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. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Revelation 14:6-12
The Judgment Of God
Revelation 14 describes one of several scenes of God’s judgment at the end of the seven years of tribulation. Humanity has spread around the world like a vine producing the fruit of billions of souls. Most are rotten fruit. They are rotten because they have chosen to reject God’s will for their lives. They have chosen to follow the way of Satan’s rebellion, which can be summed up in one phrase, “Anyway, but God’s way.”
Humanity at large has been following the way of Satan and, subsequently, has been enduring the plagues of sin, suffering, and death their entire existence.
People complain about the misery and suffering in the world, but most refuse to acknowledge that sin is the cause of suffering. They refuse to take responsibility for their roles in suffering and to repent of their sins. Rather than repent, they continue in their sins and complain that the consequences are God’s fault. They say that if He really loved them, He would protect them from the consequences of their sins.
But just the opposite is true. God’s love tells the truth. The truth is the wages of sin is suffering and death. Sin is the cause of suffering and death. God does not sin. God does not cause suffering and death. People sin. People cause suffering and death.
The solution to suffering and death is simple. Eliminate sin, and suffering and death will be eliminated. Revelation 21: 1–4 shows the truth of this claim and of God’s promise to create a world without sin. John writes, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
God’s Promise
The Gospel of Jesus Christ and His promise of eternal life to enjoy a sin-free and pain free existence in His kingdom of heaven has been preached from the beginning of creation.
In Luke 1:67–70, Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist and the high priest at the time, was filled with the Holy Ghost and repeated God’s promise to give the world a Savior. “And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation [One who would make it happen] for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began.”
God has been making His promise to give eternal life and citizenship into His Kingdomknown since the beginning of the world.
According to Luke 1:36, about six months after John the Baptist was born, the promised horn of salvation, the Messiah, the Savior, was born. Matthew 1:21–23 says of the Messiah’s miraculous entrance, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
We celebrate the birth of Jesus because He is our Savior. He came as God manifested in human flesh to pay for our sins. We are now waiting for Him to return in glory and power to deliver us sin. This is His promise. And for this promise we wait.
Patiently Waiting For God’s Promise
In the meantime, we endure the miseries of this world. We endure the persecutions of our enemies who hate Christ. We endure the spiritual attacks designed by Satan to discourage us, to shut down our ministry, and to take our lives. This wait for deliverance is our patience. This is the patience of all saints.
The cry of the saints under the altar in Revelation 6:10 is our cry, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” Jesus told them in verse 11, “Rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”
And so, we rest for a little season, waiting for the promise of God to end evil and sin and to establish His kingdom of sinlessness forever. Final judgment is coming. God’s guarantees it. Until then, we wait for His promise to be fulfilled. Here is the patience of the saints.
Merry Christmas.
