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The
“Gospel” During the Great Tribulation
The Righteous Will Live by Faith
The purpose of this study is
to exalt the Centerpiece of the Great
Tribulation, Jesus Christ and His everlasting
gospel. I hope that this short study will lift
some darkness that currently obscures this most
important subject. What makes this subject so
important is that the gospel is good news from
God and good news about God. (I should point out
the gospel also contains bad news from God for
those who refuse to submit to His authority.) In
the coming hours of human extremity, God will
completely reveal the everlasting gospel. In
other words, during the Great Tribulation, the
gospel of Jesus Christ will be stripped of human
varnish and denomination ownership. Truth will
shine brighter than the sun at noon on a
cloudless day and truth will soar high above
antagonism and confusion by the diverse religions
of the world. Everyone will clearly hear the
gospel – yes, even above the roar and din of
overwhelming destruction and suffering. During
the appointed time of the end, the Holy Spirit
will empower God’s anointed messengers as
never before, exalting Jesus Christ and His
everlasting gospel with power and simplicity.
(Revelation 7:1-8; 11:3; Joel 2:28-32)
There is no higher subject,
there is no grander theme and there is nothing
more glorious in the whole Bible than the “revelation”
of Jesus Christ. Billions of people have rejoiced
to learn about Him down through the ages without
seeing the stunning revelation of His Majesty
that is about to take place. Every born-again
Christian knows that nothing can compare with the
joy, peace and transformation that comes from
knowing Jesus and understanding the gospel of His
kingdom. He is the King of kings! He is the Lord
of lords! He is the Alpha and Omega! He is the
eternal Sun of Righteousness, the day Star of
humankind! Yet, for all that He is, His favorite
titles seem to be Son of God and Savior of man.
(John 14:31; John 10:11; Revelation 5:9) So why
is it then, that when people tell the story of
the Great Tribulation, our Lord and His gospel
are not usually the centerpieces of the story?
Why is the book of Revelation regarded with so
much mystery, fear, foreboding and gloom when
Revelation is expressly declared”The
revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to him…?
(Revelation 1:1) Is it possible that Christians
do not comprehend how Jesus and His everlasting
gospel fit into the end-time story?
It is absolutely fascinating
to discover how all the books in the Bible are
“directly wired” into Revelation’s
story, comparable to the electrical wiring
connected to the main breaker box in my house.
All 66 books, written by 40+ authors over a
period of 1,400 years, connect to the book of
Revelation in ways that reveal something about
the enormous dimensions of God’s love and
His Plan to save man. No book in the Bible stands
alone; no book should be excluded from our study.
Each book contributes something essential to our
understanding of the everlasting gospel. Each
book adds color and detail to an infinite picture
that says something about the Most High God.
However, if I could exalt one book above the
others, it would be the last book of the Bible. I
say this because I believe we are living in the
final days of Earth’s history and the
message within the book of Revelation uniquely
applies to the last generation. In other words,
Revelation merits closer attention because it is
the timeliest.
God is Love
I have said often in these
studies that the most difficult idea the 144,000
must convey during the Great Tribulation will be
that God is love, simply because the world’s
view of what constitutes God’s love is
highly distorted. Think about it. Revelation
describes many horrible events. Consider a global
scene with people perishing by the hundreds of
millions in great fires, tidal waves, volcanic
eruptions, contaminated waters, famines, plagues,
wars and other physical calamities. Consider the
great suffering that every survivor will
experience. Words cannot express the anguish that
will torment every living person during the Great
Tribulation. No book in the Bible is more graphic
or more depressing than the book of Revelation,
especially if we focus on the results of
God’s justifiable wrath. So, how can I say
that the book of Revelation is the most glorious
book in the Bible? I say this because of what God
produces during the Great Tribulation and
what he brings out of the Great
Tribulation!
What do I mean when I say,
“What will God produce during the Great
Tribulation?” God will enable every
person to have an unmistakable understanding of
Jesus Christ and His gospel. “What will God
bring out of the Great Tribulation?” God
will save a numberless multitude of people who
supremely love Him and His truth. (Revelation
7:9,14) Any process that can produce results like
this is nothing short of amazing –
especially when you consider the religious and
cultural diversity of this planet!
Basic Elements of the Gospel
The gospel of Jesus Christ
can be compared with different levels of algebra.
Algebra I contains introductory ideas. Algebra II
builds upon the foundations established in
Algebra I, so that issues like quadratic and
differential equations can be studied. Algebra II
also sets the stage for the advanced study of
calculus. The point is that the gospel is not a
“sound bite” or a flippant “one-liner”
– it is as wide and deep as the ocean.
(Ephesians 3:16-19) True, you can put small
sample of the ocean in a jar, but the water in
the jar is not the ocean! Unfortunately, many
Christians have been led to believe that the
gospel is a small matter (the jar of water)
rather than an infinite matter operating within
well-defined principles and laws.
The Apostle Paul became
annoyed with the Hebrews because they would not
move on to “Algebra II.” He wrote, “In
fact, though by the time you ought to be
teachers, you need someone to teach you the
elementary truths of God’s word all over
again. You need milk, not solid food! No
one who lives on milk, being still an infant, is
acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant
use have trained themselves to distinguish good
from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary
teachings about Christ and go on to
maturity, not laying again the foundation of
repentance from acts that lead to death, and of
faith in god, instruction about baptisms, the
laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead,
and eternal judgment.” (Hebrews
5:12-6:2, italics mine) If Paul were alive today,
I wonder what he would say about the current
condition of Christians and their understanding
of the gospel.
