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I would like to discuss the First Angel’s Message, the starting-point of the call to assembly for the 144,000, and the beginning of one’s journey of sanctification after accepting the Gospel Message.
In looking at the message of the Three Gospel Angels in the Book of Revelation, we have found it convenient, and instructive, to boil each of those messages down to a single, clear idea. If we ask a typical Seventh-day Adventist what the Three Angels’ Message is, they will rightly point out the relevant passages of Revelation 14. If you ask what it means, however, I am not sure what answer one will get.
The easiest Angel to explain for an SDA is likely to be the third, because at least there they have some studies on which to draw, some crusade presentations that interpret the Mark of The Beast as the Sunday Law, and the principles there are sound enough… but without a personal experience of the First Angel, and then the Second, any explanation given will be from an external perspective. In other words, unless one has understood the First Angel’s Message, nothing else can be explained from a position of authority.
So, what is that first angel? We have simplified it until we can express what it means in a single word: victory. Of this First Angel we read, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of Heaven, having the Everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come, and worship Him that made Heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.’” (Rev 14:6, 7)
We often call the three angels in this sequence the Gospel Angels, but it is worth pointing out that the wording of Revelation really only identifies the first as having the Everlasting Gospel. We are correct in identifying all three in this way, because it is really just one message that they bear, given in successive steps, but it is the first that is specifically said to have the Gospel – because this is the critical first-step in accepting Yahweh’s good news.
So, why do we identify this message as “Victory?” Over several studies, we have explained it in several ways. We have pointed out that only the spiritual “living” can give glory to Yahweh, as we read in the prophets, “The living, the living, he shall praise Thee, as I do this day; the father to the children shall make known Thy truth.” (Isa 38:19) Since Paul describes the sinner as being “dead in trespasses and sins,” (Eph 2:1) we can conclude that only those who are no longer in trespasses and sins can offer acceptable praise.
This makes perfect sense in the context of this first angel, because it comes to announce judgment, first of the dead, and then the living. Those who hear the angel speaking are alive, are therefore subject to the judgment of the living, and must stand before the Father in perfect purity, being translated into the Heavenly realm without tasting the sting of death. Only those who have been completely set free from sin can possibly do this.
But this idea, that victory is worship, that victory is giving praise and glory to Yahweh, that acceptable worship requires victory, is not a new idea being presented in the Book of Revelation. In fact, every book of the Bible tells us this, over and over again, that victory – in many different manifestations – is inseparably linked to the worship of the God of Heaven.
This study is called “Trial By Ordeal.” If you aren’t familiar with the reference, it describes an idea from the ancient world, across many different cultures, that if someone is accused of a crime, generally a very serious one, they can be tried by the evidence, of they can be tried by submitting to an “ordeal.”
This ordeal can take on different forms. It can be letting yourself be tied up and thrown into a river. You can walk over fire, over burning wood or stones. You can be tried by combat, fighting to the death against a trained warrior. The ordeal takes the form of some extreme activity or experience that the typical individual is not expected to survive. The common thread here is the idea that God is just, and will not allow an innocent person to suffer or die unnecessarily. Of course, from the perspective of the modern, born-again believer, this is pretty clearly a reliance on presumption. Nevertheless, the belief goes, if you are alive after undergoing these harrowing experiences, you must be blessed, and therefore innocent.
What does the Bible say about this practice?
It doesn’t say a lot, actually, when it comes to individuals. The Scriptures favor a trial by evidence in almost every circumstance, and we may read of this in a number of relevant verses.
“Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.” (Num 35:30)
“At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.” (Deu 17:6)
The word “witnesses” there is actually more general than it is in English. It can mean the person who speaks on behalf of, or against, someone who is accused. It can mean the testimony itself, or it can mean “evidence” in an abstract sense, such as an object that proves that the accused is guilty of the crime – a murder weapon, an otherwise unexplainable blood stain, and so on.
Famously, we have the wording of the commandment: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” (Exo 20:16) As Sis. G. pointed out during one of our recent conversations about the commandments, this actually has a rather narrow meaning. The idea here is not to forbid all lying or deception in general, but to exclude false testimony and faulty evidence against one accused of a crime. This would result in injustice, for the innocent to be punished, or for the guilty to be set free, and it was written of our Father, “Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy Throne; mercy and truth shall go before Thy face.” (Psalm 89:14) Justice and proper judgment are important to our Father in Heaven.
