The Third Angel Message

This is the most solemn warning that the Bible contains. The first and second angels in this series have clearly established the points of truth which will be the controversy for this age. Now the warning message comes of the great counter movement which will be initiated by the master deceiver and enemy of truth. He will work through, what appears to be religious systems, combined with political powers to enforce a false worship system. The rejection of the truth of God leaves men the captives of Satan, and the subjects of his deception. (See 2 Thess. 2:9-12) The greater the light which men reject, the greater the power of deception and of darkness which will come upon them. The first two angels were sounded as warning, the world rejected the message and sets up a massive counter system of false worship. Now we have the third angel proclaiming that any who join this false worship will suffer the wrath of God. It is a fearsome warning. One that behooves every honest seeker of God to study and be warned.

ISSUES INVOLVING THE SABBATH AND THE ANGEL'S MESSAGE
1. God is the rightful ruler of the universe. He created and He maintains it. He is the author and sustainer of all life.
Isaiah 42:5,8 This is what God, the Lord says, He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it...I am the Lord; that is my name! I WILL NOT GIVE MY GLORY TO ANOTHER OR MY PRAISE TO IDOLS.
2. Satan sought to usurp God's position as ruler of the universe:
Isaiah 14:12-14 How you have fallen from heaven O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth...for you said in your heart" "I will ascend to heaven: I will raise my throne above the throne of God...I will make myself like the Most High.
3. God alone is worthy of worship--because He is our Creator and our Redeemer.
Rev. 4:11,5:11-14 ..They WORSHIP Him who lives for ever and ever and say, You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being...Worthy is the Lamb who was slain...the four living creatures said "Amen" and the elders fell down and WORSHIPED Him.
4. Satan seeks to gain the worship due only to God.
Rev. 13:4 Men WORSHIPED the dragon (Satan) because he had given authority to the beast, and they also WORSHIPED the beast . . .all the inhabitants of the earth will WORSHIP the beast--all whose names have not been written in the Lambs book of Life.
5. Worship to God is based on love and free choice
Ps 100 Worship the Lord with gladness...For the Lord is good and His love endures forever.
Joshua 24:15 Choose you this day whom ye will serve;. . . as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
6. Worship to Satan is based on deception and force.
Rev. 12:9.17 The great dragon...Satan deceives the whole world... he is angry with the woman (God's true church) and goes to make war with the remnant of her seed (last people of the true church)
Rev. 13:14-15
Working through the two beasts to which the dragon gives power, great miracles are performed to deceive the people and "all who do not WORSHIP the image would be killed.
7. Worship involves more than just coming together to sing and pray, it involves allegiance, loyalty and obedience.
Luke 4:8 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou SERVE.
Jeremiah 7:9-10 Do you think you can steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, worship Baal and follow other gods you have not known and then come and stand before Me in my temple which bears my name, and say, "We are safe"?...I called you, but you would not listen...Therefore...the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you I will (destroy) (Do you think you can violate the commandments then come into church and stand before God and claim salvation?)
8. The issue is WHO WILL WE WORSHIP.
The evidence of Who we worship shows in our lives.
1 John 2:4-6 He that says, "I know God but does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him....This is how we know that we are dwelling with Him. For he that says He dwells with Him ought also to walk even as he walked."
John 8:31-47 Jesus said, If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples. Then shall you know the truth and the truth will set you free...Everyone who sins is a slave to sin...if the Son set you free you will be free indeed. You say you are Abraham's descendants, yet you are ready to kill me because you don't want to listen to my teachings. ...you belong to your father, the devil and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth for there is no truth in him.
9. Special sign of allegiance: At the very heart of the ten commandments is a command that has to do with worshiping our Creator God. Worship of God as our Creator is at the very heart of the Great Controversy as we have seen so far in this study. Worshiping our Creator God involves obedience to his commands. The saints of Revelation who resist the advances of the beast and His image and escape the damnation pronounced upon them, are they that keep the commandments of God.
Exodus 20:8-11,Gen2:2
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy--for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them and he rested the Sabbath day. He blessed it and sanctified it.
Revelation 14:7 (The angel's message) Worship Him who made heaven and earth the sea.
10. Special sign of Satan's counterfeit worship. A sign that claims that God's law can be changed at will. This sign is SUNDAY.
The Catholic Record of London, Ontario Sept. 1, 1923
"Sunday is our MARK or authority....the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact.
A Doctrinal Catechism by Stephen Keenan
"Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which ALL MODERN RELIGIONISTS agree with her, she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day."
Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine by peter Geiermann
"Of course the Catholic church claims that the change was her act. And the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters."
