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 everlasting gospel spoken of in our first passage consists of 3 specific aspects of the gospel that are relevant to our day which feature some of the most significant truths that are to prepare the world for the soon coming of Christ.
In those three messages of Revelation 14 you would not find anything that directly mentions Christ in His capacity as Redeemer, even though His redemption is implied by extension.
The reason for this is that His role as our Redeemer is not the problem in our day, it is His Creatorship that is being questioned by the majority of scientific and religious views.
And because of this, the focus of the first message, written in our introductory passage, rests squarely on the great fact of creation and the issue of origins of species.
This is the all-important question that’s on the front burner of the 1st angel’s message, and it is the one that will bring earth’s final crisis to the forefront of the minds of earth’s inhabitants.
The first of the three specific aspects deals with the universal issue of worship and calls our attention to the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Jesus is to be worshipped in His capacity as Creator, and in His capacity as Redeemer, but His role as Creator comes first, for without creating us there would be nothing to redeem.
Thus, as we trace the prophetic utterances pointing to time when light would be streaming from heaven pertaining to the heavenly sanctuary and the law of ten commandments that are found therein, we will also have to trace the rise of evolutionary theories that were strategically brought upon the world at the same time, to counter the truth.
In the 2300-year prophecy of Daniel chapter 8, it is revealed that the prophetic timeline would stretch from 457 B.C. and end in the fall of 1844, and when it did, the truth concerning God’s law, and especially the validity of the 7th day Sabbath, pointing earth’s inhabitants to the great facts of creation, would be highlighted. Let’s read:
Daniel 8: 13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spoke, how long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and host to be trodden under foot?
14 And he said unto me, unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
Revelation 11: 19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thundering, and an earthquake, and great hail.
[The Great Controversy pp 486] At the time appointed for the Judgment—the close of the 2300 days, in 1844—began the work of investigation and blotting out of sins.
Thus, wherever you have the sanctuary, the work of investigation, the work of judgement, converging at the same time, you would also have the law of God in the ten commandments figuring prominently, for the simple reason that no one is judged without the law. Let’s read:
James 2: 11 For he that said do not commit adultery, said also do not kill. Now if you commit no adultery, yet if you kill, thou are become a transgressor of the law.
12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
Thus, the prophecy of Daniel, pointing to the great antitypical day of Atonement which would begin in the year 1844, would also feature the law of God in which the fourth commandment, pointing to the facts of creation, would figure prominently.
It just so happened, and it is not a coincidence, that just around the time of 1844, when the truth about God in His capacity as Creator, was streaming from heaven, Darwin was at the same time, studying the origin of species, and also preparing to publish his evolutionary theories.
So here in precis form are the facts in the case, so that they can be traced and understood by all.
The prophecy of Daniel spanned a period of 2300 days/years beginning in 457 B.C, and ending in 1844, with the revelation of God in His capacity as Creator and Judge.
Here comes Darwin: Born: February 12, 1809, The Mount House, Shrewsbury, United Kingdom. Died: April 19, 1882.
Since he was born in 1809, he would have been 35 years of age in 1844, and since the origin of species was first published in 1859, it means that he must have been in preparation for at least several years, just as the earth was being lightened with the glory and knowledge of God as Creator.
November 24, 1859 is when Darwin’s book, The origin of species was first published, but you don’t just get up one morning and publish a book without prior preparation.
Thus, his work could be traced right back to the period just around the time when the sanctuary message was being given, and the 7th day Sabbath, pointing to The Creator of the heavens, and earth was now coming into view.
Therefore, there must be some valid and important reason why the first angel’s message of Revelation 14, focuses squarely on God as The Creator, and not even mentioning a single word about Calvary.
This is why it’s captioned as The Everlasting Gospel, for it deals a counter narrative of truth to the many falsehoods found in the theory of evolution, and it is specifically adapted to that period of time in which God’s work of creation would be questioned. 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.
