Revelation 14:6 ¶ 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. 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. 9 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, 10
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured
out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented
with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence
of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their
torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night,
who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his
name. 12 Here is the patience of the
saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of
Jesus.
The everlasting gospel is; 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.
Everyone is going to hear this. A
second angel declares the fall of Babylon, the identity of which we will
explore more fully when we come to chapter 17. A third angel warns that anyone
who takes the mark of the Beast is doomed. From reading verses 9 through 11
notice this cross reference.
Isaiah 66:22 For as the new
heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the
LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. 23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new
moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to
worship before me, saith the LORD. 24
And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have
transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire
be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Verse 12 shows that during this
time the faithful will follow God’s commandments and have faith in Jesus. This
is important as one aspect of dispensationalism, the belief that it is not all
the same and that God has a different plan of action for different generations
of men and women.
If you believe that the entire
Bible contains the same instruction for all peoples at all times then you will
believe, based on this, that Christians in the time we are in must follow the
commandments given to Moses. If that is the case for today then the Christian
church does not belong to God as we do not follow those commandments. But in
fact, Paul said;
Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law
was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by
faith. 25 But after that faith is come,
we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
So, there is a distinct difference
in what is expected of the believer during the Great Tribulation after the
Rapture and what is expected now if you believe in dispensations.
Another take on this is that Paul
defined which commandments were to be diligently kept by the Christian.
Romans 13:8 Owe no man any
thing, but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the
law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit
adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false
witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is
briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his
neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
So, this Great Tribulation and
persecution even unto death requires an even more diligent adherence to the
principles laid down by Christ in the popularly called Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, chapter 5. Look at these previous
explanations of what is called for in the believers’ lives in this Great
Tribulation.
Revelation 12:11 And they
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and
they loved not their lives unto the death.
Revelation 13:10 He that leadeth
into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be
killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
This is a hard pill to swallow if
you have a family and loved ones.
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