BIBLICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

FAITH & SCIENCE COUNCIL

Copyright © 2021 by the Faith & Science Council and the Biblical
Research Institute

Silver Spring, Maryland

www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org

General editor: Frank M. Hasel

Editor: Kwabena Donkor
Layout: Nicol Belvedere
Copy editor: Schuyler Kline

Author: Kwabena Donkor, Laszlo Gallusz, Ekkehardt Mueller

Title: Creation and the Three Angels’ Messages

Subjects: Seventh-day Adventists—Doctrines, Creation, Worship,

Gospel, Judgment, Revelation 14, Three Angels’ Messages,
Creation—Biblical Teaching, Bible, Revelation

Call Number: BX6154.C743 2021

ISBN 978-0-925675-48-4

Printed in the U.S.A.

2
 CONTENTS

5 Creation and the Three Angels’ Messages

6 The Setting of the Three Angels’ Messages
9 Creation in the Book of Revelation
and the Three Angels’ Messages
14 Gospel, Worship, and Judgment
in the Three Angels’ Messages
14 Creation and the Gospel
43 Summary
52 Conclusion
54 Study Guides for Creation
and the Three Angels’ Messages

3
 CREATION AND THE THREE
ANGELS’ MESSAGES
Kwabena Donkor, Laszlo Gallusz, and Ekkehardt Mueller

The three angels’ messages of Revelation 14:6–12 acquired great

significance for early Adventists after the Disappointment of 1844,
but the theological implications of the messages developed over time
and continue to exert an important influence on Adventist thinking
and mission to this day. Early reflection (up to 1849) focused on the
commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. After 1849, reflection
on the messages broadened to include a complete understanding of
its various aspects, including the Sabbath and its connection to the
doctrine of creation. Ellen G. White understood the messagess to be
an integral part of Adventists’ landmark beliefs.

The passing of the time in 1844 was a period of great events,

opening to our astonished eyes the cleansing of the sanctuary
transpiring in heaven, and having decided relation to God’s
people upon the earth, [also] the first and second angels’
messages and the third, unfurling the banner on which was
inscribed, “The commandments of God and the faith of
Jesus.” One of the landmarks under this messages was the
temple of God, seen by His truth-loving people in heaven,
and the ark containing the law of God. The light of the
Sabbath of the fourth commandment flashed its strong
rays in the pathway of the transgressors of God’s law. The
nonimmortality of the wicked is an old landmark. I can call
to mind nothing more that can come under the head of the
old landmarks.1

Today, Adventists continue to affirm the allusions to creation and

the Sabbath in the three angels’ messages and, more specifically, the
connection of the doctrine of the Sabbath to the doctrines of God as
Creator, Redeemer, Covenant Maker, Giver of good gifts, and Sustainer
of His creation.2 Perhaps more than ever, contemporar y challenges to
the biblical doctrine of creation have sharpened the focus of Adventist
thought on creation theology. The present study represents an effort

1
Ellen G. White, Counsels to Writers and Editors (Nashville, TN: Southern Publishing,
1946), 30–31.
2
See Kenneth A. Strand, “The Sabbath,” in Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist
Theology, ed. Raoul Dederen, SDA Commentary Reference Series 12 (Hagerstown,
MD: Review and Herald, 2001), 493–513, electronic ed.
5
to unfold the significance of creation in the three angels’ messages.
It is aimed at focusing more closely on the exegetical and theological
connection between the doctrine of creation within the three angels’
messages and the messages’ other themes.
The following discussion will comprise two main parts. In the first
part, since creation provides the theological foundation for related
themes in the three angels’ messages, the theme of creation in the book
of Revelation as a whole and the three angels’ messages in particular
will be outlined. The second part of the discussion will seek to elab-
orate on the interrelationships among the themes in the messages.
However, before setting out the creation theme in the three angels’
messages, it would be helpful to place the messages in its proper set-
ting—namely, the circumstances surrounding the proclamation of
the messages.

The Setting of the Three Angels’ Messages

Revelation 11:19–14:20 portrays the long conflict between good

and evil on earth and its outcome.3 After introducing the characters of
a woman, the true church of God, and the dragon, Satan, Revelation
12 draws attention to Jesus’ incarnation and the conflict He had to
endure during His time on earth. He is depicted as the ruler of the
nations and “caught up to God and His throne” (Rev 12:4–5). Clearly,
with its reference to a woman, a serpent, the woman’s seed, and
enmity, Revelation 12 is based on the protogospel of Genesis 3:15.
Here we have the promise of the Redeemer and redemption after
humanity’s fall into sin in the garden of Eden and the terrible
consequences ensuing from this situation. In the vision, Satan’s attack
on Jesus is followed by his war against the church, God’s people
throughout New Testament times—that is, church history (Rev 12:6,
13–16). But Revelation 12 also pulls away the curtain that separates
heavenly realities from the earthly, portraying behind the scenes a
deadly heavenly struggle between Michael and the dragon—that is,
between the Son of God and Satan (Rev 12:7–10). That struggle ends
with Satan’s defeat but not his annihilation. Consequently, the last
verse of Revelation 12 focuses on the massive conflict at the end of
earth’s history, in which Satan attempts to destroy Christ’s faithful
remnant (Rev 12:17; 13:1–18).

For an overall analysis of the book of Revelation in terms of its structure and
3 

thematic relations, see Kenneth Strand, “The Eight Basic Visions,” in Symposium on
Revelation: Book 1, ed. Frank B. Holbrook, Daniel and Revelation Committee Series 6
(Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 1992), 35–72.

6
 From Revelation 13 we learn that this war is a proxy war since the
dragon uses the sea beast to make war against the saints.4 Unfor-
tunately, the believers, who have “overcome” Satan “by the blood of
the Lamb” (Rev 12:11),5 are now “overcome” by the sea beast (Rev 13:7)
—at least temporarily and quite likely in another sense. They have
gained spiritual victory but have not been able to escape persecution.
Satan also uses a second, extremely deceptive beast, the land beast
—later called the false prophet—which came out of the earth. This
second beast is so opposed to God’s true people that it prevents
believers from buying and selling (Rev 13:17) and thereby threatens
their existence. In addition, it creates an image of the first beast and
brings it to life. This image, after being brought alive, sees to it that
non-worshippers of the beast are killed (Rev 13:15). The end of chapter
13 leaves the audience with the impression that God’s faithful people
have no chance of surviving the evil onslaught.
Given this background, Revelation 14 becomes all the more
important. Yes, there are survivors, and they are depicted as already
standing triumphantly with Jesus on Mount Zion. The vision ends
with a description of the 144,000 (Rev 14:1–5), their messages
(Rev 14:6–12), and the second coming of Christ, which is a kind of
judgment for unbelievers (Rev 14:14–20).6 Also significant is that the
second coming is not only a negative event as a kind of judgment
for the wicked, but also a positive experience of judgment when the
possibility of “two harvests” is acknowledged in Revelation 14:14–20,
depicting judgment for believers in verses 14–16.7
This central vision is known by various names: for instance, “the
vision about the Satanic trinity,” “the vision of the woman and the evil
powers,” “the Great Controversy vision,” and “the vision of the great
war.” It is difficult to summarize the vision in a heading because it

4 
The dragon went poiēsai polemon meta tōn loipōn (“to make war with the remnant,”
Rev 12:17). The sea beast is given power to poiēsai polemon meta tōn hagiōn (“to make
war with the saints) and to overcome them (Rev 13:7).
5 
All biblical quotations are from the New King James Version, unless otherwise
indicated.
6 
For a more detailed outline of these chapters and the connection between them, as
well as the conflict between the remnant and the evil powers, see Ekkehardt Mueller,
“The End Time Remnant in Revelation,” Journal of the Adventist Theological Society
11, nos. 1–2 (2000): 188–204. This article also explains the time frame of the vision.
7 
See Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New
Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 551, who suggests that “the
judgment in 14:14–16 is of believers and thus centers on mercy, while in 14:17–20 it is
of unbelievers and centers on justice.”

7
has many different aspects. Thus, one could also focus more on the
positive side of the story rather than the negative and call it the
“vision of the triumph of the Lamb and His people.”
In the central vision of Revelation, the messages of the three
angels are the final and universal messages addressed to all people in
the last time of earth’s history. It comes towards the end of the historical
part of Revelation (chaps. 1–14) but is also linked to the eschatological
part of the Apocalypse (chaps. 15–22). From Revelation 15 onward,
the last moments of this drama are revealed. God’s intervention in
favor of His saints happens in the form of the seven bowls or plagues.
These plagues are the last in human history. They are poured out on
those who have accepted the mark of the beast and have worshipped
his image (Rev 16:2). The sixth and seventh plagues depict the
collapse of Babylon in the battle of Armageddon. Revelation 17 and
18 describe in more detail this fall of end-time Babylon—already
mentioned in the second messages of the three angels (Rev 14:8)—
and Revelation 19 pictures the intervention of Jesus as the rider on
the white horse with His army. So, the vision following Revelation
12–14 returns to the time just prior to the second advent (Rev 15–18)
to move again to the parousia (Rev 19). Revelation 20 describes the
time after Christ’s second advent, the millennium (Rev 20), followed
by the new Jerusalem on the new earth (Rev 21–22).
This short review of the central vision of Revelation (chaps. 12–14)
is crucial to understanding the timing and content of the three angels’
messages. It is a message to humanity in the last period of human
history just prior to the parousia.8 Additionally, the entire book of
Revelation contributes to the interpretation and relevance of the three
angels’ messages.
Focusing on the three angels’ messages, however—and the themes
of the gospel, worship, and judgment in particular—we argue that the
doctrine of creation undergirds all the other themes. Hence, it is
important to demonstrate this fact broadly before we proceed to look
at the themes individually to see their connections to the doctrine
of creation.

For historical and chronological interpretations of the details of this central vision of
8 

the book of Revelation, see William G. Johnsson, “The Saints’ End-Time Victory Over
the Forces of Evil,” in Symposium on Revelation: Book 2, ed. Frank B. Holbrook, Daniel
and Revelation Committee Series 7 (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute,
1992), 3–40.

8
 Creation in the Book of Revelation and
the Three Angels’ Messages

While the gospel is mentioned before creation in the three angels’

messages, it does not take precedence chronologically and theologi-
cally. Creation precedes salvation but the two are linked. Without the
doctrine of creation, many of the theological themes in the book of
Revelation—including the three angels’ messages—would lack
context. Thus, it is important at the outset to outline the doctrine of
creation as expressed in the book. As noted, in the first angel’s message
the good news of salvation is based on worship of the Creator.
Revelation has more direct and indirect references to creation
than would be expected at first glance.9 Much of this creation language
points forward to the Creator in Revelation 14:7.

The first direct reference to creation is found in Revelation 3:14

where Jesus is presented as the beginner or the originator (archē,
NET) of God’s creation.10 This verse belongs to the seven letters in
Revelation 1–3. Consequently, when we talk about the Creator in
Revelation, Jesus has to be included.

9 
We will briefly discuss direct creation statements, but the indirect references also
have to be taken into account. Allusions to the Genesis creation are the references to
1) heaven, sea, and earth; 2) the presence of God; 3) life; 4) precious stones and gold;
5) the heavenly bodies (sun, moon, and stars); 6) day and night; and 7) the ruling of
humanity. Further allusions are the phrases “from the foundation of the world” and
“it is done,” the silence in heaven, and the beasts coming from the sea and out of the
earth. Creation themes occur with the divine designations, the verb poieō (to make),
the undoing of creation in the trumpet vision, the abyss, and humans as souls.
10 
The NKJV calls Jesus “the Beginning of the creation of God.” But such a translation
can be misunderstood as Jesus being the first being created by God, not the Creator
Himself. In Revelation “beginning” (archē) applies to Jesus and God must be
understood actively, as we do when saying that Jesus is “the Beginning and the End”
(Rev 22:13). This phrase is also used verbatim for God the Father, who is likewise “the
Beginning (archē) and the end” (Rev 21:6). Some English translations prefer “ruler” as
the translation of archē (e.g., the NIV). However, this does not seem to be likely due
to John’s use of the term. The meaning “ruler” or “powers” is mostly found with Paul
(e.g., Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 15:24, Eph 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; Col 1:16; 2:10, 15; Titus 3:11) but
not, however, in Hebrews (e.g., Heb 1:10; 2:3; 3:14; 5:12; 7:3). In addition, John seems
to distinguish between archē and archōn (“ruler, authority”) in Revelation.

9
 2

In the seal vision, Revelation 4:11 refers to the Creator: “Worthy

are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for
you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created”
(ESV). This hymn is preceded by another one: “Holy, holy, holy, is
the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Rev 4:8,
ESV). Revelation 4 focuses on the worship of God the Father, on His
magnificence and power, and on His activities. Twice in Revelation
4:11 the verb ktizō (“to create/to make”) is used. This statement
contains a number of important points: a) The “you” is emphatic. It
stresses and highlights God as the Creator in the sense that “creation
is a fundamental component of who God is.”11 b) God created all
things. This includes all living beings and all inanimate things. But
God is not part of creation. c) Creation by God is expressed twice in
Revelation 4:11, once in the indicative mood—“God created”—and
once in the passive—“they were created.” The passive is a divine passive.
No being can claim that it does not exist as a result of divine crea-
tion. d) Creation is not an accident or a mere coincidence. Creation
is rooted in the will of God. e) The order of the verbs “created,”
“existed,” and “were created” may stress God as Sustainer of creation.12
f) To recognize God as Creator has repercussions on humanity. Just
as the twenty-four elders prostrate before God, recognizing Him as
the supreme authority of the universe, humans on earth ought to do
likewise. The elders’ symbolic act of casting their crowns before the
throne underlines their complete commitment to the Almighty. They
acknowledge their dependence on the Creator,13 and humans must
similarly express their dependence on the Creator.

11 
Gregory Stevenson, “The Theology of Creation in the Book of Revelation,” Leaven
21, no. 3 (2013): 140.
12 
The strange order of verbs has triggered a number of suggestions, among them that
God planned creation in His mind before executing it. See, e.g., Robert H. Mounce,
The Book of Revelation, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand
Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1990), 127. G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary
on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids,
MI: Eerdmans, 1999), 335, proposes that the meaning of lines 2 and 3 is that “they
continually exist and have come into being.” David E. Aune, Revelation 1–5, Word
Biblical Commentary 52A (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014), 312, talks about “an
instance of hysteron-proteron, i.e., the inversion of events, which sometimes occurs
in Revelation.” On the other hand, Osborne, 242, suggests an ABA pattern, a chiastic
pattern, in which creation is restated without implying a chronological order.
13 
See Craig S. Keener, Revelation, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan, 2000), 181; and Mounce, 126.

