Angelic Announcements

Revelation chapter 14 is where we are tonight. As we continue our study, we are focusing on the second of three visions.

The first was the vision of the victorious, and that was in Revelation 14, verses 1 to 5. The 144,000 Jews, 12,000 from every tribe, a very special people. A singing people, a sanctified people, people with a unique character. I think that of all the tapes that you buy out of Revelation, the first 14 chapters.

You ought to make sure you buy last week's tape and give it to somebody. But we move from the vision of the victorious to the vision of vengeance. The vision of vengeance that comes through the angelic announcements given by three specific ange. The vengeance of God is about to come upon the world, those who reject H. And these three angels are anticipating the blowing of the seventh trumpet, which releases the seven bowls. And their role is to make a last ditch effort. For people to experience saving faith.

It's a fascinating study. Three angels. Angel number one. gives us the proclamation of salvation. Angel number two gives us the pronouncement of condemnation.

Angel number three, a promise of damn nation. Let's look at it together and read Revelation 14 verses 6 to 11.

And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people. And he said with a loud voice, Fear God. And give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come. And worship him who made the heaven, and the earth, and sea, and springs of waters. And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.

And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice: If any one worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead, or upon his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of his anger.

And he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. and the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever, and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast in his image, and whoever receives the mark. Of his name. Let's look at the first angel who gives us a proclamation of salvation.

The text says that John saw another angel. Note this carefully. Between chapter 4 and chapter 14, angels are mentioned in every chapter except chapter 13. Revelation is full of angels. Why? Because angels play a prominent part in the tribulation period of enacting God's wrath and God's judgment. Upon mankind. Satan and his demons have all been cast out of heaven. They are no longer, he is no longer the prince and the power of the air. He is now centrally located on the globe. So now when this angel flies around in mid, it flies around totally unobstructed.

There is nothing going to hinder his proclamation. Before Satan was cast out of heaven in Revel 12, there could have been a hindrance to that proclamation. But because they are gone, that angel flies without any hindrance in his ministry. He wants to make sure that the world hears the message. But now you have an angel. Specific angel that flies in midheaven. And three things I want you to notice about the proclamation of salvation.

Number one, its significance. Number two, its scope. And number three, its sub. First of all, its significance.

It says, I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having an eternal gospel to pre. Which means to evangelize. This angel has a specific mission, and that is to evangelize the world. And what does he preach? He preaches the eternal gospel. That is, the gospel that has eternal value. It's the good news about eternal life. That's an amazing thing. Now, that's a literal angel in a literal sky proclaiming a literal gospel. That is not the satellite of TBN. They think it's them. That's not what it is.

John saw another angel. And everybody in the world is going to hear this message given about the eternal gospel. The angel is calling the world to change its allegiance. The eternal gospel is eternal because it's always been a part of God's plan. The gospel is never localized to a certain event in human history, it's always forever. So the significance of this angel is clearly seen in the fact that God wants to make sure that everybody on the face of the globe that's alive at that time hears the proclamation of salvation.

And the angel will speak it loudly. Number two, its scope. It says To those who live on the earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. That phrase to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people is used in chapter 5, chapter 7, chapter 11, chapter 13, and always means the unregenerate world. In our day, angels don't proclaim the gospel. We do. In the Old Testament, there were angels that brought messages from God all the time. In today's day and age, we are the messengers of the gospel. But in the end, God will use every me possible.

To make sure the world is without excuse, that they all hear the same message, whether it be from the 144,000, the two witnesses. Those saved because of their ministry, or the angel that flies in midheaven. Number three, its substance.

We've seen its significance, its scope. Now look at its substance. It says, He said, verse number seven, with a loud voice. A loud voice. Key word in Revelation? Loud key word 84 times loud voice you understand the urgency of this the urgency it's a loud voice The time is near. The end is here. So there's urgency behind his proclamation because the world needs to know. That the king is returning. Listen very carefully. A loud voice, he says, What? Fear. God fear God as opposed to fearing who Antich, right?

Don't fear Antichrist. Don't fear Satan. Fear God. Why? Because God's in control. God is sovereign. God rules. That's why you fear God. The Bible says, fear not those who destroy.

