Warnings…
This morning I jumped out of bed at 6:01 to the sound of train wheels sliding against steel. It went on quite awhile—until the train finally stopped. Curiosity being a part of my nature, I was compelled to drive down to the rail-road to see what had been hit. There was the mile-long train, sitting on the track, and fortunately no accident—just a quick stop. Many things went through my mind as I was anticipated what could have been. Trains hit cars for one of three reasons: The warning signals failed to work (very rare), the driver thought he could beat the train (less rare), or the driver was impaired by alcohol (not rare at all).
The book of Revelation has several warnings designed to prepare people for what is to come. The warnings are clear. Most are ignored. There are two reasons the warnings are missed—people think they can beat the system. They believe that if they are just nice people, somehow they can ignore the end-time warnings and slip into heaven. Secondly, many are spiritually drunk so they don’t even hear the warnings. Revelation 17:2 says, “and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”
No wonder most do not hear the warning messages of Revelation. Spiritual intoxication is simply a fascination with the modern deceptions that cause a person to think there is nothing to be alarmed over. One such deception is that Jesus is coming soon to usher in a one thousand year reign of peace over which He will preside. Righteousness will finally prevail! This message ignores the warning in Revelation that when Jesus does come, it will be to put an end to sin and sinners—there will be no second chance and no one thousand years of peace on this earth. Another intoxicating belief is that God is such a loving and grace-filled God that He can do no harm. It is not in His nature to destroy. He will work it out so that all can be saved, by hook or crook. The third intoxicating message, believed primarily by the non-Christian population, is that “all things continue.” 2 Peter 3:3-4. To them, those who speak of the “end” are alarmists and extremists. In their research, they have discovered no sudden changes in the past. Everything takes millenniums of time. There was no world-wide flood and there will be no grand climax, unless we destroy our fragile planet.
Under the umbrella of these three intoxicating beliefs, most of the people of America dwell. There is no sense of an imminent and climactic end of life as we know it. Yet, Revelation has its warnings. But Revelation, they say, is just a book of ancient symbols which God did not intend for us to understand let alone take seriously. It is the cartoon section of the Bible, and who reads the cartoons in this busy age?
There are specifically seven warnings in Revelation. They could be called “the seven angels’ messages.” Now to you who have always heard about the “three angels’ messages,” this may cause even you to wake up. There are seven. In Revelation 14:6, the first two words are, “And I saw another angel…” The use of the word “another” implies a previous angel, which we find in chapter 10. Revelation 14:8 begins with, “And another angel, a second…” This means a second angel in addition to the one in chapter 10. Revelation 14:9 says, “And another, a third one…” This makes three in addition to the one in chapter 10. Revelation 14:15 announces, “And another angel…” Verse 17, “And another angel…” Verse 18, “And another angel…” Chapter 18:1 begins with the words, “After these things I saw another angel…” According to my calculations, those angels add up to eight. One, the sixth, has no message, so we have the “seven angels’ messages.” What are they?
I will briefly summarize the essence of each of the seven messages or warnings. The first, chapter 10, is the simple message that Jesus is coming soon. This warning is tied back to the book of Daniel and is the historical rediscovery and preaching of those revealing prophecies. According to Revelation 10:11, this message would go to the whole world, and it undermines the popular myth that “all things continue.” This message began to be proclaimed in the same decade that Darwin was making his discoveries and propositions on the continuity of living things.
The second message, or the first of Revelation 14, contains three parts: the everlasting gospel to go to the entire world during the end time, the startling announcement that we are living in the time of judgment in which every case is being decided for eternity, and the call back to Creator worship. This message re- establishes God’s ten commandments as the basis for judgment and the cross and the basis for grace. It includes a call back to Sabbath observance, the weekly memorial of God’s creation.
The next, Revelation 14:8, is the end-time announcement the Babylon has fallen. This misses the comprehension of most people. To understand, one needs to first understand the background to Revelation 10’s message. That message is derived from an understanding of the prophecies of Daniel. The four historical visions of Daniel sweep history from the time of ancient Babylon to the coming of Christ—each filling in a few more details. As each kingdom conquered the previous, the people remained and the culture of Babylon continued, morphing somewhat to meet the new conditions. Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and the Church of the Dark Ages each carried on the traditions of the ancient Babylonian religion founded by Nimrod, his father and his wife. In fact, even the religions of the East have their origin in this ancient Babylonian cult. The message of Revelation 14:8 is simply: Babylon no longer has power to control you since we have entered the time-of-the-end (1798 and following), and in this enlightened age when we can access Scripture for ourselves, there is no need to hang on to the false teachings and superstitions of the ages. This message flies in the face of the popular notion that there is no real truth—everything is relative.
The message of Revelation 14:9 is a warning against receiving the mark of the beast. This experience separates those who choose to stay in the Babylonian tradition from those who walk out into the light and fresh air.
The message of Revelation 14:15 (written in the context of the second coming) is that when Jesus comes He will “reap the harvest” because it is ripe. This simply states that when Jesus comes, He comes to save the righteous. They are ready.
The message of verse 18 is that when Jesus comes, it will also be to harvest the grapes and throw them into the winepress of God’s wrath. Here we clearly see that the coming of Christ is a climax—all are either saved or lost. The myth of His coming ushering in an era of peace and second chances is just that—a deceptive myth undone by this angel’s message. The last angel’s message, found in Revelation 18, is the last to go out to the whole world before it is too late. It is the final call to come out of Babylon and be among those who “keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12). This message illumines the entire world. It will go out with the power of the latter rain of the Holy Spirit. As in the days of Pentecost, people’s attention will be arrested by the power of the message and the power of the Holy Spirit. All will then be ready to either receive the mark of the beast or the seal of God. When Jesus comes, truly the harvest will be ripe and the grapes will be ready for the winepress.
The essence of the messages of the seven angels is that Jesus is coming soon. His coming is the end of life as we know it. The saved will be saved for eternity and the lost will be destroyed. The call is to receive the everlasting Gospel and come out of the darkness of Babylon and her intoxicating myths. The call is to wake up and be ready! If you would like to know more about the seal of God and the mark of the beast, you may download the book Revelation Decoded or purchase the hard copy which will soon be off the press.
Dennis
dennispumford.com
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