Three Important Points
The way the gospel will be
presented during the Great Tribulation will be as
it has always been, only on a much grander scale.
God has always used a specific person or remnant
group to accomplish His purposes. During the
tribulation, God will choose and empower 144,000
ordinary people from every religion and culture
to do the job. To be more specific, one religious
body will not present the gospel during the Great
Tribulation and for the most part, neither
scholars nor “men and women of letters”
will present the gospel either! God looks within
the heart (1 Samuel 16:7, 17:10; Jeremiah 29:13)
and He will choose 144,000 humble messengers that
will come from all nationalities and faiths! Many
people may question how this diverse group will
present only one gospel! How will God accomplish
this? In every nation, there are people who love
God with all their heart, mind and soul. These
people are living up to all they know to be true.
These are His sheep. (John 10:16; Romans 2:14,15)
Once God presents the “book of truth”
to such people (Ezekiel 2:3-3:4; Revelation
10:8-10) they will rejoice to understand the
gospel! (Matthew 13:23) God will then empower
them to preach to their respective nations.
(Hebrews 8:10-13; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 24:14)
The world will listen because God will stop the
daily affairs of the human race with His
judgments. (Isaiah 26:9,10; Revelation 8 and 9)
As a result of God’s intervention, a
numberless multitude will receive salvation.
Think about it. God is going to save to the
utmost and redeem people from every religion and
nation!
Two Problems
Before we get into the
elements of the everlasting gospel, I would like
to present two important points for
consideration:
- Most
Christians believe their church
has the correct interpretation of the
gospel. (This is the reason the Christian
community is so divided – each
church is convinced of the certainty of
its position. Many churches use prophets
or authorities outside the Bible to
confirm their claims.) Regardless of
denomination, church leaders, pastors and
church members all believe their
version of the gospel will be
preached to all the world and
evangelicals are doing everything within
their power to accomplish “the
impossible.” I say “the
impossible” for two reasons: First,
the majority of people living on Earth
have not heard any portion of the gospel
after 2,000 years of promotion. According
to figures released by the American Bible
Society, it is currently estimated that
more than 3.5 billion people have
never heard of Jesus Christ! Second, the
population of Earth is growing faster
than people sharing the gospel can reach.
Yes, through the miracle of radio and TV,
the gospel is being preached in remote
places, but the problem is not reaching
remote places! Radio and TV may beam the
gospel to every nation, but culture
and religion prevent most people from
giving the gospel fair consideration.
History
confirms that it is almost impossible for one man
to prove the superiority of his religion over
that of another man. One cannot count the number
of “holy wars” fought in the name of
God. Figures show that less than 5% of the world’s
population change religions. Can Moslems convince
Jews of the superiority of Islam? Can Catholics
convince Hindus that Catholicism is right? Can
Mormons convince Jehovah’s Witnesses that
Mormonism is correct? No, the likelihood of
change in each example is slim to none. It is
heartbreaking, but true – when it comes to
religion, most people cannot objectively consider
another point of view if they have already
embraced a particular religion. Religion usually
starts in the cradle and whatever religion a
person is born into, that is the religion they
die out of. The question is, will God allow
people to perish because two men cannot agree
with each other? No. God intends to present the
gospel to every person and in a setting where
each person may fully consider His offer of
salvation. To do this, God must and will break
down religious barriers by sending a series of
devastating judgments.
B.
During the Great Tribulation, God will tear
down the enormous loyalty, trust and confidence
that each person places in his or her religion
and religious leaders. This tearing down
(disillusionment) will be painful and sad (and
many will curse God out of deepest bitterness),
but this terrible experience will enable Jews,
Protestants, Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah
Witnesses, Hindus, Moslems and everyone on earth
to consider the everlasting gospel for what it
really is. (Revelation 10:10,11) God will open
everyone’s mind by a powerful and
overwhelming course of events that no one can
deny. God will put all people on a level
playing field. The light of His Truth will
illuminate the pompous, arrogant claims of
religious leaders and religious systems.
(Zechariah 13:7-9) Sadly, the pride of their
hearts will be revealed. In stark contrast, the
144,000 will present the everlasting gospel in
simple, but powerful terms. Blazing truth will
shame the darkness that is protected in the name
of religion with the same clarity that daylight
defeats darkness. In this environment, everyone
will have an opportunity to (a) hear the gospel;
(b) make a decision (for the truth or stand
against it); (c) have their resolve about their
decision tested by persecution; and (d)
ultimately be sealed or marked according to their
decision. In this manner, the everlasting gospel
will be preached to every man, woman and child on
earth and each person will have a fair chance to
make an intelligent decision about it.
Elementary Teachings of the
Gospel
My comments in the previous
paragraphs may have caused some of you a great
amount of distress. You may want to ask: “So,
if this is true, then just what is the
everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ?” I would
respond by saying, “The everlasting gospel
is the truth about the relationship that exists
between the government of God, Jesus Christ,
Lucifer and fallen man.” The following six
statements explain this relationship.
1)
Before there was anything in the universe, there
were three eternal beings that we call God the
Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. (1
Timothy 1:17; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 9:14;
Matthew 28:19,20) The laws of the Trinity are
righteous, supreme, eternal and nonnegotiable.
