THE TIME IS NOW! We are in the final days of human history. And we must a choice! God has always sent special messages to warn his people relevant to the times in which they were living. We are at the crossroad; the time to choose is now!
Our marching orders for the present day are found in the three angels’ messages of Revelation chapter 14.
Their messages make up the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Their three messages are the present truth for our time.
Thus, we are studying the messages surrounding these three angels as it relates to the gospel and the present truth for our day.
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Seeking God’s Protective Care
Father in heaven, help us to be aware of the times in which we are living. Transform our hearts and prepare our minds so that we will be able to withstand the coming crisis. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Requesting God’s Help
GOD has always spoken to and guided His people, giving them the truth relevant to their time. For instance, in Genesis 6:7, we find God warning His people about the Flood.
7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:7)
In Daniel 9:24–27, God reveals to His people the First Coming of Jesus.
24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.
25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.
26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.” (Daniel 9:24-27)
Furthermore, in Daniel 7:9, 10; and Daniel 8:14, God lets his people know that He will judge them before His Second Coming. This warning is often referred to as the pre-Advent judgment.
Daniel 7:9-10
9 “I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;
10 A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened. (Daniel 7:9-10)
Daniel 8:14
14 And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” (Daniel 8:14)
Moreover, in Revelation 12–14 God warns His people today about what will happen in the end times, in the last days of human history.
Notice what it says in Revelation 14:14, 15.
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” (Revelation 14:14, 15, NKJV).
God has sent a special message to the world and to His people. This message is designed to meet the needs of our day.
This message is depicted as three angels flying in midheaven with three urgent, end-time messages to the entire world. These messages are designed to help us prepare for the time just before Jesus comes the second time to this earth.
This warning is often referred to as the Three Angels’ Messages. The Three Angels’ Messages are Jesus’ final messages of mercy. In these messages, a call is made for us not to trust in our own righteousness but to surrender our lives to Jesus and put our trust in His righteousness.
God is calling us to have faith in Jesus’ ability to justify us, sanctify, and when he comes to glorify us.
In other words, God is calling us to trust in Jesus’ ability to transform our minds and give us new hearts, new minds, and new ways of thinking.
The thing is: He does not force our choice; it is up to us. The choice is ours.
You see, the choices we make now are preparing us for the end times. Our choices now will determine our ability to meet earth’s final crises. So, this is the time of preparation. We must choose Jesus today!
Eternal Choices:
In Revelation 14, we find Jesus’s final message of mercy in our world of fallen and rebellious human beings. For about 6,000 years, this planet has been filled with sin and evil. How much more can this world take?
Soon, the day is coming when all people on this planet will have to make their final decision for Jesus or against Him. This will be our last opportunity. Once this decision is made, we will not have another chance to change our minds. That decision will be final. We will not have the opportunity to reverse our decision when Jesus comes. At that point, our decision will be either for Jesus or against Him.
Jesus made a promise in Matthew 24:14 that prior to His coming, the people of God, His last day church, will share His final message of mercy to everyone on earth. This message is the Good News that Jesus saves us from the condemnation of sin. It is God’s loving way of giving everyone the opportunity to examine their lives and renounce sin and turn away from adhering to the voice of Satan.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)
We are shown the fulfillment of this message in Revelation 14:6
6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— (Revelation 14:6).
In Revelation 22, Jesus declares three times that He is coming quickly.
Revelation 22:7
7 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Revelation 22:12
12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
Revelation 22:20
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:7, 12, 20).
Furthermore, in Revelation 22:11, indicating that our decision is irrevocable, Jesus adds the following statement:
11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” (Revelation 22:11).
It is here that we see the closing scene between good and evil, righteous and unrighteous. It is here that everyone is led to decide on which side of the war between good and evil they want to be on. It is here that every person decides for or against Christ.
It is important to know that every day we are making our decision. Every day even in the little things that we do, we are choosing for Jesus or against Him. Every day we are deciding to be on Jesus’ side or Satan’s side.
This is why it is wise that we start today and continue every day to choose Jesus.
When you think about it, if someone is constantly making bad decisions now, how likely are they going to suddenly change in the final crisis to decide to choose Jesus, especially when all the forces of evil are pressing against them? It is going to be hard to choose Jesus in a life-or-death situation if you are not in a relationship with him now.
Therefore, it is now, today, and every day for the rest of our lives we must choose to be faithful to Christ and to His commandments.
Our love relationship with Him is demonstrated in what we do. Jesus says in John 14:15
15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. (John 14:15)
John makes this same point in 1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3).
If we are expecting that our characters will be changed at Jesus’ coming, we will be disappointed.
Our characters are being changed now. As we make our decision for or against Christ.
Here is what it says about character transformation in the book Last Day Events:
“Jesus does not change the character at His coming. The work of transformation must be done now. Our daily lives are determining our destiny.”—Last Day Events, p. 295.
As we submit to God, this transformation takes place in our hearts in our minds through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.
Listen to what is said in the book: Our High Calling:
The agencies of Satan will work with every mind that will allow itself to be worked by him. But there are also heavenly agencies waiting to communicate the bright rays of the glory of God to all who are willing to receive Him.
It is ours to choose whether we will be numbered with the servants of Christ or the servants of Satan. Every day we show by our conduct whose service we have chosen.—Our High Calling, p. 15.
It is our choice; it is up to us. It is our call. If we desire to live eternally, we must choose Jesus today. For, when Jesus returns to this earth, He is not coming to change our character that is taking place now. What is He coming to do? Find out on Day 3: The Son of Man Returns
Hebron Seventh-day Adventist Church
7902 Wheatly Street
Houston, TX 77088
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