. He refers to this as His truth and His words of life. Wine in the Bible can be used as a symbol for teachings. So the “wine of her fornication” would be false teachings.

Babylon has disregarded the only commandment that identifies which God we serve, the Creator of heaven and earth. This has been accomplished by replacing seventh-day Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment. God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh. He established it as a day when all humanity would recognize Him as the Sovereign Lord of the universe. But the man of sin who exalts himself above God thought to change the day of rest from the seventh to the first day.

By recognizing this false day of worship, the world follows after the Beast and drinks the wine of false teachings, which are substitutions of what God has established. Our call from God is to "come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins" (Revelation 18:4). We can prove our allegiance to God by keeping His commandments, including His command to keep the seventh day holy.

We cannot receive a more emphatic warning than the one we find in the Third Angel’s Message:

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."  (Revelation 14:9-11).

God wants everyone to know the result of following the Deceiver’s rationale. Satan presents the idea that God doesn’t care how we worship Him. He says as long as we live a good life we don’t need to worry about any of the particulars.

In reality, though, it is very inconvenient to worship God according to the Bible. There will be some pretty dire consequences for those who hold to the belief that their behavior and worship doesn’t matter. If we would heed the counsel in the Third Angel’s Message we would see that there will also be dire consequences for giving in to the false system of worship. Though persecuted and tried, the way of the righteous will prove true in the end:

"Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish." (Psalm 1:5-6).

What is the mark of the Beast (Revelation 14:9, 11)?

To understand the mark of the Beast, we must first understand that God has a mark that distinguishes who His people are. Exodus 31:13 explains:

"Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you." (Exodus 31:13)

The Sabbath was a sign that was to extend throughout the generations of God’s people. Even when the new earth comes, God’s people will continue keeping the Sabbath (see Isaiah 66:22-23). The keeping of the Ten Commandment law, including the Sabbath, is the sign of God’s people (see Revelation 13:16).

In Deuteronomy 6:8, God instructed His people to bind a sign on their hands and foreheads. The hand represents what we do, and the forehead represents our ability to think, make decisions, and believe in something. God wants us to believe in His law as well as obey it.

Satan also has a mark, and he is not nearly as picky about it being on both the forehead and the hand. One or the other is good enough for him. He doesn’t care whether we obey him because we agree with him, or if we just obey him because we have to. Notice the language in Revelation 13:16-17 describing the mark of the Beast:

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads." (emphasis added).

If God’s sign is His law, and in particular the seventh-day Sabbath, then Satan’s mark is a substitution for God’s day of worship. This would be an implementation of a law that forces a day of worship that is not sanctioned by God or His Word.

This is just some of the symbolism we find in this most solemn message to the world. We would be wise to prayerfully study these things and avoid the consequences of following after the enemies of God and His truth.

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"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness"
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