(James 1:17; Psalms 119:89, 160; Daniel 4:34;
Habakkuk 3:6; Romans 16:26-27) All violators of
God’s laws will receive the wrath of law
that requires death by execution. (Genesis 2:17;
Exodus 12:12,13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 15:1;
Revelation 20:13-15)
Note:
God’s wrath is defined in this presentation
as the fair and unbiased administration of a
penalty as required by law. When Adam and Eve
sinned, they were to be executed the very day
they committed their sin because any violation of
God’s law is death by execution. (Genesis
2:17; 6:7; 13:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:8,9) Why is
the consequence so drastic? Here is the problem.
When sin occurs, the nature of the violator is
instantly changed – the sinner becomes
anti-God. (Adam and Eve radically changed from
having a propensity toward righteousness to
having a propensity toward rebellion against God.
This happened the very day they sinned. Remember
how they ran and hid from God? This behavior
shows the sudden change in their nature. (Genesis
3:8; Romans 8:7) From the beginning, God decreed
that the penalty for sin was death by execution.
To a liberal society, this may seem a bit harsh.
However, God knew the ultimate result of sin
– He knew sinful beings would eventually
attempt to destroy Him and all He had made if
they had enough power, time, and of course, if it
were possible. (See Revelation 12:7-9; 17; 12-14;
19:19,20.) Violators of God’s law cannot
escape the moral changes that sin brings. It is
“natural” for all sinners to be
anti-God. The only way to maintain a universe
free from the chaos and deadly infection of sin
is to totally eliminate sin and all who choose to
continue in lawlessness. (2 Thessalonians 2:12)
Consequently, God executes the wicked (including
the devil and his angels) at the end of the
thousand years with fire. (Notice that they are thrown
into the lake of fire! Revelation 20:15)
Dying from the consequences of sin (cancer,
stroke, accident, illness) is not to be equated
with paying the penalty of sin (death by
execution). If this was not the case, all the
Father would have to do was wait for Jesus to
grow old on earth and die “a natural death.”
Please understand this point: The penalty for sin
is not natural death. Now, follow this logic to
its conclusion: This is the very reason why Jesus
had to be executed at Calvary.
2)
At a point in time (approximately 6,000 years
ago), God the Son created life on this planet,
including man. (Genesis 1:27; John 1:10;
Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2) At that time, Jesus
placed man under the obligation of law with the
promise of immediate death by execution if man
violated the law. (Genesis 2:17) Unfortunately,
man disobeyed his Maker. (Genesis 3:6)
3)
Just as Adam and Eve were about to be executed,
Jesus, the Creator of man, stepped “in the
way” and offered to die in man’s
place.(Genesis 3:15; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1,2;
2 Thessalonians 2:7) The law of God, which
condemned Adam and Eve to death, could not be
changed. After Adam and Eve sinned, the Father
had no option but to give the world to Lucifer as
the spoils of his conquest. (Luke 4:6) However,
when Jesus made the gracious offer to become man’s
intercessor, the Father accepted Jesus’
offer based on certain conditions. From that
moment in time, Jesus became man’s
intercessor and will continue to do so until the
problem with sin is fully resolved. Jesus’
great love for Adam and Eve and their offspring
prompted His decision to live on Earth and die
the second death (the penalty for sin). During
Jesus’ earthy life, He would be tempted to
sin, just as Adam had been tested. (Hebrews 4:15)
He became an over comer and lived a sinless life;
therefore, He was executed as Adam and Eve
deserved-the guilt of their sins would be
transferred to Himself. (1 John 2:2,3; 2
Corinthians 5:21; Revelation 1:5)
The
Bible indicates that any person’s guilt can
be transferred to Jesus if they submit to the
authority of Jesus and live by faith in a hostile
world. This is good news of the everlasting
gospel-anyone who puts their faith in Christ as
their “atonement” Lamb will receive
eternal life at the appointed time and escape the
execution awaiting the wicked at the end of the
1,000 years. (Luke 8:1; Acts 5:42; Ephesians
2:8,9; Malachi 4:1; Revelation 20:13-15)
Remember, the Father accepted Jesus’ blood
as atonement for sin because He too, loved the
human race as much as Jesus. (John 3:16) Yes,
Lucifer had been successful in leading Adam and
Eve to sin, but the Father promised that the
world would be returned to its rightful owner
(and all of the “faith” people who
would live on it) if Jesus were successful in
redeeming man from the condemnation of eternal
death. (The spoils do go to the victor!) (Psalms
2:7-12; John 17:6; Hebrews 1:2, 8-13; Daniel
7:13,14)
Note:
Two points need to be injected here. First,
Jesus created the human race for the glory of the
Father. (Colossians 1:10-17) When Jesus offered
to become man’s Redeemer, the Father
promised to give Jesus the world as a gift for
the price He would have to pay. (John 17:2-6)
Jesus was found worthy to receive His kingdom in
1798. (Daniel 7:9,10, 13,14; Revelation 5. For
those individuals who are alive during the Great
Tribulation, every decision to belong or not
belong to the Kingdom of God will be made by the
time the seventh trumpet is sounded. (Revelation
11:15) Jesus’ first action after taking
possession of His kingdom will be to avenge the
suffering of His saints. (This is the purpose of
the seven last plagues.) Ultimately, Jesus
destroys His enemies. (Revelation 6:10,11; 15:1;
16:4-7; 19:15-21; Hebrews 10:13)
The
second point that needs to be made is that
although Jesus’ intercession averted Adam’s
and Eve’s execution that day, they did die
years later due to the consequences of sin. This
is why the Bible often speaks about the first
death as a temporary sleep (1 Corinthians 15:51;
John 11:11-13; John 6) and the second death as
the eternal or everlasting death. (Revelation
2:11; 20:6; 21:8) Many Bible students fail to
distinguish between the consequence of sin and
the penalty of sin. The wicked will be
resurrected at the end of the 1,000 years to
acknowledge their guilt and receive the penalty
for their rebellion, which is death by execution.
