Things to Come,  Lesson 35, The Everlasting Gospel, Revelation 14:1-7

God gives us in Chapter 14, a wrap up message of things to come. 

First we are to “Behold the Lamb of God!”

For we see around the Lamb of God a great gathering of the Lamb’s faithful ones upon Mt. Zion. 

We see a glimpse of God’s closing call to the Earth as the Everlasting Gospel is preached.

Babylon falls, Satan’s world system which his people have given themselves over to worship.

The terrible doom is upon those who chose Satan’s way and worshipped his Christ.

Revelation 14 contains God’s pronouncement that all those who die in the Lord are blessed ones, for now they are given rest but also assurance that their works will follow them.  

Indeed death has no victory, death has no sting for those who die in the Lord, for death is simply a door into heavenly places.

We will see the reaping of the harvest and the fullness of God’s wrath as it is poured out to cleanse the Earth.

The kingdom is coming and there must be an Earth made ready for the King.

Isaiah knew of this day when he said, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

So let us begin our journey through this chapter by reading the first seven verses.

Revelation 14:1-7,  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.  2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.  4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.  5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.  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.

We have left the horrors of the events of the Great Tribulation described by God in Chapter 13,

We then come to Chapter 14 where we find in the beginning verses a refreshing oasis for here we are given to see the glorious sight of the Lamb of God standing in the midst of a called out assembly known as the 144,000.

This is an example of the truth given in the book of Ecclesiastes where we are told that the end of a thing is better than the beginning thereof. 

Think about the disaster to human kind that is recorded in the book of beginnings when sin entered the world and death by sin. 

In looking at that event from the human perspective the conclusion to the matter would be that all hope is lost for God had spoken an absolute. 

But God always insures that for His children the end of a thing is definitely better than the beginning thereof.

The whole Bible is God’s plan from disaster and hopelessness toward that which is better. 

His call to the world is one of hope.

And that is what is seen by reading the beginning of Chapter 14. 

For we are assured that God will always win the battle. 

For those enduring the Great Tribulation, I am sure that many thought all hope was lost. 

But, with God all things are possible and that truth is displayed in Chapter 14 where we are witness to our Savior, Jesus Christ, always victorious in battle, standing upon Mt. Zion, surrounded by 144,000 blood washed preachers of the Gospel of the Kingdom.

The name of God the Father is written on their foreheads. 

This means that they have taken God’s name as their own and they have made a final choice to worship Him.

They were spiritually sealed and spiritually entered the kingdom of heaven upon that sealing act. 

But before they are taken to heaven God gives them a mission to tell the world that God’s kingdom on Earth is coming.

And they know that God will shorten the days for that mission, for unless he intervenes there would no flesh be saved.

For Truth had fallen in the streets to the Lie. 

The whole world lay in darkness for men without God love darkness as their deeds are evil. 

These are the days when good is called evil and evil is called good and faith is rare. 

The Earth has its God in the Beast of the Sea and his devoted follower, the Beast the Earth. 

But God gives us the outcome in this chapter for we hear a great choir expressing great joy in what is to take place as the Lamb prepares to bring events to a close before ushering in the Millennial Kingdom.

2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 

We have met the 144,000 in chapter 7 for these are the witnesses that God has called out of the twelve tribes of Israel. 

These were those who, between the sixth and seventh seals, were sealed in their foreheads as special messengers of God.

All are present and accounted for at this great gathering, for God’s seal was a seal of protection and they are alive after the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the third woe and the revealing of the man of sin. 

They have survived because of God’s care and the fulfillment of his promise.

We ended chapter 13 by learning of the Mark of the Beast but none of those who received the mark on their forehead or right hand are standing with the Lamb upon Mt. Sion, for only those who received God’s seal upon their forehead will stand upon the mountain.

Be not deceived: God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth that shall also he reap.

Sow the mark of the Beast and you will reap the same end as the Beast.

These men, men of Israel, have ministered under the protection of God and have separated from the Antichrist’s world system where money and commerce is God. 

They are the redeemed among the peoples of the Earth; they are pure, they are virgins, having a mouth without guile, and without fault before the throne of God.

Virgins can also speak of the fact that they have not committed fornication by joining the world system of the Antichrist, a world system called Babylon. 

Those who receive the Mark of the Beast, have not the purity of the 144,000 for they partake of the fornication by joining Babylon and enjoying her favor for anyone who joins Babylon will be defiled and commit spiritual immorality.