10
 The two hymns of Revelation 4 occur in the same immediate
context of worship. It is the holy God who sits on the throne, the Lord
God Almighty, the one who was and is and is to come, who is the
Creator God. In other words, the divine designations in Revelation
4:8 and similar ones in Revelation 1:8 have to be understood as
descriptions of the Creator God. At least from chapter 4 onward, the
divine names and titles carry with them the notion that God is to be
understood as the Creator.14

In Revelation 5:13 creation language occurs again: “I heard every

creature [ktisma] in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in
the sea, and all that is in them” (Rev 5:13, ESV). The noun ktisma
refers to “creatures” and “everything created.”15 Creation worships
the Creator because He is worthy of it. Therefore, the first angel of
Revelation 14:4–7 can demand worship.

Revelation 10:6 occurs in the expansion of the sixth trumpet

of the vision of the seven trumpets. Most likely, the strong angel of
Revelation 10:1–7 should be understood as Jesus. He swears “by him
who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it,
the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it” (Rev 10:6,
ESV). Important is the mention of the areas of creation: heaven,
earth, sea, and what is in them. The angel’s reference to the Creator
and the scope of creation reminds Bible students of Genesis 14:19, 22
(LXX); Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 146:6; Acts 4:24; 14:15; and the Sabbath
commandment in Exodus 20:11, emphasizing God’s universal crea-
torship and therefore His universal authority. The threefold repetition
of the phrase “and the things in it” heightens the emphasis on the
Creator’s omnipotence and sovereignty. The Sabbath commandment
is of special importance not only because it has a literary connection

14 
Craig R. Koester, Revelation, The Anchor Bible 38A (New Haven, CT: Yale University
Press, 2014), 265, understands the title “One who was, is, and will come” as “affirming
God’s present, past, and future . . . role as Creator.” Referring to Alpha and Omega,
he states, “As the Alpha God is the Creator, the beginning of all things (4:11); as the
Omega, he brings all things to completion in the new creation (21:1)” (ibid., 230).
15 
Ktisma occurs also in Revelation 8:9, the second trumpet, where a third of the sea
creatures die. In Revelation 5:13, however, God’s creatures include “every creature in
the universe.”

11
to creation, but because the seventh day is an element of creation. The
Creator and Lord of the Sabbath “precedes all things, and he will bring
all things to eschatological fulfillment. He is the origin and goal of all
history. He has the first word in creation. He has the last word in the
new creation.”16 The contribution of Revelation 10:6 to Revelation’s
creation theology is that it links protology to eschatology.17 It is the
Creator God who controls the events on earth and ushers in the end
in the form of judgment and new creation. As already pointed out in
the discussion of the gospel, Revelation 10 ends with the commission
to prophetic ministry in the context of peoples, nations, tongues, and
kings. It prepares for the three angels’ messages.

Revelation 14:7 is built on three imperatives. The first calls people

to fear God, the second to give Him glory (the hour of judgment is
mentioned as a reason), and the third to worship Him because He is
the Creator. “Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and
springs of water” (Rev 14:7). These imperatives appear to build one
on the other and may be parallel to some extent. The significance of
this point will be explored when we consider the connection between
creation and worship.

So far, the readers and hearers of Revelation have encountered the

original creation of Genesis 1 and 2. In Revelation 21 and 22 they are
confronted with a new, yet future creation. Revelation 21:1–2 introdu-
ces a new heaven and new earth, in addition to the holy city. The
description of the city dominates the second part of Revelation 21. The
first part of chapter 22 adds to the garden imagery elements, such as
the river with the water of life and the tree of life. John portrays the new
Jerusalem as bride, city, and garden. Obviously, it is a garden-city.18

16 
Larry L. Lichtenwalter, “Creation and Apocalypse,” Journal of the Adventist
Theological Society 15, no. 1 (2004): 127. Cf. John Sweet, Revelation, New Testament
Commentaries (Philadelphia, PA: Trinity Press International, 1990), 178.
17 
See Gerald L. Stevens, Revelation: The Past and Future of John’s Apocalypse (Eugene,
OR: Pickwick Publications, 2014), 386.
18 
Michael J. Gorman, Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness:
Following the Lamb Into the New Creation (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2011), 164,
concludes, “Thus this paradise is not just a garden but an urban garden, or even better,
a garden-city.”

12
All of this is couched in sanctuary language. However, most im-
portant is the unmitigated presence of God with saved hu-
manity. God will tabernacle with His people as He did in the garden
of Eden with Adam and Eve (Gen 2).19 The wonderful result of His
presence is described with the positive affirmation that God, in
fatherly love, will take care of all the tears of His children. Personally
and in tenderness, He will remove what creates hurt and injury. This
is followed by the undoing of four detrimental aspects of present
life that were not found in the first creation: death, mourning, crying,
and pain. Jonathan Moo notes that with these positive effects the
curse of the Genesis 3 fall is undone.20 The truly new aspect in the new
creation and in the eschatological sanctuary, however, is salvation.
Here we will not continue to explore the new creation because it is
not directly in view in the three angels’ messages.21 The description
of God’s creative activity in Revelation 14:7 is restricted to the past.
Only the third messages proceeds to the use of future tenses, creating
a chronological sequence within the three messages.
In Revelation creation is assumed as a given. God created all
things. This includes everything not only in our solar system, but also
in the universe. God is the source of life and not part of creation.
Therefore, there is, and always will be, a marked difference between
Creator and creation/creature. But once created, God wanted to be
close to His creatures, including humanity. The transcendent God
drew close and met with His created beings. This is His immanence.
From this uniqueness as Creator derives God’s ownership of and
authority over all creation. He can create, un-create, and recreate. He
is the Almighty, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He
is to be praised and worshipped all the more so because the biblical
Creator God is not a deist God, winding up a clock and leaving it
to itself. He sustains creation and cares for it. Revelation teaches that
not only is God the Father Creator, but so is Jesus Christ. This
highlights even more His love and care for humanity.
Creation not only informs us about God’s nature, but also helps us
better understand humanity. Humans are not an accident of nature.

19 
In Jesus God “tabernacled” also among humans, though in a more hidden way
(John 1:14).
20 
Jonathan Moo, “The Sea That Is No More: Rev 21:1 and the Function of Sea Imagery
in the Apocalypse of John,” Novum Testamentum 51 (2009): 165.
21 
Revelation 14:7, with the addition of the springs of water to the threefold sphere of
creation as heaven, earth, and sea, may have in mind the eschatological water of life
that is available at no cost (Rev 21:6; 22:17). But still creation is expressed in the first
angel’s message with an aorist and in the context of the Genesis creation account.

13
We are part of God’s creation and yet can think beyond creation.
Being moral beings with our own will and freedom of choice, we can
distinguish between good and evil and can choose right or wrong, life
or death, and whether to follow God or oppose Him (Rev 14:6–12).
To know what creation means and how it closely links humanity to
God allows people to find meaning in life.

Gospel, Worship, and Judgment

in the Three Angels’ Messages

The preceding discussion on creation theology in Revelation

and the three angels’ messages makes it clear that the themes of the
gospel, worship, and judgment are inextricably linked—not only
within the three angels’ messages, but also in the Apocalypse as a
whole. In the second part of this discussion, we examine these con-
nections more closely.

Creation and the Gospel

The first angel with his worldwide message has to euangelizein

(“to announce/bring good news/proclaim the gospel”) euangelion
(“good news/gospel”). This may seem redundant because the good
news of the gospel is contained in both verb and noun. Typically, the
“gospel” (euangelion) designates the good news of salvation through
Christ. The term is used only once in all of John’s writings. The verb
euangelizō appears only twice, both times in Revelation (10:7; 14:6).
22
But there is no question that John knows the concept of the good
news of the gospel. Probably his best-known verse is John 3:16, which
describes those who believe the gospel as not perishing but having
eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. The next verse mentions
salvation: Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but came for its
salvation (John 3:16).
However, the question is often raised as to whether the “eternal
gospel” in Revelation 14:6 must be defined through its immediate
context only, in which case it would be punitive judgment. Various
well-known scholars, including Evangelical interpreters, have pointed

While John uses the terms only sparingly, Paul seems to be fond of them. Out of the
22 

seventy-six occurrences of the term “gospel” in the New Testament, sixty are found in
Paul’s writings; of the fifty-four usages of the phrase “proclaiming the gospel” in the
New Testament, twenty-three are from Paul.

14
out that here the term “gospel” has to be understood in a restricted
sense, pointing primarily to judgment in a negative sense.23
Apart from drawing attention to the context in which the ever-
lasting gospel appears, others have noted that it occurs without
the article. Therefore, some translations render the phrase as “the
everlasting/eternal gospel” (e.g., KJV, NKJV, NIV), while others
translate “an eternal gospel” (e.g., ESV, NASB, NET, NRSV) and still
others avoid an article completely—for instance, “eternal/everlasting
good tidings/news” (ASV, CEB, NAB). It is argued that in the New
Testament the gospel in the positive sense (i.e., not defined in the
context of negative judgment) is identified with the article (Greek
has only a definite article or no article, but not an indefinite article),
and that a lack of the Greek article points to another gospel. Sigve K.
Tonstad claims, “The word euangelion does not have the article and
should not be confused with the ‘gospel’ in NT usage elsewhere. . . . A
traditional conception for the ‘good news’ will thus miss the mark.”24
And G. K. Beale notes, “The wrathful nature of this angel and his
‘gospel’ is suggested by the similarity to the messenger of the three
woes in 8:13.”25 However, he admits that “the absence of the article
before εὐαγγέλιον (“gospel”) could reflect only stylistic variation.”26
It seems, however, that distinguishing the “gospel” in the New
Testament on the basis of the presence or absence of the article is
unnecessary. In the New Testament euangelion is the good news of
the kingdom of God (Matt 4:23). It is the good news of the kingdom,
the content of which is spelled out by Jesus Himself (Mark 1:14–15).
The content of the gospel, as Jesus outlines it here, becomes “the
reference point for all subsequent mentions of the proclamation
initiated by Jesus and entrusted by him to his followers.”27 According
to Matthew, before the end comes, that good news will be preached in
all the world to all the nations (Matt 24:14). In Paul’s understanding,
the gospel is associated with Christ (2 Cor 10:14), and it is “the power
of God to salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16, ESV), the
gospel of God’s grace (Acts 20:24), the “gospel of your salvation” (Eph
23 
E.g., Simon J. Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Book of
Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2001), 407; Mounce, 270–271;
and Stephen Smalley, The Revelation of John: A Commentary on the Greek Text of the
Apocalypse (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2005), 361.
24 
Sigve K. Tonstad, Revelation, Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament (Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2019), 203.
25 
Beale, Revelation, 748.
26 
Ibid.
27 
R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids,
MI: Eerdmans, 2002), 90.

15
1:13, ESV), and the gospel of peace (Eph 6:15). It is also associated
with truth (Col 1:5) and hope (Col 1:23). “Our Savior Jesus Christ . . .
has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through
the gospel” (2 Tim 1:10, NKJV). G. B. Caird argues, “The word
euangelion can only mean “good news”, and it is improbable that John
should have thought of using it in a cynical sense. . . . it is an eternal
gospel, a gospel rooted and grounded in the changeless character and
purpose of God. If the angel carried a gospel which was eternal good
news to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people, it is hard to see how
this could differ from the gospel.”28
Indeed, Jesus’ definition of the content of the gospel in Mark
1:14–15 as the reference point for His followers provides a parallel to
the first angel’s message. His three-part gospel message in Mark 1:15
includes a time prophecy (the time fulfilled), a covenant promise (the
kingdom near), and a call to discipleship (repent and believe). Inter-
estingly, Revelation 14:6–7 has the same concepts: a time prophecy
(judgment has come), a covenant promise (judgment, in the context
of Daniel 7:22 where the saints receive the kingdom), and a call to
discipleship (a command to fear, glorify, and worship God). Reaching
even further back into the Old Testament, it has been argued that
the four key words of the first angel—“fear,” “glory,” “judgment,” and
“worship”—can be traced back to David’s psalm of thanksgiving in 1
Chronicles 16:8–36.29 This passage, it is argued, “has parallels in three
psalms of the Psalter, which either have drawn upon it or provide the
source from which it is constituted: Pss 96 (1 Chr 16:23–33); 105:1–15
(1 Chr 16:8–22); and 106:1, 47–48 (1 Chr 16:34–36).”30

28 
G. B. Caird, The Revelation of St. John the Divine, Harper’s New Testament Com-
mentaries (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1987), 182. Peter J. Leithart, Revelation 12–22,
The International Theological Commentary on the Holy Scripture of Old and New
Testaments (London: T&T Clark, 2018), 94–95, maintains, “God’s kingdom comes
through judgment, and judgment is good news because it means that God is at long last
going to deal with the wicked. . . . Why would this not be the gospel itself, the announ-
cement that the Creator is taking over as Lord of all nations, that he has overthrown
‘Babylon.’ And that he will reward his loyal followers as he judges his adversaries?”
29 
Willem Altink, “1 Chronicles 16:8–36 as Literary Source for Revelation 14:6–7,”
Andrews University Seminary Studies 22, no. 2 (1984), 187.
30 
Ibid. Although Altink recognizes that the book of Revelation may often have
multiple sources for a single passage, he observes that “among these various sections in
the Psalter, only Ps 96 contains the four key expressions of Rev 14:7. However, in one
case a different Greek word is used in Ps 96 (LXX, Ps 95); and the broader contextual
parallels between 1 Chr 16 and Rev 14 are also lacking in Ps 96. For such reasons,
1 Chr 16:8–36 gives the best evidence for being the basic biblical literary background
for Rev 14:6–7” (ibid., 188).