11. In the last days Satan will make a last great effort to get as many people worshiping him as possible. However his reward to his worshipers is devastation.
1 Peter 5:8 Your adversary the devil as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour.
Rev. 12:12 Woe...for the devil is come down unto you having great wrath, because he knows he has only a short time.
Rev. 13:3-4 The deadly wound was healed, and all the world wandered after the beast and they WORSHIPED the dragon.
12. As "Christian" nations sink deeper and deeper into sin, God "gives them up" or withdraws His Spirit allowing sin to have it's full reign.
Romans 1:18-31
Since what may be known about God has been made plain...can be clearly seen, being understood...men have no excuse...yet they refuse to glorify God...Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts....they exchanged the truth of God for a lie...because of this God gave them over to shameful lusts....
. 13. Because they refused God's truth, God allows a strong delusion to sweep over them.
2 Thess. 2:3-12
Don't let anyone deceive you (Christ will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed...He will set himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God...The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with t he work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so are condemned because they believed not the truth but delighted in wickedness.
14. The stage is now set for Satan's grand final attempt to get the whole world to worship him. This involves getting everyone to worship on his "day" for this is his mark that he has greater authority than God. The mark of the beast is a direct attack on God's commandments, and will be enforced by deception and force.
Revelation 14:4-12
144,000 saved individuals are characterized as those who were not defiled with women (false churches and their teachings) they follow the Lamb everywhere (no matter how difficult or how much opposition) and in there mouth is no deceit (deceit is the nature of the beasts).
The first angel makes a direct call to worship — WORSHIP HIM WHO MADE HEAVEN and earth and the sea (The Creator is the only one worthy of worship— the Sabbath is His memorial and sign that we recognize Him as our Creator, Lord and Redeemer)
The third angel warns of a counterfeit worship that will not lead to the promised peace but it leads to everlasting death. They receive the mark of the Beast (Sunday is the mark that shows a claim to authority over God and over His law.)
Those who do not receive the beast mark are they that KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND HAVE THE FAITH OF JESUS.
Revelation 22:14 Everlasting life is awarded all those who hold onto God's commandments as He gave them, who are cleansed from sin (which is the transgression of the law) by the blood of the Lamb.
15. COME OUT
Most churches now teach that God's commandments are no longer binding on Christians, for sinners yes, but not for Christians. The love of God is preached without mention of obedience to His laws. The law of God is observed only as it relates to "showing love to others" and relating to the perceived good of the majority rather than the will of God. Having removed obedience as a requirement in sanctification, churches are appalled with the resulting moral decline. Now they seek to force morality by having government pass laws. They desire the "altered" ten commandments to be put up in courtrooms to "restrain" the criminals. The Christian Coalition is very vocal in promoting this. Churches are working to unite so they can influence government to carry out their agendas.
But the power of those commandments is not in the stone, or paper they are printed upon, the power of those commandments is when the Holy Spirit writes them upon the heart where they are seen as a "delight" by the true Christian.
Revelation 18:1-4 Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils and the hold of every foul spirit...all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication(false doctrines) and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her (political/religious entanglements).. Come out of her my people that you do not take part in her sins and that you do not receive her plagues.
16. Everyone will be required to worship according to Satan's plan which he establishes through his beast powers. Miracles, signs and wonders, show of power, etc, will all play a part in sweeping the world into this counterfeit worship. Don't think it will be an obvious delusion. There will be much talk about Jesus, the cross, and other wonderful sounding "truths", but they will be mixed with DISOBEDIENCE to God's law, thus defying the very LORD they say they are worshipping.
Revelation 13.13,14
And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
17. Those who are not deceived and refuse to bow to the false worship will have economic sanctions placed against them and be in danger of their very lives.
Revelation 13.15-17
As many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18. The mark of the beast is a serious offense against God--it is a direct challenge to His authority. People do not lose their salvation by buying and selling, they lose salvation because they violate God's covenant with them, they rebell against His law and His Sabbath. They have put their own immediate needs above their worship of God. Though Christ died to save them, they refuse to walk
WITH HIM in the path of obedience.
Ezekiel 22:6,8,12,21
Behold all your leaders use their power to shed blood...you have despised my holy things and have profaned my Sabbaths...you have forgotten Me, says the Lord... So Is will gather you for the fire....
Revelation 14:9,10 If anyone worship the beast and his image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand the same will suffer (eternal damnation)
19. Blessing pronounced on:
Revelation 14.12
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Psalms 103.18,19
To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. The LORD has prepared his throne in the heavens.
20. Sabbath continues in the world made new.
Isaiah 66.22,23
For as the new heavens and the new earth, which Is will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
Revelation 14:12, 22:14
Here is the patience of the saints, here are they that keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.