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Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. Revelation 14:6

What is the everlasting gospel in Revelation 14:6?

ANSWER

After John sees a vision of the 144,000 redeemed ones who “follow the Lamb wherever he goes” (Revelation 14:4), he sees three angels flying in midair. The first one “had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people” (verse 6). This is the only place in the Bible where the gospel is described as the “everlasting gospel” (KJV) or the “eternal gospel” (NIV).

The word gospel refers to the good news that Jesus Christ suffered death on the cross to obtain salvation for mankind and that He rose to life again, was exalted to the right hand of God in heaven, and awaits His return in majesty to consummate God’s kingdom. The fact that this message is “everlasting” is significant.

The vision in Revelation 14 in which the angel proclaims the everlasting gospel is a prediction of something that will happen in the tribulation. Before the seven final judgments—the seven bowls of Revelation 15–16—God will give all of mankind one last opportunity to turn from their sin and trust in Christ to receive His gift of eternal life. The angel broadcasts the everlasting gospel to the whole earth, “to every nation, tribe, language and people” (Revelation 14:6). No one is left out. The angel calls out in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water” (verse 7). After proclaiming the everlasting gospel through an angel, God will finish His work of judgment upon a sinful world.

The angel who proclaims the everlasting gospel is flying “in midair” (Revelation 14:6). The Greek word translated “midair” also means “zenith,” and that’s why other translations say the angel was flying “high overhead” (CSB) or “directly overhead” (NET). And the angel shouts the message with “a loud voice” (verse 7). The picture is of an angel in the highest possible place using the loudest possible voice to reach the maximum number of people with the good news of God’s salvation. God is appealing to mankind one final time to reject the lies of Satan and respond to the eternal truth of God.

The gospel is “everlasting” in that is an eternally unchanging message. False doctrines come and go, and new teachings are like wind and waves that toss the unsuspecting every which way (Ephesians 4:14). Especially chaotic and dangerous is the doctrine of the Antichrist and his false prophet in Revelation 13. Countering the lies and false teaching of the beast is the everlasting gospel in Revelation 14. The message of salvation through faith in Christ is eternal truth; it is as solid and unchanging as God Himself, and those who believe the gospel will reap everlasting benefits.

ANSWER

Many people over the years have proposed that there would be an increase in technology as the end times approach. Among those espousing this view were renowned scientists Isaac Newton and Francis Bacon. On the frontispiece of Bacon’s Instauratio Magna, ships of learning were depicted passing by the limits of human knowledge, with a quote in Latin from Daniel 12:4. In more recent times, this belief has been supported in books like Future Shock by Alvin Toffler and The Bible Code by Michael Drosnin.

In Future Shock, first published in 1970, Toffler described the results of the rapid advancement of technology he had observed in the 1950s and 1960s. As technology brought ever faster changes in society, certain people were left on the sidelines, unable to cope with the speed of change. That stress and disorientation in people was dubbed “future shock.” Toffler did not attempt to use the Bible in his work, but the concept of future shock was alluded to in works like Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth, which was also published in 1970. Mr. Lindsey has made frequent mention of Daniel 12:4 as a prophecy of this rapid technological advance.

The Bible Code was based on the work of Eliahu Rips and others, who proposed that the history of all mankind was encoded in the text of the Torah and could be found by the process of “equidistant letter sequencing” or ELS. This concept was first proposed by Rabbi Bachya ben Asher in the 13th century, a man who is recognized as introducing the use of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) into the study of the Torah. According to this theory, the Hebrew word for “computer” is encoded in Daniel 12:4, thus giving apparent confirmation that technology would indeed have exponential advances with the advent of computers.

With this background information, we are still left with the question, “Does the Bible say that an increase in technology is a sign of the end times?” The short answer is “No.” Working backwards through the previous information, the concept of ELS has been heavily debated in both academic and religious circles. Intriguing discoveries have been made, but the methods by which they appear are suspect at best. The concept proposed by Rabbi ben Asher is related more to divination than to Bible study, and God condemns any method of discerning hidden knowledge (Deuteronomy 18:10,14).

But, as Toffler observed, there certainly has been an exponential increase of technology, and it appears to be gaining ground even more quickly. So what does the Bible have to say on this matter? Let’s take a look at the text in question, Daniel 12:4, “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Daniel was told that the meaning of his prophecy would be sealed until the time of its fulfillment was near. The majority of Bible scholars through the ages have understood the last two phrases to reference the prophecy itself. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown’s critical commentary (published 1871) identified the meaning as scrutinizing every page to discover God’s purposes in the events foretold. John Darby translated the passage “many shall diligently investigate,” and Samuel Tregelles rendered it “many shall scrutinize the book from end to end.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary (c. 1700) said, “Then this hidden treasure shall be opened, and many shall search into it, and dig for the knowledge of it, as for silver. They shall run to and fro, to enquire out copies of it, shall collate them, and see that they be true and authentic. They shall read it over and over, shall meditate upon it, and run it over in their minds.”

