HILLSIDE SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

God’s Everlasting Gospel
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Rev. 14:6–12; Matt. 24:14;
Eccles. 12:13, 14; Exod. 20:2–11; Isa. 21:9; Isa. 34:8–10.
Memory Text: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who
keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12, NKJV).
Revelation shows that Satan’s end-time deception will be so successful that the world will choose to worship the beast and receive its mark. Yet, Revelation 14:1–5 tells us that God will have His remnant, those who will take their stand for the Lord when most of the world doesn’t.
In the end, people will have to choose, not whether to worship or not (everyone always worships something), but rather, whom to worship. The worshipers of the beast will receive the mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, symbolic of their choice to serve this apostate system with their deeds and/or minds.
At the same time, the world will witness a great proclamation of the gospel such as has not been seen since the day of Pentecost. Before the judgments of God are poured out upon rebellious humanity, God will send His warning messages “to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people” (Rev. 14:6, NKJV). God does not want anyone to perish but all to be saved, which is why Christ’s death was for all humanity. The question is who will accept that provision and who won’t.
* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, March 9.
*March 2–8
Lesson
77
March 3
The Three Angels’ Messages
Just before the end, God sends His warning messages, symbolically
portrayed in terms of three vocal angels flying in the sky. The
Greek word for angel (angelos) means “messenger.” Evidence from
Revelation suggests that the three angels stand for God’s people who
are entrusted with the end-time message to share with the world.
Read Revelation 14:6 along with Matthew 24:14. The first angel’s
message is referred to as the “everlasting gospel” (Rev. 14:6). What
does describing this proclamation as “the everlasting gospel” tell us
about the content and purpose of the first angel’s message? Why is
this message central to all that we believe?
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This first end-time message is the gospel proclamation in the context
of the hour of God’s judgment that has come upon the world. The gospel
is good news about God, who saves human beings on the basis of
faith in Jesus Christ and His work for them. The gospel is “everlasting”
because God never changes. His plan was put in place even before we
existed (2 Tim. 1:9, Titus 1:2). The first angel’s message includes both
salvation and judgment. It is good news for those who give glory to
God and worship Him as their Creator, but it also is a judgment warning
for those who reject the Creator and the sign of true worship He has
given—the seventh-day Sabbath.
The three angels are described as proclaiming the messages with “a
loud voice” (Rev. 14:7, 9). These messages are urgent and important;
they must be heard by all because it concerns their eternal destiny. As
such, they must be proclaimed to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.
This proclamation is particularly significant because, at the time of
the end, the beast will exercise authority over “every tribe, tongue, and
nation” (Rev. 13:7, NKJV). Satan’s deceptive activities, worldwide in
scope, are met by the end-time proclamation of the gospel worldwide.
The three angels’ messages are proclaimed by God’s people to counter
Satan and his end-time allies—the dragon, a symbol of paganism/
spiritualism; the sea beast, which signifies Roman Catholicism; and the
false prophet, or lamblike beast, representing apostate Protestantism
(Revelation 13). They will operate up through the time of the sixth
plague (Rev. 16:13, 14). Thus, the world is presented with two rival
messages, each with the goal to win the allegiance of the people on
earth.
As Seventh-day Adventists, we are called to reach the world with
the end-time truths contained in the three angels’ messages. What
are you doing to help do just that? What more could you be doing?
Sunday
78
March 4
The First Angel’s Message: Part 1
Read Revelation 14:7 along with Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14. What does it
mean to “fear God”? How does the concept of fearing God relate to
the gospel, and what does the gospel have to do with keeping God’s
commandments? (See also Rom. 7:7–13.) What is the connection
between fearing God and glorifying Him?
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The call to “ ‘fear God and give glory to Him’ ” (Rev. 14:7, NKJV)
is proclaimed in the context of the “everlasting gospel.” A realization
of what Christ has done for our salvation results in a positive response
to Him.
