Angelos - messenger

What is the everlasting gospel?

What do the three angels represent?

Why are they described as flying in the middle of heaven?

Why are the messages proclaimed to all the world?

What does it mean to fear God?

What does it mean to glorify Him?

What and when is the hour of God’s judgment?

What does it mean to worship the Creator?

What is Babylon?

What is Babylon’s Wine of wrath?

What does prophecy mean when it says that Babylon fornicates with the kings of the earth?

Who is the beast?

What is the image of the beast?

What is the mark of the beast?

What is the number of the beast’s name?

What is the wine of God’s wrath?

Why is God’s wine poured out without mixture?

Will the worshipers of the beast be incinerated in fire that will never go out?

What is the patience of the saints?

What are the commandments of God?

What is meant by the faith of Jesus?

Who are the 144,000 and when will they live?

12 facts about 3 angels messages

Fact #1: Human beings are helped by angels to proclaim the message. Three literal angels will not streak across the heavens shouting out their messages in a loud voice to the world

Revelation 1:1-4: God has a chain of command: God to Jesus to the Holy Spirit [2:1], to the angel, to John, to the churches, to the world:

Revelation 1:1–4 (KJV 1900)

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

Greek word for angel means “messenger”

Epaphroditus Philippians 2:25 (not angellos)

Philippians 2:25 (KJV 1900)

25 Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.

John the Baptist (Matthew 11:10

Matthew 11:10 (KJV 1900)

10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Messengers sent to John (Luke 7:24

Luke 7:24 (KJV 1900)

24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

Spies who visited Jericho (James 2:25

James 2:25 (KJV 1900)

25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

Apostle Paul (Galatians 4:14

Galatians 4:14 (KJV 1900)

14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

Stephen (Acts 6:15

Acts 6:15 (KJV 1900)

15 And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

The preaching of the gospel has not been committed to angels but to human beings Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8

Matthew 28:18–20 (KJV 1900)

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Acts 1:8 (KJV 1900)

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

But the angels help in the task of preaching. In Acts 8:26 where an angel puts Phillip in contact with the Ethiopian eunuch. Also in Acts 10:3 the angel put Cornelius in touch with Peter even though he could have imparted the message himself.

Acts 8:26 KJV 1900

26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

Acts 10:3 KJV 1900

3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

FACT #2: The angels fly in the midst of heaven which means that their messages are of heavenly origin.

The message is of heavenly origin, sent by God. In contrast, Satan is the king of the abyss (Revelation 9:11 ) and his representatives come from the sea (Revelation 13:1) and the earth (Revelation 13:11 ).

Revelation 9:11 (KJV 1900)

11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Revelation 13:1 (KJV 1900)

1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Revelation 13:11 (KJV 1900)

11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

See James 3:15-17 contrasts the wisdom that comes from above and the wisdom that comes from below:

James 3:15–17 (KJV 1900)

15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Revelation 18:1 says that the angel comes down from heaven.

Revelation 18:1 (KJV 1900)

1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

The North is up and the South is down.

FACT #3: The Loud voice represents the power and authority with which the message is announced:

The message is to be announced with unmitigated power. The word is MEGAPHONE (Revelation 14:7 , 9 ; 18:1-2 ).

Revelation 14:7 (KJV 1900)

7 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 14:9 (KJV 1900)

9 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,

Revelation 18:1–2 (KJV 1900)

1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying,

FACT #4: The angels fly which means that the messages are to be announced with the utmost velocity (Revelation 14:6 ).

Revelation 14:6 KJV 1900

6 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,

Ezekiel 1:13-14 speaks of the angels moving with the speed of lightning.

Ezekiel 1:13–14 KJV 1900

13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

Daniel 9 records a prayer where Daniel asked God for wisdom to understand the 2300 day prophecy. When he began his prayer Gabriel was sent to answer it. Gabriel arrived before Daniel ended his prayer.

