The Everlasting Gospel

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. — Revelation 14:6 (KJV)

The message of Revelation 14:6 is an appeal to this rebellious planet to return from the brink of destruction. The message is sent to every corner of the earth — even to the remotest boundaries — appealing to every single person to return unto God our Creator.

This message will challenge and vanquish the whole host of hell; it will silence atheistic views and put the evolution theories to rest forever.

The everlasting gospel is the same message from age to age, down through the corridors of time. The same gospel is preached unto all generations. The gospel in simple terms is repentance towards God and faith in Christ for our salvation (Mark 1:15).

The mystery of the everlasting gospel is fully revealed in Christ, so that none is able to say it is concealed:

1 Timothy 3:16 — And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Christ has revealed to humanity the true meaning of the everlasting gospel, bringing salvation through His sacrifice at the cross.

The first angel’s message

Revelation 14:7 — 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.

To fear God means to respect Him, to take Him seriously, and to give Him our allegiance. He deserves our allegiance because He is the Creator of heaven and earth.

To give Him glory is to reflect His character. When Moses asked to see the glory of God, God revealed His character (Exodus 33:18–19). The perfect life of Christ on earth brought glory to God the Father (John 17:4), and His people in the end will bring Him glory through their purity of heart.

The hour of judgment highlights the fact that heaven’s tribunal is now in session. According to Daniel 8:14, the final phase of this judgment began in 1844, and soon all cases of humanity will be decided. Each day brings us closer to the time when heaven will announce: He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. This is a most solemn and urgent appeal to all humanity to pay attention to the hour of judgment.

Worship Him who made heaven and earth. Worship is the most integral aspect of humanity. When we worship and how we worship determines who we worship. This subject is very important and should not be taken lightly. Christ makes it clear that we can worship Him in vain: Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men (Mark 7:7).

God tells us about the worship that He will accept:

John 4:23–24 — 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. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

For us to worship God in spirit and truth we must be under the influence of His Spirit. Romans 8:14 — For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. The Spirit of God will only lead God’s people into truth.

John 16:13 — Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Christ is the living truth — John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The commandments of God are the written truth to humanity — Psalm 119:142: Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth. Psalm 119:151: Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.

Any form of worship that is not based on the influence of the Spirit and the commandments of God is not in accordance with His will.

The second angel’s message

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.

The preaching of the everlasting gospel has shaken the foundations of Babylon and revealed the man of sin (Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition — 2 Thessalonians 2:3).

The Bible tells us of two Babylons: ancient Babylon of the Old Testament, and mystery Babylon of the New Testament. Ancient Babylon was built by Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30) and was the centre of sophistries, oppression and idolatry.

Some people believe that mystery Babylon refers to the literal biblical city of Babylon — but the Bible says ancient Babylon would be destroyed and never rebuilt. Isaiah 13:19–20 — And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.

The word Babylon is taken from the word Babel, which literally means confusion.

Genesis 11:4, 8–9 — And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven… So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth.

The Babel builders left off, re-established themselves, and ended up building ancient Babylon in the land of Shinar, in the country known today as Iraq. Because of their wicked idolatrous practices God destroyed the city forever — but she became a model and type of the mystery Babylon of our time.

Jeremiah 51:6–8 — Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul… Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed.

Modern Babylon is the centre of a man-made religious system. The wine of Babylon is her false teaching, and she fills the earth with false traditional teachings. The Bible tells us that Babylon is now fallen from the grace of God, while she tells the world she is infallible.

God has foretold that mystery Babylon would fall as ancient Babylon fell — because of her false teachings and her wickedness. Babylon corrupted and intoxicated the nations round about her, and destruction is now about to overtake her. The message from God to His people in Babylon is: flee for your life.

Revelation 18:4–5 — And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Idolatry, both pagan and papal, is a damning sin in its own nature, and will prove fatal to those who persist in it after fair warning given by the word of God. Those who refuse to come out of Babylon when thus called, and resolve to partake of her sins, must receive of her plagues.

The third angel’s message

Revelation 14:9–11 — And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God… And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever.

The sternest warning of the Bible is the warning against receiving the mark of the beast. This whole planet is now deciding what to do — whether to accept the mark of the beast or the seal of God. The choice is ours.

The world is now dividing into two groups: those who worship God and receive His seal, and those who worship the beast and receive his mark.

For you to know what the mark of the beast is, you must first find out who or what the beast is.

Identifying the beast

Revelation 13:2–4 — And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

A beast in prophecy symbolises a kingdom, or a political power or system: Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth (Daniel 7:23).

Revelation describes a great power rising up out of the sea. We learn in chapter 17:15 that the “sea” or “waters” represent nations, or peoples. The beast has seven heads and ten crowns, covering seven historic periods with ten kingdoms supporting it. Since it speaks blasphemy — words against God — it has to be a religious power.