16
 Still, it may be better not to look primarily for the usage of
the term “gospel” elsewhere in the New Testament, but rather first
investigate how Revelation understands the concept of salvation and
consequently the terms “gospel” and “to preach the gospel.”
In the Apocalypse the gospel is found in the passages that directly
or indirectly mention salvation and redemption: in the invitations to
make a decision for God, such as accepting the water of life without
pay (Rev 22:17); in the apostolic wish for the readers and hearers of
the Apocalypse to receive grace (Rev 1:4; 22:21); and in the escha-
tological promise of God’s presence among His people (Rev 21:3–7;
22:1–5) and access to the tree of life (Rev 2:7; 22:2, 14). The prologue
of the Apocalypse contains a clear description of the gospel. Jesus—
the faithful witness, the firstborn from death, and the ruler of the
kings of the earth—loves us and has redeemed us through His substi-
tutionary death (Rev 1:5). In Revelation 3:9, 19 John’s audience hears
again about Jesus’ love. The major title used for Jesus in the Apoca-
lypse is “Lamb.” Because Jesus was crucified (Rev 11:8), slaughtered
as Lamb (Rev 5:6, 9, 12; 13;8), and shed His blood (Rev 1:5; 5:9; 7:14;
12:11), but was also raised from the dead (Rev 1:5, 17–18), He is able
to save humans (Rev 7:10). Salvation is described in Revelation 5:9;
7:14; 12:11; 14:3–4; 21:27; 22:14; and elsewhere with imagery such as
being purchased, having washed one’s robes, and having one’s name
written in the book of life.
The immediate context to Revelation 14:6, the Apocalypse’s
central vision, is also enlightening (Rev 11:19–14:20). The ark of the
covenant in Revelation 11:19—the introductory scene to this great
war vision—with the implied mercy seat and the Decalogue stresses
the gospel message. Revelation 12 is the fulfillment of the divinely
proclaimed post-fall prediction of the protogospel in Genesis 3:15
regarding the Messiah who would defeat Satan. A woman, the seed—
the male child—a serpent, and a life-and-death struggle appear in
both passages. Jesus’ incarnation heightened the conflict with Satan
and brought Him to the cross. But at the same time, He overcame
Satan. Therefore, a loud voice can triumphantly shout, “Now the
salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the
authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has
been thrown down. . . . And they have conquered him by the blood
of the Lamb.” (Rev 12:10–11, ESV). The shedding of Jesus’ blood for
humanity, an act of substitutionary atonement, guarantees salvation
to those who accept Jesus’ sacrifice and commit themselves to Him.
In the tantalizing conflict of the saints with the sea beast, the
book of life is mentioned (Rev 13:8). The inhabitants of the earth,

17
followers of the beast, are not written in this book,31 but true believers
in the church of Sardis will not be blotted out from the book of life
(Rev 3:5). The book of life is also the Lamb’s book of life (Rev 21:27),
in which the names of true believers are recorded. Clearly, salvation
is not a timeless, irrevocable act of God, since it is dependent on one’s
relationship with Christ. The phrase “book of life” has positive con-
notations of eternal life and is another image to describe the potential
effect of the gospel, dependent on the individual’s decision.
Later in the same vision, the readers and hearers encounter the
144,000 with Jesus on Mount Zion. They are safe and secure because
they have been purchased (agorazō, Rev 13:4)—purchased “from
mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb” (Rev 14:4, ESV). Those
who were no longer able to buy (literally “purchase”) and sell (Rev
13:17) have become the property of God and the Lamb. The concept
of redemption through a “purchase” appears for the first time in
Revelation 5:9: “By your blood you [the Lamb] ransomed [purchased]
people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation”
(ESV). Interestingly and remarkably, this verse is connected to
Revelation 14:6 through the mention of the same four groups,
although in a different order: nations, tribes, languages, and people.
Revelation 5:9 is the first of the seven texts in which the four groups of
humanity appear.32 While it does not seem that the four groups them-
selves as a whole are saved, members of these groups are redeemed.
The great multitude of the saved includes persons from the four
groups (Rev 7:9). Other members of the four groups, however, are
under the influence of the sea beast (Rev 13:7), constituting the waters
where Babylon the prostitute sits (Rev 17:5). Nevertheless, members
of the four groups have heard the gospel and have been saved.
The angel of Revelation 14:6 intends to reach these groups with the
true gospel, and Revelation 7:9–10, which on a timeline follows the
proclamation of the three angels’ messages, declares that the effort
will be successful and that a great multitude from the nations, tribes,
peoples, and languages will be saved when confronted with the gospel.
Still there are more indicators in the immediate context sugges-
ting that the gospel is not different from that in the other parts of the
New Testament canon. In the third angel’s message, the group of

31 
The book of life occurs in Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; and 21:7. In half of
the cases, Revelation mentions those not being written in that book (Rev 13:8, 17:8;
20:15).
32 
These four groups appear seven times in Revelation (Rev 5:9; 7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7;
14:6; 17:15). In two cases, one of the four terms is replaced by another similar term
(Rev 10:11; 17:5).

18
worshippers of the beast and its image and the bearers of the mark of
the beast are contrasted with the “saints.” One of the characteristics
of the saints is that they keep tēn pistin Iēsou. This phrase is
ambiguous; it can mean “faith in Jesus,” “the faith of Jesus,” “faithfulness
to Jesus,” and “the faithfulness of Jesus.”33 Nevertheless, it is Jesus in
whom the saints believe and His faithfulness in which they trust. And
this has to do with the gospel. R. D. Philipps suggests,

When John urges us to continue in “faith in Jesus,” he means

that we must continue to look up to that gospel carried by the
angel in heaven. It tells us that through faith we are forgiven
by Christ’s blood and reconciled to God. It bears good news
that our Savior has conquered the evil power under which
we have suffered.34

Finally, in Revelation 14:13 a voice from heaven pronounces

blessed those “who die in the Lord from now on” (ESV). They are
assured of being able to rest (anapauō) “from their labors.” While the
worshippers of the beast and its image have “no rest [anapausis], day
and night” (Rev 14:11), the followers of Jesus do. The verb anapauō has
already occurred with the martyrs in Revelation 6:11. These martyrs,
wondering how long it would take for God to bring about justice, are
given eschatological white garments but need to rest a little longer.
Obviously, the rest of those dead in the Lord implies an awakening
from that rest in the resurrection. This is extremely good news.
John Christopher Thomas and Frank D. Macchia describe
salvation in Revelation in the following way: 1) Salvation is linked to
creation. 2) “Salvation is . . . focused on the Lamb, who is slaughtered,
for the redemption of the world.” 3) Salvation is not only to be under-
stood as redemption or ransom, but also as liberation. 4) Salvation
implies transformation “in every way imaginable.” 5) Judgment “is
the flip side of salvation. . . . In fact, judgment is vital to the fulfillment
of salvation in Revelation. . . . Divine justice is fulfilled in mercy, but
it involves the exclusion of those who remain persistent in opposing

33 
Sigve K. Tonstad, Saving God’s Reputation: The Theological Function of Pistis Iesou in
the Cosmic Narratives of Revelation, Library of New Testament Studies 337 (London:
T&T Clark, 2006), 193–194. Tonstad suggests that “all the four leading alternatives . . .
claim a measure of legitimacy and relevancy. None of the possible options is entirely
unacceptable. . . . And so they endure, these four, ‘the faithfulness of Jesus’, ‘the faith
of Jesus’, ‘faith in Jesus’ and ‘faithfulness to Jesus’, and greatest among these is the
faithfulness of God in Jesus” (ibid.).
34 
Richard D. Phillips, Revelation, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg,
NJ: P&R, 2017), 407. See also Kistemaker, 413.
19
it.” 6) “God does not just save from a distance . . . but invites us to
partake of the divine life in being made new.” 7) “Though salvation
is possible in Revelation only by the work of the Lamb and the Spirit,
believers must also by God’s grace repent, obey, and patiently endure
in order to overcome the forces of darkness.” 8) Salvation is not
limited, but “is for the nations as well as for individuals.” 9) To belong
to the book of life means to belong to the Lamb. 10) “Salvation in
Revelation is costly grace. . . . This grace is free, but it is not cheap.”35
Equally significant to a proper understanding of the gospel and
the three angels’ messages is Revelation 1:4–8. John’s message in
this passage, which he has just received, not only describes the
Godhead and the work of Jesus, but also seems to summarize the
entire Apocalypse: 1) Jesus loves us.36 His love is “complete and
ultimate—Jesus ‘loved his own until the end’ ([John] 13:1). It is
sacrificial.”37 2) Jesus has freed us from our sins. His love led Him
to the cross.38 “John goes on to describe the salvation/vindication
achieved by Christ as a ransoming from sin (cf. Isa 40:2). This is the
only pairing of sin and redemption language in the Apocalypse.”39
3) Jesus has made us a kingdom and priests. Thomas and Macchia
note that Revelation 1:5–6 is the “first occasion of worship in
Revelation, [and] John leads the way in giving glory and honor to
Jesus. The unlimited praise ‘forever and ever’ matches the unlimited
worthiness of Jesus. The prayer ‘amen,’ or ‘so let it be,’ concludes the
doxology.”40 In addition, He will be coming with the clouds (Rev 1:7).
Glory and dominion belong to Him (Rev 1:6). And God the Father
is the Alpha and Omega, the Lord, and the One who is and was, and
is to come, the pantokratōr (“the Almighty,” Rev 1:8)—“an identifi-

35 
John Christopher Thomas and Frank D. Macchia, Revelation, The Two Horizons
New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2016), 537–543.
36 
It has been pointed out that the elements of this doxology are unusual because love
occurs in the present tense, while redemption and the new status of the believers are
described with aorists. Peter J. Leithart, Revelation 1–11, International Theological
Commentary (London: T&T Clark, 2018), 91, notes, “He loves us, not just loved us in
the past but loves us now with a love expressed in his death.”
37 
Thomas and Macchia, 77.
38 
Buist M. Fanning, Revelation, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New
Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 82, points out that here
a second unusual element occurs: “Also unusual is the focus on Christ’s love that led
to the cross—the New Testament more frequently cites the love of God the Father as
expressed in the atonement (e.g., John 3:16; Rom 5:8; 8:39; Eph 2:4; 1 John 4:8–10).”
39 
Brian K. Blount, Revelation, New Testament Library (Louisville, KY: Westminster
John Knox, 2009), 36.
40 
Thomas and Macchia, 77.

20
cation that will act as a refrain throughout the rest of the Apocalypse
(4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:6, 15; 21:22).”41 The message of Revelation
1:4–8 is foundational to the three angels’ messages. The following
table shows the interconnectedness of Revelation’s initial message
and the three angels’ messages. The passages are compared both on
a literary and a topical level—an approach that could be possible for
other passages. The comparison of the message of Revelation 1 and
the three angels’ messages shows overlap between the two. We suggest,
therefore, that the message in the introduction to Revelation should
be considered when one interprets the three angels’ messages.

Comparison Between Revelation 1:4–8

and 14:6–12 with Its Immediate Context
Reference Reference in
Content Content
in Revelation 1 Revelation 14
1:4, 6, 8 God 14:7, 9, 12 God

God as Creator
1:4, 6, 8 14:7 God as Creator
(the Alpha; the One who was)

1:5–7 Jesus Christ 14:10, 12–13 Jesus, Lamb, Lord

1:5–7a, 12 Gospel (topical) 14:6 Eternal gospel

1:5, 7 Earth 14:6–7 Earth

1:7 All tribes 14:6 Every tribe

1:7 Second coming and judgment 14:7, 11 Pre-advent judgment/final judgment

1:6 Glory 14:7 Glory

1:5–6 Worship setting (doxology) 14:7, 9 Worship

1:7 Forever 14:11 Forever

1:4 The Holy Spirit 14:13 The Holy Spirit

1:5 The dead (resurrection implied) 14:13 The dead (resurrection implied)

1:7 Second coming 14:14–20 Second coming

The eternal gospel of Revelation 14:6 must be read with this
background. The author knows and understands the gospel, the good
news. Noun (euangelion) and verb (euangelizō) put together describe
in a powerful way that the message of the first angel is based on the
gospel and is not only judgment in a negative sense. When the first
angel introduces his message as “eternal gospel,” it is evident “that

41 
Thomas and Macchia, 77.

21
the end-time gospel, while relevant in particular to the people living
in the closing period of earth’s history, is not a different gospel
from that preached by Paul. It is the same and unaltered gospel, the
proclamation of which started at Pentecost.”42 Indeed, as previously
indicated, it is the gospel that Jesus proclaimed and provided the
reference point for His followers (Mark 1:14–15). Caird suggests,
“Having written the word gospel, he [John] expected his readers to
fill it with the full rich content of the apostolic preaching.”43 When
John refers to it, he must have in mind the major features of the
gospel, including the details that he will mention in the next verses.
It is good news that even in this late hour of world history salvation
is still available. It is good news because the investigative judgment is
still in progress and “Christ is still working in the heavenly sanctuary
on our behalf.”44 It is noteworthy that Ellen G. White captures the
positive dimension of the first angel’s judgment message. She notes
that “the announcement, ‘The hour of His judgment is come,’ points
to the closing work of Christ’s ministration for the salvation of men.”45
The message is good news because people can leave behind decep-
tion and come out of Babylon (Rev 18:4). On the other hand, the
executive phase of the judgment mentioned later assures believers
that there will be justice and vindication. The bright future for them is
developed in Revelation 21 and 22.
The expected response to the proclamation of the everlasting
gospel is to fear God, give Him glory, and worship Him (Rev 14:7). The
theme of the everlasting gospel, however, cannot be fully appreciated
when separated from that of creation. While the gospel comes first in
Revelation 14:6 and is followed by the messages of God as the Creator,
in reality creation theologically precedes salvation. Salvation is not
possible without created creatures. However, with the entrance of sin,
creation by itself does not reach God’s intended goal of the restoration
of all things if there is no salvation. Because creation was followed
by the fall, the sin problem could only end with the global death of
the created beings—were it not for God’s intervention in terms of
redemption. Only salvation through the Lamb can open the door to
a new creation. Thus, creation and salvation are dependent on each
other and cannot be separated.

42 
Ranko Stefanovic, Revelation of Jesus Christ: Commentary on the Book of Revelation,
2nd ed. (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2009), 453.
43 
Caird, 183.
44 
Ángel Manuel Rodríguez, Future Glory: The 8 Greatest End-Time Prophecies in the
Bible (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 2002), 131.
45 
Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1911), 435.

