The Third Angel's Message - (Part 2)

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall 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 ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Revelation 14:9-12

In the first part we analyzed what the seal of God is (on Saturday) and what the mark of the beast is (Sunday). What are the consequences of receiving the mark of the beast? I stress that anyone who does not receive the seal of God automatically receives the mark of the beast. In addition, we are already at the time of sealing; therefore, we need to anchor our faith in Jesus. Notice that the apostle John warns,

Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” Revelation 7:2, 3

The four angels were ready to release the winds of destruction but the Lord stops them leaving a little more time to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to receive his seal. Here we see the love and mercy of God. Jesus died so that everyone had an opportunity to be saved. But each of us must make the decision to accept His salvation and if we decide not to then automatically we accept eternal loss. The third angel's message, our last warning, presents the life and death decision that all must make. All who choose to receive the mark of the beast will have to face the wrath of God and those who choose the seal of God face persecution from the dragon. Apparently, it’s a no win situation but those who face the wrath of God will have absolutely no protection while the saints will. Something important to note, the saints will be present at the time the winds are released and when God's wrath is poured over the nation because the last plague (in the following study we see that God's wrath are the 7 last plagues) is the coming of the Lord.

The Seal of God – persecuted by the dragon

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 12:17

The Mark of The Beast - God's Wrath

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Revelation 14:9-11

The time of anguish never seen before is the time when the beast unleashes his deadliest attack against the Saints. But at midnight when all seems lost, the Lord will deliver us and we shall live in heaven forever. On the other hand, the wrath of God which are the seven plagues (will study later) will not have the same result for it end is eternal death.

Now I emphasize something very few or perhaps no one else preaches. The kingdom of heaven is a place of perfection and eternal joy. Salvation is 100% free simply because we are saved by the grace of God. But sin cannot enter heaven ever again. The Lord established his law from the beginning of the universe which governs everything. Lucifer in heaven decided not to keep this law and led Adam and Eve in Eden to break it as well. The plan of salvation is a perfect plan which aims to save the human race, to vindicate the character of God to the universe and return this world to its original state. No one will be saved and go to heaven by chance, by luck or by accident. The Lord said:

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Matthew 16:24-27

The most important decision that a person can ever make is to follow Jesus. This means taking up his cross daily because Satan is in constant war with the righteous. In the end the reward is eternal life. There is nothing worse than the wrath of God because when God's wrath is unleashed there is no more hop for its result will be the second death, eternal death. The history of this world is coming to an end. The third angel's message is the last invitation to the world to decide for eternal life or eternal death. Today is the day of salvation, do not reject God's invitation because the door is about to close and the grace of God will soon come to an end, tomorrow may be too late.

JESUS IS COMING!