John uses the same symbols Daniel used in his description of the great world powers. He symbolised Babylon as a lion, Medo-Persia as a bear, Greece as a leopard, and the Roman Empire as a dragon-like beast. The beast of Revelation 13 succeeds this outline of world history.

1. Its power came from the dragon

“And the dragon gave him his power, his throne and great authority.” Where does the beast get his power, throne and authority? From the dragon. And the dragon is Satan (Revelation 12:9), who worked through the system of pagan Rome.

Satan always disguises himself through earthly institutions and systems. In Revelation 12, the dragon working through pagan Rome attempted to destroy Christ, the man child. A Roman official tried to kill the baby Christ. A Roman governor condemned Christ. A Roman executioner crucified Christ. A Roman emblem sealed Christ’s tomb. A Roman guard watched over the tomb.

After pagan Rome fell apart, it gave its seat of authority to papal Rome. To the succession of the Caesars came the succession of the pontiffs in Rome. Constantine, seeing that the Roman Empire was falling apart, moved his headquarters to Constantinople and gave his seat of government in Rome to the pope of Rome. The popes filled the place of the vacant emperors of Rome, inheriting their power, prestige and titles.

2. It becomes a worldwide religious and political power

Revelation 13:8 — All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

A universal power that initiates worship.

3. It speaks blasphemy

The power is described in Revelation 13:5 as having “a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies”. Christ himself was accused of blasphemy because He claimed to be one with God. If Christ had not been divine, He would have been guilty of blasphemy.

The following claims are blasphemous:

“The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God.” — Prompta Bibliotheca, Lucius Ferraris, vol. 6, pp. 25–29

“We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.” — Encyclical Letters of Leo XIII, p. 304

This power also claims to forgive sins. When Christ forgave a man’s sins, the Pharisees accused Him of blasphemy — Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone? (Mark 2:7). Only God has the power to forgive sins. According to biblical definitions, a counterfeit system of forgiveness is blasphemy. It puts something between ourselves and the one true mediator, Jesus Christ. No earthly religious leader has the right to interpose himself between our souls and God.

4. It makes war with the saints

Revelation 13:7 — And it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.

Making war with the saints refers to persecution. Christians martyred during the Dark Ages number many millions; whole communities were wiped out for the crime of “heresy”.

5. It reigns for 1260 prophetic years

Revelation 13:5 — And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.

A day stands for a year in Bible prophecy (Ezekiel 4:6); thus 42 months, or 1260 days, equals 1260 years.

History shows that in 538 AD the papacy came to power. In that year the three powers in conflict with the papacy were finally conquered, securing the pope’s position as a religious-political leader. In that same year the decree of Justinian went into effect, making the bishop of Rome the head of all the churches, the definer of doctrine and the corrector of heretics.

This decree marked the beginning of papal supremacy in 538 AD, running until 1798 — 1260 years — the time when one of the heads of the beast was wounded. The papal power was seriously wounded in 1798, when Napoleon sent General Berthier to Rome and took the pope captive.

Revelation 13:3 tells us that the deadly wound would be healed and the world would follow the beast.

6. Its number is 666

Revelation 13:18 — Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

In the Bible the number seven represents perfection and completeness. The number six is a rival symbol of imperfection and rebellion.

The official symbol of papal authority is the papal tiara. This triple crown indicates the belief that the pope is lord of heaven, earth and the lower regions. An inscription once found on the papal tiara is Vicarius Filii Dei — Vicar of the Son of God — which adds up to 666.

7. It enforces a mark

Revelation 13:16–17 — And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

The mark of the beast is a symbol of rebellion against the government of God and against true worship. Revelation 13 and 14 make it clear that there are two opposing worship powers, and those who ally themselves with the beast will receive his mark.

The seal of God

But those on the Lord’s side will receive His seal:

Revelation 7:2–3 — And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God… Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

Those who receive the seal of the living God — of ownership and protection — are God’s faithful people who keep His commandments. They are called the remnant.

Revelation 14:12 — Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Two groups in the last days, with two different identifying marks: the mark of the beast, and the seal of the living God.

Government seals usually contain three essentials: the name, title and territory of the ruler. The crucial components of God’s seal are the same. In the Ten Commandments, the fourth contains the outward seal of God’s authority, giving His name, title and territory:

Exodus 20:8–11 — Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God… For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

The seal of God is His righteous character in His people, but the outward sign is the observance of the true Sabbath. Notice: all who are sealed will observe God’s true Sabbath, but not all those who keep the Sabbath will be sealed.

The final controversy between Christ and Satan will centre on God’s creatorship, rulership and worship. Satan has refused to acknowledge God as sovereign over creation, and that hostility has contaminated planet Earth.

The choice is ours — whether we choose God’s way, or accept the mark of the beast.