22
 This is seen early on in the Apocalypse and needs to inform the sit-
uation in the three angels’ messages. Jesus is introduced as Redeemer
in Revelation 1:546 but a little later He appears also as Creator (Rev
3:14). He introduces Himself to a lukewarm but financially affluent,
and therefore self-confident, church of Laodicea as the “beginning of
God’s creation.” In this phrase, the issue is not about Jesus as a created
being, or even as the first created being.47 However, the question remains
whether the phrase refers to Him as the cause and originator of
creation or as the ruler of creation who had nothing to do with the
creation process. Some suggest that with Jesus has come the new
creation in a spiritual sense or the creation of the church.48 It should be
emphasized that Jesus’ role as an authoritative originator of creation
cannot be missed. Following John’s description of the divine Logos
as Creator in John 1:1–3, Jesus is clearly presented as being involved
in the Genesis creation account. Richard Bauckham argues, “Christ
preceded all things as their source. In this belief in Christ’s role in
creation, Revelation is at one with the Pauline literature (1 Cor. 8:6;
Col. 1:15–17), Hebrews (1:2) and the Fourth Gospel (1:1–3).” And he
goes on to call Jesus the “divine agent in God’s creation of all things and
in God’s eschatological fulfillment of all things.”49 Grant R. Osborne
suggests that “beginning” (archē)

46 
According to Revelation 1:18, he has the keys to death and Hades and is able to
bring about resurrection to eternal life.
47 
See footnote 10 in the present study.
48 
E.g., Beale, Revelation, 298, who understands Jesus as “sovereign inaugurator of
the new creation,” but does not view Him as sovereign “over the original creation.”
He also mentions the view that Jesus is “the beginning, not of the original creation,
but of the newly created church or of the new age of the church.” Fanning, 8, states
that “Christ is never presented in this book as creator or agent of creation” but this
does not necessarily mean He is not its ruler (ibid., 185). See also M. R. Mulholland
Jr., “Revelation,” in James, 1–2 Peter, Jude, Revelation, ed. Grant R. Osborne and M.
R. Mulholland Jr., Cornerstone Biblical Commentary 18 (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale
House, 2011), 452. Dwelling on the aspect of “ruler,” Robert M. Royalty Jr., The Streets
of Heaven: The Ideology of Wealth in the Apocalypse (Macon, GA: Mercer University
Press, 1998), 165, suggests “the phrase ‘the origin of God’s creation’ (ή ἄρχή τῆς
κτίσεως) evokes the political theme of the proem, where Christ is called the ruler
(ἅρχων) of the kings of the earth (Rev 1:5). This play on words (paranomasia) on
archōn and archē in Rev 1:5 and 3:14 ground’s Christ’s political authority over the
kings of the earth in his cosmic authority as the beginning or origin of creation (see
also Rev 22:13).”
49 
Richard Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of Revelation, New Testament Theology
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993), 56. See also Aune, Revelation 1–5,
256; Sweet, 107; and Paige Patterson, Revelation, New American Commentary 39
(Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman, 2012), 138.

23
 means not only preeminence or ruler but also “source” or
“origin,” and that is a likely connotation here. . . . Jesus is
the beginning and source of “God’s creation.” Again, this is a
messages to the Laodiceans. In their wealth and complacency,
they thought of themselves as in control; Jesus is telling them
that he alone controls creation; he is the very source of their
wealth and power.50

Later in the Apocalypse Jesus is called the Alpha and Omega,

First and Last, Beginning and End (Rev 22:13), appropriating the
titles of God the Father. If these titles refer indirectly to God as Creator
—as we have proposed—Jesus also needs to be seen as Creator
and Authority. In the message to Laodicea, Jesus as Creator warns
the church of divine judgment but also offers salvation as church
members repent. “The message to the Laodiceans is that their boast
in earthly riches is misplaced because all things belong to Jesus, who
is worthy of praise and glory.” So in the first chapters of Revelation
Jesus appears as Redeemer and is also associated with creation. Both
crucial concepts are brought together in one person: Christ.
Later in the Apocalypse Jesus is called the Alpha and Omega,
First and Last, Beginning and End (Rev 22:13), appropriating the titles
of God the Father. If these titles refer indirectly to God as Creator—
as we have proposed—Jesus also needs to be seen as Creator and
Authority. In the message to Laodicea, Jesus as Creator51 warns the
church of divine judgment but also offers salvation as church members
repent. “The message to the Laodiceans is that their boast in earthly
riches is misplaced because all things belong to Jesus, who is worthy
of praise and glory.”52 So in the first chapters of Revelation Jesus
appears as Redeemer and is also associated with creation. Both
crucial concepts are brought together in one person: Christ.
Creation and salvation appear again in the seal vision, especially
in the introductory scenes of Revelation 4 and 5. God the Father is

50 
Osborne, 205. Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale
New Testament Commentaries 20 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1987), 84, opts
for both “Christ has the supreme authority over creation and . . . he is the origin of
created being.”
51 
For a discussion on the connection between judgment and creation in the context
of the three angels’ messages, see Clinton Wahlen, “The Letter to Laodicea and the
Eschatology of Revelation,” Journal of the Adventist Theological Society 29, nos. 1–2
(2018), 142–143.
52 
Kistemaker, 169.

24
portrayed and worshipped as Creator (Rev 4:8–11) and Jesus is
praised as Savior (Rev 5:9–12). Two hymns are devoted to God the
Father, and two hymns are devoted to the Son, the Lamb. Throughout
these hymns one can observe a crescendo as the groups and numbers
of worshippers increase. Both Father and Son are addressed in the
same way, with the phrase “Worthy are you” (Rev 4:11; 5:9), and a
number of identical attributes are attributed to both of them (Rev 4:9;
5:12–13). But the first hymn to the Son is singled out and desig-
nated as a “new hymn.” As important as creation is, something
breathtaking has happened with the incarnation and death of Jesus
Christ, which has revealed to humanity and to the universe not only
the unlimited power of God, but more importantly the character of
God—not only His wonderful holiness, but also His incomprehen-
sible love. The Creator God has made it possible for sinful beings to
be saved through the death and in the person of His own Son. This
leads to a fifth hymn in Revelation 5:13, in which both God the Father
and Jesus Christ are being worshipped and praised. But the vision
contains two more hymns. The great multitude of the redeemed in
front of God’s throne sing, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on
the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Rev 7:10, ESV) before all the angels fall
on their faces and glorify God in the last hymn of the seal vision (Rev
7:11). As Jesus is Savior and Creator, God the Father is Creator and
Savior. As Father and Son are inseparable, the concepts of creation
and salvation are inseparable in biblical theology and in the theology
of the Apocalypse. They are complementary in the best sense of the
word, and it is only possible to move from the old creation to the new
creation via salvation. Thomas and Macchia observe,

Since all of creation has its being in the creating and sustaining
power of the Creator, they can be redeemed, liberated, and
made ultimately new only by this same God. In the light of
what Revelation says about the creation in relation to the
Creator, it is unimaginable that salvation could come from
any other source than God.53

The connection between creation and redemption is also true for

the next vision in Revelation, the trumpet vision. The mighty angel
with divine characteristics (Rev 10:1–2), who obviously is Jesus,
swears by the Creator God, most likely God the Father (Rev 10:6). In
the next chapter Jesus appears as crucified Lord (Rev 11:8), picking up

53 
Thomas and Macchia, 538.

25
on statements on His death, resurrection, and salvation made earlier
in Revelation (Rev 1:5, 18; 5:9, 12). With the last trumpet, the plan
of salvation—consisting of creation, salvation, judgment, and new
creation—has come to a close. Father and Son are again united in
a hymn sung by heavenly voices: “The kingdom of the world has
become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign
forever and ever” (Rev 11:15, ESV).
With regard to Revelation 11:19–14:20, we have already exten-
sively discussed the themes of salvation and creation. We stressed that
the background of chapter 12 is Genesis 3 with its protogospel. With
the exception of the last two verses, Genesis 3 takes place in the garden
of Eden and therefore has a creation background. The introduction
of Satan as “the serpent of old” (Rev 12:9, NKJV) highlights this
creation background. In other words, the central vision of Revelation
begins with creation and moves directly to salvation (Rev 12:10–11).
The two topics are again combined in Revelation 13:8, in which
the book of life of the Lamb is mentioned—those written in it are
saved (Rev 21:27)—“from the foundation of the earth.” The text has
been translated and interpreted in two major ways: 1) “. . . everyone
whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world
in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (ESV) and 2) “. . . whose
names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world.”54 In the first case, the meaning
would be that salvation was determined for humans before creation
by them being entered into the book of life.55 In the second case, it
would mean that the plan of salvation with the death of the Messiah
was devised even from the foundation of the world—“that is, the
death of Christ was a redemptive sacrifice decreed in the counsels
of eternity.”56 No matter how Revelation 13:8 is being interpreted,
the plan of salvation and creation are intimately linked. The plan to
save humanity if humans would make a decision against God is not a
divine afterthought, but rather is woven into the plan of creation.
Therefore, creation and salvation also appear together in the three
angels’ messages of the same vision. We suggest that salvation is

54 
The parallel text in Revelation 17:8 is clear: the names of the earth dwellers “are
not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world.” But the message of
Revelation 13:8 may have a different emphasis. In the Greek text, the direct antecedent
is “the Lamb slain.”
55 
God’s plan is to save all people, but not all people allow God to save them. Therefore,
they can be blotted out from the book of life (Rev 3:5; 22:19) or their names are not
found in the book of life (Rev 20:15).
56 
Mounce, 252.

26
addressed by the preaching of the eternal gospel (Rev 14:6), the
description of the believers (Rev 14:12), and the addendum of the
second beatitude of the Apocalypse (Rev 14:13). Why does the
mention of the gospel precede the reference to creation (Rev 14:7)?
Maybe this is the greatest need of the end time, when people have to
make a decision between life and death, Christ or Satan. However, it
is based on the fact that God is the Creator, the giver of life and owner
of all, the Father, the Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit who breathes
life—literally “the breath/Spirit (pneuma) of life from God”—into the
dead bodies of the two witnesses (Rev 11:11).57
While from Revelation 15 onward the Apocalypse mainly deals
with judgments in a negative sense, still a number of pages contain
passages on creation and salvation. A note on creation: 1) The call
“It is done” alludes to the finished creation. The Greek consists of
one word: gegonen (Rev 16:17). It is derived from the verb ginomai,
which has various meanings dependent on the context.58 This term is
frequently used in Genesis and relates especially to God’s creative
acts in Genesis 1, where it appears no less than twenty-three times.59
Depending on the verbal form egeneto in its context in the book of
Genesis, it means “let there be” (Gen 1:3), “it was” (Gen 1:5), or

57 
Pneuma means “breath” but also “spirit” and may refer to the Holy Spirit. This phrase
has been translated as “breath of life” by a variety of modern English translations (e.g.,
ESV, NASB, NIV). However, it has been translated “Spirit of life” by older English
versions such as the Geneva Bible and KJV, and also by the Revised Webster Bible of
1995. “Spirit of life” is also the choice of the French translation of Louis Segond (1910)
and the Nouvelle Edition de Genève (1979). Many, if not the majority, of German
translations use “Spirit of life” (e.g., Luther [1545, 1912, 1984, 2017], revised Elberfelder
Bibel [1993], Münchner NT, Schlachter [2000], and Zürcher [2007/2008]). While some
commentators opt for “breath of life” (e.g., J. Ramsey Michaels, Revelation, The IVP
New Testament Commentary Series [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1997], 142),
others allow for the translation “Spirit of life” or even choose it (e.g., Keener, 296; and
Jürgen Roloff, Revelation, A Continental Commentary [Minneapolis, MN: Fortress
Press, 1993], 134.) The Old Testament background for Revelation 11:11 is Ezekiel 37,
the valley of the dry bones where the bones came to life through the Spirit. Thomas and
Macchia, 207, seem to be correct when they assert, “Significantly, the Spirit who now
enters the two prophets is the same Spirit who has inspired their prophetic activity.”
These meanings include “to be born,” “to be produced,” “to be made,” “to be created,”
58 

“to come about,” “to happen,” “to become,” and “to be.” See Moisés Silva, ed., New
International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis, 2nd ed. (Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014), 196–199.
59 
Gen 1:3 (2x), 5 (2x), 6 (2x), 8 (2x), 9, 11, 13 (2x), 14, 15, 19 (2x), 20, 23 (2x), 24, 30,
31 (2x); 2:4, 5, 7. See Jon Paulien, “Creation in the Johannine Writings,” in The Genesis
Creation Account and Its Reverberations in the New Testament, ed. Gerald A. Klingbeil
(Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, forthcoming).

27
together with the particle outōs “it was so” (Gen 1:6). 2) The seven
plagues describe an undoing of creation. 3) Part of the seven trumpets
refers to a reversal of creation. J. Ramsey Michaels notes, “The four
areas affected—earth, sea, fresh water and sky—made up the whole of
the human environment as the ancients perceived it. These four
spheres were what Jews and Christians acknowledged as God’s
creation (compare 14:7).”60 The same is true for the last seven plagues/
bowls, only that the plagues are an intensification of the trumpets.
The first plague affects the earth, the second the sea, the third the
waters/springs, the fourth the sun, the fifth brings intense darkness,
and the sixth ushers in Armageddon so that humans are directly
affected (Rev 16). U. B. Müller suggests that with the pouring out of the
first four bowls the entire creation of earth, sea, rivers, and heavenly
bodies is affected.61 The bowl series describes the complete undoing
of creation and, therefore, stands in contrast to the new creation in
Revelation 21–22a. 3) The abyss is mentioned a number of times (e.g.,
Rev 17:8; 20:1, 3). It is found in Genesis 1:2 (LXX). The “surface of
the deep” (Gen 1:2), which is connected to the state of planet earth
being formless or void, is translated with the term abyssos. “‘Over
the surface of the deep’ parallels ‘over the waters’ in the subsequent
clause. . . . On the second and third days these waters are eventually
separated from the expanse and land masses when the waters are
called ‘sea’ (vv. 6–10).”62 After the separation, sea (thalassa) and earth
(gē) became visible. It is precisely from these two areas that the two
beasts of Revelation 13 come forward: the sea beast and the beast out
of the earth. In Revelation 17:8 another beast emerges, but it comes
from the abyss. Obviously, John takes his imagery basically from the
creation account in Genesis 1.63 Intertwined with the allusions to
creation are references to re-creation: 1) The redeemed at the sea of glass
singing the song of Moses and the Lamb (Rev 15:2–4) are found in the
introduction to the seven plagues. 2) The beatitude of those who are
awake at the second coming occurs in the sixth plague (Rev 16:15).
3) The followers of Christ sing about salvation after the judgment of

60 
Michaels, 121.
Ulrich B. Müller, Die Offenbarung des Johannes, Ökumenischer Taschenbuch-
61 

Kommentar zum Neuen Testament 19 (Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus Gerd

Mohn, 1984), 281.
62 
Kenneth A. Mathews, Genesis 1–11:26, New American Commentary 1A (Nashville,
TN: Broadman and Holman, 1996), 133.
63 
For a more detailed discussion of the abyss, see Ekkehardt Mueller, “The Beast of
Revelation 17—A Suggestion (Part 1),” Journal of Asia Adventist Seminary 10, no. 1
(2007): 40–50.