4)
Since all men have violated God’s law
(Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:10; Romans 3:10), then all
men fall under the penalty of law, death by
execution. For those who reject Christ’s
atonement, this execution will occur at the end
of the 1,000 years. (John 5:28,29; 12:48;
Revelation 20:6, 12-15; Colossians 3:5,6)
5)
The good news from God is that no one needs to
perish! (2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16; 1 John 5:13) The
righteousness required for salvation has been
provided for all through the life of Jesus
Christ. (Romans 5:10; 1:17; 3:21) The penalty for
sin has been paid by the death Jesus
Christ. (Galatians 3:13,14; 1 Peter 3:18) Unfortunately,
human nature is naturally drawn to rebel against
God, His laws and Kingdom and it is often hard
for sinners to accept the “good news.”
(Romans 8:7,8) Consequently, the only way a
person can wholeheartedly submit to god’s
laws is to be born again. (John 3:3) The “born
again” experience cannot be generated by
human will. (We cannot make ourselves born
again.) This is something alone that God creates
in our hearts and the transformation is nothing
less than a miracle. (John 3:6) The Bible also
states that the born again life requires constant
renewing. (2 Corinthians 13:5; Romans 12:2)
However, the flip side of the coin is this: If
anyone knowingly insists on remaining in a
rebellious state against God, they will be
considered a rebel who will be resurrected at the
end of the thousand years. According to God’s
law, those who rebel must pay the penalty for
their rebellion and they will be eternally
destroyed in the lake of fire. (Mark 3:29;
Hebrews 10:26,27; Revelation 20:11-15)
6)
How does a person put their faith in Christ? To
have faith in Christ means that out of a heart
full of love and gratitude for what He has done,
a person willingly submits to his authority. (1
John 5:2-4) Does obedience merit salvation? No.
(Romans 1:17; 3:21,22; Hebrews 4:2-6) Is
obedience necessary for salvation? Yes. (1 John
2:1-5) I know this sounds contradictory, but
actually, the relationship is simple. Faith
demonstrates obedience to God because the
individual believes that god is Sovereign
and there is a humble recognition that His
commands are to be obeyed above all others.
(Hebrews 11) Presumption, on the other hand,
excuses transgression (rebellion), whereas
obedience reveals our faith in God. (Romans
1:5,6) Obedience is a definitive way that faith
can be refined and tested. (James 1:3; 2:17-26; 1
Peter 4:17; Hebrews 5:8,9; 2 Thessalonians 1:8;
John 14:15,23) Salvation is guaranteed to all
who are willing to go, to be and do as God
directs. GO-BE-DO! (John 3:16; Romans 10:9; 1
Corinthians 10:13; Philippians 4:19) Faith begins
with a willing and submissive attitude. (Luke
23:42,43) Faith recognizes the authority of God
by producing appropriate deeds. (James 2:17, 19)
The ultimate test of faith happens when loyalty
to God stands in direct conflict with dire
circumstances. (Genesis 6; Daniel 3 & 6)
Note:
Many Christians today face a serious problem
without recognizing it. Most Christians read and
quote Bible texts in their Nike tennis shoes,
instead of putting on the sandals of the
apostles. In other words, too many Christians
manipulate the conversations in the Bible (based
on preconceptions) and glibly make them say
things that were never intended. Here are two
examples: “For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life.” (John 3:16) Individuals who read
the Bible often mistreat this verse “while
wearing Nikes!” Jesus uttered these words to
Nicodemus. To understand the meaning of this
verse, you have to “put on the sandals”
of Nicodemus and consider the frame of mind he
had at that time.
The
words of Jesus to Nicodemus could be paraphrased
like this: “Nicodemus, the Father loves
everyone in the world, not just this tiny nation
of Jews. To restore all humankind to Eden, the
Father provided the necessary atonement for sin.
You and your fellow citizens are too parochial in
your view of God’s love. Everyone who
submits to My teaching will have eternal life. I
have only spoken the words the Father gave Me. If
you accept Me as the Son of God, you must
recognize that your religion and your religious
acts cannot save you. They are worthless in terms
of salvation, because man is saved by faith
alone. If you believe that I am the Lamb of God,
sent here to fulfill all that the ceremonial
system points to, then you need not take a lamb
to the temple alter ever again. If you believe
that I am the Son of God and my teaching is from
God, you will not be able to conform to the
religious customs of your people. I have come to
set you free of that obligation. If you confess
that you believe that I am the Messiah, the Holy
One predicted by the prophets of Israel, you will
be cut off from your family, friends and this
nation-but, be assured of this, you will receive
eternal life.”
