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, 7 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 passage of scripture features that aspect of the gospel which constitutes the main issue, and deciding factor for eternity, in the lives of all those who are now living in the evening of this earth's history. It is worthy of note that in delineating "The everlasting gospel", these verses make no mention of Calvary, and the fact that every person should accept Jesus as the Messiah, for one might very well expect to have the issue of the Cross front and center as the main theme in declaring the good news in our day. But this is not the case in our passage for today, and thus it is necessary for us to investigate why this is so.
In the days of Christ, the main issue of contention and deliberation, as far as the gospel goes, was whether or not Christ was who He claimed to be, and therefore a person 's eternal destiny in those former days depended on their decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Hence the reason why confession that Jesus is the Christ, constituted the main deciding factor in determining one's destiny. For instance, the apostle Paul wrote the following passage to reaffirm this sacred truth which was contemporary in those days. Let's read:
Romans 10:8 "The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 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. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
And the conversation that Jesus had with the man that was born blind, who was healed, also bears out this fact, for back in those days, many people found it very difficult to accept Christ as the One sent from God, seeing that His parents lived in the midst of them, and that He had brothers and sisters too. Let's read:
John 9:35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? 36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? 37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. 38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
Now although the other features of the everlasting gospel were also very important even in Christ's day, yet they were not the focal point which needed to be addressed, for no one back then questioned whether or not God's law was still valid, and even pagan rulers and their people knew that the seventh day was God's holy day of rest, even though many of them refused to observe it. But now a very drastic change has taken place in Christendom, in which millions of Christians have accepted Jesus as the savior of the world, yet many fail to render both the obedience and worship that is due to His holy name, and that's why in our passage for today, the emphasis is not on accepting Jesus as the Christ, but rather on the sticking point of worship, to which our focus is now pointed.
Worshiping God in spirit and in truth has very much to do with the keeping of all of God's commandments, especially with the one which starts with the word "Remember", in which God clearly states which day is the Sabbath, and also gives the reasons why this sacred day should be observed by every member of the human family. Let's read:
Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 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: 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 overwhelming majority of the world's almost two billion Christians now worship on the first day of the week, a regular working day which stands at the opposite end of the weekly cycle, hence the reason why in His introduction of "The everlasting gospel" to the last generation of earth's inhabitants, God says that the focal issue which needs redress is worship, and not merely a nominal acceptance of Jesus, for everyone can now claim to be a Christian, while walking directly contrary to what God has plainly revealed.
Furthermore, the notion that we can claim to be Christ's followers whilst obeying the commandments of men is a fallacy that would render us unfit for the kingdom of God, for it was disobedience that first caused our downfall, and conversely, it will be obedience that will be manifested in all true followers of The Lord Jesus. Let us then observe carefully, the following scriptures which pertain to this very issue closely, and if we are honest-hearted, we will see clearly why God is calling us back to an observance of His good laws, especially the seventh day Sabbath, which has been trodden underfoot by many for too long. Let's read:
Matthew 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
1st John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Acts 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
It becomes very obvious that the keeping of all of God's commandments is the central issue and the determining factor in our day, and thus it behooves every sincere person to study for ourselves, the urgent relevance of the first angel's message which features worship as the deciding issue for earth's inhabitants. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which is found in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible, as if God is saying in His final words to our generation, please do not forget nor ignore this very sacred truth. Let's read:
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. God bless!