Here is the Patience of the Saints

So far, in 2 Sabbaths, we learned of the First and Second Angel’s messages.  The First Angel gives an order by saying, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come.”  The Second Angel warns by saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen.”   Then what is the Third Angel’s message?  It addresses the judgment of God to those who do not worship Him and the patience of those who worship Him. 

 Let’s look at Revelation 14:9-12.

Revelation 14:9 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,

14:10 "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.

14:11 "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."

14:12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

You can see two different religious groups identified.

1.       One of them is those who worship the beast and his images, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand.

2.       The other group is those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.  The former obeys evil, while the latter God.

What does this evil group actually represent?  I would not say what it identifies even if it is explained in Revelation 13.  It is because the whole message of the Third Angel is not focused on

3.       The activities of the beast;

4.       Not the mark of the beast;

5.       Not the final judgment of the worshippers of the beast; but

6.       The patience of the saints, which is mentioned at the end of the message.

After describing the events of the final judgment, the Angel said, “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”  The phrase “Here is” meaning “Here” is more important than the other.  We should pay more attention to “Here,” where the saints, having patience, keep commandments of God and the faith of Jesus in the final judgment.  This is the core essence of the Third Angel’s Message.

Now let’s see how the worshippers of the beast will be judged in the end.  There are three important points to consider.

1.       First, they will drink of the wine of the wrath of God.  It is not mixed with anything else.  It is not diluted with water.  It is 100% pure wine.  That means the execution of the wrath of God is in its full strength, not mixed with mercy. 

2.       Second, the wrath of God is manifested by the pouring of fire and sulphur from heaven, which destroys the worshippers of the beast.  It is just like the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24; Isaiah 34:8-10).  They will not be raised again.  They will be executed “in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb,” which is Jesus Christ. 

3.       Third, the worshippers of the beast will be burnt completely by “fire and sulphur.”  Verse 11 says the smoke will “ascend forever and ever.”  Do you think the bodies of the worshippers will be burnt forever?  Do you think they will continue to suffer for ages?  No!

If you answered yes, then it conflicts with the promise of a new heaven and a new earth described in Revelation 21:1.  It says that the first heaven and the first earth has passed away and is now replaced by with new ones.

There will be no more sea.  The phrase “no more sea” means the end of forces hostile to God and humanity in the Jewish mind.  Therefore, the smoke ascending forever and ever indicates the completion of the final judgment, and nothing will be left to be burned.   Nobody will ever find any traces of sin again.

So the last wrath of God against the worshippers of the beast is very severe.  Can’t He repress the wrath?  No, He can’t do that.   Because He is holy, He can never change His reaction to sin.  He responds with anger to those who choose to disobey His commandments rebelliously and resist salvation persistently.  God’s wrath is His inevitable reaction to those who continue to reject Him.  There will be no reprieve in this final stage of His judgment.  It will not be irreversible.   

Now what will godly worshippers do in the final judgment?  Look at Rev.14:12.  They endure in the final crisis.  They do not protest.  They do not resist.  They watch God’s judgment with perseverance.  And they keep His commandments and the faith of Jesus. 

Soon after the great earthquake hit Kobe, many victims rushed into the Adventist Hospital.   Some of them lost their families or houses or jobs.

When I saw those suffering people, I really did not know what I should say.  Then, the first Sabbath after the earthquake, I was to preach in the church, which stood beside the hospital.  My sermon was to be broadcasted into the patient rooms.  And, of course, some of the church members in the sanctuary were also victims.

Having thought of what I should preach to the victims, I was completely lost.  So I preached a sermon less than 20 minutes, which was the shortest sermon in my life as a minister.  I was so shocked to see the terrible disasters that I didn’t understand the will of God.   Reviewing that past experience, I realized that I should have taken some kind of pastoral care for myself.

But the final judgment predicted by the Third Angel’s Message will be more disastrous than the earthquake, and we may not find any words to comfort the suffering people.

The only thing that we can do is to have perseverance in the circumstance, keep His commandments and have the faith of Jesus.  We may not be able to find anybody else but Jesus to trust. 

Now, there is one more important promise in the Third Angel’ Message.  Look at verse 13.  It’s about the promise for those who die in the Lord.  Death is painful to us.  We may be able to accept death by old age, but, we find it very difficult to accept a death caused by a traffic accident or sickness or persecution.  It is unbearable to die suffering or to see people die with pain.  However here is verse 13.     

Revelation14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' "  "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labours, and their works follow them."

Those who die in the Lord will be freed from their labours and rest peacefully.  Their good works will follow them in heaven.  They will be richly rewarded.  Their toil will not be in vain in the Lord. 

Therefore, the Third Angel introduces the saints who are enduring in the final judgment.  They do not worship the beast.  Rather with perseverance they believe the soon coming Kingdom, and keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.   

One editor developed severe eye problems and went to see his eye specialist.  The doctor examined his eyes and suggested that he needed to rest his eyes for about six months.  The editor was surprised and rejected his suggestion by saying, “I will lose my job.”  Then the doctor presented an alternative plan.  The editor’s office overlooked a beautiful valley and mountain range.  The doctor advised and said, “Once an hour, take ten minutes off.  Leave your editing and gaze out the window at the mountains.  Looking into the distance will refocus your vision.” 

At times we need to look into the distance to refocus our spiritual vision as well.  That distant place is the heavenly kingdom.  It is our homeland.  It is our kingdom, which Jesus has prepared for us to live.  We turn our eyes on it and overcome the final judgment of God.  We take our eyes off the temporary and focus on the eternal and get around any difficulty. 

1Thessalonians5:5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day.  We are not of the night or of darkness.

5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

Paul counselled us through the message of the church of Thessalonians with the words, “Let us watch and be sober.”;

1.       Let us cherish our spirituality;

2.       Let us be careful not to make our spiritual experience superficial;

3.       Let us grow spiritually better than last year;

4.       Let us place a priority on the spiritual instead of materials;

5.       Let us put all our efforts on preparation for the great day of Jesus’ coming. 

The Message of the Third Angel will be delivered from heaven as well as the other two previous Messages.  This work is not done by human wisdom, efforts or skills.  The final message will be heard purely through God’s special intervention.

Review the words of Jesus in Matthew24:14.  He used the passive form rather than the active by saying, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world.”   God will finally complete the gospel proclamation.  Our main task is to keep His commandments and the faith of Jesus. 

To accomplish the task, let us refocus our vision to the heavenly.  Let us choose to place our priority on spirituality.  And let us be steadfast, immovable, and stand with a firm conviction that worshipping God is more valuable than the earthly treasure.