The 144,000 have chosen separation from Satan’s world unto God’s world and have been chosen by God to be totally dedicated and free to serve in this evil time.

God’s mark upon their foreheads keeps them proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom during this time, a time like no other time, a time when the world has yielded to the miracle working Antichrist and his False Prophet. 

It is a time when the Lie is exalted and truth is despised. 

Satan’s man proclaims the nature of man, a nature that God calls corrupt, is to be lifted up and celebrated. 

It is a time when the word sin has been forgotten as some ancient idea anathema to Satan’s world system.

It is a time when the words of Christ, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” will be used by the Antichrist, but the truth he will proclaim is the opposite of everything God stands for. 

Isn’t the message of today to free oneself from the old paths, the old ways and grab hold of new ideas that will bring freedom from the bindings of the very idea of God? 

This is nothing new for Satan in the garden used the same tactic when he said to Eve, Yea, hath God said? 

This is the same question the intelligencia of the world mockingly ask whenever they introduce a new idea opposed to God’s Word.  

Who would have thought that the very definition of marriage would be changed? 

Can we expect the color blue be expanded to include other colors because someone hates being so narrow?

So it will be a time when any who bow the knee to Antichrist will put themselves out of reach of the Grace of God, for the receiving of the mark will be the act from which there will be no redemption, the act where eternal damnation is guaranteed.

But in this dark world God will show the light. 

It will be shown in these 144,000 who are of The Truth in the midst of complete untruth.  

God always has his remnant.

These are they who will stand blameless before God and they will sing a song, a song no one but themselves could learn for it will entirely be their song.

It will be a song sung before the throne of God and in the presence of the four beasts, and the elders.

These are the four beasts of Revelation 4 who surround the throne proclaiming the holiness of God.

And the elders are the twenty four elders of that same scene who fall down before him who sat on the throne, casting their gold crowns before the throne and saying:

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

 Will this special and unique song recount how God cared for them through the fiery trials? 

I remember how Moses, in Exodus 15, sang of the Lord’s deliverance when he brought them through the highway of waters and destroyed the Egyptians when the water returned from where God sent it.

Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

² The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

³ The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.

If, like the song of Moses, it will be a song of their experience of God’s deliverance, and therefore no one else has had their experience, so no one else can sing this song.

All of us who are saved have a song to sing that no other can sing for none other has the same experience with the Lord.

The old timers in this church who have seen the deliverance of the Lord in our hard times can sing their unique song and the new timer will also see the hand of the Lord in their lives which will also give them a song only they can sing.  

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, 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.

The message of the Gospel of the Kingdom has been carried by the 144,000 and now God brings a Gospel of Judgment by dispatching an angel to preach unto all that dwell on the earth. 

It is a message to all the earth for the angel is told to bring this judgment message to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. 

No one on earth is excluded for all have sinned and come short of the glory of the Lord.

It is a message preached at the end of the Great Tribulation, immediately preceding the judgment of the nations when the sheep nations will be divided from the Goat nations. (Matthew 25:31-46).

The everlasting Gospel is not the Gospel of the Kingdom; it is not the Gospel of the Grace of God but its message in this context is judgment, for the hour of His judgment is come. 

But there is a lesson to be learned here in the use of the word Everlasting for this word tells us that this Gospel is for all time and eternity. 

For all time and eternity God’s message is that he be feared, that he receive glory, and that he, who made all things, be worshipped. 

This message will never change.

Satan refused the everlasting gospel but now Satan’s time is over.

For everything that Satan has done and will do is to erase the name of God from the earth, to erase the call by God to fear Him and to give him glory and to worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters. 

Everything God reminds us of in the Everlasting Gospel, to fear him, to give him glory, to worship him, to acknowledge Him as the creator and acknowledge his creative powers is under attack.

It is under attack in the world system that Satan is perfecting and will perfect in this terrible time of the Great Tribulation but God will intervene and bring judgment.

Judgment will be a fearful thing to all who have received the mark but it is good news to Israel and all who have responded to the Gospel of the Kingdom proclaimed throughout the earth by the 144,000 because they have gone through the Great tribulation.

The saved ones will rejoice to hear the message of the everlasting Gospel for that is always what is true for those with hearing ears. 

For those with hearing ears are those who cry the words, Even so, Come Lord Jesus!

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.