Another
example of a verse (and many others exist) that
is often misrepresented is this: “That if
you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’
and believe in your heart that god raised him
from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with
your heart that you believe and are justified,
and it is with your mouth that you confess and
are saved.”(Romans 10:9,10) Many
Christians quote the preceding two verses as
though the words contain a magical statement, as
if merely to quote this verse before other people
and believe that Jesus rose from the dead will be
enough to save them eternally! Paul had no such
thought in mind when he wrote these words. Again,
let us take off the Nikes and put on the sandals
of the roman converts and consider what Paul was
actually saying to the Romans who had suffered so
much torment at Caesar’s hand. Paul’s
words could be paraphrased as follows: “If,
when you are standing before the authorities for
your faith, and all your possessions are being
confiscated from your house because your name was
placed on the proscription list, and when you are
being beaten with 39 lashes because you refused
to bow down before Caesar as a god – when
this happens, if you still confess with your
mouth that Jesus is your Lord and Master and not
Caesar, and if you can still believe in your
heart that god raised Jesus from the dead and He
will raise you also-this is faith. Your faith in
God will save you, although you may, like me,
lose your life in Rome for serving Christ!
However, keep this in mind: Neither giving away
your possessions nor standing in defiance of
Caesar will save you. Remember that we are saved
by faith alone in Christ. Therefore, submit to
the teaching of Christ, confess that Jesus is
Lord of you life, acknowledge your faults, but
stand firm in your loyalty to the commandments of
Jesus and your faith will save you!”
To
understand the Bible writers and the intended
meaning of their words, we need to be sure we
understand the culture and customs of people and
the period in which the words were written. To do
less is to make nonsense of the Bible. The point
here is that anyone can enjoy a fellowship with
the writers of the Bible (even across the passage
of time), if he or she strives to understand the
issues and circumstances surrounding the writer
and the time in which he lived.
The Great Tribulation and the
first Message of the Gospel
To describe the
power of the gospel during the Great Tribulation,
it might be best to briefly “walk through”
the scenario. I have presented in previous
studies why I reject the idea of a
pre-tribulation rapture, so this topic will not
be addressed again in this article. However,
other matters need to be discussed as they relate
to the gospel during the Great Tribulation:
A.
My understanding is that the Great Tribulation
will be a time-period of 1,335 days (Daniel
12:11,12) that will be divided into two phases:
God’s wrath mixed with mercy (seven first
plagues (trumpets) – Revelation 8 &9),
God’s wrath without mercy directed at the
wicked (seven last plagues (bowls)-Revelation 15
& 16). This represents a total of 14 coming
judgments.
B.
The seven first plagues (seven trumpets) are
judgments from God that will destroy much of the
Earth and its delicate infrastructures.
Communication, travel, commerce, manufacturing
and distribution are types of infrastructures.
According to the Bible, about 50% of the world’s
population will perish before the seventh trumpet
sounds (yes this includes many saints). The rest
of Earth’s population will be destroyed at
the Second Coming (excluding those saints who
live during the 75 days of the seven last
plagues).
C.
Right after the great earthquake and other
phenomenon mentioned in Revelation 8:3-5, but
right before the sounding of the first trumpet,
the 144,000 will be empowered by the Holy Spirit
to speak for God, much like Elijah, Moses and
John the Baptist were empowered. The first gospel
message to be proclaimed is recorded in
Revelation 14:7. John describes the gospel
message as carried on the wings of an angel.
Notice what he saw: “Then I saw another
angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal
gospel to proclaim to those who live on the
earth-to every nation, tribe, language and
people.” (Italics mine)
Revelation
14:7 reveals three important things:
1.
An angel flying in midair suggests a rapid
transmission of this message to the whole world.
(See Daniel 8:5 for parallel language on the
swiftness of the Grecian empire.)
2.
This angel has possession of the eternal gospel.
The emphasis on eternal is given because the
gospel preached during the Great Tribulation
will not be new and improved. On the
contrary, something eternal also means
unchangeable and ancient. Indeed, the way to
salvation has never changed. Salvation comes by
faith - always has - always will. (Ephesians
2:8,9; Genesis 15:6; John 22:16; 2 Chronicles
20:20; Revelation 14:12) From the death of Abel
in genesis 4 to the seventh trumpet in Revelation
11, the gospel that leads to salvation includes
joyful obedience to the King of kings. Joyful
obedience can only occur in a born again heart.
True, tests of obedience are not often joyful
(Daniel 3 & 6; Hebrews 11), but a great peace
fills the hearts of those individuals who stand
firm in their faith. (Psalms 119: 165; Exodus
14:13; Isaiah 7:9; Ephesians’ 6:14; 2
Corinthians 11:10-12)
3.
Notice that the eternal gospel identified in this
verse is sent to every nation, tribe, language
and people. No worldwide church or TV ministry
can accomplish this objective in the given
time-period. (The entire Christian communities,
with divergent views on the gospel have not
accomplished this task during the past 2,000
years, nor can they accomplish it during the
Great Tribulation.) This flying angel is not
symbolic of a denomination or a silver-tongued
orator. Actually, this angel (Greek word for
angel means “messenger”) represents the
proclamation and work of the 144,000. They will
be “spokespersons” for God during this
hour.
The First Message of the
Gospel
“He [the flying
angel] said in a loud voice, “Fear God
and give him glory, because the hour of his
judgment has come. Worship him who made the
heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of
water.” (Revelation 14:7)
The contents of the first
message of the gospel during the Great
Tribulation will not be hard to understand –
especially if are living then. So, picture the
setting this gospel message will be proclaimed
in: The first four trumpets have just sounded.
Meteoric showers of burning hail have burned up
one-third of the Earth great costal cities and
their mega-populations have entirely disappeared
because of an asteroid impact in the ocean.
