Near the end of time, Revelation 14 prophesies that a loud proclamation will go to the world. Three angels will speak with a loud voice.
The first angel:
Revelation 14:6 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.
The command to worship.
Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
The first angel's message is pointing to the commandment given to Moses.
Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exodus 20:9-10 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.
Exodus 20:11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
The second angel:
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.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Revelation 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, 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: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.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Matthew 24:20-22 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Isaiah describes worship in heaven, the perpetual observance of the Sabbath.
Isaiah 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
Conclusion:
Now let's take a look at Matthew 24.
Matthew 24 is describing the events that take place between His crucifixion and the second coming.
Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Matthew 24:4-5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Matthew 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Matthew 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matthew 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Jesus continues.
Matthew 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Matthew 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Jesus then quotes the first angel's message. The very same message that He would give to John.
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.
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.
This points directly to creation, to the law written on stone tables. The patience of the saints that endure are keeping of the commandments of God (including the Sabbath) and the faith of Jesus.
Sabbath observance never stops for God's people. We are still observing it at the end of time.
Matthew 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day.
Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
We know this prophecy speaks of the end of time, because it describes the return of Jesus.
Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The remnant have the spirit of prophecy, which is why Satan makes war with them.
Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Conclusion:
The first angel:
Revelation 14:6 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.
- The gospel goes to the world.
The command to worship.
- Fear God
- Give glory to Him
- Remember creation by worshiping God: Worship Him that made heaven, earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
- Jesus, the Creator of all things. (Colossians 1:16-20, John 1:1-3, John 1:10, 1 Corinthians 8:6)
- The hour of His judgment iscome.
- Dire warning
- Urgency
- Time is short
Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
The first angel's message is pointing to the commandment given to Moses.
Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exodus 20:9-10 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.
Exodus 20:11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
- The command to remember.
- The command to worship.
- God set the seventh day apart as His Sabbath.
- Revelation 14:6 points back to creation.
- Genesis 2:1-3 and Exodus 20:8-11 point forward to the first angel's message in Revelation 14:6.
- All point to perpetual worship on the seventh day Sabbath specifically, throughout earth's past, present and future.
- God observed a day of rest at creation and sanctified it.
- God commanded seventh-day Sabbath observance on Mt. Sinai
- God reiterates His Sabbath through the loud voice of the first angel.
The second angel:
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.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
- Guilty of fornication, and making all nations drink of the wine of its wrath.
- Exalts itself above all that is called God.
- In opposition to God. (Daniel 7:25)
- Speaks blasphemy against God. (Revelation 13:5)
Revelation 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, 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: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.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
- A warning against worship of the beast and his image.
- A dire warning that the full wrath of God will be poured out.
- A call to worship God on His day, not the one set by man.
- A hearkening back to creation, and to the commandment given on tables of stone and written with God's hand. Thus tying creation, the commandments (including the Sabbath), and end time prophecy together.
- A call to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
Matthew 24:20-22 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Isaiah describes worship in heaven, the perpetual observance of the Sabbath.
Isaiah 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
Conclusion:
- The Sabbath is clearly pointed to in Bible prophecy.
- The above verses in this post link worship to the Sabbath.
- The beast is in direct opposition to all that is God. The seventh-day Sabbath included. Daniel 7:25 "...and think to change times and laws..."
- The Sabbath is given special significance at key locations in scripture, emphasizing it.
- The Sabbath is a memorial of creation, a commandment of God, and the first angel's message is a loud voice, calling us to worship on the Sabbath.
Now let's take a look at Matthew 24.
Matthew 24 is describing the events that take place between His crucifixion and the second coming.
Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Matthew 24:4-5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Matthew 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Matthew 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matthew 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
- False Christs, deception.
- War and rumors of war, but the end is not yet.
- Nation rising against nation, kingdom against kingdom. Famines, pestilences, earthquakes in diverse places.
Jesus continues.
Matthew 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Matthew 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
- Persecution of Christians. Christians killed and hated by the nations for Jesus' sake. This is a repeating prophecy; Daniel 7:25, Revelation 13:15.
- People offended.
- People betraying one another.
- People hating one another.
- False prophets, deception.
- Iniquity abounds.
- Love waxes cold.
- The patience of the saints.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Jesus then quotes the first angel's message. The very same message that He would give to John.
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.
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.
This points directly to creation, to the law written on stone tables. The patience of the saints that endure are keeping of the commandments of God (including the Sabbath) and the faith of Jesus.
Sabbath observance never stops for God's people. We are still observing it at the end of time.
Matthew 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day.
Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
We know this prophecy speaks of the end of time, because it describes the return of Jesus.
Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The remnant have the spirit of prophecy, which is why Satan makes war with them.
Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Conclusion:
- Jesus prophesied the first angel's message before He gave it to John to be written in the book of Revelation (the Revelation of Jesus Christ).
- Jesus prophesied events, all of which are happening today, in the span of one generation (Matthew 24:34), showing us that the end is near.
- Jesus prophesied great tribulation at the very end, just before the second coming.
- Jesus made it a point to mention Sabbath being faithfully observed at the very end of time. If He is our Sabbath rest (as some say), why would He mention it at all unless it is meant to be perpetually observed as a day of rest?
- Jesus prophesied of the saints who endure until the end in Matthew 24. It is a direct reference to the future account John would write concerning the patience of the saints in Revelation 14.
- The saints keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
- The Sabbath cannot be separated from the commandments of God.
- The remnant have the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy.
- The Sabbath is in Bible prophecy, is relevant, and is to be observed.