28
Babylon who was sitting on the beast of the abyss (Rev 19:1), and
the marriage supper of the Lamb is announced, to which people who
are not associated with Babylon are invited (Rev 19:7–9). 4) The
resurrection of the faithful believers and their reign with Christ is
recorded while Satan is imprisoned, and the worshippers of the beast
and image are dead. This is still indicated in the third angel’s message,
although not discussed in detail.
The last two chapters of Revelation are mostly positive. The theme
of the new earth combines creation and salvation. While the new
creation builds on the Genesis creation and surpasses it, it also
contains the concept of salvation (Rev 21:1–7, 22; 22:1–7). This is also
true for the epilogue (Rev 22:12–14, 16–17, 20–21). Although
salvation is a core theme of the three angels’ messages, the connec-
tion of salvation with other themes elsewhere—such as the Genesis
creation as the basis of the new creation—is not developed in detail.
In summary: The messages of creation and salvation are found
throughout the visions of Revelation. While they can be studied
separately, it is important to also look at them together, because such
an approach allows for a broader picture to emerge. In Revelation
the Creator is not only God the Father, but also Jesus and the Holy
Spirit. In Revelation salvation is not the work of Jesus the Savior only;
God the Father and the Holy Spirit are also involved.64 Salvation is
not an afterthought, but was envisioned even at creation. Creation
and the possibility of the fall generated the plan of salvation in the
mind of God and, indeed, creation will be reestablished after the
millennium. In the interim, salvation is a kind of spiritual renewal and
recreation—though not strongly emphasized as such in Revelation.
The three angels’ messages may be understood as a summary of the
Genesis creation account and the salvation passages of Revelation.
When discussing the messages of the three angels, these other
passages need also to be consulted. We also notice a connection of
creation, salvation, and judgment. Many messages of Revelation
come in a sanctuary context, which we have noted in passing but
have not developed in this study. It may suffice to mention that the
sanctuary features strongly in all introduction scenes of the visions of
Revelation (Rev 1; 4–5; 8:2–5; 11:19; etc.) and in many other places
(Rev 7; 14; 15; 21–22; etc.)
Elias Brasil de Souza is correct in emphasizing that all of these
come in a sanctuary context: “In Revelation, inter-connections
between salvation and creation occur within the framework of

See the Holy Spirit as the one who also communicates the messages to the seven
64 

churches and who raises from death the two witnesses.

29
sanctuary imagery. As the concluding chapters of Revelation clearly
show, the ultimate outcome of salvation is the full restoration of
creation when ‘the tabernacle of God is with men’ (Rev 21:3).”65

Jesus in the Three Angels‘ Messages

Overall, Jesus is indirectly implied as the one through whom the
good news of salvation has become a reality. Throughout the New
Testament, Jesus is Creator, together with God the Father and the
Holy Spirit, and thus He deserves to be worshipped. As Creator He
is also the Lord of the Sabbath, as He claimed in the Gospels to be
(Matt 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:2). Therefore, it is not enough to be only
emotionally attracted to Jesus; we also need to listen to Him as Lord
and do what He tells us about living the Christian life, including the
observation of the seventh-day Sabbath.
In the third angel’s message Jesus is mentioned as people are
being tormented “in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence
of the Lamb” (Rev 14:10, ESV). This text should not be understood
as Jesus taking “pleasure in the torment of his adversaries.”66 “John
here stresses the inescapability and finality of judgment, not the
satisfaction it could afford to those who witness it.”67 The issue is
fairness and respect for individual choices. Interestingly, Revela-
tion does not record that the redeemed are looking on when their
persecutors are judged.68 There is no virtue in delighting when others
are suffering. The angels rejoice when a sinner repents (Luke 15:10).
Jesus does not triumph when His adversaries suffer. He came to save
people. His death on the cross demonstrates a love that made Him offer
the extreme sacrifice. But love does not eclipse justice, and Jesus’
ministry as Redeemer does not exclude punitive judgment. These
people are confronted with Jesus, whom they have to acknowledge
as Lord,69 simultaneously understanding the extent of what they have
done and what they are going to miss. They lived their lives with
wrong priorities, false decisions, and opposition to and rejection of
the One who is the Source of life.70
65 
Elias Brasil de Souza, “Sanctuary: Cosmos, Covenant, and Creation,” Journal of the
Adventist Theological Society 24, no. 1 (2013): 37.
66 
Roloff, 176. See also Patterson, 293.
67 
G. R. Beasley-Murray, Revelation, The New Century Bible Commentary (Grand
Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1983), 226.
68 
See Ian Boxall, The Revelation of Saint John, Black’s New Testament Commentary
(Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2009), 209–210.
69 
Cf. Beale, Revelation, 760.
70 
Richard Lehmann, L’Apocalypse de Jean: Commentaire biblique (Collonges-sous-
Salève: Faculté Adventiste de Théologie, 2018), 387, notes, “It can be argued that it is

30
 Jesus is mentioned again at the end of the third angel’s message.
As previously pointed out, the phrases pistis Iēsou (Rev 14:12) can be
translated differently. But whether understood as faith in Jesus (ESV),
faith of Jesus (NKJV), our faithfulness to Jesus (“remain faithful to
Jesus,” TNIV, NIV 1984), or Jesus’ faithfulness,71 the focus is and must
always be on Jesus. While followers of Christ have faith in Him and
are faithful, they can rely on the faithfulness of Jesus and should live
with the assurance of salvation. Salvation is a gift to be received.
The addendum to the three angels’ messages (Rev 14:13) men-
tions the Lord. His followers die in Him and rest—unless He returns
while they are still alive, in which case they will be transformed
directly, without tasting death. Whatever happens, this verse contains
strong hope. But it also reminds the readers and hearers of the Apoc-
alypse of Christ’s solidarity with humanity when He took it upon
Himself to become one of us, live, suffer, and die as we do.72 However,
Jesus did not stay dead; He was raised, and His resurrection is the
guarantee of ours. Jesus is the “firstborn of the dead” (Rev 1:5, ESV).

Creation and Worship

As previously outlined, the setting of Revelation 14:6–12 clearly
shows that the passage is centered in conflict over worship. Indeed,
the book of Revelation is the most liturgical book in the New
Testament. It is replete with worship scenes.73 The Greek proskyneō
(“worship”) is applied in the heavenly temple setting both to God
and to the Lamb (Rev 4:10; 5:14; 7:11; 11:16; 15:4; 19:4; 20:4), but it
also features in earthly scenes designating the worship of evil forces
(Rev 9:20; 13:4, 8, 12, 15; 14:9, 11; 16:2; 19:20). This duality
highlights the centrality of the problem of idolatry, a misdirected
worship in the drama of Revelation, and it clarifies the sovereign

not the angels and the Lamb who stand before the damned as ironic observers of their
suffering, but the idol worshippers who stand before the angels. They are paralyzed
by the reality whose existence they have denied. After having mocked the One who
had worn a crown of thorns, they find him crowned with glory. The time of grace has
passed. The opportunity has been lost. Not to receive grace is to face the sad reality of
one’s own failure” (trans. by Deepl.com).
71 
See Tonstad, Revelation, 210.
72 
This is not to deny that the death of Jesus had dimensions that ours does not have.
73 
On hymnic material in Revelation, see Justin Jeffcoat Schedtler, A Heavenly Chorus:
The Dramatic Function of Revelation’s Hymns, Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum
Neuen Testament, 2nd ser., vol. 381 (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014); and Steven J.
Grabiner, Revelation’s Hymns: Commentary on the Cosmic Conflict, The Library of New
Testament Studies 511 (London: T&T Clark, 2016).

31
authority of God against the usurping attempts of the forces of evil.74
Revelation 12 clearly depicts a conflict between Christ and Satan. As
the details of the conflict unfold in Revelation 13, it becomes clear
that while the sea beast receives near worldwide worship, he is set on
speaking great things and blaspheming against God, His sanctuary,
and those who dwell in heaven (Rev 13:3–6). Furthermore, verse 8
depicts a polarity where all who dwell on the earth worship the sea
beast except those whose names have been written in the Lamb’s
book of life. On his part, the land beast’s focus on worship is patently
evident (Rev 13:12, 15). It is not surprising, therefore, that the messages
of the three angels, which is God’s countermove to the actions of the
satanic trinity, should focus on worship.

The First Angel

No part of the Apocalypse is so dominated by the term “to wor-
ship” as is its central vision (Rev 11:19–14:20). Of the eight usages of
the term in this central vision, seven apply to the dragon (once), the sea
beast (three times), the image of the beast (once), and both sea beast
and image of the beast (twice). In addition, this worship is universal75
and enforced by the evil powers. No wonder that the first angel’s
message must call the world to worship God. The command to worship
God is mentioned only once, in contrast to the demands to worship
either one or more of the three evil powers. But the call is weighty and
determines humans’ eternal destiny. Emphasizing the fact that God
is the Creator of “heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water”
reveals the truth about the structure of the universe and defines the
character of human existence. If the world is understood as God’s
creation, then it comes under the rule of God. The first angel’s message
is a call to human beings to recognize their creatureliness and act in
accordance with the order of creation.76 This proclamation stands

74 
Osborne, 46–48.
75 
White, The Great Controversy, 450, remarks that “in the issue of the contest all
Christendom will be divided into two great classes—those who keep the
commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and those who worship the beast and
his image and receive his mark.”
76 
The notion of order in creation is clearly communicated in the Genesis creation
account. Genesis 1:1–2:4 presents a carefully ordered earth. For the symmetry
of the Genesis creation account set out diagrammatically, see Laurene A. Turner,
Genesis, Readings (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000), 19–20. The order was
already established before human beings were created. The task of human beings
was not to put things in order, but to exercise dominion over the ordered creation
as the image of God (Gen 1:26–27). The order of creation presupposes an ethic of
createdness. Faith in the Creator that acknowledges His otherness is a basic aspect of

32
in contrast with the claims of the beast who denies the order of
creation and makes efforts to deceive the inhabitants of the world to
embrace his order of things. His pretensions materialize in demand-
ing allegiance from the inhabitants of the world through worship. His
self-image is reflected in a two-part liturgical affirmation: “Who is
like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Rev 13:4). This
expression of incomparability reflects Old Testament language
applied to God, so it functions as an imitation of “Who is like God?”77
Also, the expression of invincibility reflects Michael’s role in Revela-
tion 12:7, who “fought with the dragon” and overcame.78 By confessing
the incomparable and invincible nature of the beast, the inhabitants
of the earth recognize that he occupies a position of authority that
belongs to God.79
Given the foregoing context, the message the first angel proclaims
with a loud voice is “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour
of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and
the earth and sea and springs of waters” (Rev 14:7). It is instructive
to compare this angel’s command to worship with the context of
worship in Revelation 4:11. In Revelation 4:11 God is worshipped by
the twenty-four elders who are beings in heaven. The scene plays out
in the throne room of the heavenly temple. The worship is continuous,
and one gets the impression that the worship of the Creator is a
joyful worship of deep gratitude. The literary form of Revelation 4 is
a narrative, and the ongoing worship can be understood as a worship
of the past, the present, and the future.80 God is praised because of

what createdness means. It recognizes that human existence is not taken for granted,
but it is a gift of God; see Hans Schwartz, Creation (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
2002), 177. Therefore, an existential trust in the Creator defines fundamentally the
direction of all human activity; see Christoph Schwöbel, “God, Creation and the
Christian Community: The Dogmatic Basis of a Christian Ethic of Createdness,” in
The Doctrine of Creation: Essays in Dogmatics, History and Philosophy, ed. Colin E.
Gunton (Edinburgh: Clark, 1997), 150–153. So, order is taken for granted in the God-
given world and human beings are not called to remake creation in their own image;
see Richard Bauckham, Bible and Ecology: Rediscovering the Community of Creation
(London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 2010), 32.
77 
Exod 8:10; 15:11; Deut 3:24; Isa 40:18, 25; 44:7; 46:5; Pss 35:10; 71:19; 86:8; 89:8;
113:5; Mic 7:18. As Pierre Prigent, Commentary on the Apocalypse of St. John, trans.
Wendy Pradels (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2001), 407, notes, in these texts “the focal
point is a polemical argument against false gods and idols.”
78 
Osborne, 497–498.
79 
Prigent, 407.
80 
Ekkehardt Mueller, “Reflections on Worship in Revelation 4 and 5,” Reflections 39
(2012): 1–6, suggests that true worship is theocentric, Trinitarian, objective and not
only subjective, universal and all-encompassing, continuous and unending, maintains

33
who He is—in this case His immeasurable holiness, omnipotence,
and eternal existence—and what He has done: He has been active
in creation, and He is active in sustaining what and whom He has
created. However, Revelation 14:7 portrays a completely different
situation. The setting is on earth and not in heaven. Here, God is not
dealing with His loyal heavenly entourage but with sinful human
beings who are drawn into a great war with a focus on worship and
loyalty. They have to decide whether to follow the tangible—the
enormous power, influence, and propaganda of the evil powers, which
appeal even to the worst human traits—or to opt for the less tangible,
the holy Creator God.
Theologically, the message of the first angel embodies in principle
everything that may be said formally about true worship as far as
humans are concerned. Notably, worship is presented as essentially
a fundamental human responsibility—hence the angel’s message is
given as a “command” with some key action words used in tandem:
“fear,” “glory,” and “worship.” The suggestion seems to be that the
responsibility humans have to worship (falling before God) consists
in the fear of God (holding Him in reverence), which leads to giving
Him glory (honoring Him). “Giving God glory is the aftereffect of
fearing God,”81 remarks Ranko Stefanovic, who also summarizes the
dynamics of these constituent aspects of worship.