Hundreds of millions have died of contaminated
waters because of an asteroid impact on a
continent. (Resulting ground waves from the
asteroid impact cause septic systems and other
buried toxic waste to filter into giant
underground aquifers from which millions of
people get their drinking water.) Hundreds of
volcanoes around the “ring of fire”
have blasted billions of tons of ejecta and
debris into the atmosphere. There is great
darkness. Without sunlight, there will be a
famine, suffering and misery beyond words. The
survivors are in shock and trembling with fear
and terror. Nearly 1.5 billion people are dead
from these judgments. Many survivors will soon
die. Plagues are everywhere. It is in this
setting that the first message of the gospel is
delivered. This message says three things:
- “Fear
God and give Him glory.”
This part of the message is self-explanatory.
The implication is clear, God has not been feared
nor has He received the glory, honor and respect
that He is due throughout the ages.
- “The
hour of his judgment has come.”
The last moments of God’s mercy have
come, and the kingdom of Christ is about to be
established. Everyone on earth during the Great
Tribulation will have a chance to be a part of
His coming kingdom. God has come to test the
human race – who will remain loyal to Him
above everything else. (Revelation 3:10) The
phrase, “the hour of God’s judgment”
can apply two ways. First, this is the time when
man will consider the authority of a Sovereign
God. On the other hand, this will also be a time
when God tests the behavior, loyalty and faith of
every person. Remember, the everlasting gospel
explains the relationship that exists between the
government of God, Jesus Christ, Lucifer and
fallen man.
- “Worship
Him who made the heavens, the earth, the
sea and the springs of water.”
This phrase identifies the elements destroyed
by the first four trumpets. The heavens are dark.
The earth and its crops have been burned beyond
recovery. The sea has suffered an asteroid impact
and the springs of water are contaminated. This
message commands everyone to Worship the Creator.
Who is the Creator of the heavens, the Earth, the
sea and the springs of water? The Bible says it
is Jesus Christ. (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2;
John 1: 1-14) How does Jesus want to be
worshiped? In His own words, here are the
instructions (this is the fourth commandment): “Remember
the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you
shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh
day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you
shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son
or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant,
nor your animals, nor the alien within your
gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens
and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the
Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
(Exodus 20:8-11)
Understand that this first
message does not go forward without enormous
controversy. This message will not be widely
received at first because it stands contrary to
the claims of nearly all religions of the world!
You might ask how is it contrary?
Catholics and most
Protestants teach that Sunday, the first day of
the week is the Lord’s day. Moslems teach
that Friday is the day of rest. Although Jews
regard Saturday as the holy day, they reject
Jesus as the Son of God and Creator of the
universe, so they will not worship Him. Hindus
also deny that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and
Savior of the world. The few religious bodies
that exist today that regard Saturday as God’s
holy day deny either that the trumpets of
Revelation are in the future or they have no
explanation of the seven trumpets. Incredible as
it may seem, there is no religious body on Earth
prepared to deal with this emergency and explain
it! This being the case, no religious group is
qualified to present the everlasting gospel.
Therefore, just before the trumpets begin to
sound, God chooses 144,000 common people from all
religions and nations to do the work of
proclaiming His everlasting gospel. They will
accomplish the impossible. Jesus said, “And
this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in
the whole world as a testimony to all nations,
and then the end will come.” (Matthew
24:14)
How does this message relate
to “Righteousness by Faith?” Simple.
People, who have open hearts toward God and His
truth, will understand that god’s revealed
wrath (the Judgments) is justified. Our planet is
in open, flagrant rebellion against the Creator
and now the Creator commands all to render
obedience and worship. The observance of the
seventh day Sabbath will again prove to be a sign
between god and His people. (Exodus 31:17) The
observance of the seventh day Sabbath will defy
the laws that demand respect for another day. To
willingly observe God’s Sabbath during the
tribulation and suffer the resulting consequences
will be a powerful test of faith. God has
everyone’s attention during the Tribulation
and millions of people will be awakened for the
first time to knowledge of God’s
commandments. On the other hand, God will reveal
how religious systems of the world are bankrupt
of truth. If, as they claim, they had the truth
about God, why didn’t the religious leaders
warn and prepare the people about God’s
plans written in Revelation?
We must note that the fourth
commandment is the only commandment in the Ten
Commandments that require man to do nothing
– at the right time each week. If God
required man to do something to be saved, then it
would not be righteousness by faith – it
would be salvation by works! However, the Sabbath
commandment is a command to rest on God’s
holy day, the seventh day of the week. This is
why I call this first message the announcement of
the “Sabbath rest test.” This test will
quickly separate those who put their faith in God
from those who do not.
The Second Message of the
Gospel
The survivors of the first
four trumpets will scramble for understanding and
information about the overwhelming wrath of God.
Religious leaders will suddenly “figure out”
that (a) God has wrath, and (b) God is responding
to the world’s corporate evil and degenerate
ways. Religious leaders will suddenly call for
reform and seek laws demanding respect for God
because of this crisis sent from God. They will
form a world organization and each religion
system, will in its own way, attempt to appease
God so that His judgments will cease. Religious
leaders will see that laws are quickly passed
requiring all men to worship and honor God,
including laws to respect His holy day. However,
the problem is that Moslems, Jews, Catholics and
Protestants do not agree which day is holy!
