Our Prophetic Message
Memory text: Revelation 14: 6, 7
6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to
every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— 7 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.”
The title of the lesson implies that the message is
ours – 7th Day Adventists, but truthfully it is God’s message to mankind,
including 7th Day Adventists.
Notice that the message is preached, “… to those who dwell on the
earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.” Unless, Adventists do not believe they live
in the earth.
The main message is the eternal gospel. When preached there will be a people that ““Fear[s]
God and give[s] glory to Him, … and worship[s] Him who made heaven and earth,
the sea and springs of water.” They will
heed the warning of the fate of Babylon.
Rev 14:8 And there followed
another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because
she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9 And the third angel
followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his
image, and receive his mark in
his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of
the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup
of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their
torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night,
who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his
name.
They answer God’s call,
Rev 18:4 And I heard another
voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers
of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
What is the Sin of Babylon? What is her wine? We read in Revelation
Rev 18:7 How much she hath glorified
herself, and lived deliciously … she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am
no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Babylon thinks highly of herself. So, thinks herself so highly she considers
herself above all: a queen. She claims
she is not destitute and in need of anything and that she will see no sorrow.
Self-exaltation is her wine. Babylon’s followers follow her in their self-exaltation. This attitude is the opposite of what Paul
suggests Christians should be,
Rom 12:3 “…not to think of himself more highly than he ought
to think; but to think soberly …”
The Gospel produces a people who
are sober. In fact, Paul encouragers us
to, “…in lowliness of mind let each esteem
other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3). Christ said of Himself, “…I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:
29). “The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His
sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence” (The
Ministry of Healing, p. 143). John says
that Christ “laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John
3:16). Christ lived for others, so
should we. The Gospel, if accepted, has
the power to transform us into the kind of man.
Now, Christ had said that when “…
this gospel of the kingdom shall
be preached in all the world for
a witness unto all nations; ... then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14). This implies only one thing: the Gospel has
not been preached in all the World. That
is because what is being preached is not the everlasting Gospel. How do we know that? Because, in general, Christendom
is too self-concerned. The Bride – the Church
- is not concerned with the Groom. She has yet to “look upon me whom they have pierced,
and … mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son…” (Zechariah
12:10). She has not grown up and made
herself ready. This self-concern is manifested
in how we treat each other.
Hence, there is a need for "His
judgment" of us. It is not to condemn,
but to diagnose us. This diagnosis is to
warn us, that our condition is terminal and unless there is some kind of
intervention we will worsen and die. The
message to Laodicea is this judgment.
Remember, the 3rd Angel’s Message is an end time
message. Laodicea is the end-time
church. What did God tell Laodicea?
Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things
saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of
God;
Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert
cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will
spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need
of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be
rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy
nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest
see.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and
repent.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and
open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even
as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Laodicea
boasts – as Babylon does - confidently about her riches and sufficiency. But, God says to Laodicea that she is not as
well as she thinks. And, then tells her
what she needs and where to get it. When Laodicea follows
God’s way, she is rewarded accordingly.
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