Matthew 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
This passage of scripture teaches us that the good news of the kingdom of God is always inclusive of the message to repent, for without repentance and confession of sin, the riches of God's grace as pertaining to our salvation can never be accessed, hence the reason why all of the prophets who have ever lived on this earth, without exception, included the message of repentance in their dialogue with the people. Thus it was, when John the Baptist came upon the scene, he also preached the very same message, making it applicable to the people of his day, and enumerating the many current sins which needed to be repented of. Furthermore, upon close examination of the content of his candid presentations, we see a call being made for the multitudes to return to the commandments and laws of God, which had been broken and trampled upon by the masses. Let's read:
Luke 3:10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. 12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
The main sins here mentioned in these verses include stealing, killing, lying, and covetousness, for these were the sticking points on which the multitudes in John's day fell, and even though other sins were also being committed, yet the brunt of John's message was tilted against the more prominent sins of that time. The sin of Sabbath breaking is not mentioned, for at this time no one, not even amongst the gentiles had even queried which day was the sabbath. And Jesus too, also took up the strain of John's message by calling the people to repentance, and The Lord went into much greater detail, explaining the deeper issues associated with sin, such as the inner thoughts and desires of man's carnal heart, which also must be addressed in order that true repentance take place in the heart. Let's read:
Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment 27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
And in our day, the very same message of repentance applies, the only difference being that specific sticking points incident to our time would be addressed, and it's for this reason that the three angels' messages of Revelation 14 take on such issues as the theory of evolution, Sabbath breaking, false worship through the institution of Sunday as the substitute day of rest, and false doctrines such as the natural immortality of the soul, which have poisoned the minds of the multitudes and given them a false sense of security by which millions are led to believe that heaven awaits them right after death, no matter what they did, and no matter how they lived during their probationary period.
The message of the judgment in Revelation chapter 14, seeks to annul the false theory of non accountability, a philosophy that is cleverly inculcated in popular songs such as "It's my life", "I did it my way" and "Papa don't preach" a mega hit made popular by Madonna. Any gospel that does not include the call to repentance is false, and should be shunned like the plague, for it will set up its adherents to receive a very rude awakening when it is realized too late that we will indeed be held accountable for all the deeds done in the body, for every person who has ever lived upon the face of the earth, must stand before the judgment bar of God to receive his or her just dues, according to that which was done during our lifetime. 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.
In our day there are many different gospels being presented which do not bear the stamp of God's approval, for they are subjective in nature, addressing only such issues that the carnal mind is interested in, such as health, wealth, and social justice, whilst the weightier matters of the law in our day, such as acknowledging God as The Creator, by worshiping on His seventh day Sabbath is neglected or even ridiculed by the masses. The heavy emphasis that is now placed on "Love", by the world's most prominent religious leaders, is an extremely false gospel that will drag millions down into Christless graves, for true love is measured by obedience to God's word, even though the popular gospels of the day tend to the contrary. Let's read:
1st John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
We are therefore under the most solemn obligation to present the gospel in it's entirety to a dying world, for whilst we present the love of God on the one hand, the timeless message of repentance must be included in the other, so that a balanced approach that produces positive change and delivers permanent results, may be experienced by those who choose to follow Jesus all the way. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which confirms this sacred truth, and it is the will of God that we be not deceived by smooth talking, money making, sin bearing televangelists and pastors, who lead millions down to perdition. Let's read:
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. 16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!