Body, but fear he who destroys both body and soul in hell. Fear. Turn from one master to another. Fear God. Proverbs 9, verse number 10. Says this: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understand. Over in Proverbs 23, verse number 17, it says this. Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the Lord always. Fear God, the angel says. Fear God. You mean to tell this angel is trying to scare people into heaven? You bet. Its substance is one that emphasizes the fear of God, the glory of God, and the worship of God.

Fear God, worship Him. Worship Him who made heaven and ear. Do homage by kissing the hand. Prostrate oneself. As you would before a monarch, bow in adoration. The angel is asking the world to do to Christ what they are doing to Antichrist. They are already bowing to the image. He's asking them to bow to Christ and give him gl. Why? It says this: because the hour of judgment has come. That's the first angel.

I read a statistic the other day. I can't remember even where I read it. But I did read it. And it said that 46% of today's seminary students don't believe you ought to preach on the wrath of God. Can you imagine that? 46%. And those are the students who are going to graduate and start churches in America and around the world. But don't preach on the wrath of God. That might turn people off. Really? Can't tell this angel that he's into preaching about the wrath of God. So he comes to the second angel, he says, another angel, second one, followed, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the water Wine to the passion of her immorality.

Who is this? Who's the angel speaking about? And why does he speak about this? Babylon is the worldwide kingdom of Antichrist, the world system that is anti-God. It's a system of idolatry. It's the worship. Antichrist. This is the first time the word appears in Revelation, but it won't be the last.

When we get to Revelation 16, 17, and 18, we will describe to you in great detail. All you need to know about this Babylon, but we'll just give you a little preview this evening. Babylon is more than a city, it is a political, economic, religious empire. That operates by the Antichrist, and the angel comes predicting its doom. It's fallen. Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great. Everybody thinks it's great. Everybody follows it. Everybody worships it. Everybody is encompassed with it, cons with it. And the angel says, it's fallen.

It's over. So if you don't fear God, if you don't give Him glory, if you don't worship Him, Just want to let you know that what you are worship is fallen. What you have aligned your allegiance with is over. So, just in case you want to stay there, I want to remind you that it's no longer going to exist. And by the way, neither will you. That's the emphasis. But why is Babylon fallen? Why is Babylon the Great destroyed? It tells us. Says, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.

She. Why is she called she? Because she's a harlot. She's a woman. She has intoxicated and deceived the world and will be directly and comprehensively judged. It's a statement of finality. The wine of the passion of her immorality is in the spiritual sense. She has led the world into a spiritual orgy of rebellion and animosity toward God, and the world is now drunk. With her spiritual def, and the world will accept all that she offers: hook, line, and sinker. And as a result, God will judge her. The world is intox with rebellion against God.

Spiritual adultery is everywhere. And while there will be all kinds of sexual immorality happening during the tribulation, unlike the world has ever seen before. That is all coupled with spiritual adultery and the idolatry of man as he rebels against the authority of God in his life. Which leads us to the third angel, the promise of damnation.

It says this. And another angel, a third one, followed them. Imagine John. I mean, here he is, and he looks and he sees an angel in mid-heaven flying around, and he understands the message of proclamation that he gives. It's an amazing thing, and all of a sudden, bang, another angel comes on the scene. Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the Great. And man, he's just totally enamored. All of a sudden, the third angel now comes, a third angel.

And this one, wow, a loud voice again, a loud voice. If anyone, if anyone worships the beast in his image and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, He also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength. We'll stop right there. If these people who are on the earth do not respond to saving faith, this angel tells them they will be damned. He tells them that. This is the outcome of your rebellion. This is the outcome of your spiritual adultery, of your idolatry.

God does not, listen very carefully, damn people by decree. God does not do that. God damns people because they reject the truth they hear and know. The promise of damnation, notice with me five aspects.

Number one, the promise of damnation, listen very carefully, is unalter. un. If any, if anyone worships the beast, he will drink, he will be tormented, and they will have no rest. That is unalterable. It will happen. You can count on it. If this is where you are, if you receive the mark of the beast, you have determined your allegiance. And this damnation process will be unalterable for you. You will burn in the lake of fire and brimstone forever and ever, and you will be tormented forever. It is unalterable.

These are words of finality. God is faithful to His word. If you turn against Him, it's over. So hear the first angel, hear the second angel.