Therefore, the great truths, and facts about God’s creative work, and the Sabbath, which is the only day ordained by Him for its commemoration, are to shine great light in the hearts and minds of teachers and philosophers, scientists and biologists, as well as your everyday Joe, for the knowledge of God is scheduled to fill the earth with His glory.
We begin with the first book of the Bible, with the first verse, which gives us not a theory, but the facts about where we came from. As we focus attention on the sacred truths, we will discover that evolution and creation are irreconcilable and therefore earth’s inhabitants will soon have to make a choice in favor of one or the other. Let’s read:
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Question: When it says that God created the heaven and the earth, was the earth in existence before and did God just bring order out of chaos on the first day or did He call the earth into existence on the first day of creation?
The Evolution theory proposes that life on Earth began with simple organisms. Small organisms developed over millions of years into animals and finally into human beings. This process, called ‘evolution’, was presented by Charles Darwin in 1859 and it has been adopted by many scientists ever since.
Let’s unpack the two fundamental principles found in the above Darwinian statements:
[1] Life began with simple organisms, meaning that something must have been in prior existence in order to produce.
[2] It must have taken millions of years for the slow, and gradual development of life forms to evolve.
Thus, from the get go, creation, and the theory of evolution diverge, because of the differences that are to be found in their fundamental principles.
With evolution, you must have some sort of prior raw material to work with. With creation, God does not necessarily need to use raw material. In creation God can act instantaneously, but in evolution, you must have millions of years to evolve.
This is where evolutionary science and creationism diverge, never to be reconciled. There is a song that goes like this: Nothing from nothing leaves nothing, you got to have something…. With evolution, you got to have something.
God doesn’t always need or use “Something”, such as raw material in the work of creation. Sometimes, at His discretion He does, but at other times He may not. When God created animal life and sea dwelling creatures, He used the newly minted raw materials. Let’s read:
Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
But when God created the earth, He did so without any preexisting raw material. He simply called it into existence from nothing. Here is where Darwin, and so many others have stumbled, for it boggles the mind how solid matter could be produced without preexisting raw material. Let’s read:
Psalms 33:6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
Hebrews11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
In all of the products man has invented, from your smartphone to your everyday Tesla, one thing is a must. The inventors always have to use preexisting raw material. This is one of the main reasons why The Lord is to be worshiped in His singular role as The Creator, for He does not have to use any raw material.
In fact, when you observe the fourth commandment closely, in conjunction with the first angel’s message of Revelation 14, you will discover that the reason God is set so far apart from the average inventor, is that He can create things from scratch, in the most literal sense of the word. Let’s read:
Exodus 20: 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
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.
Revelation 14: 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.
You’ll notice that in the above verse the four things specified as being created by God, above all others, all have one thing in common, in that they were all created without any preexistent raw material.
The birds and animals together with everything else that we see were created by God, employing raw material, but these four, heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters were all called into existence spontaneously from absolutely nothing.
Therefore, it is a no-brainer, so here is the straight truth in its pure, unadulterated, precis form:
God spoke the earth into existence on the first day of creation week, with no prior raw materials, and then, He went on to use the newly minted material to create all of the things that we see on our planet.
This fact has to be made abundantly clear, because there is a lot of noise out there, with some saying that the earth had been in existence for many eons, and that God simply brought order out of chaos on the first day of creation week.
This perspective is incorrect because it immediately destroys the Sabbath as a commemoration of God’s creative activity during the first week of our planet’s existence. The 4th commandment explicitly says “For in six days, The Lord created the heavens, and the earth.” Let’s read:
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 44] After the earth, with its teeming animal and vegetable life had been called into existence, man, the crowning work of the Creator, and the one for whom the beautiful earth had been fitted up, was brought upon the stage of action.
[Testimonies Vol. 8 pp 258] In the formation of our world, God was not indebted to pre-existing matter. On the contrary, all things, material or spiritual, stood up before the Lord Jehovah at His voice and were created for His own purpose.
