Monday, 5 April 2021
saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” Revelation 14:7
In the previous commentary, it was seen that there was no article before “everlasting gospel.” Thus, it more rightly reads something like “an eternal gospel,” or “an eternal message of good news.” The words of this verse will reveal what that gospel is. The angel flying in the heavens proclaims it to those who dwell on the earth. John now says of this angel’s proclamation, “saying with a loud voice.”
It is an indication that all are to hear. What will be conveyed is clearly conveyed to (as the previous verse said) “every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.” In other words, the message is in a universally understood language. And that message begins with, “Fear God and give glory to Him.”
The rapture has occurred, the world will be judged for rejecting God’s offer in Christ. Those who are on the earth have failed to give God the glory He is due. Those who claim they do are only paying lip service to Him. The call by the angel is being set in complete contrast to the beast out of the earth who told those who dwell on the earth “to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.”
This is then verified by the next words, “for the hour of His judgment has come.” The world has set itself in opposition to God. There is the giving of allegiance to the beast by taking the mark. In doing so, it is a stamp of identification that they have rejected any allegiance to the true God. And yet, the call of the angel of an eternal gospel has gone out in a universally understood way. It is a warning that this should not happen and only God is to be worshiped. As the angel next says, “and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
The translation leaves off articles in the Greek, and also includes articles not in the Greek. It properly reads, “and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth, and sea and springs of waters.”
This is the eternal gospel. It is based on God’s natural revelation of Himself through the creation. God has made both the heaven and the earth. They did not create themselves and there was no evolutionary development of them. They were not, and then they were. The sea and springs of waters are also a part of His design. This is a universally understood message that is being called out.
While the beast is being hailed as “god,” the physical creation, God’s general revelation, is shouting out to the people of the world that the beast is no god at all. It is the message found in the 19th Psalm –
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.” Psalm 19:1-4
It is the message then confirmed by Paul in Romans –
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:18-20
The general revelation of God clearly shows that He exists, and that by His wisdom He has created. From there, Paul explains that His power and Godhead are understood by these things. Therefore, those who reject this and take the mark of the beast are “without excuse.” They have rejected the truth of God in Christ and judgment will fall upon them. This is that “eternal gospel” that is spoken forth in a manner that is universally understood.
Life application: The word of the Lord has been preached since the very beginning, and the knowledge of God is evident even from the creation itself. God asks us to simply think things through – He created; we are the created. As a part of the creation, we are to give Him the reverent fear He is due. In connection with this fear is the command to give Him glory.
This certainly means that we are to return to Him thanks, praise, honor, and a sense of awe for the marvels of what He has done. When an astronomer looks through a telescope and sees innumerable galaxies, God asks him to simply exclaim, “My God, how great You are.” Instead, what we hear in the world are exclamations of how amazing it is that all of this came about by “random chance” and “evolutionary processes.”
Because we fail to honor Him, His judgment will come. There is a point where God no longer tolerates His creatures rejecting Him. He asks us to simply look to Him and praise Him. In essence, the angel is asking the people of the tribulation world to repent. It is as if he is crying out, “Pull your heads out of the sands of humanism, false religion, secularism, and doubt! Acknowledge God and that He is worthy of all honor and glory.”
God has done all these things for the people of the world, but even more – He sent His Christ to reveal Himself to us. He is the Creator, He is the Sustainer, He is our Redeemer. He is JESUS!
Lord, how can we be held guiltless when we look at the work of Your hands and then ascribe the wisdom we see to mere chance? How can we smell a flower or look upon a distant galaxy and not see intelligence in these things? Surely, we are stiff-necked and worthy of Your wrath, but You are patient and call out to us even so. Give us wisdom to respond. Amen.