If you’ve been following this series, you should now be able to explain how Jesus knew that His time had come to die (John 13:1). He, above all others living back then, knew how the end of Daniel’s 70-weeks prophecy would be fulfilled during the Passover week in the year 31 A.D. How amazing that God’s prediction almost five centuries earlier was so precise! (See more at this link: Prophecy 101.)
Once again, God’s prediction was totally correct when He revealed a unique civil/religious power that would change times and law and persecute God’s saints for 1,260 prophetic years (Daniel 7:25). And that’s how long the papacy dominated the world during the Middle Ages. Knowing about this time period will help us recognize an image to the fourth beast that will be created in the last days and will be responsible for giving the unrighteous “the mark of the beast” (Revelation 13). (See more at this link: Prophecy 102.)
And lastly, another time prophecy that has been fulfilled is the one that predicted when the last days would start. The cleansing of the sanctuary (Daniel 8:14), which leads to the Day of Judgment, started at the end of the 2,300-day prophecy—in 1844. (See more at this link: Prophecy 103.)
Knowing where we are in history, our next concern should be how to prepare ourselves and our loved ones for the next step in God’s plan to rid the universe of sin. We find this in the three angels’ messages in the center of the book of Revelation, making this wonderful mission statement a good place to start our study of the many visions and prophecies revealed in Daniel and Revelation.
The Three Angels’ Messages
I promised a condensed version of these all-important warnings that God proclaims to the world at the end of time. But first, let’s look briefly at how Revelation 14:6-12 describes them.
The First Angel
The message this angel brings contains the everlasting gospel, which will be given to all the world and will contain an urgent appeal to worship the Creator. It uses similar language as found in God’s commandment to remember the Sabbath (Revelation 14;7 and Exodus 20:11).
In addition, it proclaims that the hour of His judgment had begun. This message, therefore, might be expected to come to God’s people sometime after 1844, during the time of preparation for the Second Coming and the Day of Judgment.
Not only is the earth preparing for the big event, but there is evidently work going on now in the heavenly sanctuary, as the books are opened and examined in the courts of heaven to determine who will be saved and who will be lost. For Jesus tells us in Revelation 22:12, our reward will be with Him when He comes.
God’s judicial system must be seen as totally transparent throughout the universe. His loyal, holy angels will be able to view God’s fairness during this crucial, investigative phase of the Judgment.
The Second Angel
This angel delivers a call for people to come out of Babylon, or false religious systems that have altered God’s word and deceived many people with their inaccurate information about God’s character.
The Third Angel
Like the first angel, this one is given with a loud voice. Like the progressive nature of warnings to come out of a burning building, we are stunned with the bluntness of this final, dire appeal.
The actual, horrific result of our not coming out of the “burning building” will be that we will be totally destroyed, just like the wicked are at the end of the millennium when fire comes down from heaven and destroys them for all eternity (Revelation 20:9, 10). Our eternal destiny depends on making the correct choice of whom to worship. Will it be God the Creator—or Satan the Deceiver?
Our Mission Statement
So, here’s a condensed version of the good news found in the three angels’ messages–in less than 10 words!
- God wins,
- Satan loses.
- We have a choice.
Since Babylon is spoken of so often in Daniel and Revelation, we should find out more about the mysterious, scarlet woman found in the second angel’s message. Look for this in Prophecy 105.