Many passages of Scripture refer to what will happen at the end of the age, but no other passage seems to deal with increasing knowledge or technology as a sign for us. A greater sign is the advancement of the gospel which Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:14 and which He commanded us to proclaim in Matthew 28:19-20. God’s goal for mankind isn’t to advance as far as we can or to know all we can discover, but rather that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

September 2nd

The sacrament of sacrifice

He that believeth in Me, … out of him shall flow.… John 7:38.

Jesus did not say—‘he that believeth in Me shall realize the blessing of the fullness of God,’ but—‘he that believeth in Me, out of him shall escape everything he receives.’ Our Lord’s teaching is always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a man; His purpose is to make a man exactly like Himself, and the characteristic of the Son of God is self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain, but what He pours through us that counts. It is not that God makes us beautifully rounded grapes, but that He squeezes the sweetness out of us. Spiritually, we cannot measure our life by success, but only by what God pours through us, and we cannot measure that at all.
When Mary of Bethany broke the box of precious ointment and poured it on Jesus’ head, it was an act for which no one else saw any occasion; the disciples said it was a waste. But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said that wherever His gospel was preached “this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.” Our Lord is carried beyond Himself with joy when He sees any of us doing what Mary did, not being set on this or that economy, but being abandoned to Him. God spilt the life of His Son that the world might be saved; are we prepared to spill out our lives for Him?
“He that believeth in Me out of him shall flow rivers of living water,” that is, hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. It is time now to break the life, to cease craving for satisfaction, and to spill the thing out. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?

September 2

“Unto you it is given … to suffer.” (Phil. 1:29.)

GOD keeps a costly school. Many of its lessons are spelled out through tears. Richard Baxter said, “O God, I thank Thee for a bodily discipline or eight and fifty years”; and he is not the only man who has turned a trouble into triumph.
This school of our Heavenly Father will soon close for us; the term time is shortening every day. Let us not shrink from a hard lesson or wince under any rod of chastisement. The richer will be the crown, and the sweeter will be Heaven, if we endure cheerfully to the end and graduate in glory.—Theodore L. Cuyler.
The finest china in the world is burned at least three times, some of it more than three times. Dresden china is always burned three times. Why does it go through that intense fire? Once ought to be enough; twice ought to be enough. No, three times are necessary to burn that china so that the gold and the crimson are brought out more beautiful and then fastened there to stay.
We are fashioned after the same principle in human life. Our trials are burned into us once, twice, thrice; and by God’s grace these beautiful colors are there and they are there to stay forever.—Cortland Myers.

Earth’s fairest flowers grow not on sunny plain,
But where some vast upheaval rent in twain
The smiling land … .
After the whirlwind’s devastating blast,
After the molten fire and ashen pall,
God’s still small voice breathes healing over all.
From riven rocks and fern-clad chasms deep,
Flow living waters as from hearts that weep,
There in the afterglow soft dews distill
And angels tend God’s plants when night falls still,
And the Beloved passing by that way
Will gather lilies at the break of day.
—J. H. D.

2 SEPTEMBER

The effect of peace

‘Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.’ Isaiah 38:17
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Isaiah 38:1–22

[Contd from 1/2] Another instance [of being at their wits’ end] is Hezekiah in this chapter. He had feared the Lord from his youth and been an instrument of great public service, yet perhaps he never thoroughly knew himself till this sickness. We see something of a self-righteous spirit in his prayer—see verse 3. He speaks more of what he had done for the Lord than of what the Lord had done for him. But this sickness cured him. It was accompanied with sharp exercises of mind which gave him a deeper sense of sin and showed him greater abominations in his heart than he was aware of. See how he speaks—verses 13–14. And thus he was taught to speak of gospel grace. He no more says, ‘See how I have walked’, but, ‘See how gracious the Lord has been to me, in love to my soul …’ This passage is similar to Psalms 40 and 41. When the Lord delivers his people from the pit, and sets their feet upon a rock, it puts a new song in their mouths. They love to look back and to speak of his mercy. And these things are written to encourage others who are yet in distress. The Lord’s arm is not shortened—he is able to save you likewise.
FOR MEDITATION:
They often murmured by the way,
The way was right their hearts to prove,
Because they judged by sight;
To make God’s glory known;
But were at length constrained to say,
And show his wisdom, power and love,
The Lord had led them right.
Engaged to save his own.

         Just so the true believer’s path
         Through many dangers lies;
         Though dark to sense, ’tis right to faith,
         And leads us to the skies.

SERMON: ISAIAH 38:17 [2/2]