Because once you hear the third angel, it's over. Not only is it unalterable, it is undiluted. Undiluted. It says it's mixed in full strength. When you speak of wine being mixed with water, you mix it with water because you dilute the wine. But this wine The wine that's in the cup of God's wrath is und. It is un. It's at full strength. When strong wine was unmixed with water, in order to make it stronger, they would add spices to it to make it more potent. God is saying that the cup of my wrath is mixed with something even stronger than just my wrath.

It is mixed with full vengeance. It is mixed in the cup of my anger. So it's more than just the wrath of God. It's the wrath of God accumulated with his anger. They're all mixed together. It is undiluted. You will get the full force of God's vengeance and wrath. I mean, what they have seen up to this point is nothing compared to what they will receive after this point. Just because half of the world has been destroyed and half of the world has been killed, and the devastation in the skies upon the earth is so bad, that is nothing compared to the cup of God's wrath mixed in His anger.

It's undiluted. It's unalterable. It is un. What's it say? It says this. And he will be tormented with fire and brimstone. Tormented, ceaseless. Affliction. Unbearable pain. Unbearable torment. No relief. It never diminishes. The torment includes fire and brimstone. We'll read about it here in a couple of weeks in Genesis chapter 19. It's referred to in Luke chapter 17, verse number 29. The fire and brimstone that comes down out of heaven and destroys Sodom and Gomorrah. Remember the parable in Luke chapter 16?

The rich man lifting up his eyes in torment. un pain, unending, excruciating, unrelieving kind of pain. It's unbearable. And the third angel says, listen.

Listen carefully. If you worship the beast, if you receive the mark of the beast, if you align your allegiance with the Antichrist. You'll be damned. It will be an unalterable position. It will be an undiluted position with the wrath of God. It will be an unbearable position. And it will be, are you ready for this? An un damnation. Listen to what it says. This is so interesting. He will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. Imagine that this damnation upon these people Will be in the pres of purity, in the presence of holy angels.

And in the presence of the Lamb him, they will suffer as purity watches. What shame, what embarrassment! But that's nothing compared to the physical pain that is is being faced. But I think it deals with the unsympathetic part of God toward those Who outright rebel against his authority. And lastly, it is unending. Une. And the smoke of their torment goes up. What's it say? Forever and ever. And they have no rest, day and night. Those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.

Hell is Forever. There are some who believe in annihilationism. There are many popular theologians that believe that. That is that God will one day destroy, completely, annihilate those who are burning in hell and they will go out of existence. They would have a hard time debating with this angel, that position. There are some who believe in universalism, that is, all All, even those who worship the beast, will eventually be reconciled to God. Maybe if we believed that, we wouldn't give our life to Christ.

I mean, after all, if we're all going to be reconciled to God after a process of time in hell, why not live as we want to live today? What kind of theological position is that? But you know what? It's very popular today. Very popular today. Those who hold that position would have a very difficult time talking to this angel about their position. Because he says it is forever. Let me ask you a question.

Is heaven forever? You sure? You don't seem very convinced. Of course it is. It's called eternal life. It's forever. If heaven's forever, hell is forever. Mark 9. 4 says, in hell the worm doesn't die. Folks, listen, if the worm don't die, neither do the people that are there. Tell that to the annihilationists. If the worm never dies, and the worm wasn't made in the image of God, and man is either a man. It's forever. The fire is not quenched. It says in Matthew 3:12, the chaff will burn with unquenchable fire.

Unquenchable fire. Matthew 25, 41 calls it eternal fire. And the text in Revelation 14 says there is no rest. Day and night. There is no reprieve. There is no break. There is no coffee break in hell. There is no opportunity to take a timeout and go to the cooler to get a cold one because there is no break in hell. There is no rest day and night. I can't say it any clearer than the angel said it. There's no breaks. What. Une torment for the rejectors. Matthew 13:4 says there's weeping and gn of teeth.

There is no relief. The angel says, this damnation, not only, is it unalterable, once you take the mark, it's over. It's unalterable. It is und. That is, it is so severe. It is so excruciating. Nothing that you have experienced up to this point will ever compare to the wrath and vengeance of God. It is un. Torment of fire and brimstone forever. It is un. God's not going to sit there and say, I think you've had enough. He's not going to do that. We do that with our kids. Enough's enough. But God, if you've taken the mark of the beast, there is no sympathy.

And then it's un. This is where the world is going. The question to you is, where are you going? For wherever you are going, it is forever. Let's pray.