In the Bible, fearing God and giving glory to Him are closely related
(Ps. 22:23, Rev. 15:4). Together, they designate a right relationship
with God (Job 1:8) and obedience to Him.
To fear God does not mean to be afraid of Him but to take Him seriously
and allow His presence in our lives. God’s end-time people are
the ones who fear God (see Rev. 11:18, Rev. 19:5). God desires His
people to love Him (Deut. 11:13, Matt. 22:37), obey Him (Deut. 5:29,
Eccl. 12:13), and reflect His character (Gen. 22:12).
It is important for God’s people to give Him glory because “ ‘the
hour of His judgment has come’ ” (Rev. 14:7, NKJV). The judgment
in view here is the pre-Advent investigative judgment, which takes
place prior to the Second Coming. The purpose of this judgment is
to reveal whether or not we are truly serving God—a choice made
manifest by our works (see 2 Cor. 5:10). At the conclusion of this
judgment, the destiny of every person is decided (Rev. 22:11), and
Jesus will come to bring His reward to every person according to his
or her deeds (Rev. 22:12).
Judgment in Revelation 14 is a part of the gospel. To those who are in
a right relationship with God, judgment is good news; it means vindication,
salvation, freedom, and eternal life. However, it is bad news for
the disobedient, unless they repent and turn to God by accepting this
end-time, judgment-hour message. God does not want anyone to perish
but all to come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9).
How could you stand, alone, in the judgment? What verdict
would your life reveal? What does your answer tell you about the
need for the gospel and why it is linked so closely together with
judgment in the first angel’s message?
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Monday
79
The First Angel’s Message: Part 2
Revelation shows that the central issues in the last crisis of earth’s history
will be worship and obedience to God, as revealed in keeping His commandments
(Rev. 14:12). The people of the world will fall into two groups:
those who fear and worship God, and those who fear and worship the beast.
Review the first four commandments of the Decalogue (Exod. 20:2–
11). Then go through Revelation 13. How does the beast’s demand
for worship (Rev. 13:15), the setting up of an image to the beast to
be worshiped (Rev. 13:14, 15), blasphemy of God and His name
(Rev. 13:5, 6), and receiving of the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:16,
17) point to Satan’s attacks on the first four commandments of the
Decalogue in the final crisis?
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The central concept of the first four commandments of the Decalogue
is worship. Revelation indicates that these commandments will become
the standard of loyalty to God in the final crisis. The final conflict
between Christ and Satan plainly will revolve around worship and the
first four commandments.
The key issue in the final crisis is emphasized in the second exhortation
of the first angel’s message. The call to “ ‘worship Him who
made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water’ ” (Rev. 14:7,
NKJV) is almost an exact quotation of the fourth commandment of the
Decalogue (Exod. 20:11). This fact shows that the call to worship God
the Creator is a call to Sabbath observance.
Rest and worship on the seventh day—Saturday—is a special sign of
our relationship with God (Exod. 31:13, Ezek. 20:12). The first angel’s
message is a call to worship the Creator.
“While the observance of the false sabbath in compliance with the
law of the state, contrary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal
of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of
the true Sabbath, in obedience to God’s law, is an evidence of loyalty
to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to
earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other choosing the
token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God.”—Ellen
G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 605.
How is our view of Creation and Salvation related? Why is resting
on the Sabbath as God did so important?
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Tuesday March 5
80
March 6
The Second Angel’s Message
The second angel’s message announces the fall, or apostasy, of
Babylon and identifies it as a false religious system. In Revelation 17:5,
“Babylon is said to be ‘the mother of harlots.’ By her daughters must be
symbolized churches that cling to her doctrines and traditions, and follow
her example of sacrificing the truth and the approval of God, in order to
form an unlawful alliance with the world.”—Ellen G. White, The Great
Controversy, pp. 382, 383.
