WORSHIP THE CREATOR Lesson 8 for May 26, 2018

The everlasting Gospel To all the Earth Fear God and give glory to Him “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18) The plan of salvation has been revealed to mankind in a progressive way, like the daybreak. Each phase in that revelation is “the present truth” for that moment (2 Peter 1:12). The Message of the Three Angels in Revelation 14:6-11 is the present truth for the End Time. Let’s study the message of the first angel (v. 6-7) The everlasting Gospel To all the Earth Fear God and give glory to Him The hour of His judgment Worship the Creator

THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL “Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’” (Luke 23:42) God offered the way of salvation from the moment Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 3:15). That’s the good news message, the everlasting gospel. Everyone who accepts Jesus as his or her personal Savior will live with Him in paradise, like the thief on the cross. We can do nothing to gain our salvation, just repenting and wanting to be with Jesus. “and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” (John 6:37) Jesus offers salvation to you freely, no matter how big or small your sins may be.

TO ALL THE EARTH The everlasting Gospel will be preached “to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people” in the End Time. Why is it necessary to preach the Gospel to all the people in the world? Because the problem of sin affects everyone (Romans 3:23), therefore, everyone needs to know about sin and their need for a Savior. That’s the Great Commission Jesus gave us before ascending to Heaven (Matthew 28:19). That commission is even more important today, because His Coming is near. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

FEAR GOD AND GIVE GLORY TO HIM “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13) Fearing God and glorifying Him is related to obeying to His will. God knew that Abraham feared Him because he obeyed Him (Genesis 22:12) God wants us to fear Him, so we don’t sin (Exodus 20:20) Job feared God and moved away from evil (Job 1:1) People are moved to glorify God because of our obedience (Matthew 5:16) When we understand that we are sinners, we fear a righteous God. But when we understand His grace and forgiveness, we are moved to worship and obey Him. Then we “give unto the Lord the glory due to His name.” (Psalm 29:2)

THE HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT “When I choose the proper time, I will judge uprightly.” (Psalm 75:2) According to Daniel 8:14, the pre- advent judgment began in 1844. We are living in the hour of His judgment now. Read Matthew 12:36, Ecclesiastes 12:14, Romans 2:6 and 1 Corinthians 4:5. Then, How well would I do in the judgment standing on my own merits? Our hope in the hour of judgment is based only in being covered with the robe of Christ’s righteousness. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)

WORSHIP THE CREATOR “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20:11) In addition to the judgment, there’s a command to worship the Creator. That’s a reference to another “present truth” that’s been forgotten for a long time: keeping the Sabbath. To summarize, the message of the first angel highlights the everlasting gospel and invites those who accept it to proclaim the hour of judgment and to act accordingly by keeping the Ten Commandments. The result of that message is followed by the message of the next two angels (Revelation 14:8-11). Those messages will make the difference between those worshipping God and those obeying the “beast.”

“The message proclaimed by the angel flying in the midst of heaven is the everlasting gospel, the same gospel that was declared in Eden when God said to the serpent, ‘I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel’ (Genesis 3:15). Here was the first promise of a Saviour who would stand on the field of battle to contest the power of Satan and prevail against him. Christ came to our world to represent the character of God as it is represented in His holy law; for His law is a transcript of His character. Christ was both the law and the gospel. The angel that proclaims the everlasting gospel proclaims the law of God; for the gospel of salvation brings men to obedience of the law, whereby their characters are formed after the divine similitude.” E.G.W. (Selected Messages, book 2, cp. 12, p. 106)