Introduction
In this article, I will explore the meaning of the First Angel’s Message: Worship – Revelation 14:6-7, analyzing who this message calls humanity to worship and why this worship is emphasized in the prophetic context. I will investigate the biblical references that point to the true Creator God, comparing them with the preaching of the apostles and the worship taught by Jesus. Additionally, I will reflect on how this message contrasts with the various forms of worship that have emerged throughout history and what this means for us today.
The Core Elements
In this study, we will partially analyze the First Angelic Message found in Revelation 14:6-7. It is important to note that there are three Angelic Messages, and all of them announce their message from a period before the return of Jesus. The book of Revelation presents these messages through an angel, but according to the prophetic meaning, the word ‘angel’ symbolizes ‘messengers’ (Hebrews 1:14, 20). Let us read the verses of this message:
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, 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 First Angel’s Message contains four subjects:
- Eternal Gospel
- Fear God
- The hour of judgment has come
- Worship Him
The Call to True Worship
As I mentioned earlier, in this study, we will only partially analyze this message, as it is very broad and would require a lengthy discussion. For this study, we will focus only on item 4, ‘Worship.’.
As we saw in the verses of Revelation 14:6-7, an angel, symbolizing messengers, will announce to the world the ‘everlasting gospel.’ They proclaim in a loud voice so that the whole world may fear God and give Him glory. The text states that the Judgment of God has arrived, meaning that the final chapter of sin in this world is nearing its end, as the return of Jesus is approaching. Finally, God calls all humanity to worship Him as ‘He who made heaven, earth, the sea, and the springs of water.’.
Throughout the history of our planet, humanity has created many gods and idols to worship. Even today, there are still many religions that worship and venerate sacred entities, both gods and idols created by humans. The First Angel’s Message brings the ‘everlasting gospel,’ which includes the call to worship someone in particular. It stands in contrast to all false worship created by the human mind.
The Bible presents countless proofs of the existence of a Sovereign God who loves all humanity. However, people of the past hid and rejected this truth, perpetuating this error to this day. In addition to presenting us with this proof, the Bible also tells us that this God is unique and that there is no other God besides Him. With this in mind, let us seek to discover who this God is, whom this important message calls us to worship.
Paul and Barnabas Proclaim the Living God and Creator
In Acts 14, we find the account of Paul and Barnabas preaching in the city of Lystra. On that occasion, God performed a miracle through them, healing a man who had been crippled and lame since his mother’s womb. The Gentiles who saw this miracle happen proclaimed that Paul and Barnabas were one of the gods they worshipped, being the gods Jupiter and Mercury. In addition, those people wanted to sacrifice animals as an offering to the two missionaries. Faced with this situation, Paul rebuked them, saying that they were men like them too, and that they should turn to Him “who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them“. Let us read the report:
Acts 14:15 – “And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men with you, subject to like passions: and we preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that is in them“
Notice that the same expression found in Revelation 14:7 is also found in Acts 14:15. This shows that the God that Paul and Barnabas were announcing in their time is the same God that the messengers in the time of Revelation 14:6-7 are proclaiming! Furthermore, here we find another expression present in Paul’s speech. He also refers to this God as the “Living God“.
Paul Reveals the Unknown God to the Athenians
On another occasion, when Paul was in Athens, as recorded in Acts 17, he encountered another situation where he found people worshiping the “Unknown God“. These were the words written on one of their altars. Paul took advantage of the occasion and announced to these people who the God was that he was proclaiming, and who was this God they should worship. Let us read the verses below:
Acts 17:23-24 – “[…] Therefore, this is the one whom you worship, not knowing him, whom I proclaim to you: The God who made the world and everything in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made with human hands“
Again, we find the identification of this God as the Creator: “The God who made the world and everything in it“. This time, Paul adds another expression to refer to this God, which is the “Lord of heaven and earth“.