Of course, we can easily extract a “spirit” of this Law, confirmed by many other verses, that honesty and integrity are a part of the divine character that we are gifted in Christ. That deception and even lying are sometimes sanctioned in the Scriptures, and that even Yahweh has done things to deliberately mislead the enemies of Israel at times is going to require its own study… but we can all, hopefully, agree that telling the truth is far more readily compatible with the will of Yahweh than any alternative.
So, with regard to the judgment involving individual Israelites, the Scriptures speak about witnesses, evidence, and a just, honest system of evaluating guilt. While Yahweh could speak from Heaven, or send an angel to identify a guilty person, He has often left it to the nation itself to identify and punish its criminals. This is not to say that supernatural means haven’t been employed in times of emergency. We read, “And the men of Ai smote of [the Israelites] about thirty and six men; for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down, wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. And Yahweh said unto Joshua, ‘Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them, for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed, neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.’
“So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken. And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites, and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken. And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.” (Josh 7:5, 10-12, 16-18)
Achan was indeed the guilty party here, having disobeyed Yahweh’s instructions, and this passage tells us a few very important things about the process of resolving the matter. First, Yahweh could have just told Joshua that Achan was the transgressor. Instead, He chooses to do for us only what we cannot reasonably do for ourselves. In this case, Yahweh warned Israel about why they lost the battle – something they could not have reasonably discerned for themselves – and then guided the process of identifying the culprit. Even so, what Joshua and the nation could do, He permitted them to do it, so that judgement was handled cooperatively, through evidence, with the involvement of the human element.
This passage also shows a distinction between justice on an individual level, and justice for the corporate body. In short, sometimes bad things do happen to innocent people. Sometimes people are falsely accused, saints become martyrs, and not every criminal is caught and convicted in a court of law. Some judgments are delayed until the end of days… but when it comes to the Body, whether it is the Nation of Israel or the New Testament Church, trials by ordeal replace trials based on witnesses and evidence.
Yahweh said, specifically of the Nation of Israel, “they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them… Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies.”
When it comes to the unified group, victory in an ordeal is a direct indication of Yahweh’s presence and blessing. This is particularly true when there is a spiritual element involved. If two secular nations fight, one may win, but that is not an indication of righteousness. I am specifically speaking about conflicts involving some spiritual context. There are many more examples of this in the Bible than I can reasonably list here, but for just a few:
“If Yahweh delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.” (Num 14:8)
“And Yahweh drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land; therefore will we also serve Yahweh; for He is our God.” (Josh 24:18)
“And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before Yahweh your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.” (Num 10:9)
Trial by ordeal is not always appropriate for individuals, because justice and judgment are elements of the divine character that our Father desires us to practice. On the other hand, trial by ordeal is often very appropriate for nations or a collective, because the triumph of those who worship Yahweh is used as a testimony to His power, and the love He expresses to those with whom He has a covenant. He will give His people victory. He will preserve them from destruction when they are oppressed. The death or suffering of an individual could arise through a multitude of factors that do not directly involve righteousness. Yahshua’s death, and Job’s trials, for example, took place because they were righteous, not because they were being punished.
In fact, when Job’s friends attempted to convince him that he was guilty, because he appeared to be failing the “trials” of his life, Job’s defense was that there was no evidence he had sinned. He laments, “I was at ease, but He hath broken me asunder; He hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for His mark. Not for any injustice in mine hands; also my prayer is pure. O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place. Also now, behold, my witness is in Heaven, and my record is on high. (Job 16:12, 17-19)
Job speaks a remarkably “New Testament” theology here, one that I would like to examine in more detail next time… but it is clear that Job understood this principle that I am explaining today, that guilt or innocence for individuals is usually established by evidence. Guilt or innocence of a group is established by their success or failure. Victory is a sign of righteousness, when it comes to a nation, and when it comes to a Church. This only makes sense, because what would cause a nation that worships Yahweh to be destroyed? When Israel was faithful to Yahweh, they invariably triumphed over their enemies. The Covenant that a people make with Him specifically involves His protection from demons and their human agents in the pagan nations and powers of the world.
We read, “But Israel shall be saved in Yahweh with an everlasting salvation; ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.” (Isa 45:17) Again, “And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Yahweh your God, and none else; and My People shall never be ashamed.” (Joel 2:27) This did not mean that no individual Israelite would ever be ashamed before the world, or suffer loss. They would be blessed above others, however, and the nation as a whole would endure until it rejected the Father and Son, and took on the world as its protector.
Perhaps you have not paid this much attention before… but go through the Book of Revelation. Take note of the trials and victories concerning righteousness that it describes.
