Introduction: An important part of the end time gospel message is
that God is our Creator. Is this something that we have to take on
faith? Is it a message that is contrary to science? Let’s dive into
the Bible and see what it declares about God in His role as our
Creator!
- The Messenger
- Read Revelation 14:6. Let’s look at the first angel for a
moment. The text says “I saw another angel.” What do you
think it means by “another” angel? Isn’t this angel the
first of three? How can it be “another?” (If you review
the book of Revelation, you will see that there are many
angels who either give or receive heavenly messages.) - This angel flew in “midair.” What is the significance
of flying in midair? Is this angel a prudent flier
who is unlikely to crash anytime soon? (If you wanted
to be seen and heard you would get high enough where
everyone could see you – but not too high. The
significance is that this angel has a message that
needs to be heard.) - What is the message of this angel? (The “eternal
gospel.”) - To whom is this gospel to be given? (To
everyone of every language.) - How difficult is it to achieve that goal? Think
of all of the new people being born. Think of
all of the people who live in areas which are
hostile to Christianity. Is God sending an
angel because humans have not presented the
gospel to everyone? (Consider several possible
meanings here. First, no one will be lost
because we failed in our duty to share the
gospel. God will be sure that everyone makes an
informed decision. Second, the “air” is the
most efficient way to reach large numbers of
people. Think about radio, television, and the
Internet.) - Is this angel real? Or, is this symbolic of the
message we are supposed to give? (Revelation is
full of symbols, but it seems reasonable that
at a minimum an angel in heaven has been
assigned this mission. We help fulfill this
goal.) - Read Revelation 14:7. Imagine that you want a raise or
want to change your work hours. Would you just walk into
your boss’s office without previously contemplating about
what you would say? - We have an angel with a message to the world about
the gospel and the final judgment. Do you think the
angel’s words were carefully planned? Or did God just
say to an angel, “Say a few words about my coming to
the world” and the angle ad-libbed a few lines?
(Whether or not symbolic, this angel planned the
perfect flight path to be seen and heard, thus it
surely considered how it would present the eternal
gospel. That means the expression is important. Let’s
look at that next.) - The Message
- Read again Revelation 14:7. What part of the angel’s
message really grabs your attention? - Have you noticed a common trend in news programs,
fund raisers, and store advertising? What pattern do
they all follow? (They start out with something that
they hope will grab your attention. Our store is
going out of business! Our organization is in
desperate need of money! We have breaking news!) - Would the idea that you are being hauled before a
court for judgment get your attention? (No doubt.
This shows the presentation is perfectly considered.) - Is there a lesson in this for how we present
the gospel? (A hundred years ago Christians
evangelized by warning sinners about hell. Many
today laugh at that approach. We need to
carefully consider how we can impress the world
that judgment is coming. We need to direct
attention to this message!) - Do you think people want judgment? (No doubt
they want judgment to come. But, it is just
like speeders in your neighborhood. You want
the police to ticket them. You don’t want the
police to ticket you.) - Read Luke 23:35-42. How difficult was it to raise the
subject of judgment with the “other criminal?” (He was
already experiencing judgment. As our world situation
becomes more difficult, we need to keep our eyes open to
the possibility of sharing the gospel with those who
believe that things are not right.) - Let’s revisit Revelation 14:7 in light of Luke 23:35-42.
The “other criminal” was in deep trouble. The final
judgment is deep trouble. What was the outcome for the
“other criminal?” (Jesus saved Him. This is the essence
of our gospel message. The words in Revelation 14:7 like
“fear,” “give glory” and “worship” all point to our
gratitude towards Jesus for what He has done to save us
from the judgment. The Greek word for worship is
“Proskeneo.” “Pros” means “towards,” and “kuneo” means “to
kiss.” Kisses to God! Now there is a great approach to
evangelism about the judgment. We have been rescued from
impending disaster!) - We recently discussed in this series of lessons the
importance of accepting that God is our Creator. That
means rejecting evolution with its “worship” of vast time
and natural selection. What is the first thing that the
angel says God created? (The heavens.) - I remember when I was a little boy I argued with my
friend about whether his Dad was stronger than a
gorilla. He was sure his Dad was stronger, I was sure
the gorilla was stronger. Do you think my friend
really thought his Dad was stronger? (He thought the
issue was whether his Dad was superior – which, of
course, he was. But, that was not the issue.) - When Christians get into debates with scientists, how
important is it for us to properly understand and
frame the issues? (The worst thing is argue against
science to vindicate our misunderstanding. We must
not create conflict where none exists.) - Read Psalms 19:1-4. What do the heavens tell us? (They
explain the glory, work, and knowledge of God in a way
that transcends language barriers. Think of Revelation
14:6! God tells us that the science of the heavens brings
glory to God.) - I’ve been reading Hugh Ross’s book on the six day
Creation. Ross is an Astrophysicist who believes in a
literal interpretation of the Bible. I do not agree
with Ross on all of his points, for example, his long
day argument for the creation and death of animals.
However, his scientific explanation of what happened
at the “Big Bang” and his proofs about the age of the
heavens are exciting. - Do you remember your math problems from high school?
Assume you are in a car going 60 miles an hour. If I
tell you how much time has elapsed, can you tell me
the distance traveled? If I tell you the distance
traveled, can you tell me how much time has elapsed?
(Yes! You recall how to do this.) - Ross asserts (and I believe) that current science can
measure the expansion speed and distance of the
heavens. What does that tell you? (You can calculate
the time when the heavens were created! You can date
the “Big Bang.”) - What is the lesson in this for atheists? (Revelation
14:7 is scientifically correct when it states God is
our Creator. The heavens have a birthday. The
Creation event that scientists call the “Big Bang”
was so precise and ordered that the only logical
conclusion is that it was done by an intelligence far
beyond our understanding.) - When Psalms 19 says that the heavens “declare” and
“proclaim the work of [God’s] hands,” is the Psalmist
telling us that God is not a matter of mere faith?
(This is the conclusion you should reach. The
existence of God is provable. We should not concede
that our worship and our message are founded on our
opinion. The Bible says that the heavens testify of
God and the most modern science backs that up!) - Friend, if you doubt that God is our Creator, please
accept that foundational fact now. Testifying that our
Creator God is worthy of worship is essential to the Three
Angels Message of the end time. - Next week: End-Time Deceptions.
