The Last Message
for this World
Ekkehardt Mueller
Director asociado del Biblical Research Institute
Last
messages or last warnings are very important. If one does not take them
seriously, one has to count on unpleasant consequences. On the other hand, if
they are followed, one can enjoy wonderful benefits. The Bible presents a last
message in Rev 14:6-12.
I. The Context
1. The Larger Context
Rev 12-14 portrays
the final conflict of earth’s history. From Rev 15 onward, the last moments of
this drama are revealed: God’s intervention in favor of His saints in the form
of seven plagues. Plagues six and seven depict the collapse of Babylon in the
battle of Armageddon. Rev 17 and 18 describe this fall of Babylon in more
detail, and Rev 19 pictures the intervention of Jesus with His army as the
rider on the white horse. This is followed by the Millennium (Rev 20) and the
new heaven and new earth including the New Jerusalem (Rev 21-22). Thus the
message of the three angels is the final and universal message addressed to all
people in the last time of earth’s history.
2. The Context of the Central Vision of Revelation (Rev
12-14)
a. Chapter 12
After a short
introduction (Rev 11:19), Rev 12 narrates in symbolic form:
ü The birth (coming
forth) of the Messiah (the male child) from the true people of God (the woman)
and the attempt of Satan (the dragon/serpent) to kill Him (Rev 12:1-5).
ü Satan’s war against
the church throughout the centuries (1260 symbolic days=1260 years) after the
ascension of the Messiah to God in order to destroy her (Rev 12:6, 13-16).
ü A heavenly battle
between Satan and Jesus (Michael), which ended in Satan’s defeat but not
destruction (Rev 12:7-12).
ü Satan’s battle at
the end time against God’s people, called remnant, who keep the commandments of
God and have the testimony of Jesus (Rev 12:17).
b. Chapter 13
In two parts, chapter 13 develops how Satan
attempts to achieve his goal of the destruction of God’s people.
ü He uses a beast
coming out of the sea (the papacy) to wage war against those who are true to
God and to enforce universal worship of the dragon and the beast (Rev 13:1-10).
ü In addition, he
uses a beast coming out of the earth (fallen Protestantism) to erect an image
of the first beast, forcing the world population to worship the sea beast and
to accept the mark of the beast (Rev 13:11-18).
c. Chapter 14
This chapter not only presents the divine
counter message to the evil propaganda of the evil powers, but also shows the
final outcome of the great controversy.
ü First, this chapter
portrays those who have withstood the satanic trinity (dragon, sea beast, and
earth beast which is later called Babylon) and are with Jesus Christ—the
144,000 (Rev 14:1-5).
ü Then follows the
last message, the message of the three symbolic angels, which is proclaimed by
the remnant (the 144,000) (Rev 14:6-13).
ü Next occurs
Christ’s second coming, described symbolically as the harvest of the earth with
two groups involved—the saved and the lost (Rev 14:14-20).
II. God’s Last
Message (Rev 14:6-12)
This message comes
in three parts proclaimed by three angels. But this message, although sounding
like judgment, is nevertheless the great eternal gospel.
1. The First Part of the Message (Rev 14:6-7)
a. The Universal
Proclamation of the Eternal Gospel
Revelation shares
with the rest of the New Testament the conviction that the gospel must be
preached to all nations before the end comes (Mark 13:10; Matt 24:14). The
eternal gospel of the last message is by definition good news for those who
accept it.
The prologue of the
Apocalypse contains a clear description of the gospel—Rev 1:5-7—and we should
understand the term “eternal gospel” on this background:
ü Jesus loves us.
ü Jesus has saved us.
ü Jesus has set us in
a new state, being a kingdom and priests.
ü Jesus comes again.
Therefore, those
who die in the Lord have nothing to fear (Rev 14:13). They rest in the Lord
until the resurrection day.
b. “Fear God and
Give Him Glory”
It is good news
that even in this late hour of world history, salvation is still available.
People can still make a decision for the Creator God, accepting redemption.
