[Note: The following is an excerpt from Nathan Jones’ newest book, The Mighty Angels of Revelation.]
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth — to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people — saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water” (Revelation 14:6-7).
As Jesus was preparing to ascend to Heaven, His curious disciples asked, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). To their utter disappointment, Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:7). Rather, Jesus left them with the monumental task of establishing the Church across the globe and over the centuries.
While the question, “When will the kingdom come?” may have still been troubling the Apostle John’s mind decades later while he was scribing the book of Revelation, he probably had an inkling that the answer lay with an important teaching Jesus made during His earthly ministry. Jesus foretold that the “end will come” when “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations” (Matthew 24:14).
A Misunderstanding
Understandably, some Christians today have misunderstood this prophecy to mean that every single person on the planet must hear the Gospel before the Rapture of the Church. But, that is incorrect. The prophecy instead looks forward to the time when Jesus will become King over all the earth, and that will not occur until the end of the Tribulation. Therefore, this prophecy does not mean the Church will evangelize the entire world before we are raptured and before the Tribulation begins. It is talking about the Second Coming, not the Rapture.
Sure, Christians are making a good run of the Great Commission, as various missions agencies report the joyous news that all but the smallest of remote people groups, numbering 50,000-100,000 people or less, have already been reached with the Bible in their own languages. But, no, God has in mind a special final crusade for the inhabitants of the Tribulation, for it is during those seven years that every single person on the planet will be presented with the Gospel.
Salvation During the Tribulation
With the Church long gone due to the Rapture, how will those left behind learn about Jesus Christ and His offer of salvation? To begin with, at the onset of the Tribulation, the removal of millions of Christians off this earth in the Rapture should provide a huge wake-up call. Those left behind will have access to all our Bibles and other Bible teaching media. Also, the wrath that will be poured out through the 21 Tribulation Judgments is meant to bring people to the end of themselves so that they will repent and turn to God.
The Two Witnesses will preach mightily from Jerusalem during the first half of the Tribulation (Revelation 11:3-12). Furthermore, throughout the first half of the Tribulation and on into the second half, 144,000 Jewish evangelists commissioned by God will evangelize the world (Revelation 7:3-8). And, finally, entering into the second half of the seven years, God will send His mighty angels directly to each and every person to share the Gospel, fulfilling Christ’s prophecy (Revelation 14:12).
Proclaiming Angels
In God’s plan to present the Gospel to every single person on the planet before the Second Coming, the Almighty will release three proclaiming angels near the end of the Tribulation. One will warn people not to take the mark of the Antichrist. A second will announce God’s judgment on the headquarters of the Antichrist. The third, which we can call the Gospel Angel, will serve as the one who will proclaim the Gospel to all the world.
John witnessed the Gospel Angel flying across the heavens preaching to every “nation, tribe, tongue and people” (Revelation 14:6). The angel will proclaim the “everlasting gospel,” saying in a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water” (Revelation 14:7).
The four elements of his message are: fear God, glorify God, realize your judgment is at hand and so worship Him.
The Meaning of Fearing God
When it comes to the Bible’s command to fear God, we often misunderstand its meaning. Prophecy expert Daymond Duck clarified what fearing God actually means in the Bible when he wrote:1
Satan would have us believe it means to be afraid of God, but that is incorrect. To fear God means to have a holy respect for him, believe he exists, and believe he reigns and will judge all mankind. This kind of fear is the beginning of wisdom, and it pleases God.
Likewise, the author of Ecclesiastes concluded his message emphasizing the necessity of keeping such a reverent attitude. He wrote: “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this applies to every person” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
The Gospel Angel will proclaim, “The hour of His judgment has come” (Revelation 14:7). For those who heed the Gospel Angel’s Good News proclamation, they will surrender to the fact that Jesus died for our sins and beat death by resurrecting Himself from the dead.
