Revelation 14:6-7, "And I saw another angel flying through the heavens, carrying the everlasting Good News to preach to the people who belong to this world--to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7"Fear God," he shouted. "Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.""
This other angel mentioned here is not identified; however its mission is clearly identifiable for us today. The angel is seen flying through the heavens. In the NKJV, it is midheaven that this angel is flying through. Midheaven comes from the greek word mesouranema which refers to the point in the sky where the sun reaches its meridian, apex or high point at noon (8:L13; 19:17). From this vantage point everyone on the whole earth would be able to hear this angel. This would seemingly point out for us the fact that Satan will not be able to touch this angel further even though Satan’s activities will be limited to the earth (12:7-9). This battle spiritually already currently rages in the heavenlies between the holy angels and demons (Dan 10:12-13) will by then be over. The ministry of this angel will be such that not only will the angel be untouchable but his ministry unhindered as well.
During this time where the 144,000 Jewish evangelists and many other believers in the Messiah will be preaching the Gospel before the glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Despite the fact of the preaching of the 144,000 and the two witnesses the world will still reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ; yet God will grant another opportunity. Many people view God as silly and unneeded, just another crutch. Some would have a hard time swallowing the truth in favor of a lie. We can look at our society and not look far to its lies. We can see it in our work places that a false gospel other than the one contained in the Scriptures is being played out for us to believe in and adopt as truth. What our world calls truth is nothing more than a shame, for at its roots are nothing more than falsehood, deception and lies from the pit of hell.
The angel will be carrying the everlasting Good News. Good News comes from the greek noun evangelion (gospel) and is used in John’s writings, though the related word to preach also appears in 10:7. Scripture descries the gospel in various terms, each looking at it from a different viewpoint. The gospel is called the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 4:23), the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:1), the gospel of God (Mark 1:14), the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24), the gospel of glory of Christ (2 Cor 4:4), the gospel of salvation (Eph 1:13), the gospel of peace), and the glorious gospel (1 Tim 1:1). The usage of everlasting points out the fact that the Gospel is the everlasting Good News-the means by which all humanity may repent and receive by the blood of Jesus Christ-the remission of sins for Jesus said that it was finished; He meant that our salvation was secured and instanteous through His very blood sacrifice for us. It is this sacrifice this angel will declare yet the message of forgiveness was repeatedly also offered to Israel throughout the Old Testament times based on the new convenant terms (Jer 31:31-34; Ezek 36:25-27). The only means by which any human may repent even during the OT times was to those who truly repented and sought forgiveness and grace from God, even though the Savior had not yet died in the OT times. In the purpose of God, the merits of the Lamb slain at the Cross on Calvary were granted to all true repenters in all ages. This points to the fact here that Jesus said that the Gospel must be preached to all nations and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14) The preaching of this angel will reach many and any who still have not heard the Gospel message, and in earth’s darkest hour, the angel will proclaim the everlasting good news that it is still not too late to give God the glory and to know Him.
The message of the angel is specifically addressed to to the people who belong to this world to every nation, tribe, language, and people. The reference to those who belong to this world is always a reference to unbelievers in Revelation (3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8, 12,14; 17:2,8) As well as to every nation, tribe, language, and people (5:9; 7:9; 11:9;13:7) would seemingly stress the worldwide mission of this angel’s ministry. The angel’s message is simple "Fear God," he shouted. "Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all the springs of water."" The fact the angel shouted is important in the fact that he calls all sinners to repentance everywhere on the face of the earth. This then would lead us to see that the angel will proclaim to the nations with urgency the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ. Fear God," he shouted. "Give glory to him would refer to the urgency again of the message of this angel, to no longer fear or reverence Satan and the Antichrist but instead to fear reverence and honor God by turning to His Son-the Lord Jesus Christ. God alone is the ruler of this age not Satan and God alone will have the glory for He is the sovereign ruler of the universe, Father, Son and Holy Spirit-for they alone have the right to be worshipped (19:10;22:9;Isa 42:8; 48:11; Matthew 4:10).
Give glory to him goes back to Romans 1:21, "even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks." Refusing to give God the glory goes back to the origins or man’s problems in the first place, for man’s refusal to give God glory reflects upon man’s rebellious nature. For the time has come when he will sit as judge points to the fact that opportunity is not yet spent, but the fact is that time is still fleeting, for the bowl judgments are about to be poured out, to be followed shortly by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to judge the unbelieving world (Matthew 25:31-46).
It would seem pointless to some that this angel would proclaim this message after all the people have experienced in terms of the seal, trumpet judgments. The earth will already have been devastated by famines, earthquakes, wars, resulting in destruction of the environment, ecology, economy and so on, even having witnessed terrifying signs in the heavens and been attacked by demon hordes, yet even ni this they will not repent. The result will only be the most death in human history, even though history will remember them as God’s judgments (6:15-17), the people will be confirmed and hardened by their refusal to repent (9:20-21). Yet God will still call people to salvation and those who have not yet hardened there hearts or accepted the mark of the beast will then be saved through the proclamation of the preaching of the Gospel which this angel preaches. It is still not too late to change your mind today and to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior by faith in His Son’s sacrifice.
The reasoning is simple in the angel’s eyes Worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all the springs of water. The created universe provides enough evidence of God’s existence. In Psalm 19:1-4 declares, "1
The heavens tell of the glory of God.
The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.
2
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
3
They speak without a sound or a word;
their voice is silent in the skies;[1]
4
yet their message has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to all the world.
The sun lives in the heavens
where God placed it."
Isaiah 40:21-26, "21Have you never heard or understood? Are you deaf to the words of God--the words he gave before the world began? Are you so ignorant? 22It is God who sits above the circle of the earth. The people below must seem to him like grasshoppers! He is the one who spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them. 23He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing. 24They hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them and their work withers. The wind carries them off like straw.25"To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?" asks the Holy One.26Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out one after another, calling each by its name. And he counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away."
God has revealed Himself throughout nature men are without excuse for not knowing Him for Romans 1:18-20 points out, "18But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves.[1] 19For the truth about God is known to them instinctively.[2] God has put this knowledge in their hearts. 20From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God."
Macarthur points out, "When Paul evangelized Jews, he always started from the Old Testament Scriptures. But when he evangelized pagans, whether simple common people (Acts 14:14-17) or sophisticated philosophers (Acts 17:22-31) he proclaimed that the true and living God must be worshiped because He is the Creator of everything. Identifying the First cause was the most important question in philosophy before Darwin. Paul introduced them to Him." Revelation 4:11 declares, "You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created." God is the one people ought to fear and worship rather than Satan and Antichrist. God will graciously offers mankind the opportunity and decision to repent. He will snatch those who heed the warning from the fire of judgment (Jude 23), and transfer them as agents of darkness into messengers of light into the soon to be manifestation of the Kingdom of His Son (Col 1:13). We shall now turn our attention to the Second Angel pronouncing judgment.
Pastor Jenkins
