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.
In the passage above the inhabitants of planet earth are called upon to worship God as Creator, not only in the other capacities that persons have become accustomed to. The title of Creator trumps all other titles, for they all come under the jurisdiction of Him being Creator, and therefore, in earth’s final conflict when the issue of worship takes center stage, God’s Creatorship will be front and center.
Worshipping God in His capacity as The Creator of heaven and earth, constitutes the highest form of worship, for if one understands Him in this capacity, worshipping Him as Redeemer, Healer, Provider and Deliverer will be understood in the context of Him being our Creator.
For instance, if God did not create in the first place, He would not be able to redeem what He did not make. He also would not be able to heal all manner of sickness diseases, torments, and lunatics if He did not Create us initially. In fact, it is because The Lord created us from scratch, and thus, knows us inside out, why He is able to heal any type of disease.
There are many diseases for which man has no cure like Chron’s disease, Alzheimer's, Aids, the Common cold, corona virus, Cystic fibrosis, corneal ulcer, and Leukemia, just to name a few. The main reason why man is not able to cure these diseases, only treat them is because we didn’t make anybody.
But Jesus Christ who created us, as the Psalmist says “We are fearfully and wonderfully made”, He knows all the nuts and bolts about the human frame, for it is He who made us from scratch, and therefore the title of Mighty Healer, is actually a downstream derivative, coming from the top title of Creator. Let’s read:
Matthew 4: 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
But someway somehow, humanity seems to tend to worship God in many other capacities, other than in His top-notch title of Creator. For instance, there are millions of people who worship Him as Redeemer of the world such as when the wise men from the east came to look for The Christ-Child. At that time, they worshipped Him in His capacity of Redeemer. Let’s read:
Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
[The Desire of ages pp59] The wise men from the East were philosophers. In their own land were treasured prophetic writings that predicted the coming of a divine teacher.
Balaam belonged to the magicians, though at one time a prophet of God; by the Holy Spirit he had foretold the prosperity of Israel and the appearing of the Messiah; and his prophecies had been handed down by tradition from century to century.
The magi learned with joy that His coming was near, and that the whole world was to be filled with a knowledge of the glory of the Lord. With eager steps they press onward, confidently expecting the Messiah's birth to be the joyful burden of every tongue. But their inquiries are in vain.
Again, in the book of Job, we observe him looking forward to the Redeemer, and that’s Okay, but the importance of God’s creatorship needed to be more clearly established in the forefront of his mind, and it is for this reason, why when God answered Job He immediately turned to His capacity as Creator.
The offices of Redeemer and Healer, which Job had earnestly craved to be manifested in real time could only be fully understood from that perspective, of God being Creator, for once this is understood, the worship of God takes on a whole new meaning and significantly clears up very, many questions.
Let’s pay close attention to the following excerpts from the narrative, before we proceed, for they are critically important to the clear understanding of the subject matter we’re dealing with. Let’s read:
Job 19: 25 For I know that my redeemer lives, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
Job 38:1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
4 Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if you know? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof.
8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?
9 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddling-band for it,
10 And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,
11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?
12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?
And if we were to read on, and on, and on, and we would make a startling discovery, that God’s entire discourse with Job centers squarely on His Creation, while His capacities such as Healer, and Redeemer are never mentioned. And after Job’s lessons on the creatorship of God, he bows down and worships in a completely different frame of mind. Let’s read:
Job 40: 3 Then Job answered the Lord, and said,
4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
5 Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.
Job 42: 6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
You would notice in the book of Job, that once Job understands and worships God in His capacity as Creator, all of Job’s questions, and arguments stop immediately, for they pale into insignificance.
And many of the questions we, and other Christians may have about God, such as where is God in this or that situation, or why wouldn’t He intervene, often stem from the fact that we have not understood nor are we worshipping Him as Creator. In fact, when a person understands the worship of God from the perspective of Him being The Creator, most, if not all of our questions cease, for most of them become relegated to the irrelevant column.
Again, the multitudes in Christ’s day would often worship Him in His capacity as The Mighty Healer, who could heal and cure any and everything. This capacity was often used as a gateway by Christ to bring persons to a fuller knowledge of Himself, but sadly, in our day, some folks seem to be stuck on the title of Healer only. Let’s read:
Matthew 8:1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Matthew 9:18 While he spoke these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
There is a song we sometimes sing which contains several titles and offices of God, but, by far the most important one is strangely missing. We sing of God in His capacity of Jehovah Jireh, which means that He is our Provider, or Jehovah-Nissi, meaning that He is our banner or protecter, or Jehovah-Shalom, in His capacity as The Prince of peace.
But, as Creator of the heavens and the earth, barely any mention is made. Yet, God who is rich in mercy, and Who desires that we come to a fuller and better understanding of Him, bids us climb Jacob’s ladder, if haply we might behold Him in the full extent of His Creatorship for if and when this is accomplished, like Job, millions of would-be questions will cease.