When we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we are saved from the just punishment for our sins. The judgment we deserve is taken off of us and placed onto Christ at the Cross. Those saved can then stand before the Father holy and pure, having nothing to fear.
But, for those during the Tribulation who continue to reject the Gospel Angel’s message, a warning given by Jesus will apply to them: “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:5).
Resource
Encounter 72 of God’s mighty angels from the book of Revelation! Come and travel along with a man called the Elder and his angelic guide as the end times are revealed throughout the book of Revelation in stunning detail. Along the way, meet 72 of God’s mighty angels as they proclaim God’s messages of warning and hope to a lost world. Together let us encounter… The Mighty Angels of Revelation! (New book by Nathan E. Jones.)
“I consider this book to be the premier work on the subject of angels to this point in literary history.” – Terry James, Rapture Ready
References
1) Daymond R. Duck, The Book of Revelation, (Nashville, TN: Nelson Reference, 2006), page 209.
All angels in the Bible are male. The picture depicts three angels – one of them female.
Yeah, try to find clipart of all-male angels! The world’s obsessed with female angels and they aren’t even biblical. 🙂
Then why not clip the clip art. If your asking people to believe in your words don’t distract them with untruths. The matter at hand is serious and we can’t give the impression that we believe one thing to be true and allow for unbiblical presentations, art or otherwise.
What makes you think one of those angels is female?
Thanks for the truth Nathan, the world is so deceived by satan and God will blind the people who do not want to believe in his son Jesus. Happening as we live today.
Great article. Thank you for your thoughts on the “Gospel” being preached around the world prior to 2nd Coming.
May I suggest not “21 judgements” during the Tribulation, but rather, 28, which includes the often neglected “7 thunders”. In gematria studies that makes 4, 7’s, 4 = creation of world on 4th day, 7 = completion. Thus, being interpreted “ the complete judgment of the world.” Just a thought to add to your great wealth of prophetic knowledge. Blessings. And thank you, again, John
In my understanding, angels were messengers to direct humans where to go to share the Gospel. This happened to Peter in Acts 10. But in the book of Revelation,
chapter 14, an angel is to preach the Gospel? I had always thought that they do
not “understand” the Gospel, never having been redeemed. What is the difference?
Revelation 14:6 The Angel will proclaim the “everlasting gospel” saying in a voice, “Fear God and give Him glory to Him, for the hour of judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.
Message: Fear God, Glorify God, realize your judgment is at hand, and worship Him.
Ecclesiastes 12:13. “Fear God and keep His Commandments, for this applies to every person.”
There are many angels, the ones that are mentioned by name are Gabriel and Michael.
Gabriel in Luke 2:18 announcing the birth of Jesus to the shepherds.
They make announcements of things to come, and carry out deeds for the Lord.
God is gracious and merciful, not desiring anyone to perish but all to come to repentance. He will make sure that no one will have the excuse of never hearing the Gospel before His final judgment comes.
I disagree that fearing God has nothing to do with being afraid. Per 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” Perfect love does not cast out awe and reverence. As believers grow in our understanding of God’s perfect love for us and the removal of all punishment through the complete work of Christ, we are freed from being afraid: it is a paradigm shift from being afraid to awe and reverence.
The lost will never experience that. As Hebrews 10:26-31 warns, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
The lost have much to be afraid of. Satan would have them believe they don’t.
Maranatha.
2 Thessalonians 2 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Our gathering to the Lord does not take place until after the abomination of desolation.
2 Thessalonians 2 shows the state of mind of the church at Thessalonica. They were worried that due to a false letter they had received that somehow they were living in the “Day of the Lord,” which is the 7-year Tribulation culminating in Jesus’ Second Coming (Joel 1:15; 2:1-2,11, 31; Acts 2:20; 2 Thes. 2:3; Rev. 6:17). The Day of the Lord, Paul is assuring the Church, will not happen until the Antichrist makes a peace covenant with Israel for 7 years (Dan. 9:27) and a great rebellion or falling away from God occurs.
