Sermon Tone Analysis

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).

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) and its consequent translation of the KJV, there is no difficulty because this angel that John saw flying in the midst of heaven will preach the Gospel, whereas the previous angel that he saw was flying in the midst of heaven proclaiming the three-fold woe message (cf.

Rev. 8:13).

The CT followed the inferior and defective a MSS and read “eagle” (avetou/) instead of “angel” (avgge,lou).2164

This textual perversion (cf.

II Pet.

3:15) causes confusion and difficulties for the reader, as CT advocate Leon Morris perpetuates and bemoans, stating, “Another angel is difficult because there has been no preceding angel since xii 7 .”2165

[Thomas M. Strouse, To the Seven Churches: A Commentary on the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, Selected Works of Dr. Thomas M. Strouse (Bible Baptist Theological Press, 40 Country Squire Rd., Cromwell, CT 06461, 2013), 567.]

B. Having the Message of the Everlasting Gospel (v.

6b).

*As opposed to the previous angel's message of Woe, woe, woe... (Rev.

8:13).

The everlasting gospel includes the good news that God is ready to conclude His judgments on the government of the antichrist and the satanic one world church.

Notice that this gospel message is directed to them that dwell on the earth.

This is a phrase referring to the unsaved.

(Revelation 3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8, 12, 14; 17:2, 8) [Dr.

Glen Jr. Spencer, The Expository Pulpit Series: Revelation (WORDsearch, 2013), Re 14:6–13.]

*If a person is still breathing, he or she is a candidate to hear

Included in this gospel message, is the call to repent and turn to Christ for salvation.

For those who have not taken the mark of the beast there is hope.

[Spencer, Re 14:6–13.]

C. Speaking with a Mega-Voice (v. 7).

1. Fear God & Give Him Glory.

2. Because His Wrath Is Come.

The Gospel of Christ then entails, 1) “death” for judgment, 2) “burial” because of death, and 3) “resurrection” to culminate final disposition relative to judgment.2173

The focus of this angel’s Gospel preaching2174 will be primarily judgment (cf.

v. 7).

The word euvagge,lion literally means “good message” and is expressed as “the gospel of the kingdom” (Mt.

4:23), “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24), “the glorious gospel” (II Cor.

4:4), “the gospel of Christ” (II Cor.

9:13), and “the gospel of peace” (Eph.

6:15).

Contextually, the good news of the Gospel is that God has dealt with sin judicially on the Cross and He will deal with sinners during the Tribulation.

This judgment will usher in the blessed Millennial Kingdom, which will be good news for Tribulation surviving saints!

[Strouse, 570.]

3. Worship the Creator.

In these final days of the Tribulation, man will be in his last moments, as John expressed, “the hour of his judgment” (w[ra th/j kri,sewj auvtou),2182 “is come” (h=lqen).2183

Men will be forced to decide for Antichrist or Christ, the deceiver or the deliverer!

The world populace will recognize that their choice will be an irreversible, final allegiance to either the Dragon or the Lamb.

If they receive the mark of the Beast they will be judged with him (cf.

Rev. 13:8).

[Strouse, 572–573.]

Application: Their hope begins with the fear of God.

The fear of God is for the most part missing in today's world.

This world lives from day to day, as if there is no God to answer to.

In these last days the fact that this world does not fear God is clearly seen in their actions.

Our news is filled with school shootings, murders, rapes, robberies, and all sorts of wickedness.

With over 4,000 babies murdered everyday in their mother's wombs, it is clear that there is no respect for life.

Our televisions and movie screens are filled with violence, death, and sex.

Many programs on television openly glorify and promote the sodomite lifestyle.

The air waves are filled with raw blasphemy.

We have children killing children, adults killing unborn children, and our homes flooded with violence and wickedness.

We are living amidst what the Bible calls a perverse and crooked generation.

If it is this bad now, how much worse it will be during the tribulation, when all restraints are removed?

During the tribulation men will live as if there is no God to answer to.

Like the ungodly crowd Paul spoke of, There is no fear of God before their eyes.

(Romans 3:18) The Bible declares that, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

(Proverbs 1:7) Saved people fear God as they ought and therefore, they live to please Him.

However, fools live without considering the fact that they must answer to the Holy God of Heaven.