October 20: THE THIRD ANGEL’S MESSAGE (part 1)
Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand . . . Revelation 14:9
And here begins the sternest warning in all the Bible. This verse makes it plain that there are only two choices (and nothing in between) when it comes to worship. One leads to eternal life and the other leads to eternal death. We must remember that warnings from our Savior are rooted in a love so pure that it is beyond what we can imagine. We have been conditioned in this fallen world to simply tune out the parts of God’s word that are not “warm and fuzzy.” Be sure to notice the conditional nature here in the use of the word If. It is supreme Love that gives each of us the freedom to choose. He wants to be chosen, but the choice is completely ours.
Like the first angel’s message, the third angel’s message is issued with a loud voice. The first angel’s message is about what to do and the third’s is about what not to do. What good parent doesn’t speak in a loud voice when a situation arises that could be a matter of life or death? There is a dangerous situation brewing today that our loving God wants people to recognize and avoid. Foremost in the mind of Christ is the eternal safety of those for whom He died (everyone!). Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1) As Satan nears his end (Revelation 12:12) he will foist upon us a law that is out of alignment with the plain word of God (13:15-17). Can anyone say that the urgency of this last-day situation is not of foremost importance to people?
Notice the time stamps of the three angels’ messages. The idea to “Fear God and give glory to Him” is timeless. But the center phrase of the sentence for the hour of His judgment has come is a time stamp. This judgment hour began in 1844, but like our Savior’s birth, the vast majority of the world was unaware. Scripture contains precise prophecies for every act of God that affects His people (Amos 3:7), but the skewed understanding of religious leaders led them to deny His very identity. Beloved, you can be absolutely certain that God is not behind skewed understandings or misrepresentations. It is the work of Satan, who knows Scripture better than people do. Satan knew when Jesus was born and worked through people to try to kill Him as a baby. And he certainly knew that 1844 marked a new era of the heavenly ministry of Christ. In sanctuary terms, our Great High Priest moved from the Holy Place into the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary, as represented by the work of the priest on the Day of Atonement (Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 16:30,34; Hebrews 9:7-8).
The year 1844 was a year of many historical events. Satan was working feverishly behind the scenes to unite the two beasts of Revelation 13. In our verse today, the beast and his image have come together. We are on the verge of a full cooperation between the papacy and the United States. Together, a case will be presented to the world of human responsibility to save it. The case will be well articulated and very convincing. Without a doubt, humanity’s sin has wrought corruption on the earth. But only Christ can save us, and when He does, the world will be destroyed by fire (2 Peter 3:10). If we are to be saved, our worship, service, loyalty, and allegiance must be fully directed toward Him, allowing Him to recreate our characters for heavenly perfections. In this world, our greatest responsibility is to the Lord and other people, that they might also choose to place their trust and allegiance in Him alone.
Note: the third angel’s message builds upon the first and second. It concerns those who reject the first angel’s message. The second merely highlights that Babylon is not going to change. It is a fallen and worldwide system of worship.
And all the world marveled and followed the beast. Revelation 13:3b