According to Solomon, fearing God and keeping his com-

mandments is the first duty of a human being (Eccl. 12:13).
It is in the sense of obeying God and his commandments
that the giving of glory to God in Revelation 14:7 must be
understood. God’s end-time people in Revelation are referred
to as those who fear God (Rev. 11:18; 15:4; 19:5) and keep his
commandments (cf. Rev. 12:17; 14:12).82

The unique significance of commandment keeping as an aspect

of worship in the end-time context stands out by comparing Revela-
tion 10:6 with Revelation 14:7. In the overall structure of the book
of Revelation, the two creation texts, Revelation 10:6 and Revelation
14:7, appear in parallel contexts—namely, shortly before Christ’s
second coming. They are quite similar and yet different. 1) Revelation

the tension between God’s immanence and his transcendence, extols the character
and nature of God, praises the works of God, and provides a new perspective to life on
earth. The completion of the plan of salvation is set into a worship setting.
81 
Stefanovic, 451
82 
Ibid.

34
10:6 uses the verb ktizō (“to create”) to describe creation; Revelation
14:7 employs the broader term poieō (“to make”). However, poieō is
used in Genesis 1 and 2 (LXX),83 and the connection of Revelation
14:7 to Genesis 1 and 2 is more direct. 2) Revelation 10:6 enumerates
three spheres of creation plus “what is in them” (heaven, earth,
sea, and what is in them); Revelation 14:7 contains four elements
(heaven, earth, sea, and springs of water). In both cases the first three
creation elements come in the same order, and thus refer to the
Sabbath (Exod 20:8–11). Yet, the creation’s connection to the Sabbath
is even clearer in Revelation 14:784 because its context refers also to
the Decalogue.85 Consequently, those who live on earth in the last
days need to acknowledge the Creator by respecting Him and His will
and by recovering the true Sabbath He instituted at creation and asks
humanity to observe. 3) While contextually both texts are dealing
with final events, Revelation 10:6 may appeal more to the church,
whereas Revelation 14:7 is a call to humanity to make right choices. In
Revelation 13 and 14 the issue of whom to worship reaches its point
of culmination. True and false worship are pitched against each other.
The Sabbath commandment becomes truly significant. It is the
only place in the Decalogue where the rationale of God’s authority
over reality is stated: He is the one who made all. Therefore, it
functions as a seal of ownership and authority of the Decalogue. It is
not surprising, therefore, that Sabbath became a covenant sign (Ezek
20:12, 20)—a visible manifestation of the fact that a relationship
between a human being and the Creator God is alive. As the climax
of the Genesis account (Gen 2:1–3),86 the Sabbath functions as “the
memorial of the origin and purpose of life,”87 a reminder that God is to

83 
Applied to God’s creative acts, poieō is found in Genesis 1:1, 7, 16, 21, 25, 26, 27 (3x),
31; 2:2 (2x), 3, 4, and 18. According to Genesis 3:21, God made garments for Adam
and Eve.
84 
See Jon Paulien, “Revisiting the Sabbath in the Book of Revelation,” Journal of the
Adventist Theological Society 9, nos. 1–2 (1998): 179–186.
85 
Revelation 11:19 mentions the ark of the covenant, which contained the Ten
Commandments (Exod 25:21; Deut 10:1–2). Observance of the commandments
occurs in Revelation 12:17; 14:12, rejection in Revelation 12:4, 15; and 13:15 (killing);
13:4, 8, 12, 14, 15; and 14:11 (idolatry); and 13:6 (blasphemy).
86 
Turner, 19–20, demonstrates the organized movement of the Genesis creation
account from chaos (Gen 1:2) to rest (Gen 2:1–4a). He points out that the seventh day,
“unique in its content and narrative form, forms the apex and goal of God’s creativity”
(ibid., 25).
87 
Sigve K. Tonstad, The Lost Meaning of the Seventh Day (Berrien Springs, MI:
Andrews University Press, 2009), 119.

35
be worshipped as a Creator. Therefore, one cannot speak of creation
without speaking of the Sabbath.
According to the end-time drama of Revelation 13–14, humanity
is confronted with a choice between two signs: the mark of the beast
(Rev 13:16–18) and the seal of God (Rev 7:1–3; 14:1). These two
signs represent the two opposing sides in the eschatological conflict
who propagate two different views of the reality: the anthropocentric
worldview that glorifies human authority and the theocentric world-
view that gives glory to God as a Creator.88 In light of the strong
creation theology of the vision, it seems that the mark of the beast
functions as a counterfeit Sabbath, a kind of anti-Sabbath—a sign
signaling the authority of the beast.89 Thus, the strong warning of the
third angel’s message against receiving of the mark of the beast (Rev
14:9–11) can be seen as an indirect call to choose to receive the seal
of God by making a decision to worship the Creator. It emphasizes
that it is possible to turn one’s back on forces that are unworthy of
worship, no matter how attractive their propaganda is, and seek
covenantal alignment with the real authority of the universe. In this
choice there is no place for confusion and vagueness. Those who, in
spite of the warning, receive the mark of the beast “have no rest” (ouk
echousin anapausin, Rev 14:11). By contrast, the end-time call to
worship God in Revelation 14:7 is given in the language of rest
(alluding to the Sabbath), calling the inhabitants of the world to
“worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of
water” (Rev 14:7).90 Revelation 14:7 challenges people to commit
themselves completely to the Creator. All humanity is called to
repent.91 “The inhabitants of the earth have been amazed by the powers
displayed by the beast and his false prophet ([Rev] 13:12–14); they
are now reminded that they have to do with one who is mightier
than the beast—with him who is the source of all things in heaven
and on earth.”92

88 
Ibid., 459, appropriately characterizes the essence of the conflict narrative of
Revelation 13–14 as a “confrontation of signs.”
89 
Anthony MacPherson, “The Mark of the Beast as a ‘Sign Commandment’ and ‘Anti-
Sabbath’ in the Worship Crisis of Revelation 12–14,” Andrews University Seminary
Studies 43 (2005): 267–283.
90 
For a further discussion of Revelation’s Sabbath theology, see Larry L. Lichtenwalter,
“The Seventh-Day Sabbath and Sabbath Theology in the Book of Revelation: Creation,
Covenant, Sign,” Andrews University Seminary Studies 49 (2011), 285–320.
91 
See George Eldon Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids,
MI: Eerdmans, 1991), 193.
92 
Ladd, 194.

36
 But the internal motivation for worship indicated in the first
angel’s messages needs to be emphasized. So, Michaels remarks, “In
the case of the command, fear God and give him glory is a fairly exact
equivalent to ‘repent’ (see 16:9), except that John’s vision spells out
further implications of this repentance: Worship him who made the
heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water [Rev 14:7].”93 True
worship of God, then, is precipitated by repentance that issues in the
“fear of God,” meaning “reverence” and “respect” for God’s authority
that enables people to obey His commands (Gen 22:12; Jer 32:40;
Ps 111:10).94 Such repentance also involves giving “glory” to God.
While giving glory to God entails giving Him honor, praise, and
homage, it should also be kept in mind that

the order to give him glory is a Hebraic saying appearing in

both Old and New Testaments: Joshua told Achan to give
glory to the Lord (Josh. 7:19; see Jer. 13:16), and the Pharisees
commanded the man born blind to give glory to God (John
9:24). The phrase signifies telling the truth by sinners who
appear before God’s judgment seat.95

The idea of “telling the truth” by sinners, as an aspect of giving

glory to God, fits well with the rationale given by the angel for
worship. As in the case with Paul and Barnabas in Lystra (Acts 14:15),
God as the Creator of all things is the motivation given for people “to
worship” Him instead of the creation. In the overall context of the
beasts’ lying activities in Revelation 12 and 13, the first angel’s com-
mand of telling the truth as an aspect of giving glory to God is the
truthful declaration of the rightful recipient of worship: “Him who
made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters” (cf.
Exod 20:4–6, 11; Deut 10:12–15). Evidently, “giving glory to God”
by observing the fourth commandment, rooted as it is in the biblical
creation story, is ultimately an act of worshipping “Him who made
the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.” In an
extended passage, White captures the connections between worship,
commandment keeping, and God’s creatorship:

By the first angel, men are called upon to “fear God, and
give glory to Him” and to worship Him as the Creator of the

93 
Michaels, 173.
94 
David E. Aune, Revelation 6–16, Word Biblical Commentary 52B (Nashville, TN:
Thomas Nelson, 1998), 827.
95 
Kistemaker, 408.

37
 heavens and the earth. In order to do this, they must obey
His law. Says the wise man: “Fear God, and keep His com-
mandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes
12:13. Without obedience to His commandments no worship
can be pleasing to God. “This is the love of God, that we keep
His commandments.” “He that turneth away his ear from
hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” 1 John
5:3; Proverbs 28:9. The duty to worship God is based upon
the fact that He is the Creator and that to Him all other beings
owe their existence. And wherever, in the Bible, His claim
to reverence and worship, above the gods of the heathen, is
presented, there is cited the evidence of His creative power.
“All the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the
heavens.” Psalm 96:5. “To whom then will ye liken Me, or
shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on
high, and behold who hath created these things.” “Thus saith
the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed
the earth and made it: . . . I am the Lord; and there is none
else.” Isaiah 40:25, 26; 45:18. Says the psalmist: “Know ye that
the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we
ourselves.” “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us
kneel before the Lord our Maker.” Psalm 100:3; 95:6. And the
holy beings who worship God in heaven state, as the reason
why their homage is due to Him: “Thou art worthy, O Lord,
to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created
all things.” Revelation 4:11. In Revelation 14, men are called
upon to worship the Creator; and the prophecy brings to
view a class that, as the result of the threefold message, are
keeping the commandments of God.96

The Second Angel

Whereas the first angel provides a summary of true worship, the
second angel gives a depiction of false worship, especially in its escha-
tological manifestation. We are presented with a picture of end-time
idolatry and its constituent elements, particularly its causal factors.
The message of the angel is “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she
who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her
immorality.” A discussion on the nature of Babylon is still ahead, but
to provide context for the discussion on worship, a few things must
be said about it first. The echo of Babylon’s fall and destruction in

96 
White, The Great Controversy, 436–437.

38
Isaiah 21:9 has been noted by scholars such as G. K. Beale.97 Beale
takes the view that all wicked world systems take on the symbolic
name “Babylon the Great.”98 He may be correct in his general
assessment of the universal manifestation of symbolic Babylon in
wicked world systems. However, a careful examination of eschato-
logical Babylon in the book of Revelation strongly suggests more
definitively that it is “identical to the satanic trinity, consisting of
the dragon, the sea beast, and the beast out of the earth—that is,
paganism and spiritualism, the ecclesiastical Rome, and America
with apostate Protestantism.”99
But it is important to observe carefully what Babylon represents
in the system of false worship. Babylon is the instrumental cause of
false worship; the reason for the judgment soon to fall on Babylon is
that she “made all the nations drink of the wine that leads to passion
for her immorality.”100 In other words, Babylon is herself immersed
in immorality, but she incentivizes the world with a passion for her
immorality. She does this by means of the seduction of intoxicating
wine. Thus, the world is led astray and deceived. In the eschatological
context, however, how is the deception achieved? Comparing Revela-
tion 14:8 to 17:2 and 18:3, Beale remarks,

The nations’ cooperation with Babylon ensures their material

security (cf. 2:9, 13; 13:16–17). Without this cooperation,
security would be removed. Such security is a temptation
too great to resist. Therefore, the causative idea of the verb
πεπότικεν (“she made to drink”) means that the nations were
forced to “drink,” to comply . . . if they wanted to maintain
economic security. 101

97 
Beale, Revelation, 754.
98 
Ibid.
99 
Ekkehardt Mueller, “Babylon Identified,” in The Word: Searching, Living, Teaching,
ed. Artur A. Stele, (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 2015), 169.
100 
Osborne, 538. See also Beale, Revelation, 755: “Both τοῦ θυμοῦ (‘of passion’) and
τῆς πορνείας (‘of fornication’ or ‘intercourse’) are to be taken as genitives of cause,
purpose, or result: ‘the wine that causes [or “leads to” or “results in”] passion for
intercourse with her’ (cf. NIV: ‘made all the nations drink from the maddening wine of
her adulteries’).”
101 
Beale, Revelation, 756, expands on the economic interpretation: “This economic
interpretation of the nations’ intoxicating passion for Babylon is clear from ch. 18,
especially 18:3, where ‘(they committed) intercourse with her’ is equivalent to ‘they
became rich from the power resulting from her luxury.’ In addition, 18:9 places in
conjunction ‘they committed intercourse’ and ‘they lived luxuriously [sensuously] with
her.’ In line with this, it is interesting that στρῆνος and the cognate verb, occurring

39
 The conjunction of cooperation with Babylon (to be taken in
its tripartite manifestation as previously mentioned) and the prom-
ise of economic well-being seems remarkable, but cannot be fully
explored here.
Comparing the first and second angels’ messages from the point
of view of worship, the contrast is quite clear. First, whereas true
worship consists of giving glory to and worshipping (falling before)
“Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of
waters,” false worship consists of trusting one’s security to creaturely,
worldly systems. Second, whereas true worship is motivated by
repentance that results in the fear (reverence) of God, thus enabling
obedience to His commandments, false worship is induced by the
deception of material security that leads one to “fear” worldly, crea-
turely systems and render obedience to their demands. The symbolic
marking or sealing of the “servants of the Lord” on the forehead
(Rev 7:3), while the false “servants” receive the mark in the forehead
or in the hand (Rev 13:16), shows that the false worship based on
material security evidences a deeper problem of idolatrous worship.
The context of this symbolism, presented in Deuteronomy 6:1–8,
draws attention to the observance of God’s law. In the context of the
three angels’ messages, obedience to the commandments of God,
including the seventh-day Sabbath, will be “a defining difference
between the followers of the true gospel and those of the counter-
feit.”102 This point shows the close theological connection between the
first and second angels’ messages.

The Third Angel

With the third angel we encounter the particularization of both
the “subjects” and “objects” of false worship in the end-time context.
The angel declares,

If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a

mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of
the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength
in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire

respectively in 18:3 and 18:9, can be translated with the sense of ‘luxury’ or ‘sensuality.’
Clearly ungodly humanity’s love for Babylon lay in her ability to provide economic
prosperity (so 18:11–19). The nations ‘weep and lament’ over Babylon’s fall because
they ‘fear’ that it means their own imminent demise (18:9–10, 15, 19).”
102 
Jon Paulien, Armageddon at the Door (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald,
2008), 163.

