The Eternal Gospel
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Introduction
Introduction
It is a remarkable thing in the world today that people are hoping for a better world and it is this that is the folly of the world. Let me tell you what I mean. If you were to survey the world, you would find that the top issues our world is facing are issues like poverty, global warming/climate change, disease, terrorism, addiction, crime, hunger, etc. While these are important, the truth of the matter is they are not going to get better. The problem is that people are using humanistic solutions to God-size problems. Truthfully, and biblically, we know that things are going to get much worse. There is not going to be a better day. In fact, our world is heading toward a time of tribulation and judgement.
The message of the world is different. The misnomer is that if we elect the right president, congressman, governor, or people that run our cities, that somehow they will legislate our society into a peaceful utopia.
This brings us to Revelation Chapter 14 in our continued study of Revelation. We left off last week with the 144,000 jewish evangelists and their remarkable lives and ministry. This week, with the 144,000 standing on Mt Zion with Jesus, a series of angelic messengers arrive on the scene with one last warning to the people to turn away from this world system before the Seventh Trumpet, which is the Bowl Judgements, is sounded.
Angels are very involved in the plans of God. They were involved in the giving of the law. They have been involved in the care of believers. In fact, in Hebrews 1 it says they minister to the saints. And angels are involved in the events of the tribulation. In fact, the role of angels will be a major in God’s final judgment. We see in the Gospel of Matthew, in the parables and here in Revelation that angels are instrumental in gathering the elect into the kingdom. Angels are involved in bringing messages to the world during the tribulation and here in Revelation 14, we see that pattern.
Tonight we’re going not look at three such angels and also the role in the angels in harvesting the earth. Let’s read through chapter 14 together:
6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” 8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.” 9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” 12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” 14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand.
I want you to first understand that the context of these three messengers is the impending judgement of the Seventh Trumpet, which are final Bowl Judgements of God that will appear in chapters 15-16. If you remember, the Seventh Trumpet was announced back in chapter 11. Up until now, we’ve been in a bit of an interlude. And now, these three angels anticipate the seventh trumpet will be blown. So just before the final outpouring of the last seven judgments God sends these powerful angels to make a last final appeal to the people of the earth to turn toward God. Even in the moments before judgement, God is still giving sinful man an opportunity to change his eternal destination. This unbelieving, rebellious world can avoid the holocaust of the day of the Lord and the devastation of judgment and eternal hell. Even in this moment, we still find grace.
The First Angel is a Preaching Angel.
The First Angel is a Preaching Angel.
6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
It says “I saw another angel” because this is a continuation of other angels God sent with messages to the earth during the tribulation. It says he will fly directly overhead with visibility to everyone on earth. His pulpit will be the sky and he will be in continual sight and earshot of everyone. He will preach to ever nation and tribe and language. His message, according to John, is the eternal gospel. This is not a different gospel, but the same gospel since the fall of man. Put you hope and trust in God and God alone. This was the message to the world through Israel in anticipation of the coming of Christ. This is the message now as we the church await the return of Christ. This will be the message to the world during the Tribulation as we await the final victory of Christ. They simply look at the message of God from different viewpoints.
The message has always and will always be the same: we are to put our full and complete hope in God for all things. It is the gospel of grace, it is the gospel of Christ, it is the gospel of God, it is the gospel of peace and it is the glorious gospel. There’s only one gospel. The same gospel of salvation has all of those elements. It is from God, it is about Christ, it is through grace, it provides peace, it is also, by the way, the gospel of the kingdom. It is the good news that tells men and women how they can enter in to the eternal kingdom of God, the kingdom that has been opened by Christ and all who believe can enter. (MacArthur).
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Notice how directly this message comes in verse 7. The angel speaks “with a loud voice.” That would be obvious. In fact, he shouts. The shouting indicates that he will be heard and it also is an indication of the urgency of the message. And what is it that he shouts? This is most important. He shouts “with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give Him glory.’” The message is clear.
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
17 Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.