In this setting, a second
message from God will be sent through out the
Earth. Do not allow the brevity of this second
message to mislead you. This is a very important
message and it is an extension of the first
message. This message reveals certain matters
about “Righteousness by Faith” that
every Christian needs to know: “A second
angel followed and said, “Fallen! Fallen is
Babylon the Great, which made all the nations
drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”
(Revelation 14:8)
This message declares two
things:
1. “Fallen! Fallen
is Babylon the Great” A crisis
government (Babylon the Great) will quickly form
in response to God’s judgments. This
government will be lead by the world’s
religious leaders – with political
following. This message from God declares that
the worldwide government is corrupt and
blasphemous (or fallen). God has nothing to do
with the global endeavor to appease His wrath.
The whole system and theology upon which the
crisis government is built is false. It is the
work of the devil. Do not yield to its authority,
have nothing to do with it for God will destroy
it and all who obey its blasphemous laws.
2. “Made all
nations drink the maddening wine of her
adulteries” The crisis government
(Babylon the Great) will demand cooperation from
all nations. This message declares that all
nations will drink (buy into) the lies advocated
by the world’s religious leaders. The
resulting laws will be conflicting and maddening.
This crisis government is called adulterous and
immoral because religious leaders will be “in
bed together” for a common cause. (See
Jeremiah 25:15,16, for parallel language on this
maddening wine.)
This message, like the first
message, will reveal all who place the law of God
above the laws of men. No one can hide from this
test. People will demonstrate where their
loyalties lie when tested with severe penalties
for disobedience. The greater the penalties, the
clearer the outcome of the test. Just as winter
strips the trees in the forest of their leaves,
leaving the evergreens to stand out in contrast
to the forest’s barren limbs, so the
hardships of tribulation will strip away the
pretext of religion, and faith in God will be
revealed. The Great Tribulation is a time for
wrath for everyone. If we obey God, we will
suffer at the hands of men. If we obey men, we
will suffer torment and eternal death from God.
This is the great vortex coming upon the Earth.
This is the great testing time of faith. Those
who love God and His truth, those who render
obedience as He commands, will have to live by
faith – there is no other way to remain
faithful to God.
The seriousness of the
second message can only be understood within the
context of the stringent laws and severe
penalties imposed upon the nations. Anyone who
disobeys, rebels, opposes or aids and abets
people opposing the crisis government’s laws
will suffer greatly. The devil is the force
behind the sudden and powerful rise of the crisis
government. (Revelation 13:2-4) The Bible
indicates that all inhabitants of the Earth will
submit to this government, all except those
having their names written in the Book of Life.
(Revelation 13:8)
The Third Message of the
Gospel
The gospel during the Great
Tribulation will not have 20 or 30 points of
faith, a unified creed, a catechism or a set of
doctrines that all believers agree with.
Actually, the everlasting gospel during that time
will center on one poignant point; “Worship
God as He commands.” In Noah’s day, the
testing truth was just as simple: “Get on
the ark!” Both messages are based on a
simple response. Both messages cut to the crucial
point. The command in Revelation 14 to worship
God stands in contrast to the demands of the
crisis government and its evil leader. Worshiping
God on His holy Sabbath will be a great test, for
all people. Many Moslems, Jews, Catholics,
Protestants, Hindus and others from every
language will be saved. God will not require
everyone to adapt the Western culture or concepts
of Christianity. All God wants to know during the
Great Tribulation is whether or not we will put
our faith in Him. The just (those justified) will
live by faith! (Romans 1:17) Therefore, God sends
a simple truth, an old truth, and a profound
truth throughout the world. (Remember, the
sacredness of His Sabbath rest began when the
Lord rested at Creation, blessed it and then
asked man to follow His example. Genesis 2:1-4)
God sends His judgments, giving the great
religions the world over an opportunity to
organize as one global organization –
proving that its leaders and all who follow,
stand in direct opposition to His law. God
watches as each person decides whom they will
follow – this is how the test is
implemented. Here is a profound point: God
is not concerned about all the other ideas we
have and believe to be true about His ways, He is
only interested in knowing whether we will be
loyal to Him at any price. This is why the
Sabbath rest test will be so direct and simple.
Be prepared to stand-alone for God! History
confirms that those who make a stand for Christ
do not have the support of large numbers. Large
denominations or religious groups from which to
draw courage will not support the gospel
proclaimed by the 144,000. Before we can stand
together on the Sea of Glass, we have to
stand-alone as Christ stood before His accusers.
The servant is not greater than the Master.
The third message also
reveals a great test of faith. Notice what it
says: “A third angel followed them and
said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships
the beast and his image and receives his mark on
the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink
of the wine of God’s fury, which has been
poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.
He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the
presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. And the
smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever.
There will be no rest day or night for those who
worship the beast and his image, or for anyone
who receives the mark of his name.” This
calls for patient endurance on the part of the
saints who obey God’s commandments and
remain faithful to Jesus.” (Revelation
14:9-12)
Antichrist will be
Worshiped
God’s timing is
perfect. Immediately after the fifth trumpet,
when Satan appears claiming to be God, the third
angel’s message is presented. (Revelation
9:1-11) This message is directed specifically at
those people who have not yet submitted to the
demands of the gospel. In the entire Bible, there
is no stronger warning than this message. The
message of Revelation 14:9-12 makes five
declarations:
1. If anyone worships the
devil (the Antichrist, the lamb-like beast) and
receives his tattoo (the number 666 placed on the
right hand or the name of the devil tattooed on
the foreheads of his lieutenants), that person
will receive the full wrath of God – no
mercy will be shown.