40
 and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the
presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes
up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those
who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives
the mark of his name. (Rev 14:9–11)

In the message of the second angel, Babylon falls not because

she was directly the object of worship, but because of her bad influ-
ence. With the third angel, the message is concerned about entities
that have become objects of worship: the beast and his image. The
angel also marks with particularity the subjects of false worship—
those who receive a mark on their foreheads or right hands. Hence,
we are presented with the beast and his image as an alternative
teleological principle to the Creator God as far as worship is con-
cerned. And the angel announces the judgment of those who embrace
this alternative principle: torment with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. The
message is as stark as it is clear. Focusing on the wrong goal in
worship leads to a dead end.
Receiving the mark on foreheads or right hands may signify iden-
tification with the satanic trinity (Babylon) whom they worship.103
If true worship ends with obedience, Stefanovic may be correct in
his assessment that “in the final analysis, the mark of the beast on the
right hand or the forehead serves as identification for the worshippers
of the satanic trinity, as the counterpart to the seal of God.”104 In the
immediate context of chapter 14, Revelation speaks of the moral
qualities of the sealed. “No lie was found in their mouth; they are 

103 
Sealing in the Bible is significant for several reasons. First, the marking or sealing
of an object, animal, or a person indicated ownership. For example, a servant’s ear was
pierced to indicate that his master owned him forever (Exod 21:6) and circumcision
was the ultimate mark that Israel belonged to Yahweh (Gen 17:9–12). Second, in the
Bible sealing is also an indication of protection. Whatever or whoever came under
the imprint of a person’s seal or mark also came under the protection of that person.
A classic case is the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts of the children of
Israel the night the destroying angel passed through the land of Egypt (Exod 12:7–
13). Similarly, in Ezekiel’s judgment vision, those who sighed and moaned over
abominations being committed among God’s people were to be marked by the writer
with the inkhorn as a sign of protection from the executioner (Ezek 9:4–5). Third,
sealing marked something or a person as genuine. For a person, it was evidence of
constant, unflinching loyalty and commitment. Thus, the overcomers in the church of
Philadelphia have the name of God written on them, and they become pillars in the
temple of God, and will not go out of it anymore (Rev 3:12).
104 
Stefanovic, 451.

41
blameless” (Rev 14:5). And, in describing their victory in the spiri-
tual struggle of the end time, John notes that the sealed had not been
“defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These 
are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Rev 14:5). Here
is brought to view the struggle of those who are sealed against harlot
Babylon and her daughters who represent apostate religion. It is the
war against the remnant (Rev 12:17)—against those who refuse to go
along with Babylon’s program (Rev 13:15–17). Indeed, those who are
sealed seem to be involved in proclaiming the three angels’ messages,
warning the world against the dire consequences of following
Babylon (Rev 14:6–12).105 Obedience to the commandments of God,
including the seventh-day Sabbath, will be “a defining difference
between the followers of the true gospel and those of the counter-
feit.”106 It will be the final test that determines the destiny of every
human being.107 In this context, White speaks about commandment
keepers being misrepresented and condemned in legislative halls and
courts of justice. She then adds that “in the soon-coming conflict
we shall see exemplified the prophet’s words: ‘The dragon was wroth
with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her
seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony
of Jesus Christ’ (Revelation 12:17).”108 Unlike the antichrist powers
who are deceitful, the sealed are truthful, loyal, and walk in
God’s ways. Worship of the beast and the reception of his mark
stand in antithesis to obedience to God’s commandments,
substituting obedience to the satanic trinity for the obedience of
God.109 This assessment seems all the more appropriate in view of the
conclusion to the message of the three angels: “Here is the persever-
ance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their
faith in Jesus” (Rev 14:12).

Summary

The three angels of Revelation 14:6–12 depict a conflict of

worship in the end time. Together, they paint a composite picture of
the structure and contours of both true and false worship.

105 
Ekkehardt Mueller, “The 144,000 and the Great Multitude,” 1, https://adventistbiblical
research.org/materials/the-144000-and-the-great-multitude, accessed March 31, 2021.
106 
Paulien, Armageddon at the Door, 163.
107 
Beatrice S. Neall, “Sealed Saints and the Tribulation,” in Holbrook, Symposium on
Revelation: Book 1, 258.
108 
Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, 592.
109 
Stefanovic, 461.

42
 First, the fact that in the end time the whole of humanity is
constituted of two opposing worshipping camps underscores the
point that worship is fundamentally an essential aspect of human life.
True worship places a responsibility—an imperative—on humans to
worship the Creator God. In the conflict of the end time, however,
forces opposed to the Creator God set up a counterfeit, creaturely
system that demands an alternative worship.
Second, true worship is motivated by a response of repentance to
the gospel that creates reverence, respect, and awe towards the Creator
God and results in giving Him glory, including obedience to His
commandments. On the other hand, false worship is encouraged by
deception. In the end-time context, the seduction is one of material
security that leads a segment of humanity to “fear” a worldly, crea-
turely system put in place by a satanic trinity that demands obedience
on the pain of death.
Third, the rightful recipient of true worship is the Creator God,
who alone is worthy of worship.

Creation and Judgment Motifs

We have already noted that Revelation 13–14 presents two
worshipping communities. One adheres to the covenant with the
Creator God by keeping His commandments and the faith of Jesus
(Rev 14:12; cf. 12:17), while the other ignores the Creator and His
covenant by giving glory to the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast?
Who is able to make war with him?” (Rev 13:4). The conflict between
Christ and the antichrist and between God’s people and Babylon
comes to a dramatic end in the final scene of the cosmic conflict vision
(Rev 14:14–20). Before it, however, a strong warning of a judgment is
issued in the three angels’ messages (Rev 14:6–13). Although judgment
in the three angels’ messages is not only damnation, a stern warning
runs through all three messages. The first message announces the
arrival of the “hour” of God’s judgment and calls for worshipping the
Creator (Rev 14:7). The second message declares the fall of Babylon
with a language of intensity—“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great!”
(Rev 14:8)—and the third message, given in a loud voice, is the most
frightening warning in the New Testament (Rev 14:9–11).
The first angel proclaims the “everlasting good news” (euangelion
aiōnion), a point of view that is under attack by the campaign of the
evil forces. The proclamation counters the misrepresentation of the
worldview that centers on the Creator God and it affirms that which

43
is eternally valid.110 Humanity is called to worship the Creator “for the
hour of His judgment has come” (Rev 14:7), a causal clause introduced
by hoti (“for”). Clearly, this “hour” is a critical moment. However, it
is not a single moment or a literal sixty-minute hour. In the context
of the vision, the “hour of his judgment” (hē hōra tēs kriseōs autou)
precedes “the hour to reap” (hē hōra therisai, Rev 14:15), an
expression designating the second coming of Christ when the
harvest for eternity will be gathered. Both “hours” are introduced by
the same word, “came” (ēlthen), which shows that they are related.
Before the harvest is gathered, there is a need for “the hour of his
judgment,” a process in which decisions are made regarding those
who will constitute the harvest. The goal of this judgment is to provide
clarity and security.111 As Gerhard F. Hasel notes, “before the harvest
is reaped, a judgment must take place in which to decide who among
God’s professed children can be reaped and taken into the eternal
kingdom.”112 A striking thematic parallel can be observed between
Daniel 7 and Revelation 14. Jacques Doukhan argues that the Old
Testament judgment scene of Daniel 7 provides the primary back-
ground of the warning of the three angels’ messages. 113 It provides
urgency to the threefold message.114
The announcement of the arrival of the hour of judgment in
Revelation 14:7 is not only a warning, but also good news. Namely,
the first angel’s message claims that the judgment is in process and
this is still a time during which one has an opportunity to associ-
ate oneself with God in the cosmic conflict.115 Also, it is good news
since judgment provides an answer to the “How long, O Lord?” (Rev
6:10) question of God’s people, assuring them of the triumph of God’s
purposes and that there is justice in the universe.116 So in Revelation
14 divine grace and divine justice are closely linked: they are two
aspects of the same work of God—the process of resolving the
problem of evil in His work of renewing the creation.117

110 
Tonstad, Lost Meaning, 477.
111 
Tonstad, Revelation, 204.
112 
Gerhard F. Hasel, “Divine Judgment,” in Dederen, 834.
113 
Jacques B. Doukhan, Secrets of Revelation: The Apocalypse Through Hebrew Eyes
(Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 2002), 123.
114 
Hans K. LaRondelle, How to Understand the End-Time Prophecies of the Bible: The
Biblical-Contextual Approach (Sarasota, FL: First Impressions, 1997), 340.
115 
Rodríguez, 132.
116 
Stefanovic, 454.
117 
Jan Paulsen, “A Theology of Judgment” (unpublished manuscript, PDF, Northern
European Division, St. Albans, 1981), 12.

44
 Judgment and the Fall of Babylon
The interpretation of the concept of end-time Babylon and its
fall in Revelation requires an understanding of the theological
character of ancient Babylon. Peter J. Leithart rightly notes that because
of its rich biblical association, the term “Babylon” “strikes a chord,
not a single note.”118 In the Old Testament, Babylon appears as the
archenemy of God and the persecutor of His covenant people,
destroying the temple and taking His people into captivity. Thus, the
fall of historical Babylon, which took place shortly after announcing
its moral fall (Dan 5:27–28), opened a way for the freedom of Israel.
Hans K. LaRondelle notes the repetition of the same pattern in the
end-time scenario of Revelation: first the verdict of end-time Babylon’s
fall is pronounced (Rev 14:8) before its actual destruction during the
seventh plague (Rev 16:17–21).119
The closing chapters in the story of Revelation narrate a tale of
two cities: Babylon and Jerusalem—a “great” city (Rev 14:8) and a
“holy” city (Rev 21:2).120 “Great” is clearly an ironic epithet for the
eschatological Babylon (Babylōn hē megalē), as it was for the historical
“Babylon” in Daniel 4:30. The title is associated with Babylon’s
arrogance.121 What is actually great is her fall (Rev 18).122 Babylon is
contrasted in Revelation with the new Jerusalem, the holy temple-city
in which God’s presence dwells (Rev 21:3).123 The two cities are
personified as two women: the harlot Babylon (Rev 17:1) and the
bride of Christ (Rev 21:9). The antithetical parallelism is significant,

118 
Leithart, Revelation 1–11, 9.
119 
Hans K. LaRondelle, “The Remnant and the Three Angels’ Messages,” in
Dederen, 877.
120 
For an in-depth treatment of Revelation’s city motif, see Barbara R. Rossing, The
Choice Between Two Cities: Whore, Bride, and Empire in Apocalypse (Harrisburg, PA:
Trinity Press International, 1999); and Eva Maria Räpple, The Metaphor of the City in
the Apocalypse of John, Studies in Biblical Literature 4 (New York: Peter Lang, 2004).
121 
On the theological significance of the motif of arrogance in Daniel, see Ivan
Milanov, “Lords and the Lord: The Motifs of Hubris in Daniel 1–6” (PhD diss.,
Newbold College, 2014).
122 
Gordon Campbell, “Antithetical Femine-Urban Imagery and a Tale of Two
Women-Cities in the Book of Revelation,” Tyndale Bulletin 55 (2004), 87.
123 
For the new Jerusalem as a temple-city, see, e.g., Pilchan Lee, The New Jerusalem
in the Book of Revelation: A Study of Revelation 21–22 in the Light of Its Background
in Jewish Tradition, Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, 2nd
ser., vol. 129 (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2001), 281–285; and G. K. Beale, The Temple
and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God, New Studies
in Biblical Theology 17 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2005), 313–334.

45
since drunkenness and fornication (Rev 14:8) stand in contrast to
faithfulness and chastity (Rev 19:8).124
The most astonishing characteristic of Babylon, the harlot-city,
is that she is a covenant breaker. The covenant framework is a critical
point of orientation for interpreting the “fall of Babylon” motif.125 The
symbolic portrayal of Babylon as a “great harlot” (Rev 17:1) who “has
made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication”
reflects covenantal language (Rev 14:8). This metaphor is to be
understood in light of the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
and Hosea who portray apostate Israel as Yahweh’s unfaithful wife
who became a prostitute.126 In the Old Testament oracles, idolatry
is designated as the principal means of forsaking the covenant with
Yahweh (Ezek 16:38). Significantly, the crucial issue in the eschato-
logical drama of Revelation 13 and 14 is the issue of true worship
in contrast to idolatry. Thus, judgment over the harlot-city, the
eschatological Babylon, is to be interpreted in covenantal terms, as
facing covenant curses that are the consequence of her actions.
The antithetical parallels suggest that in Revelation Babylon
represents a counter-religious system to that which calls for the
worship of the Creator God (Rev 14:7). It is an idolatrous system
that “prizes human ambition, lust, wealth and power,”127 and seduces
“all nations” for “intercourse” with her (Rev 14:8). Her intoxicating
influence, based on the promise of prosperous welfare (Rev 17–18), is
unmasked by an alarming warning of the second angel: “Fallen, fallen
is Babylon the Great!” (epesen, epesen Babylōn hē megalē). The use
of the aorist for announcing a future event, also a feature of the Old
Testament prophetic oracles, and using reduplication of the word
“fallen” underscores the absolute certainty of Babylon’s fate. While
she is successful in establishing a worldwide empire based on seeking
her own glory (Rev 13), she is finally unmasked by God’s last warning
(Rev 14:6–13) as “a charlatan city clothed with stolen scarlet and
glistening with fool’s gold, whose designer make-up covers her ugly
face.”128 As such, Babylon has no future.

124 
For antithetical correspondences between Babylon and new Jerusalem, see
Campbell, 98–106.
125 
This has been recognized by Hans K. LaRondelle, “Babylon: Anti-Christian
Empire,” in Holbrook, Symposium on Revelation: Book 2, 157–163, but unfortunately
not much attention has been given to this important point by scholarship.
126 
Isa 1:22; Jer 3:1–3, 8–9; Ezek 16:15–34; Hos 2:2, 4.
127 
Brian J. Tabb, All Things New: Revelation as Canonical Capstone, New Studies in
Biblical Theology 48 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2019), 184.
128 
Ibid.

