Saturday, March 1, 2014

MESSENGER ANGELS DECLARE THE GOSPEL & THE FALL OF BABYLON


In the previous posts we have learned about the rise to power of the Antichrist and the martyrdom of the 144,000 witnesses.  John is next told that three angels will be sent to declare important messages to those on planet earth.

Revelation 14:6–7 “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

Since the establishment of the kingdom is at hand and men have only a short time to accept His gift of salvation in Jesus, God provides a supernatural witness to the gospel message.  The 144,000 witnesses and the two prophets are no longer on the scene, so God sends an angel to fly throughout the heavens urging the people on earth to worship the one true God, Creator of heaven and earth.  This seems to be in fulfillment of Matthew 24:14—“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” 

The angel’s message is clear (my paraphrase):  Fear God and glorify Him; worship Him as your Creator.  Your eternal destiny is soon to be determined.

Questions arise because of the message preached by the angel.  It’s not Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” 

The word “everlasting” indicates to me that the gospel has always been essentially the same.  The full revelation of that gospel has come in increments.  In every increment the required response of the individual is faith in God’s provision—even when that provision is not fully known.  I rest in the fact that God is righteous and is the One Who determines whether one has responded in faith to that revelation or not.

The second messenger angel announces the judgment and fall of Babylon.

Revelation 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.”

Babylon was the birthplace of false religion, and she is responsible for leading the nations into spiritual adultery. They rejected the one true God to follow the false gods established through the deceit and influence of Satan.  The prophet Jeremiah declared this same truth.

Jeremiah 51:7 “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.” 

Throughout scripture the description of Babylon was specifically identified as located in Shinar or Chaldea—not Rome, as taught by some.  The prophets declared that Babylon would be destroyed as completely as Sodom and Gomorrah. 

Isaiah 13:19 “And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.”

Jeremiah 50:13 “Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.”

Jeremiah 51:37 “And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.”

Those prophecies have yet to be fulfilled.  The area of ancient Babylon is inhabited even today.  This will be discussed in more detail when we reach chapters 17-18; but I believe this angel is announcing the fall of the rebuilt city of Babylon in the land today known as Iraq.

(to be continued…)

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