Read Revelation 14:8 along with Revelation 18:2 and Isaiah 21:9. The
twofold repetition of the word “fallen” points to Babylon’s progressive
apostasy and signifies the certainty of her full moral collapse.
Babylon is described as already fallen, but her fall is also described
as future. Why is that?
The end-time Babylon in Revelation is a union of false religious systems
that includes Roman Catholicism and apostate Protestantism. These will
put themselves into the service of Satan against God’s people (see Rev.
13:11–18, Rev. 16:13, Rev. 17:5). This apostate religious union will manifest
the arrogance of ancient Babylon in exalting itself above God and will seek
to take His place in the world. The message of the second angel warns God’s
people that this wicked system will depart further and further from the truth
in consequence of her refusal of the light of the end-time gospel message.
Only when “the union of the church with the world shall be fully accomplished
throughout Christendom, will the fall of Babylon be complete.”—
Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 390.
Read again Revelation 14:8 along with Revelation 17:2 and Revelation
18:3. How does Babylon make the world drink the wine of her fornication?
What does this wine symbolize?
Revelation 17 pictures end-time Babylon as a harlot making people
on earth drunk with her wine of immorality (see Rev. 17:2).
The wine of Babylon refers to the false teachings and false gospel
offered by this apostate religious system. Today, as many Protestant
churches, in fulfillment of Bible prophecy, rapidly erase the differences
that once separated them from the Roman Catholic Church and turn away
from biblical truth, we witness the corrupting influence of Babylon’s wine
amongst the professed body of Christ: theistic evolution, which is implicitly
contrasted with the reference to Creation in the first angel’s message;
theological traditions replacing sola Scriptura; revised ethics abandoning
biblical definitions of gender, marriage, and so forth. Intoxicated
people cannot think clearly. As the people become spiritually inebriated by
Babylon’s wine, Babylon will seduce them into worshiping the sea beast
and receiving the mark of the beast.
Wednesday
81
The Third Angel’s Message
How does Revelation 14:12 depict God’s faithful people?
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In contrast to God’s faithful people, Revelation 14:9, 10 warns about
the fate of those who face God’s wrath. In the Old Testament, the
outpouring of God’s wrath is described symbolically as drinking wine
from a cup (Jer. 25:15, 16). The severity of the judgment upon the
worshipers of the beast is expressed as drinking the wine of the wrath
of God that is poured out “without mixture” (Rev. 14:10) into the cup
of His indignation. In ancient times, people often diluted wine with
water to reduce its intoxicating strength. But the wine of God’s wrath is
described as “unmixed” (akratou). The unmixed, undiluted wine represents
the pouring out of God’s wrath in its full strength, without mercy.
Read Revelation 14:10, 11 along with Revelation 20:10–15. How do
Isaiah 34:8–10 and Jude 7 shed light on the statement: “ ‘And the
smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever’ ” (NKJV)?
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The statement of the torment with fire and brimstone refers to total
destruction. Fire and brimstone is a means of judgment (Gen. 19:24,
Isa. 34:8–10). The ascending smoke of destruction is a well-known
image in the Bible. Isaiah prophesied of the future destruction of Edom
by fire and brimstone: it will become a burning pitch; “it shall not be
quenched night or day; its smoke shall ascend forever” (Isa. 34:10,
NKJV). Jude describes the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah as suffering
the punishment of “eternal fire” (Jude 7). These texts do not talk
about endless burning, for none of these cities is burning today. The
consequences are eternal, not the burning itself. The “eternal fire” in
Revelation refers to annihilation; the burning will be long enough to
make the consumption complete until nothing is left to burn.
Although we can be thankful for the great truth that the fires
of hell don’t torture the lost for eternity, the punishment is still
terrible enough. What should the permanence and the severity of
the punishment tell us about the sacred task that we have been
given to warn others about what is coming?
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Thursday March 7
82
March 8
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Final Warning,” pp.
603–612, in The Great Controversy.