2. Everyone who worships the
devil (the beast) will be publicly tortured
before Jesus and His angels because they
willingly received the evil mark of the beast and
stubbornly refused to acknowledge the Sovereignty
of God. These also rejected the clearest
evidences of truth.
3. Everyone who “goes
along” with the devil (the beast) will have
no peace of mind after making the decision.
4. The saints must endure
this time-period patiently, for many will be
killed because they refused to render homage to
the Antichrist and his evil government.
5. The saints will be easy
to identify during these days. They will worship
God on His holy seventh day, whereas the devil
and his followers will worship at another time.
The two groups will stand in clearest opposition
to one another – one group following the
Lamb of God, the other submitting to the lamblike
beast.
The third gospel message
completes the test and causes the final
separation of the faith-full from the cowards.
(Revelation 21:8) Eventually, the whole world
will submit to the crisis government and its
glorious leader (the devil) – all except
those who remain loyal to Jesus. The devil and
his government will control the necessities of
life and if anyone wishes to buy or sell or
conduct commerce, he will have to show that he
has the mark, the evil tattoo. Otherwise, he will
be “cut off” from the meager supplies
of food and medicines that are available.
Understand the picture: The remaining assets of
the world are under the control of Satan. Those
who refuse to receive his mark have no option but
to live by faith. It will be God who provides for
people who remain loyal to Him, just as He
provided for Elijah during the apostasy of
Israel. (See 1 Kings 17.)
Last Call
A few days before God closes
the door to mercy, just when it appears that
Jesus has done everything to reach every person
on earth with His everlasting gospel, He sends
one last invitation to the rebels of Earth. God
is not willing that anyone should perish. (2
Peter 3:9) Therefore, with the greatest of love,
God reaches out to gather in that one last person
who has not found the courage to take his stand
for the right. At the conclusion of the gospel
invitation, the power of the Holy Spirit is
poured out as never before, urging people through
the 144,000 to stand for Jesus Christ. There are
two reasons for this. First, as just mentioned,
God is waiting for the last decision to be made.
Second, God wants a watching universe to witness
a most amazing fact: When the truth is set before
a “free will being” in the plainest and
clearest terms, nothing more can be done to
redeem that person if they choose to resist. In
other words, God does not destroy anyone for
being misled or believing a lie. Oh no, God only
destroys people who stubbornly refuse to accept
what is truth! Remember the problem with sinners?
If the heart of a sinner remains unchanged and
unrepentant, he is anti-God to the core. If
possible, he would even destroy
God (as demonstrated by
Lucifer)! Does this seem impossible? Read
Revelation 17:14 and 19:19 and see what happens
when Jesus comes. The wicked people on this earth
will attempt to destroy Jesus and His Kingdom
with whatever weapons of destruction they have at
their disposal! Can you imagine how insane this
attempt will be - mere men attempting to destroy
God? Before you shake your head in disbelief,
just remember that Lucifer led one-third of
Heaven’s angels in an attempt to do the same
thing. This is the nature of sin fully revealed
for all that it is.
So, God reaches out one
final time. Here is the message: “After
this I saw another angel coming down from heaven.
He had great authority, and the earth was
illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice
he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the
Great! She has become a home for demons and a
haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For
all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of
her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed
adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth
grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” Then
I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come
out of her, my people, so that you will not share
in her sins, so that you will not receive any of
her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.”
(Revelation 18:1-5)
You do not need a high
school diploma to understand this last message.
You do not need a priest, rabbi, holy man or
preacher to explain it to you. On the other hand,
how tragic it is to realize that hundreds of
millions of people will reject this serious
warning? This is the very warning that introduces
the seven bowls (seven last plagues) – the
seven last plagues are not to be taken lightly.
The world has never seen anything like them. They
are awful and they are fitting. By the time, the
people of Earth hear this message; they should be
able to make a fair comparison. The seven
trumpets (God’s wrath mixed with mercy) have
occurred in precise order the Bible predicted
they would. People will understand that the seven
bowls (Gods wrath with no mercy) are next. By
looking backward, they will be able to anticipate
something of the future. Of course, the good news
is that the seven bowls will not afflict the
people of God who wait for their redemption. The
seven last plagues are directed at those who
receive the mark of the beast.
Summary
Now that we have considered
the everlasting gospel that will be preached
during the Great Tribulation, I will close on
this thought: What do we learn about human nature
when God is left with no other recourse than
destruction to inform and save the human heart?
Isn’t it wonderful that God’s final
test for human is so simple, direct and easy to
understand? Isn’t wonderful that God’s
offer for salvation is so simple and direct?
There is no wiggle room on what God wants. There
is no way to pass the test without having
complete faith in god for He will not accept
anything less than total submission! He is Lord
over all or He is not Lord at all. What God
offers is far beyond anything we can return.
Truly, His grace is amazing.
Jesus has promised, “…And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of
the age.” (Matthew 28:20) I like the
words found in the song of Moses: “He [the
Lord] is the Rock, his works are perfect, and
all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no
wrong, upright and just is he.”
(Deuteronomy 32:4) Then again in Job: “It
is unthinkable that god would do wrong, that the
Almighty would pervert justice.” (Job
34:12) From these texts and others used in this
study, I am fully convinced that God has
carefully designed the events of the Great
Tribulation so that He can save the largest
number of people possible!
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