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The Judgment of God
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth..."
Revelation 14:6, 7"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."
Revelation 14:6, 7Gospelmeans"good news"or"good tidings". It is the message of salvation that God offers to humanity through Jesus Christ.
"And thisgospel of the kingdomshall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
Matthew 24:14"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is thepower of God unto salvationto every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."Romans 1:16
But to enter the Kingdom, there is an exclusive "Gate". No one can enter by their own merits, but only throughJesus Christand faith in His sacrifice.
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you thegospelwhich I preached unto you... that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."
1 Corinthians 15:1-4The gospel is not just information, but the very divine power in action to transform lives
Jews and Gentiles, all nations, tribes, tongues and peoples (Revelation 14:6)
Jesus died for our sins, paying the price that we should have paid
"Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures" - 1 Corinthians 15:3
Christ not only died for us, but also teaches us how to live in obedience to God
"If ye love me, keep my commandments" - John 14:15
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him" - John 14:21
The law of God remains the standard of justice for the saved
"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law" - Romans 3:31
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" - Romans 6:1,2
💡 Grace is not a license to sin. Studying and obeying the Word takes us out of darkness.
The plan of salvation was established before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4)
The message of salvation is valid for all ages and generations
The salvation offered results in eternal life with God
It is the last message of mercy before the final judgment
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."
Proverbs 9:10"And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding."
Job 28:28"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."
Ecclesiastes 12:13Recognize the holiness and majesty of God
Keep the commandments out of love and gratitude
Avoid everything that displeases God
Seek divine guidance in every decision
"But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ thepower of God, and the wisdom of God."
1 Corinthians 1:24"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto uswisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."
1 Corinthians 1:30To fear God is to receive Christ!Jesus is the very wisdom of God. When we accept Him as Savior and Lord, we are truly fearing God.
"The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death."Proverbs 14:27
"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple."
Psalm 19:7Written by the finger of God
"And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God."
Exodus 31:18Thou shalt have no other gods before me
Exodus 20:3Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
Exodus 20:4-6Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain
Exodus 20:7Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy
Exodus 20:8-11Honour thy father and thy mother
Exodus 20:12Thou shalt not kill
Exodus 20:13Thou shalt not commit adultery
Exodus 20:14Thou shalt not steal
Exodus 20:15Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour
Exodus 20:16Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbour's
Exodus 20:17The Pharisees and teachers of the Law in Jesus' days were extremely zealous in keeping the commandments, but they failed to fulfill the Law. Why? Because they tried to do it by their own human efforts.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth..."
Romans 1:16We cannot keep God's commandments by ourselves. We need the power of God in our lives. Note that the commandments are almost all in the future indicative, indicating a promise: those who accept salvation in Jesus and receive the power of the Holy Spirit will begin to obey.
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Philippians 4:13This is how the new covenant mentioned in Hebrews 8 is fulfilled, where God promised:
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people."
Hebrews 8:10Obedience is the natural result of a heart transformed by the power of the gospel, not the condition for salvation.
Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments into two great principles:
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."
Matthew 22:37"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
Matthew 22:39⚠️Important: To summarize is not the same as to reduce. A summary contains the essence of all the original content, while to reduce would mean eliminating parts. Jesus did not eliminate the commandments, but showed thatloveis the foundation of all of them (Matthew 22:40).
Note:The Law of God was not abolished by Christ, but fulfilled and exalted by Him (Matthew 5:17-19).
The Bible teaches us that there arethree main waysto give glory to God:
Recognize God as the Source of Everything
"Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God."
Psalm 50:23"Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness."
1 Chronicles 16:29"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."
Psalm 100:4"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
1 Thessalonians 5:18Confess and Repent of Sins
"My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him..."
Joshua 7:19"And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin..."
Exodus 34:6,7⚖️God is merciful AND just, love AND justice.He is all of this! To confess is to attribute the blame to myself, acknowledging that I have sinned.
"For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death."
2 Corinthians 7:10💔Be ashamed of sin:Be grieved, not desiring or wanting to do it again. This is the sorrow that leads to salvation!
Good Works that Manifest the Light
"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."
John 15:8"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Matthew 5:16"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Ephesians 2:10"The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out."
Proverbs 13:9"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."1 John 1:9
Reminder:This prophecy will be studied in detail in a future lesson, where we will explore its historical fulfillment and prophetic meaning.
"And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."
Daniel 8:14Decree of Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem
Applying the day-year principle (Ezekiel 4:6)
Beginning of the investigative judgment in heaven
God examines the records of every life
The Ten Commandments (James 2:10-12)
Determines who will receive eternal life
God established a specific time for the beginning of the final judgment
Each case is analyzed individually with justice and mercy
Therefore the message must reach everyone urgently
God will judge the actions, thoughts and motives of all people
The rule of judgment will be His law, containing the Ten Commandments
Before it, we all see ourselves condemned
Jesus is our only hope of forgiveness of sins
God gives us power to overcome sin and obey His law as He desires
Accepting Him as Savior, we will be approved in the judgment
Message of the everlasting gospel and the judgment
Prophecy of the 2300 evenings and mornings
Fear God and keep the commandments
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
The character of God: merciful and just
God will bring every work and hidden thing into judgment
Perseverance to the end for salvation
The Gospel of the Kingdom preached in all the world
The basis of the gospel: death and resurrection of Christ
Godly sorrow that works repentance
Praise and thanksgiving glorify God
Give thanks in all circumstances
Glorify God through good works and the fruits of faith
The forgiveness of sins
Strength to obey
Christ died for our sins
To love Jesus is to keep the commandments
Faith establishes the law
Grace is not freedom to sin
The fear of the Lord is wisdom
Christ is the wisdom of God
The gift of eternal life
The law as the rule of judgment
Present Revelation 14:6,7 as the only biblical message intended for all people on Earth
Explain:What is the gospel and why "everlasting"
Explain through Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 and Proverbs that to fear God is to keep the commandments
Include:Reverence, obedience, wisdom, watchfulness against sin
Present the Ten Commandments as the rule of judgment (Exodus 20:3-17)
Emphasize:We are all condemned before the law
Show the three ways: Praise/Gratitude, Confession and Fruits of Faith (Good Works)
Verses:Ps. 50:23, Josh. 7:19, Matt. 5:16, John 15:8
Explain the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 (2300 evenings and mornings) and the investigative judgment
Chronology:457 BC to 1844 AD - Urgency of the message
Present Jesus as forgiveness (1 John 1:9) and strength (Philippians 4:13)
Result:Approval in the judgment and eternal life
Do you want to accept Jesus as the Savior of your soul and trust in Him to obey God's commandments and remain steadfast, to receive, in the end, eternal life?
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In the next study, we will address how to worship God as He desires. We will understand what it means:"worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
Revelation 14:7