Revelation shows that at the time of the end, God’s people are commissioned
with the proclamation of the end-time gospel to the world.
The work before us seems daunting, all but impossible. However, we
have the promise of God’s power.
“The great work of the gospel is not to close with less manifestation
of the power of God than marked its opening. . . .
“The message will be carried not so much by argument as by the
deep conviction of the Spirit of God. The arguments have been presented.
The seed has been sown, and now it will spring up and bear
fruit.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 611, 612.
The conclusion of the proclamation of God’s final message will
result in a great separation that divides people in the world into two
camps: those who love and obey God and those who follow and obey
the beast. This separation is portrayed in terms of two harvests: the
gathering of the wheat into the storehouses (Rev. 14:14–16) and the
grapes to be trampled in the winepress (Rev. 14:17–20). This final
separation is the subject of Revelation 17 and 18.
Discussion Questions:
 Reflect on this thought: Who is preaching the three angels’
messages other than Seventh-day Adventists? What should this
tell us about just how important our work is and how seriously we
should take it?
 Why do you think that judgment is an unpopular concept
among many Christians? What relevance does the concept of the
pre-Advent judgment have for Christians today? How would you
help your fellow believers better understand the true meaning of
the pre-Advent judgment?
 Think about the question of the Sabbath in the context of final
events. The issue is: Whom will we worship—the Creator of “the
heaven and the earth” (Rev. 14:7, NASB), or the beast power? The
Bible teaches that the seventh-day Sabbath is the oldest (Gen. 2:2,
3), most foundational sign of God’s creatorship of “the heaven and
the earth.” What does that truth teach us about why the Sabbath,
as one of God’s commandments (Rev. 14:12), plays such a prominent
role in the final crisis?
Friday
Provided by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission, which uses Sabbath School
mission offerings to spread the gospel worldwide. Read new stories daily at AdventistMission.org. 83
i n s i dSe tory
Power Tools and a Boat
By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission
Church members are finding innovative ways to share the gospel across
the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Euro-Asia Division, a territory covering
much of the former Soviet Union, in an effort to jump-start membership
growth, which is largely flat.
“It’s a challenging territory, but God is working through Total Member
Involvement,” said division president Michael Kaminskiy (pictured).
Eleven Adventist health professionals went on a two-week boat cruise to
ancient Russian cities on the Volga River. The trip, which followed a popular
tourist route, was organized by a Russian nongovernmental health organization,
and the Adventists were invited to share health principles about water,
sunshine, exercise, and rest, as well as conduct stop-smoking classes.
The boat’s captain, who smoked heavily, attended the classes.
“He smoked so much that there was always a cloud of smoke around
him,” said Ivan Velgosha, president of the West Russian Union Conference.
By trip’s end, he had stopped smoking and made the boat a smoke-free
zone. The Adventists presented him with a book about healthful living and
told him that Jesus could help him never smoke again.
More than a month after the trip, the captain still hasn’t smoked, Velgosha
said.
In the city of Nizhny Novgorod, schoolchildren shared their love for God
by writing letters about His law. One child wrote, “We need to remember the
third commandment so we don’t say bad words about God.” Another child
wrote, “If people stopped stealing, we would be the richest country in the
world.” The children spent five days passing out the letters on city streets.
In eastern Ukraine, church members have found that free drawings for
electric drills are drawing men to evangelistic meetings. Women were coming
to the meetings, but the number of men in attendance sharply increased
when churches began to advertise the electric drills, said Stanislav Nosov,
president of the Ukrainian Union Conference.
“Men need tools to repair homes damaged in the conflict,” he said.
Daily drawings were held at two-week evangelistic
meetings conducted in several towns in
eastern Ukraine. Winners chose between a drill
and a set of pots, while anyone who attended
seven meetings in a row received a food package
with macaroni, sugar, milk, and other basic items.
Dozens of people have been baptized.
“God is doing wonderful things through Total
Member Involvement,” Kaminskiy said.