As was stated before, the multitudes in Christ’s day accepted Him and worshipped Him as the Healer, Teacher, Provider, Deliverer or Redeemer; but when it came to worshipping Him as The Creator, many of them recoiled in great anger and alarm, as observed in the following narrative.
It is critically important to understand what ticked off the Jews in Jesus’ day, for many individuals still struggle on the very same issue, His Creatorship. So, let us study with a humble heart, and a teachable spirit. Let’s read:
John 8:54 Jesus answered, If I honor myself, my honor is nothing: it is my Father that honors me; of whom you say, that he is your God.
55 Yet you have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
57 Then said the Jews unto him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have thou seen Abraham?
58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
This particular claim is what sent the Jews into the tailspin of their lives, for obviously, Jesus was going much further than Healer, Provider, Deliverer, and Peacemaker. Christ reached to the very throne of God and declares Himself the One who created all things. This maddened the Jews to the point where they would not rest until they had slain Him. Let’s read:
John 8:59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
The reference Jesus made of Him being that I Am, is taken from the book of Exodus, where God declared to Moses that the great I Am will send you unto the children of Israel. Therefore, what Jesus was saying in a nutshell is that He is the Person, the “I Am” who is being referred to in that passage. Let’s read:
Exodus 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am, and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.
[The Desire of Ages pp 469] With solemn dignity Jesus answered, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.” Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by this Galilean Rabbi.
He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One, He who had been promised to Israel, “whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.”
Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
This particular passage presents a sticking point, for many Christians, and even for some Seventh Day Adventists, for the word “Everlasting” implies, and declares unequivocally, that Jesus had no beginning point. In other words, there was no point in time or in eternity where He did not exist.
And believe it or not my dear friends, it is this single fact upon which our hope must be based, for in His capacity as Creator, He is eternal, He has eternal life inherent in Him, and it is because of this why He has the power, the authority, and the inherent ability to offer eternal life to as many as will receive Him, for He cannot offer what He does not have.
As always, the word of God must be made to speak authoritatively to us, with the least amount of input and finite commentary. Several passages speak very clearly concerning the Divinity and Eternal nature of Christ. To put it as plainly as possible, there was not any time in history or in eternity when Jesus ceased to exist, including His brief stay in the grave. Let’s read:
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
1st John 5: 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
John 10: 17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Note well that it was the command that He received from His Father, not the actual power, because the power to resurrect Himself was inherently within Him. Divinity cannot die, so it was the human aspect of Jesus that died, not His divinity. Let’s read:
John 10:19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
[The Desire of Ages pp 530] Still seeking to give a true direction to her (Mary) faith, Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. “He that hath the Son hath life.” 1 John 5:12. The divinity of Christ is the believer's assurance of eternal life. “He that believeth in Me,” said Jesus, “though he were dead, yet shall he live.
[The Desire of Ages pp 785] When the voice of the mighty angel was heard at Christ's tomb, saying, Thy Father calls Thee, the Savior came forth from the grave by the life that was in Himself.
Now was proved the truth of His words, “I lay down My life, that I might take it again.... I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” Now was fulfilled the prophecy He had spoken to the priests and rulers, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
Over the rent sepulcher of Joseph Christ proclaimed in triumph, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” These words could be spoken only by the Deity. All created beings live by the will and power of God. They are dependent recipients of the life of God. From the highest seraph to the humblest animate being, all are replenished from the Source of life. Only He who is one with God could say, I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again. In His divinity, Christ possessed the power to break the bonds of death.
The very next time we sing that song in the hymnal: “Blessed Assurance” we ought to sing it with the understanding, for Christ could not give us what He didn’t have, and therefore, since He certifies that all who truly believe in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life, He is by so doing, sharing with us that which is inherently His. Let’s read:
2nd Peter 1: 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
[The Desire of Ages pp 388] Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we might become one spirit with Him. It is by virtue of this union that we are to come forth from the grave; not merely as a manifestation of the power of Christ, but because, through faith, His life has become ours.
[Maranatha pp 302] Man has no control over his life. But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can take this life from Him. “I lay it down of myself,” He said. In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ.
Therefore, now that we have read, and understood the office of Christ in His capacity as Creator, we can move on, to what that fact will translate into in real time, for as Creator of the heavens and the earth, there are particular prerogatives which naturally belong to Him alone.
These are highlighted and explained using the Bible, so that modes of thought which vouch for so-called independence from God, would be instructed into the import of the three angel’s messages.
[1] As Creator, He can tell us what to do.
Jesus stipulates what we should do, using freedom of choice, to obey or disobey with consequences. It is incorrect to conclude that freedom of choice will render us free from responsibility for our actions.
Our freedom of choice is a gift, not a right, and even when God gives particular instructions to those who follow Him, the principles, laws, and statutes which are found in the Scriptures pertain to every person living on the planet; from Elon Musk, Taylor Swift, and Beyonce’, to the man sleeping under the bridge in down town Miami. None are exempt. Let’s read:
Daniel 2: 20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his.
21 And he changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.
Daniel 4: 17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the Most-High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever he will, and sets up over it the basest of men.