We read:
“John to the seven churches which are in Asia…” (Rev 1:4)
“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write…” (Rev 2:1)
“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write…” (Rev 3:14)
“And I heard the number of them which were sealed; and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” (Rev 7:4)
“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven: a Woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” (Rev 12:1)
You can see also Rev 14:1, 15:2, 17:14, 18:4, 19:7, 20:4, 21:9, 22:3 and 4.
As you read the Book of Revelation, you find that the entire narrative involves the people of Yahweh, identified by various symbols, standing together as a group. In almost every chapter, wherever Yahweh’s people are described, they are either together, or being called together, and this so that they can overcome an ordeal. Judgment is falling on sinners, but the People of Yahweh, as one, withstand the plagues and the judgments. Unity is expected, required, of those who fulfill the final prophecies, and there are no stand-outs like Moses or Elijah, no great figure to stand in the place of Christ Himself, who is with us. We, as a people, represent these prototypical figures, the heroes of faith, and we are described as a collection of free, individual, equals.
The triumph of this people, their overcoming the world, the beast, and Satan himself, is the testimony to the universe of the righteousness of Yahweh’s character. The Time of Trouble, and the challenges that guide us through sanctification, are a Trial by Ordeal. We participate in this through our individual victory, but as we overcome the temptations before us, and exercise wisdom as a Church, as a Covenanted People, this is how we give our evidence in the Court of The Great Controversy. This is how we fulfill the commandment in Spirit, to give no false testimony, and bear no false witness.
Our victory through Christ is a testimony to the universe of the worthiness of Yahshua’s sacrifice. Our victory is the worship of Yahweh. Our overcoming of sin, both individually and as a Church, is our declaration of praise, the Song of Moses and the Lamb that none but the 144,000 can learn and sing. (Rev 14:3) Yes, we speak words of praise. Yes, we sing songs that glorify our Creator. But so do the worldly, and the nominal, and the spiritually lukewarm Christians.
What sets the 144,000 apart from all of these is not the outward appearance, or even the sincerity of the worship that we offer. No, what sets us apart is the victory we have over sin, the purity of our vision of the character of the Father and Son, and our covenant of unity, unity with our Heavenly Father, and unity with one another.
These three things, these three elements of the Three Angels’ Message, are what set the saints apart from the worldly Christians, that separates the wheat from the tares and reveals that our faith is more than mere lip-service. And it all begins with victory. It all begins with accepting the triumph of Yahshua over evil as our own, our own promised experience. This gives power to our prayers, and authority to our decisions. When we say to the sinner, “Rise up and walk,” we do so as Christ’s representative, and they have to choose, in that moment, whether they love Christ, or love their sins and excuses more. They identify themselves, they come to know themselves, through the work and testimony of the saints, and it all begins with that first angel, with that victory, and our willingness to endure great ordeals for Yahshua’s sake.
May we be constantly in prayer for wisdom, to know how to share this testimony of victory with others. Although Satan has made mankind angry, fearful, and easily offended, we have been equipped for the battle ahead of us. As we read through the Book of Revelation, and every place that testifies of Yahweh’s blessings upon His united people as they undergo trials, let us accept each of these as our own, personal promise of victory, and be filled to overflowing with that light that must shine continuously into the world.
David.
An Enduring Witness
“When the Lord brought His people a second time to the borders of Canaan, additional evidence of His power was granted to those heathen nations. They saw that God was with Israel in the victory gained over King Arad and the Canaanites, and in the miracle wrought to save those who were perishing from the sting of the serpents.” [Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 434]
“As they should continue to labor unitedly, heavenly messengers would go before them, opening the way; hearts would be prepared for the reception of truth, and many would be won to Christ. So long as they remained united, the church would go forth ‘fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.’ Song of Solomon 6:10. Nothing could withstand her onward progress. The church would advance from victory to victory, gloriously fulfilling her divine mission of proclaiming the gospel to the world.” [Acts of The Apostles, p. 90]
“While John was shown the last great struggles of the church with earthly powers, he was also permitted to behold the final victory and deliverance of the faithful. He saw the church brought into deadly conflict with the beast and his image, and the worship of that beast enforced on pain of death. But looking beyond the smoke and din of the battle, he beheld a company upon Mount Zion with the Lamb, having, instead of the mark of the beast, the ‘Father’s name written in their foreheads.’ And again he saw ‘them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God’ and singing the song of Moses and the Lamb.” [Testimonies for The Church, Volume 5, p. 752]