They can commit their lives to Him and give glory to Him, that is, repent (Rev
11:13; 16:9) and acknowledge Him as the most important being in the entire
universe. Glory is associated with creation (Rev 4:11), but also with salvation
(Rev 1:6; 5:12; 19:1).
c. “The Hour of His
Judgment Has Come”
The final message
is good news because the investigative judgment, also called “pre-advent
judgment,” is in progress (e.g., Dan 7). In the heavenly sanctuary, depicted in
many places in Revelation, Christ is still working on our behalf. The decision
is being made about who will be accepted to be with Christ at His second
coming.
d. “Worship Him”
It is good news
because it calls us to worship God instead of demonic or human-made systems
(see Rev 13:4, 8, 12-18). These systems are coercive and oppressive, and cannot
give peace or a real future. They do not provide meaning in life as the Lord
does.
e. “Who Made the
Heaven and the Earth and the Sea and the Springs of Water”
The message is good
news because the Savior God is also the Creator God. Creation and salvation are
clearly linked in the New Testament and in Revelation (e.g., chapters 4-5). We
cannot have one without the other. And if there was not creation in the
beginning, it does not make much sense to expect re creation at the end of
human history.
At the same time,
the phrasing is taken from the fourth commandment; it has in mind the Sabbath
commandment. During the last period of earth’s history, faith in the Creator
God and keeping his commandments—including the Sabbath commandment—will be
challenged. The conflict will focus on how we relate to God and His law. Verse
12 will come back to this issue. So apart from our relationship to God, the
Sabbath will become a test of loyalty to God for all humankind.
2. The Second Part of the Message (Rev 14:8)
a. “Fallen, Fallen
is Babylon the Great”
The second message
proclaims the spiritual fall of Babylon (compare Rev 2:5). This is in some
sense good news because people can leave behind deception and come out of
Babylon. This message is repeated in Rev 18:2-4 with the call to leave Babylon.
On the other hand, the executive phase of the judgment mentioned later assures
believers that there will be justice, vindication, and a bright future for
them.
b. “She has Made
all the Nations Drink From the Wine of Wrath of Her Immorality” Babylon will
try to force all people worldwide to accept a system of worship, which talks
about God and yet is opposed to the true God. It is a blasphemous, idolatrous,
and therefore, immoral system. But not all will follow Babylon. The 144,000
will follow the Lamb, Jesus Christ (Rev 14:1 and 4).
3. The Third Part of the Message (Rev 14:9-13)
a. False
Worshippers “will Drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God” (Rev 14:9-11)
In the third part
of God’s final message, the angel announces the Lord’s final judgment on those
who worship the beast or its image and carry the mark of the beast. God
responds to the Babylonian wine of wrath with His own wine of wrath. The
followers of the beast—which will also include many professed Christians—have
made a decision against Jesus (the Lamb) and have persecuted His people. God
intervenes on behalf of His children (Ps 75:9). Again, good news!
b. The Saints and
Their Characteristics (Rev 14:12)
Finally, the
worshipers of the beast and its image are contrasted with the true worshipers
of God and followers of Jesus. Three characteristics are:
ü They are patient
and persevere. They do not give up.
ü They keep God’s
commandments, especially the Ten Commandments, including the Sabbath
commandment.
ü They have faith in
Jesus and have the faith of Jesus. They are saved by grace and live with the
Lord day by day. They rely on Him completely (justification of faith by grace).
They believe what Jesus believed.
c. Blessings (Rev
14:13)
The blessing that
follows in verse 13 points out that, although some may have to pay for their
loyalty and their relationship to Jesus with their life or may die during the
end time, they are blessed. They may rest until the resurrection.
III. Summary and
Implications
This is a wonderful
message, and it is God’s last message. We summarize: The first message
emphasizes worship of the Creator in contrast to worship of man-made systems
and worship of Satan. It accentuates the pre-advent judgment and obedience to
God, including the keeping of the biblical Sabbath.
The second message
warns us of being associated with Babylon. The ties have to be cut with this
apostate power and belief system. God’s people are called to come out of
Babylon and join the remnant.
The third message
does not only depict the judgment on Babylon but also the character, and to
some extent the fate, of the faithful ones. It is a group of people who love
God and follow Him no matter what.
This last message
challenges us: (1) To stop playing around and not taking God and His will
seriously—to stop misjudging the enormity of the last conflict that is
developing right before our eyes. As those who are saved, we decide to be loyal
to the Lord. (2) To pass on this last message to others so that they may be
invited to become children of God, be warned of the end-time deception, and be
ready to meet the coming Lord Jesus.
Copyright
© Biblical Research Institute General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®
Publicado:
Reflections, enero, 2014
Fuente: https://adventistbiblicalresearch.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Last%20Message
%20for%20this%20World.pdf
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