But when was the third message to be given? This is one of the series, all of which are to be given in the history of God’s people in this mortal state. This is as distinctly marked in the prophetic sketch of Rev. xiv, as the first and second messages are. And although the disappointed ones felt for a time that their work in warning the world was done, yet God designed to roll upon them again the burden of his work, and they go forth and proclaim the third message. This work, dear reader, is most clearly pointed out in the remaining verse of the chapter upon which I have been commenting: “And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”
To prophesy sometimes means simply to teach, as in 1 Cor. xi, 4, 5; xiv, 3, 24; Matt. vii, 22. In the first and second messages the prophecies had been opened to the people, and they had been taught the solemn and stirring truths relating to the Judgment. Believers had come up to the time of expectation with a testimony for the people, and the burden of the work upon them. The time passed, and with it also passed from them the burden of the work, and they suddenly found themselves destitute of any message for the people. They felt that their work was done for the world. In that position they should have waited until the great truths connected with the third message were seen by the light of the heavenly sanctuary, and the Spirit of God impressed them with the new work before them, to proclaim the third message, expressed by the prophetic words, “Thou must prophesy [teach the people] again.” This brings me to consider briefly the three messages of Rev. xiv.
THE FIRST MESSAGE.
“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. xiv, 6, 7.
This is called the first angel, because it is the first of the series. See verse 9. John calls it “another angel,” from the fact that he had previously seen an angel flying in the midst of heaven.
This proclamation is one of pre-eminent importance. It is not a mere local judgment, but one that concerns all the inhabitants of the earth. Hence it has reference to the final Judgment scene. It is the same gospel that Paul preached that is here styled the “everlasting gospel.” But the great truth uttered by this angel would not have been a truth if uttered by Paul, for he lived at the commencement of the gospel dispensation, and this proclamation relates to its closing scenes. It seems to be the same as “this gospel of the kingdom,” that our Lord presents in Matt. xxiv, 14, as the sign of the end of this dispensation, and which was to be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations before the end should come.
The truth on this point is well expressed in the following language of the late Mr. Bliss, editor of the Advent Herald, December 14, 1850:
“As an indication of the approach of the end, there was, however, to be seen another angel flying through 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. Rev. xiv, 6. The burden of this angel was to be the same gospel which had been before proclaimed; but connected with it was the additional motive of the proximity of the kingdom, ‘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.’ Verse 7. No mere preaching of the gospel without announcing its proximity, could fulfill this message.”
In harmony with this testimony from the editor of the Herald, I will here give another from a tract on prophecy, published by J. V. Himes about the same time, which also speaks of the character of the message and the time of its application. The title of the tract is “Our Specific Work.”