The Bible makes it clear that the Tribulation is God’s wrath poured out upon the unbelieving world, and not for those who are saved from Christ’s resurrection to the Rapture – called the Church. True believers in Christ during the Church Age, represented by the Church of Philadelphia, are promised in Revelation 3:10, “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” Paul states in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, “and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” He also states in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:9 states, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” Ephesians 5:6 states, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.” Colossians 3:4 states, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Again and again, Scripture states the Church is not meant to endure God’s special time of wrath.
Paul earlier gives the Church of Thessalonica and all believers encouragement in the hope of the Rapture that we will not live into this terrible time (1 Thes. 4:18). And so, later in 2 Thes. 2:5 Paul reminds them of this teaching so that they don’t have to worry. He also encourages the church in verse 15 to hold on to these teachings on the Rapture so as not to be swayed by false teachings, and so we have the “eternal encouragement and good hope” that the Lord gives to strengthen us.
For information on why we believe the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is the best argument for the timing of the Rapture, please check out these articles on our website at http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_rapture7.php and http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_rapture4.php and our “Christ in Prophecy” shows posted at http://www.lamblion.com/television/programs.php#Rapture.
We also have three short Inbox videos explaining the Rapture and its timing: http://christinprophecy.org/sermons/the-inbox-20-is-the-rapture-and-second-coming-the-same-event/, http://christinprophecy.org/sermons/the-inbox-21-why-do-i-believe-in-a-pre-trib-rapture/ and https://christinprophecy.org/sermons/the-inbox-5-what-are-some-misconceptions-about-the-rapture/.
The Bible makes it clear the tribulation is NOT God’s wrath. You pretrib teachers will have much to answer for to God almighty for deceiving the church in these last days. Filling your pockets teaching people what they want to hear instead of teaching the truth, there’s no pre-trib rapture, it’s not even close. You pretrib teachers don’t even understand the difference between tribulation and wrath.
The Bible makes it clear that the Tribulation is God’s wrath poured out upon the unbelieving world, and not for those who are saved from Christ’s resurrection to the Rapture – called the Church. True believers in Christ during the Church Age, represented by the Church of Philadelphia, are promised in Revelation 3:10, “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” Paul states in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, “and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” He also states in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:9 states, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” Ephesians 5:6 states, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.” Colossians 3:4 states, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Again and again, Scripture states the Church is not meant to endure God’s special time of wrath.
Have heard your arguments about the pre-trib Rapture. I believe that you are incorrect. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24 that “the man who holds out to the end, however, is the one who will see salvation.” Similar statements are made in Mark 13 and Luke 21.
We’re talking about two different groups of believers. For the Church, the end of life or the Rapture. For the Tribulation Saints (those who accept Christ after the Rapture), the end of life or the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation.
So true. I believe the Tribulation is NOT for the church, the Bride of Christ. The church, will not suffer God’s wrath, but will experience Satan’s wrath before we are taken from the earth. We can all see the birth pain signs happening right now, Nathan, from Matthew 24: 3-22. The Signs of the Coming of the End of the Age. The Lord gives us a heads up with his signs so we can ready ourselves for his coming.
1 Corinthians 15:20-58 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Paul again gives us a clear timing of things. Believers will be resurrected at his coming and be given immortality. At the last trumpet, which is the seventh trumpet in the Book of Revelation.
In the Section, “Salvation during the Tribulation,” in paragraph two you address the two witnesses and the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. At the end of the paragraph you cite Revelation 14:12. Revelation 14:12 (NASB)
12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. This citation doesn’t seem to fit with the text.
The reference points to the fruit of all these evangelical labors.
This is speculation on my part, sanctified speculation, perhaps. But, when Lazarus died, an angel was there to escort him to Paradise. That’s great, otherwise the journey would be very scary indeed. In Rev you show that angels can preach the Gospel. So, perhaps, no one really dies all alone and an angel is there to share with them the Gospel message.
