The Altar and the Three Angels Message | Week 12
Week’s Passage: Revelation 14
InTro: Surprise!
The author shares a story about surprising his wife, Kemba, with a new car after seven or eight years of marriage. He secretly purchased the car, hid it in a friend’s garage, and cleverly concealed the car key in a cup of popcorn during a visit to his friend’s home. Kemba’s discovery of the key and her joy at the surprise made all the effort worthwhile. The author uses this story to illustrate the importance of preparation, drawing a parallel to how we must prepare to share critical messages from God with the world.
InGest: A Message to Share
Revelation 14 presents three crucial messages preparing the world for Christ’s return, entrusted to the Seventh-day Adventist Church to proclaim.
- First Angel’s Message: Preach the everlasting gospel, urging people to fear God, give Him glory, and worship the Creator (Revelation 14:6-7). This message is timeless and foundational, rooted in the Old Testament and early Christian teachings.
- Second Angel’s Message: Declare the fall of Babylon (Revelation 14:8), calling God’s people to reject false worship and human traditions and separate from Babylon to avoid divine judgment (Revelation 18:4).
- Third Angel’s Message: Warn against worshiping the beast and receiving his mark, emphasizing the wrath of God upon such worshipers (Revelation 14:9-10). This message also highlights true worshipers who endure with faith, obey God’s commandments, and are sealed as His (Revelation 14:12).
The third message unites and amplifies the first two, urging believers to proclaim the Sabbath as God’s memorial of creation and present Jesus Christ as the sin-pardoning Savior. The ultimate goal is to win hearts by sharing the gospel of worship, warning, and hope in Jesus as humanity’s last hope for salvation.
InTerpret: A Worship – Centered Message
Delivering a worship-centered message requires living a life of true worship. Revelation 14 highlights the call to worship the Creator (v. 7) and warnings against false worship (vv. 8-12). For Seventh-day Adventists, this mission ties to their origins in 1844, countering atheistic ideologies like evolution and Marxism. To proclaim these messages effectively, believers must prioritize personal devotion, prayer, and Bible study, reflecting their message in daily life.
inVite: The Advantage
Seventh-day Adventists have been entrusted with the solemn mission of sharing the three angels’ messages with a perishing world. Despite their small numbers compared to the global population, the focus should not be on the magnitude of the task but on the transformative power of daily connection with Jesus.
Jesus trained twelve flawed disciples through close association with Him, shaping their minds and character. Their connection to Him empowered them to spread the gospel worldwide. Similarly, Adventists must rebuild their personal worship altars and prioritize daily devotion to receive the wisdom and power needed to fulfill their mission. Big transformations begin with small, consistent acts of worship.
inSight: God Still has People
God called Israel to be His chosen people, entrusted with His law and the mission to reveal His truth to the world. They were meant to be a light to the nations, demonstrating the superiority of God’s government over idolatry. However, Israel failed by turning to idolatry themselves, leading to their captivity. In their suffering, many repented and spread the knowledge of God among the nations, fulfilling their mission under difficult circumstances.
Similarly, God has called His church today, particularly through the messages of the three angels in Revelation 14, to stand as a light in the world. The church is entrusted with the sacred truths of prophecy and God’s law to share His message and warn the world. As Christ declared, His followers are “the light of the world,” called to fulfill His mission faithfully.
inQuire
- Why does the world need a revival of true worship in the last days? (Rev. 14:6, 7)
- How important are our daily devotions in the context of the first angel’s message? What other aspects of worship are also important?
- Why must people renounce or leave false systems of worship? Can’t God save them where they are? (Rev. 14:8)
- How are we sometimes lulled into a false sense of security by our knowledge of the three angels’ messages? Is knowing enough to save us?
- Do you believe Seventh-day Adventists have a special message to share with the world? Why or why not?
- How can you help your friends prepare for Jesus’ soon coming?
