Sunday, February 11th, 2018 - AM - Of Angels & Announcements (Rev. 14:6-13)

Revelation 14:6–13 KJV 1900

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. 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. 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. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Introduction

Many years ago in England there was a small boy who talked with a lisp. While growing up, he was never a scholar. When war came along, they rejected him because “we need men.” He once rose to address the House of Commons, and they all walked out. He often spoke to empty chairs and echoes.

One day he became prime minister of Great Britain and led his country to victory in a worldwide conflict. That man was Sir Winston Churchill, whose iron will to persevere rallied all of his countrymen to defend their land and eventually win the war. [Michael P. Green, ed., Illustrations for Biblical Preaching: Over 1500 Sermon Illustrations Arranged by Topic and Indexed Exhaustively, Revised edition of: The expositor’s illustration file. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989).]

The price of greatness is responsibility. - Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill had the following words of Abe Lincoln framed on the wall of his office:

“I do the very best I can, I mean to keep going. If the end brings me out all right, then what is said against me won’t matter. If I’m wrong, ten angels swearing I was right won’t make a difference.”

Winston Churchill’s brave words to the students at Harrow School in the dark days of 1941: “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”

If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile-driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time—a tremendous whack! - Winston Churchill [Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002).]

Main Thought

Don’t sell out! Never give in!

Remain loyal, steadfast and true to the One who made you!

Understand the doom of compromisers.

Fight for the law of God and the faith of Jesus to the end.

The promise of rest and legacy awaits the faithful.

Sub-Introduction

Background/Intro Material:

Rev. 14:8ff- some say it is like a Table of Contents for the rest of the book of the revelation.

I. The First Angel | Declaration of the Everlasting Gospel (Rev. 14:6-7)

A. Flying in Mid-heaven (v. 6a).

Revelation 14:6 KJV 1900

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,

John declared that he “saw” (ei=don)2161 “another angel” (a;llon a;ggelon). It is significant that the Apostle stated that this angel was “another” (a;llon),2162 requiring the reader to search for a preceding angel. Since he said that he saw this angel “fly in the midst of heaven” (petw,menon2163 evn mesouranh,mati), the exegete must find reference to the previous angel with the same descriptive terms, such as the prepositional phrase evn mesouranh,mati (“in the midst of heaven”). This expression is tris legomena, occurring previously in Rev. 8:13 and later in Rev. 19:17. The previous reference sets up the allusion to “another,” and indicates that the current reference to angel is likened unto “an angel flying through the midst of heaven” (e`no.j avgge,lou petwme,nou evn mesouranh,mati). For those who have received by faith the “received text” (cf. Jn. 17:8; I Thes. 2:13