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.
The last issue to be decided on planet earth, before the close of human probation is the issue of worship which is the basis for the three angel’s messages, in Revelation chapter 14. Throughout Revelation 13 & 14 the word occurs no less than eight times and this tells us that the issue must be addressed so that the truth in the matter would be made plain to all.
Webster’s dictionary describes worship as reverence for a deity, or supernatural being, but this definition falls far short of what true worship is. Reverence is no doubt an integral part of true worship, as is your prayers, and praises, but all of these do not capture the essence of true worship.
Obedience is the foundational aspect and the most important part of any worship, for obedience could stand on its own two legs, without prayer or praise, whereas the other aspects can’t. In fact, one of the most reverent churches in our day, where you can hear a pin drop during services, is the church that is farthest from God and the truth.
In many churches, congregants are required and/ or encouraged to turn off their cellphones, as an act of reverence and respect to the unseen God. In other churches there are codes of decorum, and behavior, and speaking while the service is going on is in some churches prohibited.
These efforts are all well and good for they promote respect and reverence to God, but the truth is, that in and of themselves, they do not make a church or the members thereof partakers of true worship. All of these ingredients pertain to the external aspects of worship, but, of themselves, they do not render the worship acceptable to God.
Obedience is the highest and most important aspect of any worship which produces reverence in the one who obeys. When satan had rebelled against God in heaven, he did show up for worship, but there was a strange and fierce war taking place in his heart, and therefore, even though he had bowed in reverence before God, his worship could not be accepted.
Here is where many persons in our day struggle to differentiate reverence and true worship, because the external aspects of worship are misinterpreted to be true manifestations of acceptable worship. A pastor or televangelist, or a priest may dress up in sacerdotal garments.
They may carry their Bibles reverently and they may speak softly and walk quietly in the sanctuary but all of the good outward manifestations are not definite signs that true worship is taking place.
Lucifer participated in worship up in heaven, and as the angelic choir raised their voices in praise to God he actually joined them, because, not only was he the choir, and music director, but it is a known fact that music has the ability to melt stubborn hearts in some instances, even though it may be temporary. Let’s read:
Ezekiel 28: 12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him Thus, saith the Lord God; you seal up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets, and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that you were created.
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 56] The angels joyfully acknowledged the supremacy of Christ, and prostrating themselves before Him, poured out their love and adoration. Lucifer bowed with them, but in his heart, there was a strange, fierce conflict.
Truth, justice, and loyalty were struggling against envy and jealousy. The influence of the holy angels seemed for a time to carry him with them. As songs of praise ascended in melodious strains, swelled by thousands of glad voices, the spirit of evil seemed vanquished.
Unutterable love thrilled his entire being; his soul went out, in harmony with the sinless worshippers, in love to the Father and the Son. But again, he was filled with pride in his own glory.
Believe it or not, a person can be reverent without being obedient. When the priests of Dagon went in to worship the fish god, they did so reverently, for in their minds, the reverence that should be rendered to the ark of God, which they had taken in battle, could only be matched by Dagon, and that is why, they placed it next to their fish god. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 5:1 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.
2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 586] Dagon had fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah. The priests reverently lifted the idol and restored it to its place.
Thus, manifestations of extreme reverence do not always mean that true worship is taking place. As a matter of fact, what devils have succeeded in doing is to invert the order of priorities, as it pertains to the various aspects of worship.
They’ve succeeded in placing praise first, reverence in second place, prayer in third place and obedience last of all if not nonexistent, through the teaching of the law of God being nailed to the cross. The same is true of praise, for a person’s mouth can be full of praises while at the same time the worship could be vanity. The Scripture warns as against this particular type of worship, because praises without obedience is equivalent to flattery.
In many of the great cathedrals of earth, when the pipe organ begins to play, with the deep bass tones reverberating throughout the building, one is filled with a sense of awe and reverence as the music will thrill every fiber of your being and yet, for all of this, God is nowhere to be found in many such churches.
Having a great choir is good, and having pipe organs or your favorite Hammond B3, could add a whole lot to a worship service, and congregants could sing the praises of God until the roof is blown off, and yet, if there is no obedience, coupled together with praise, the Scriptures say it amounts to nothing. Let’s read:
Matthew 15:8 This people draw nigh unto me with their mouth and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Psalms 78: 35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.
1st Samuel 15: 22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Again, prayer for us, as Christians is a must, and we do encourage everyone, both believers and persons who have not yet believed, to pray as never before. But prayer without obedience, or without a person intending to obey God, amounts to minus zero, for as was stated before, obedience to God is the basis of all true worship.
In fact, there are times when one might be praying long and hard about some issue or problem, and for some unknown reason the answer just seems to be evasive, or not forth coming.
The problem could be some cherished sin that may be interfering with a person’s worship, and, unless it is diligently sought out and confessed, true worship wouldn’t be happening. Especially could this be the case if one deliberately tries to hide any known sin which is a violation of God’s law. Let’s read:
Proverbs 28: 9 He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
Psalms 66: 18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.
Then the Psalmist David goes on to capture, portray, and make plain, what constitutes true worship, for he makes plain that one’s heart must be in the right place, with a recognition, and practice of God’s law for worship to be acceptable, and if one has fallen short through violations, confession, and a turning away from sin is a must.
In fact, true worship cannot be untethered from the keeping of God’s commandments even if in the time of ignorance, God may wink. In such cases, God will accept the sincerity of the worshipper, but He won’t and cannot accept, error in the place of truth.
This distinction must be made very clear, especially in these last days, when the work of salvation would be wrapping up. In days of old, where persons were in darkness, some sincerely worshipped God to the best of their knowledge and He accepted the person in question, but the errors associated with that form of worship were not accepted.