The heavens and all the host of them, the earth and all things therein, are not only the work of His hand; they came into existence by the breath of His mouth.
Another erroneous view which diabolically attempts to blend evolution with creation, which has become popular even in many Christian circles, is that the six days of creation were symbolic, not literal days, and as such, they represent vast periods of time.
The following Scripture has been erroneously used and misinterpreted to support this incorrect view. Let’s read:
2nd Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Thus, according to that erroneous view, the days of creation week are reckoned as seven vast periods of time, measuring at least 1000 years each.
Now, if this view was correct, then we will have to conclude that Adam never kept the Sabbath, nor did Noah, or Abraham, for all of them fell short of living one thousand years, some more, some less. Let’s read:
Genesis 5: 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
Genesis 26: 5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Before we move on there is one issue that needs to be clarified, so that the truth could be made clear in our minds. The Scripture tells us that after the war in heaven concluded, satan and his angels were cast out.
And since the sacred record clearly states that satan showed up at the forbidden tree, it then begs the logical question of when he was cast out. Some folks have stumbled on this point, and consequently, they reached two conclusions:
[1] That the earth had to be in existence before creation week, at least in its chaotic form.
[2] That God knew that satan was present on the earth before doing the work of creation. This has caused some to think of malice, when the work of creation was being accomplished, but this view is incorrect. Let’s read:
Revelation 12: 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
The two phrases: “Cast out” and “Cast out into the earth” represent two different casting out. When he was first cast out, the earth was not in existence and that’s the reason why the first phrase stops at cast out.
The second casting out refers to that time at the cross, when he was forever banished from going even near the gates of heaven. Up until the Cross, satan and his angels could reach as far as the gates of heaven.
This is why the scripture tells us that he showed up when the sons of God, the representatives of the other unfallen worlds, were called to a summit. At that time satan showed up as the representative of earth, because he had succeeded in taking over the dominion from Adam, through transgression. Let’s read:
Job 1: 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.
[Early Writings pp 39] There is perfect order and harmony in the Holy City. All the angels that are commissioned to visit the earth hold a golden card, which they present to the angels at the gates of the city as they pass in and out.
But after the Cross, satan and all his minions were barred forever from the gates of heaven, and they were restricted to this earth alone. These truths should be understood clearly by all, so as not to be confused by all the noise out there. Let’s read:
Revelation 12: 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God, day and night.
[The desire of Ages pp 761] By shedding the blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself from the sympathies of the heavenly beings. Henceforth his work was restricted.
Whatever attitude he might assume, he could no longer await the angels as they came from the heavenly courts, and before them accuse Christ’s brethren of being clothed with the garments of blackness and the defilement of sin. The last link of sympathy between Satan and the heavenly world was broken.
As we bring this first segment to a close, we owe it to ourselves to discover why the sacred truths about God, in His capacity as Creator are so important to the you and me in the here and now, and how they can be applied in your everyday experiences.
Let us go back to the two basic methods by which The Lord creates. [1] He does not necessarily need any raw materials to bring things into existence. [2] He doesn’t need vast periods of time to get His will done.
Again, just to recap: [1] With evolution, you must have some sort of raw material in order to produce.
[2] You will need vast periods of time for any kind of development.
When the two kinds of creation employed by God are understood, it greatly changes our perspectives and our expectations of Him, whereas the guiding principles of evolution tend to place severe limits on what can be done.
For instance, if the Christian in our day is facing the looming possibility of furloughs or lay-offs, and if he is facing the prospect of losing healthcare coverage because of the potential astronomical increases in premiums, he need not worry himself or herself out of The Lord’s hands, because with God nothing shall be impossible.
Even though we have become accustomed to many luxuries and privileges, because of the advances in science and medicine, we must always bear in mind that there was a time when these facilities were not widely available, and the believers back then used to live by faith in God alone. And what was the result? Let’s read:
Psalms 105: 37 He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.