In our world today a lot of emphasis is placed on my freedoms and my rights and my freedom to choose. And we have taken it upon ourselves to redesignate what marriage is, what the family structure should look like, and more and more, finite men are trying to force God out of the equation, by enacting laws that are contrary to what is written.
But God calls us to worship Him and to understand Him in His capacity as Creator, for one day soon all will have to give account for the choices and actions taken in this life. Therefore, let’s hear it from the horses’ mouth, not from a S.D.A Christian, nor from a moralist, but from a pagan king to whom it was given to understand these things. Let’s read:
Daniel 4:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
2 I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me.
3 How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.
34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most-High, and I praised and honored him that lives forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation.
35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
[2] As Creator, it is His prerogative to define what is good or evil, what is right or wrong.
We have in our day currently the ongoing efforts to neutralize God’s moral compass, as is given to us in the Scriptures. Some poor souls have taken it upon themselves to conflate good with evil, and others in Christendom have gone so far as to call what God has defined as evil, good.
When we read in Thessalonians that the man of sin sits in the seat of God, showing himself to be God, it is saying to us that the bad habit of trying to usurp God’s prerogatives as Creator, are coming to a head in our day, and will culminate in a head-on collision between the commandments of God and the laws of men.
Whatsoever God has designated as good is good, and whatsoever He has designated as evil is evil. In the process of time, while His mercy lingers, He may allow folks to enact laws contrary to the Scriptures, but doing so, in no way annuls His designations. In fact, finite men are warned against pursuing such a course of action, for perilous would be the results. Let’s read:
Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
Deuteronomy 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
[3] In His capacity as Creator, He can tell us how to worship.
The final conflict on planet earth would be centered around the issue of worship, for the three angels’ messages bring to light, the true and the false, with the pertinent consequences for following either.
Cain worship involves modifications to what God has designated as true worship. Contrary to what a lot of folks might think, Cain was a religious man. In fact, according to the sacred record, Cain showed up for worship regularly.
The only problem is that his form of worship wasn’t what God had designated, for it contained several humanistic errors, man-made modifications, and so-called “improvements” to say the least. For example it substituted fruit instead of the lamb, which God in His wisdom had ordained. Let’s read:
Genesis 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his
flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Cain had a problem with God telling him what to do, as far as worship is concerned, and because of this perspective, everything downstream, in Cain’s life, would thereafter be tainted with that tendency to substitute, modify, or alter, God’s word, according to the clamors of fallen human nature.
From the time when Cain decided to modify God’s instructions on worship, everything coming from him and from his line of descendants would go that same route, for where once worship is modified, it is just a matter of time before everything God says will be modified too. Let’s read:
Genesis 4:17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he built a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
The tendency to name buildings, and “Towers” after the name of oneself is, in many instances, the same reflection of a Cain mindset.
Genesis 4:19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
Close on the heels of worship modification, comes the modification of marriage, for substitution is a mode of thought and action that permeates every aspect of a person’s life. Hence the reason why we solemnly declare to you, by the direction of God, that there is only one more shoe to drop, because the modification of worship, and God-ordained marriage are closely intertwined.
Genesis 4: 21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
Secular music came from the line of Cain, and up to this day, it is one of the most worshipped artforms. The “Stars” who peddle in secular music with lyrics that tend to draw the mind away from God, can be traced back to Jubal, Cain’s offspring.
Genesis 4:22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron…
The making of graven images, which was soon to be incorporated into Cain worship, came from his own descendants, and even though, like as it is with music, the abilities and talents can be used for God’s glory, yet sacred history traces the proliferation of these things back to Cain.
Genesis 4: 23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
Cain introduced murder to our planet and ever since that time the earth has reeled in blood, in violence, and carnage. In fact, violence, and bloodshed were two of the main reasons why the antediluvian world had to wiped off the map.
And without a doubt, the violence, bloodshed, and carnage we are witnessing currently, are harbingers of the day when God will say enough is enough and like the antediluvians in Noah’s day, God will be left no choice but to wipe our slate clean too.
We have seen how Cain’s entire life history and his legacy was marred by his deliberate decision to try to modify God-ordained worship, and lest folks also follow in His train, God is calling all the inhabitants of this earth back to the true worship of God, in His capacity as Creator, which includes the seventh day Sabbath as the only God-ordained day of rest.
Is He still the Mighty healer of bygone years? Yes He is! Can He still deliver as He has done on numerous occasions in time past? Yes, He absolutely can. And, is He still that same Provider, who could call down bread from heaven, out of thin air, and give to the hungry multitudes M.R.E s, meals ready to eat? Yes, He can.
But it is His Creatorship, with its prerogatives that is currently on the line and as such, He’s calling on the you and me, in the here and now, to make up our minds as to how and who we will worship. Thus, in harmony with what is at stake, we will close with 3 passages of Scripture that would place these issues squarely on the front burner of our minds. Let’s read:
2nd Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Revelation 4:10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sits on the throne, and worship him that lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for You have created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created.
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.
God Bless!