The Creator God and His Identity in the Bible
So far, we have seen that in the early days of the church, Paul presented the gospel to people and showed them that they should worship the Creator, the one “who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them“. He also refers to this God with the following names: “the living God” and “the Lord of heaven and earth“. Other parts of the Bible also contain these two expressions. On one occasion, Jesus also used one of them. Let’s look at the text:
Matthew 11:25 – “At that time, Jesus answered and said: I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them to babes“
Notice that in this passage from Matthew 11:25, Jesus also used the expression “Lord of heaven and earth“. But here we have more information. If up until now we have seen that Paul used these titles to refer to the Creator, and here Jesus used them to refer to His Father, what conclusion can we draw at this point? Simple! The Creator God announced by Paul in the early church was the Father of Jesus! It was this Being that Paul announced as being the God whom the world should worship!
How Peter Announced God
Returning to the passages in Acts, we reinforce this analysis with another occasion, but this time with Peter in his sermon during Pentecost:
Acts 4:24,27 – “And when they heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: […] For truly against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together“
As we read above, Peter and the other disciples raised their voices to the God they worshipped, who was “the One who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them“. This is the same expression found in Paul’s sermons and in the announcement of the First Angel’s Message! Now, I will address a controversial and critical point. Note that in the verse itself, we find a clear distinction between the person of this God and the person of Jesus. The text refers to Jesus as the Son of this God. But why am I mentioning this? Precisely because of the confusion that exists about the subject of “divinity” that we Christians have, such as: “Who is the God of the Bible?“, “Who should be worshiped?“, etc. In the face of these and other countless questions and/or statements, Jesus makes it very clear who His Father is in the prayer of John 17:
John 17:1,3 – “Jesus said these things, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: […] And this is eternal life, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent“
The Identity of the Father in the Bible and Reflection on the Trinity
Can you see that Jesus considered His Father to be the “One True God“? Have you ever thought about what this text implies? I ask a question for reflection: If Jesus presented His Father as the “only True God“, in what position does Jesus Himself occupy? Don’t many people consider Him to be God Himself?! And what about the Holy Spirit? Could it be that the concepts we have regarding Jesus and the Holy Spirit are mistaken when we consider them to be God as well, as the Trinitarian doctrine teaches?!
In the text below, Paul applies the terms “Living God” and “TRUE” again to the person of the Father, making a clear distinction between Him and the person of Jesus, as being His Son:
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 – “For they themselves report concerning us what manner of reception we had among you, and how ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivereth us from the wrath to come“
Given this evidence, we see that the Father of Jesus was always announced as being:
the God “who made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that is in them“.
“Lord of heaven and earth“.
“Living God“.
“One True God“.
The Father of Jesus is the God announced by the early church. He is the one who is mentioned as the Creator of all things, and it is He who, according to the Bible, the First Angel’s Message calls the whole world to fear and worship!
Reflection on the Call of the First Angel’s Message
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, 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“
In light of this call, does it apply only to pagans who do not know the Bible and God, or should it also apply to the majority of Christians who have lost this knowledge due to the wine of Babylon promulgated over centuries and centuries in the history of the church?
Today, I find the worship of a triune god being preached in almost every pulpit. Many place Jesus in the place of His Father or even hold weeks of prayer and worship a supposed third person as God, different from the Father and the Son. No matter how sincere we are in our beliefs, we need to recognize what the Bible truly teaches.
Even though we may have interpretations of verses that obscure this truth, we must make an effort to understand where the error lies in our understanding of these topics. God is merciful and will forgive those who claim to worship Him but who ignorantly do not know Him correctly. However, this does not mean that we should continue in error. God expects us to advance in our knowledge of Him, and this depends on our dedication to studying His Word.
Conclusion
From what we have analyzed about The First Angel’s Message: Worship, it is clear that this message is a call for humanity to return to the true Creator God, the One who made heaven, earth, the sea, and everything in them. We have seen that this worship was taught by Jesus, proclaimed by the apostles, and reaffirmed in the prophecy of Revelation. We have also seen how, throughout history, many forms of worship have diverted the focus from this biblical truth, leading to interpretations that obscure who should truly be worshiped. Thus, this study invites us to reflect on the importance of worshiping God as the Scriptures teach, recognizing His sovereignty, and remaining faithful to His Word.
To conclude, I leave the following words of Jesus for reflection:
John 4:23 – “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him“
May God bless us!