There is no rapture prior to His coming. That event occurs “at the moment of His Coming”. Supported by 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 where Paul states that Jesus was the first (and currently Only one to be resurrected to immortal life), then “at His coming” those who are His will be resurrected to life. Also Revelation 20:4-5 state that those who die during the final 7 years (up until the very end) because they stood for Jesus, and refused to worship the false prophet, will be in the “First” resurrection to life.
The wheat and Tares parable of Matthew 13 represent every person alive at the moment of His return. Notice that Jesus states that the angels (all of which are male 😉) will be instructed to “FIRST” gather all of the Tares and cast them to the place of punishment (to be no longer alive in the flesh on earth), THEN gather the wheat to His kingdom (they are all no longer alive in the flesh beyond that point, because Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:50 that no flesh or blood shall inherit/enter the kingdom of heaven).
So, at this point (the start of the 1000 years) according to scripture, Everyone who ever lived, will have been killed, and awakened from the dead, and judged to either the kingdom of heaven, or to hades for punishment.
Revelation 20 states that at the conclusion of the 1000 years, the place of hades and the hold of death will release all of those people in punishment. Revelation 20:5 says that those people will come alive at that point at the conclusion of the 1000 years.
There is thus No One alive in the flesh during the 1000 years.
And everyone who ever lived will spend the first 1000 years of eternity, either in the kingdom of heaven (reward period), Or in hades for correction, prior to the final judgement (first judgement was Jesus sending them to punishment/correction)
Our God is an Amazing, Merciful and Loving God! ❤️
Nobody alive in the flesh during the Millennial Kingdom?! Then who are the ones who join Satan and rebel at the end of the thousand years? They must be the children and descendants of the Tribulation Saints.
(1 Thessalonians 4:16 is God’s promise.) This is very exciting! “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
All believers throughout history will stand reunited in God’s very presence, safe, and secure. As Paul comforted the Thessalonians with the promise of the resurrection, so we should comfort and reassure each other with this great hope.
Nathan, do you believe the two women in Zechariah 5:9 were angels? I understand they were called two women and not two angels. They seemingly are doing the work of angels and are given wings to fly.
Zechariah 7-8 describe a woman in a basket and declares her to be wickedness. As she’s symbolic, in context then so too must be the stork-winged women of verses 9-11. We know they’re not angels because they are protecting evil, though definitely demonic entities of a sort. All biblical references to angels refer to them as male in character, animals creatures and forces of nature, but never as women. If there is an exception, this passage would be the only one. But then, the characters in this prophecy are all representative and therefore symbolic.
Also, according to Matthew 22:30/Mark 12:25, angels aren’t given in marriage and therefore cannot reproduce, so they’re really genderless. What we do know is that in all accounts they’re called “unclean” and “evil,” so naturally they would pervert God’s natural order of gender and marriage.
Please feel free to download the Lamplighter magazine at http://www.lamblion.com/xfiles/publications/magazines/Lamplighter_JulAug07_Angels.pdf for more details on angels. For more on Satan, check out http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_doctrines8.php.
Nathan this is the best explanation of the end time evangelism I have heard! Of course, I knew about the two witnesses and the 144,000, but putting them in the role of the worldwide evangelist, (which I knew they would be) just clicked. A light bulb went on! How exciting!!
Debbie, thank you for those encouraging words! So good to hear the article was a blessing to you.
Thanks Nathan! Very convicting as usual. I find prophecy so comforting because even though we in the US live a prosperous life compared to world standards the evil in the world is unsettling. Prophecy reminds me that the Lord is firmly in control and he will rescue his children. Too many churches run away from prophecy which just baffles me.
God Bless,
Rick
Nathan
Have you looked at Isaiah 57 v 1? If you look at the words “perish” and “taken away”, some of the alternative meanings of the Hebrew behind those words could almost mean a gathering from the evil to come. Perhaps out of context, but the allusion is there.
Excellent article, Nathan! Thanks!