In our day, where the light of God’s commandments is to shine in a concentrated blaze upon all peoples, true worship will have to incorporate the keeping of all God’s commandments, including the 4th, which distinguishes, and recognizes God as Creator of the heavens and the earth.
Thus, the Psalmist ties obedience to true worship as an inseparable essential and this is what God is now calling all the inhabitants of earth to. Those who are sincere in heart, must now step up to the plate, and be counted, by worshiping God in spirit, and also in truth. Let’s read:
Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shews his handywork.
2 Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night shews knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandments of the Lord are pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Now that we have seen from the scripture the many variations to true worship that have come upon the earth, let us now turn our attentions to what true worship is. Jesus was conversing with the woman at the well, and somehow, the issue of worship came up.
What is worthy of note is that the conversation had transitioned to worship, right after Jesus asked her to go call her husband. The woman, knowing of her situation as it pertained to marriage, immediately turned to the issue of worship because the question of true worship is inextricably tied to whether or not one’s life is in harmony with God’s law.
Thus, in trying to avoid the question of obedience, she now turns to the issue of the place of worship for refuge. But Christ made plain that true worship is not about any particular location. In our day, millions have been spent on magnificent buildings, focusing one’s attention on the location of worship.
The tendency to expend enormous sums on great, and magnificent buildings, which awe the beholder is often a veiled attempt to atone for the lack of the obedience factor, and thus, congregants are drawn, and attracted to specific locations in question rather than to the true worship of God, which will involve obedience. Let’s read:
Mark 13:1 And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!
2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Mega churches have sprung up far and wide, and have gone over and beyond to try to impress folks that true worship could be found at this, or that location. Great sums are expended on their sound systems, and lighting, with smoke machines, and cameras, which produce an ambience of a concert hall, or a place for shows.
However, in many instances, where extravagance, or outward display of magnificent buildings, paintings, and architectural marvels are to be found at places of worship, true worship is nowhere to be found. It isn’t the grandeur of the place that makes it a place of true worship, it’s the truth and obedience factors which signal that true worship is taking place. Let’s read:
John 4:20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Then, Jesus set about to make plain to all who will understand, that true worship is not about buildings and ambience or grandeur, but rather incorporates the elements of obedience as the main ingredients, with reverence and praise coming after. Thus, when a person worships God in spirit and in truth, all of the above must be included. Let’s read:
John 4: 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
In our day, the everlasting gospel to be preached to our generation, focuses the spotlight squarely on the issue of obedience to God’s law, as an integral part of any true worship, especially since the final conflict of the ages will center around obedience to either God, or the opposing forces entrenched in the mark of the beast.
The issue is so serious that worship is scheduled to be tethered to your economic privileges, which in turn will draw a clear line of demarcation between those who worship God, and persons who don’t. so far, many Christians have been willing to sit on the fence or on the sidelines, as far as true worship is concerned.
But the time is now, when persons will be called on to take a definite stand for the true worship of God. Merely taking the name of Jesus nominally doesn’t distinguish one as a true worshipper anymore, for those days are over. Persons will need to address in sincerity, that which God is stating in Revelation 14. Let’s read:
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.
The Sabbath of the fourth commandment is integral and inseparable to the true worship being brought to light in the above passages. This commandment in particular, is the only one of the ten that tells us Who created us, and all things, and thus, it sets the stage for all true worship, by acknowledging that God created the heaven and the earth. Let’s read:
Exodus 20: 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Jesus Christ also set us the perfect example of true worship, by habitually attending church on the 7th day Sabbath, and all who in our day might desire to worship God in sincerity and truth would follow His lead, as the light of present truth is shed upon their pathway.
Luke 4:15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Mark 1: 21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
Luke 6:5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
6 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.
One of the reasons why the Bible is laser focused on the issue of true worship in the book of Revelation is because the introduction, and the teaching of the theory of evolution has sought to eliminate The God of heaven from His work of creation, and, wherever this is done and accepted, the Sabbath which points us to God is thrown out the window.
Worthy of note is the fact that the Sunday doctrine never points to the Creator of the heavens and the earth. It might speak loftily of Christ coming forth from the grave, and His glorious ascension, but at its core, it does not tell us Who created us, and thus, it falls far short of delineating what true worship must be.
In our day, there are millions of sincere-hearted folk worshipping on the first day of the week, thinking that by so doing they are obeying God. But Jesus is now shedding light on the great facts of His creation and His Creatorship, for it is in His capacity as The Creator, that true worship can take place.
In fact, this is the main reason given by the twenty- four elders as they worship God; they point to God’s creative work and power as the reason why He is to be worshipped, and thus, Revelation 14, verses 6 &7 is a confirmation of that sacred truth, that all true worship would inevitably lead persons to the 7th day Sabbath. Let’s read:
Revelation 4:10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that lives for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 You art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Let our fellow Christian believers who are now to be found in many Sunday keeping churches, now arise, and investigate this sacred truth, because the close of human probation, and the final conflicts of the ages are centered squarely around the issue of true worship, no doubt.
And as such, all who desire to worship God in spirit and truth, will have to take a stand on God’s side of the issue. The time is coming soon, where there will be no middle ground, no more sitting on the fences, and no more spectator forms of worship.
Every person living on planet earth would have to make definite choices, and decisions, either for, or against true worship, because the mark of the beast is the counterfeit that will finally seek to coerce the conscience through economic sanctions. Let’s read:
Joel 3: 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
Revelation 13: 11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.
12 And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Therefore, let all those who desire to worship God in His capacity as Creator, now take a stand for the truth, for the Sabbath commemorates God’s work in the here and now, and will forever do so in the great hereafter. We’ll therefore end with verses from the pen of Isaiah which certify this sacred truth in stone. Let’s read:
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!