17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
Is this angel trying to frighten people? Absolutely. But on the other hand, he is also inviting them to recognize the hope and grace found in God. This is the very heart of the problem of the unbelieving world. When they knew God, Romans 1 says, they glorified Him not as God but rather put their hope in their own sin and rebelled against God. Romans 1 says because of the knowledge of God that is in them and the knowledge of God that is around them, men are without excuse. Reason demands a moral lawgiver and a creator. Pride denies a dependance on God. That is man’s great sin, when he knows God he refuses to glorify Him as God. Is is the sin of man in the garden, it is the sin of man today, and it will be the sin of man even in the great tribulation. And so this warning comes from the angel hoping to snatch them out of the judgement of God.
The Second Angel is a Pronouncing Angel
The Second Angel is a Pronouncing Angel
8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”
Here we have an angel that is pronouncing judgement. This sadly implies the rejection of the first angel’s message. If everybody in the world responded to the preaching of the first angel, the second angel wouldn’t have to say this. Think about Jonah as he came and declared to Nineveh God’s impending judgment on the city and the response of the city from the King down to the most common person and even the animals (Jonah 3:1-9).
It declares, “Fallen is Babylon the great.” Who is this. Babylon refers to the worldwide kingdom of the Antichrist. You’ll remember that the first Babylon was built by Nimrod as a great city (Genesis 10-11). Nimrod also built Nineveh. Nimrod built Babylon which has been viewed as the Satan’s City, whereas Jerusalem is known as God’s city, and in the Bible they are regularly contrasted with each other and are seen in opposition to one another. Babylon was centered around false religion, idolatry, rebellious hearts, witchcraft, and human achievement. It is here that the tower of Babel was built as the first world power of idolatry.
But the angel says, “Fallen, fallen.” That’s the end, divine judgement. You can’t put your faith in this any longer. Just as you can’t put your faith in it now. The repetition of the word “fallen” serves to make the statement with great finality and great force. It shows the intense nature of the judgment. Fallen, fallen, by the way, is treated as if it were a future tense, although it is so certain to happen, it can be spoken of as if it’s already taken place. More on Babylon will come in Revelation 17. For now, it is enough to see it representing mankind in organized rebellion against God.
The Third Angel is a Damning Angel
The Third Angel is a Damning Angel
9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
This reminds us that there is a connection between worshipping the beast and his image and receiving his mark on his forehead or on his hand. No one will casually or accidentally take the mark. The connection between worshipping the beast and taking the mark will be clear enough. Although, receiving the mark may seem innocent enough. They are justifying their own present security by forfeiting their eternal security and damnation. It was the same way in the first few centuries of Christianity, when to burn a pinch of incense to an image of Caesar, and to pledge “Caesar is Lord” was regarded as an innocent act of civic duty to the ancient pagans.
What is interesting in the finality of this allegiance. The person who takes this kind of allegiance to the antichrist - the world system of belief, immorality, and idolatry is doomed to be tormented with fire and brimstone. This is a clear image of hell and it stand in contrast to those who try to deny that hell is a real place. The liberal scholars who try to deny the existence of hell have no argument for what is being preached by God’s angels in Revelation 14.
Luke 16:22–23 (ESV)
22 The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off…
20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Some people would try to argue that hell is not forever. This angel wouldn’t be on their side. This angel would like to debate those who believe in annihilationism, who believe in universalism, who believe in any form of conditional immortality. This angel would debate any of that.
This brings me to my last point here and that is the necessity of the “perseverance of the saints.”
The Perseverance of the Saints
The Perseverance of the Saints
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
It is worth our time to take a couple of minutes to understand this doctrine.
23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;
Jesus tells us not to fear because he is with us. Over and over again the Bible tells us that we are not to fear living in this world that is hostile to the things of God, because God Almighty is living with us, shielding us, and carrying us through this land. God promises that nothing will be able to seperate us from Him and His eternal promises.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
In Revelation Chapters 2 & 3, the true believer in Christ is known as “Overcomer.”
This is the great truth of the perseverance of the saints. They survive to the end because God gives them the faith, he gives them the fear, he gives them the love, he gives them the obedience. Nothing could kill their faith. They overcome death, torture, imprisonment, and temptation. When you realize the glory of God and his victory over Satan and this world-system, nothing can destroy that faith.