Psalms 103: 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
3 Who forgives all thine iniquities; who heals all thy diseases;
4 Who redeems thy life from destruction; who crowns thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
When Jesus healed on many occasions, He spoke the healing into reality, without any medicines and pharmaceuticals, the very same way He spoke the heavens and earth into existence, because of that fundamental fact that He does not necessarily need any preexisting raw materials to get His will done.
We cannot emphasize it enough, because there’s no need for the believer to go into panic mode because of tariffs, government shut downs, or unaffordable healthcare premiums.
Even though we appreciate and use these facilities while they are available, the Bible teaches us that there is another way of doing things, and that man must live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
And since He is not dependent any preexisting raw materials to get His will done, the you and me, living in the here and now can be assured that The Lord still retains all His creative powers. But it’s critically important for us to cultivate the right perspective in our day, so that faith and reality can converge.
By dwelling and focusing on the limitations of man, and science as we know it, the mind could become dwarfed in its comprehension of the power of God.
Indeed, many evolutionary modes of thought have invaded the minds of persons, to the point where in several cases, science has concluded that there are certain things that are just plain impossible.
It was this issue of limiting God, just like evolution does, that got the Hebrews into trouble so often, for at different points in their experiences, when they seemed to be at a crossroads, they forgot that God does not think like mortal man, and where we may only see roadblocks, God sees only highways. Let’s read:
Luke 1: 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Psalms 78: 41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
The Christian who cultivates the correct perspective, that God isn’t limited by time, space, materials, or evolutionary sciences, will find that a brand new world of possibilities will open up to the mind in the midst of the current atmosphere of turmoil, panic and fear.
It was the cultivation of the correct perspective on God’s creative power which paved the way for the centurion’s servant to be healed, for when Jesus offered to go with him back to his house, to heal the sick, the centurion said that wasn’t necessary, only the spoken word was needed. Let’s read:
Matthew 8: 5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, do this, and he does it.
10 When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
Again, to the Christian who may be worrying about his job, or whether his social security check will be in the mail, just remember that God who spoke the world into existence from nothing, can and will have your back. Indeed, God may be trying to wean us off of the systems we have become accustomed to over the years, in preparation for the big one.
The tendency to put our trust in mortal man breeds fear and anxiety when manmade systems fail. Even though we by our food at Publix, where shopping is a pleasure, just remember that God is not beholden to those systems.
We use them when, and while we can, but sooner or later, the remnant people of God will have to give the spoken word a second look. Indeed, when you really consider it, it is spoken came before it is written. Let’s read:
Matthew 14:15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, this is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages to buy themselves victuals.
16 But Jesus said unto them, they need not depart; give ye them to eat.
17 And they say unto him, we have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
18 He said, Bring them hither to me.
19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
Some may argue that that was back then, but now we are living in the real world. Guess what, the real world for the Christian is where the creative power of God with the spoken word is still alive and well.
One Sabbath day, some friends were invited over for lunch at the home of a Christian who has cultivated the correct perspective of faith in God. Many more persons showed up for lunch, than were expected, so the question arose, how would all the folks be fed.
The Christian went to the pots and kept on serving and serving until everyone was satisfied. Up to this day, it is still a mystery of how the limited amount of food could have stretched so far so as to feed so many people. Indeed, it is not a mystery, for if you can believe it, God could make it happen.
All we need to do is to avail ourselves of the light and knowledge God has given to us, by walking in obedience to His every word, and leave the rest with him, for He is able.
Try your best to avoid panic mode, but instead, let us lift up our eyes unto the hills from whence comes our help, because our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth by speaking, by speaking them into existence from nothing.
We therefore end with a passage of Scripture that will help us to navigate the many difficulties that are scheduled to come upon the land.
Matthew 6: 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
God Bless!