FACT #5: The messages are world-wide in scope (Revelation 14:6 ).

Revelation 14:6 (KJV 1900)

6 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,

They are to go to every corner of the earth and to every people and language group. They are not for the Jews alone but for the entire human race.

A global proclamation of the messages requires a global people to proclaim them Matthew 24:14 ; Mark 16:15-16 to every creature.

Matthew 24:14 KJV 1900

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Mark 16:15–16 KJV 1900

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

The purpose of the three messages is to counteract the messages of three counterfeit angels (Revelation 16:13 ) that are also attempting to gather the world on Satan’s side.

Revelation 16:13 KJV 1900

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

Notice that the harlot also controls people from every nation, kindred, tongue and people but she gives the nations her wine. In other words, there are two contrasting messages of 3 angels and the purpose is to gather the world on either side.

FACT #6: The messages must be proclaimed in their proper order (Revelation 14:6, 8, 9 )

Revelation 14:6 KJV 1900

6 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,

Revelation 14:8 KJV 1900

8 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 14:9 KJV 1900

9 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,

They are sequential and cumulative. It is risky to change their order.

First angel’s message is a positive imperative command.

The second angel’s message is an announcement and a call.

The third angel’s message is a warning to those who choose not to come out.

If you do not accept the first, you will reject the second and the third.

Babylon falls because she rejected the first angel’s message. You will not accept the call to come out of Babylon unless you know why you should come out--because she rejected the first angel’s message.

FACT #7: The messages are God’s final appeal and message to the world before the close of human probation and the second coming of Christ (Revelation 14:14 ; Matthew 24:14 ).

Revelation 14:14 KJV 1900

14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

Matthew 24:14 KJV 1900

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

If you believe that we are living near the end of time, then this is the message you should understand and proclaim.

FACT #8: The proclamation of the three angels messages are accompanied by the power of the latter rain: The message accompanied by the latter rain will divide the world into two groups: The harvest and the grapes.

Pentecost brought the early rain which has been falling ever since. At the end the latter rain will ripen the crop for the harvest

The whole world will take sides. The messages will polarize the world. No one will remain neutral. You will either have the seal of God or the mark of the beast.

The messages will ripen your character and prepare it for the heavenly harvest (Revelation 14:14-17 ) As in the days of Pharaoh, God’s message will soon either soften or harden men’s hearts.

Revelation 14:14–17 KJV 1900

14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. 17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

FACT #9: The three messages are linked with the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary.

We know this for several reasons:

As we will notice in our next lecture, the command to fear God is linked in the Bible with keeping His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13 “13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” )

Giving glory to God reminds us of the glorious Shekinah which shone in the Most Holy Place

Worshiping the Creator entails the observance of the Sabbath which was found at the center of the law in the Most Holy Place

The idea of God’s judgment connects with the Day of Atonement when all Israel was divided into two categories. The central apartment was the Most Holy Place where the law was. And the judgment begins before the second coming of Jesus.

Revelation 11:19 introduces chapters 12-14 and the temple is opened. After the three angels have given their messages, the temple is closed (Revelation 15:5-8).

FACT #10: The acceptance or rejection of the messages is not a trivial matter. In fact it is a matter of life or death

Those who receive the messages will receive the seal of God and be saved. Those who reject the messages will receive the mark of the beast and suffer the wrath of God. There will be no middle ground. The saved will be inside the city and the lost will be outside.

FACT #11: God will have a people who will accept, proclaim and obey the three angel’s messages (Revelation 15:2-4 ). They will be victorious over the powers mentioned in the third angel’s message.

Revelation 15:2–4 KJV 1900

2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. 4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

FACT #12:

The central issue which will divide the world into the two camps will be worship and obedience (Revelation 14:6-7, 9-12 )

Revelation 14:6–7 KJV 1900

6 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, 7 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 14:9–12 KJV 1900

9 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, 10 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: 11 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. 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

GOD’s invitation to proclame his character to dying world