46
 Judgment as the Consequence of Misplaced Allegiance
While the second angel’s message emphasizes the fact of Baby-
lon’s judgment and its cause, the third angel’s message elaborates on
the fate of the inhabitants of the earth who align themselves with the
diabolical system that acts as a rival of God—though God as the Creator
(Rev 14:7) cannot have any true rivals. So, together with the first
message, the two messages form an unbreakable unit. They continue
in flight side-by-side as a unified threefold eschatological warning
issued by God. However, the third message forms the strongest and
most frightening intervention, which implies urgency.
The third angel’s message both begins and closes with the reason
for judgment: worshipping the beast and his image, and receiving his
mark (Rev 14:9, 11).129 The use of the literary technique of inclusio
at this point highlights that the final judgment is the verdict human
beings “have passed on themselves by their attitude toward God and
his saving purpose.”130 The emphasis on misplaced worship as a cause
of condemnation links the messages to the first angel’s messages
(“Fear God . . . give Him glory . . . worship Him who made,” Rev 14:7),
indicating that the condemned rejected the call to worship the one
who is worthy of it.131 Since they identified with the evil of Babylon,
they must share its fate, its judgment announced in the second
angel’s message.132
The judgment over the condemned is stated in terms of drinking
“the wine of God’s wrath [tou oinou tou thymou tou theou], poured
unmixed into the cup of his anger” (Rev 14:10). The expression is
in contrast with “the wine of the passion” (tou oinou tou thymou tēs
porneias) of the prostitute’s fornication (Rev 14:8). The fact that “the
wine of God’s wrath” is “poured undiluted” (kekerasmenou akratou)
and that in the text tymos (“wrath”) and orgē (“anger”) feature
together indicate the intensity and decisiveness of God’s reaction to

129 
The switch to present tense (in Revelation 14:8 verbs are in aorist and perfect)
emphasizes the continual character of the actions: “worshipping” (proskynei) of the
beast and “receiving” (lambanei) of his identifying mark.
130 
John A. Bollier, “Judgment in the Apocalypse,” Interpretation 7 (1953), 24.
131 
Roberto Badenas, “Wahre und Falsche Anbetung in der Drei-Engels-Botschaft,”
in Studien zur Offenbarung: Die Bedeutung der drei Engelsbotschaften—Heute
(Offenbarung 14, 6–12), 2 vols. (Bern: Euro-Afrika Division, 1988), 1:257–292, argues
that the leitmotif connecting the three messages is the issue of worship: the first
message is a call for true worship, the second message is a condemnation of false
worship, and the third message is a warning against false worship. Both contextually
and textually, this suggestion is convincing.
132 
Richard Bauckham, “Judgment in the Book of Revelation,” Ex Auditu 20 (2004): 20.

47
evil.133 The imagery of God’s wine being “mixed unmixed” (literal
translation of kekerasmenou akratou) draws on the background of
ancient wine drinking, as common practice in the first century was to
mix water with wine at least by half, but at times in even a three-to-one
ratio in favor of water.134 Since it is clearly stated that God’s wrath
is prepared in full strength, the logical conclusion is that the prosti-
tute’s wine is diluted. As Beale notes, “while the intoxicating effect of
Babylon’s wine seemed strong, it is nothing in comparison to God’s
wine.”135 Babylon’s influence in misleading people was very effective, as
depicted in Revelation 13. However, God’s response to the distortion
of the truth about reality will be definitive and experiencing God’s
wrath all the worse.136
The severity of God’s wrath is defined more precisely in terms
of eternal torment. The language of the destruction of the beast-
worshippers is drawn from Isaiah 34:9–10, which portrays God’s
judgment over Edom: “Its streams shall be turned into pitch, and
its dust into brimstone; its land shall become burning pitch. It shall
not be quenched night or day; its smoke shall ascend forever.” The
strong language highlights the permanent destiny of Edom: it will
never rise again. Similarly, the judgment of beast-worshippers will
be definite. While Revelation has often been accused of violence and
vindictiveness on account of its judgment language,137 its language is
hyperbolic and it has a rhetorical function. The frightening messages
of Revelation 14:9–11 functions as a warning, a kind of shock-therapy,
designed to move people to change course: to acknowledge the
Creator God in worship and boycott the quasi-sovereignty that
usurps His place.

133 
The two terms occur together also in Revelation 16:19 and 19:15.
134 
Aune, Revelation 6–16, 833.
135 
Beale, Revelation, 759.
136 
In the Old Testament some enemies of the people of God had to drink the cup of
wrath. The picture of judgment is drinking until extinction: “They shall drink, and
swallow, and they shall be as though they had never been” (Obad 1:16). “Drink, get
drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of the sword that I am sending among
you” (Jer 25:27). At times, even the covenant-breaking Israel had to drink the wine
of God’s wrath (Pss 60:3; 75:8; Isa 51:17, 22; Jer 25:15–16, 27; 49:12; Ezek 23:31–34).
Jesus’ torments in Gethsemane are pictured, against this background, as accepting a
cup of divine wrath from God’s hand (Matt 20:22; 26:39, 42).
137 
For a summary of recent discussions on the violent language of Revelation, see
Paul Middleton, The Violence of the Lamb: Martyrs as Agents of Divine Judgment in
the Book of Revelation, The Library of New Testament Studies 586 (London: T&T
Clark, 2018), 1–13.

48
 The parallel between Revelation 14:11b and 4:8, and the use of the
phrase “day or night,” also has an important theological significance
that enlightens the relation of judgment and creation. The first text
states of the fate of the beast-worshippers that “they have no rest
day or night” (ouk echousin anapausin hēmeras kai nyktos) from the
torment, while in the throne room vision of Revelation 4, which
depicts an ongoing reality, the paradigmatic worshippers of God
“do not rest day or night” (anapausin ouk echousin hēmeras kai
nyktos) praising God. Because of their misplaced allegiance, choosing
to worship the beast instead of the Creator God, the ultimate punish-
ment of the condemned is not having “rest.” It must be mentioned,
however, that these expressions should not be interpreted to indicate
a state of perpetuity in the experience of the wicked.138 Having divine
rest has been a privilege of all human beings since the creation
week when God rested on the seventh day after His work of creation
(Gen 2:2–3), but the eternal destiny of the beast-worshippers is
losing the opportunity to find “rest.” The seventh-day Sabbath, the
memorial of the creation and the sign of the covenant, points to
God who remains faithful to His creation. Ignoring His covenant by
worshipping a power that is unworthy of it has chaos and loss of
rest as a consequence. Larry Lichtenwalter concludes, “This creation
backdrop highlights the essential nature of the dragon’s attack on
God and his people. It is decreation—the reversal of creation.”139 It
is the consequence of turning away from the truth that is available to
human beings (Rev 14:6–7).
While the impression is that the majority of people go along with
the idolatrous agenda of Babylon, Revelation calls upon its readers to
have patience (hypomonē tōn hagiōn, Rev 14:12), assuring them that
justice will triumph at the end. The underlying idea behind justice as a
concept associated with God’s judgment is the fairness of the Creator
in His dealing with the world (“Your judgments are true and just!,”

138 
Since the meaning of the expression eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn may be derived
from that with which it is associated, “the following is a possible explanation of the
use of the compound expression here [Rev 14:11]. The subject matter is the torment
of the worshipers of the beast in an inferno of fire and brimstone. The age of a man
in such an environment would be very brief, so that if the expression eis ton aiōna,
‘unto the age,’ had been used, it would be possible to conclude that the punishment
would be but momentary. The compound expression shows that the torment would
be for a certain period, not unending of course, as is evident from other scriptures
that show that the final fate of the wicked will be annihilation (see Matt. 10:28; Rev.
20:14)” (Francis D. Nichols, ed., The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7
[Washington, DC: Review and Herald], 832).
139 
Lichtenwalter, “Seventh-Day Sabbath,” 305.

49
Rev 16:7; cf. 15:3; 16:5; 19:2). His judgments are not arbitrary
decisions. As Bauckham points out, “God’s judgment is not an external
authority imposing its will on people, but the light of truth exposing
evil for all to see.”140 So, God will judge human acts and the results will
be evident when the time comes and evil is finally defeated.
After this analysis of the creation and judgment motifs in the three
angels’ messages, we turn now to the discussion of their relationship.

Linking Creation and Judgment

A direct link between the motifs of creation and judgment in
Revelation is found in 11:18, a text that sheds some light on the nature
of the relationship between the two motifs in 14:6–13. This text,
featuring at the very end of the seventh trumpet, begins and ends with
the notion of judgment, while the middle of the verse refers to the
“reward” that will be given to the faithful. It claims that the time has
arrived (ēlthen . . . ho kairos) for administering justice and setting up
God’s kingdom (Rev 11:15–17), which, among other things, involves
“destroying those who destroy the earth” (NRSV). In Revelation
there are four principal agents of destruction: 1) Satan, 2) the beast,
3) the false prophet, and 4) Babylon. The way they ruin others finally
results in their own ruination (lex talionis).141 On the other hand, for
the people of God the time of judgment is the demonstration of the
fact that God has not given up on His creation. The allusion to the
Genesis flood story in Revelation 11:18 serves the purpose of stress-
ing the theme of the Creator’s faithfulness to His creation. Bauckham
remarks that “the extent to which the Creator’s faithfulness to his
creation is the theme of Revelation can be appreciated if we notice a
significant allusion to the Genesis Flood story in Revelation 11:18 . . .
the phrase—‘for destroying the destroyers of the earth’—also alludes
to the equivalent wordplay in Genesis 6:11–13, 17, where the Hebrew
verb . . . [‫ ]תחש‬. . . has the same double meaning.”142 In other words,
God’s judgment is to be seen as a crucial step in the process of the
good Creator’s restoration of His good creation. Its essence is that
“Israel’s God [is] dealing firmly and decisively with everything that
has distorted and corrupted his good creation, so that creation itself
can be rescued from all its ills and transformed into the new world”
(Rev 21–22).143 So, the larger picture that provides interpretive

140 
Bauckham, “Judgment,” 3.
141 
Koester, 517.
142 
Bauckham, Theology, 52.
143 
N. T. Wright, Paul and the Faithfulness of God, Christian Origins and the Question
of God (London: SPCK, 2013), 482.

50
context for the concept of judgment is God’s work of reclaiming and
restoring His creation by solving the problem of evil.
The biblical view of God as a Creator presupposes His faithful-
ness to the creation. God’s faithfulness is rooted in His covenantal
relationship with the world He created. While the actual term
“covenant” (berît) does not feature in the creation story of Genesis
1–2, it does not have to feature for a covenant to exist.144 Basic to the
covenant is covenantal loyalty—not only of humanity (Gen 2:15–17),
but of the Creator God to His creation. So, the work of creation and
the covenant make “an unbreakable theological unity.”145
The link connecting the concepts of God as a Creator and God
as a judge in the three angels’ messages is His covenantal faithfulness.
In the Old Testament God’s fairness and justice were the basic
assumptions of the covenant. God’s covenant people expected the
Creator to investigate and set matters right by exercising judgment
(Gen 16:5; 31:53; 1 Sam 24:15; 2 Sam 18:19; Ps 7). The judgment acts
of the Lord were aimed at safeguarding the covenantal relationship
with His people, so they were the demonstration of His faithfulness. A
good example is the Genesis flood narrative, in which the faithfulness
of the Creator is clearly a central idea. This is suggested by the central
significance of the expression “then God remembered Noah” (Gen
8:1) in the narrative.146 The reference to the creation of the “springs
of water” in the first angel’s messages (Rev 14:7) as an allusion to the
flood narrative (Gen 7:11) seems to serve the same purpose: recalling
God’s faithfulness to His creation as a context for interpreting judg-
ment (cf. Rev 4:3).
Therefore, judgment in the three angels’ messages is a logical
outworking of the faithfulness of the Creator God. Because He as
Creator is faithful to His creation, He does not allow evil to have the
last word. With judgment over Babylon, He is setting boundaries to
the work of evil that ruins the creation with violence, oppression,
and the setting up of a global idolatrous worship system. God’s
faithfulness to His creation requires destroying evil and eradicating
it from the universe in order to preserve and restore a world that was
created in the beginning as “very good” (Gen 1:31).147 His purpose is

144 
For evidence for a creation covenant, see, e.g., Thomas R. Schreiner, Covenant and
God’s Purpose for the World (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 19–29.
145 
Hans K. LaRondelle, Our Creator Redeemer: An Introduction to Biblical Covenant
Theology (Berrien Springs, MD: Andrews University Press, 2005), 17.
146 
For the chiastic structure of the flood narrative, centered on God’s remembrance of
Noah (Gen 8:1a), see Turner, 55.
147 
Bauckham, Theology, 52.

51
“taking creation beyond the threat of evil” and transforming it into a
home in which divine glory dwells together with humanity (Rev 21:3,
22–23; 22:3–5).148
The three angels’ messages is a final call for humanity to respond
to the Creator God by seeking a covenantal relationship with Him. In
contrast to the deceptive claims of the evil forces, Revelation 14:6–13
makes clear that there is one God from whom all things originate, to
whom human beings owe allegiance. His covenantal faithfulness to
His creation requires Him to right that which is wrong in His cosmos
and rescue His creation from what ruins it. His ultimate plan is to
create a new world on the foundations of the old one (Rev 21:1–8).
Clearly, Revelation’s view of the future is deeply creational: the things
that pose a threat to the goodness and God-givenness of God’s
creational order are to be defeated and the reign of God over the whole
creation is to be restored. The theme of judgment is to be understood
within this framework as a crucial step in the Creator’s program of
renewal, and as a step by which the health of the creation is restored
and by which chaos is replaced with order (Gen 1:1–2).149 White
seems to write from this point of view when she notes,

The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more.

The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness
beats through the vast creation. From Him who created
all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms
of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest
world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed
beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.150

Therefore, judgment is “good news” (euangelion) because it is a

“no” to all that stands against God’s good purposes for the world and a
“yes” to the restoration of creation itself in line with the original vision
in Genesis 1–2.151 As such, it is a responsible expression of divine love.

Conclusion

A unique feature in John’s Apocalypse, which is found at the

center of the book, are the successive messages of three angels. It
is a proclamation directed especially to the people living in the last

148 
Bauckham, Theology, 53.
149 
Wright, 481.
150 
White, The Great Controversy, 678.
151 
Wright, 483.

52
period of human history. Although many of the messages of the book
come together in a nutshell in Revelation 14:6–12, John’s Apocalypse
does not stop there. Christ’s second coming is not directly found in
the three angels’ messages; its depiction immediately follows it (Rev
14:14–16). And while creation occurs in the message of Revelation
14:7, it is the Genesis creation—that which was made (Rev 14:7)—
that is found there.
Theologically, the centrality of the message in the structure of the
book of Revelation gives it noteworthy relevance. The connection of
the doctrine of the Sabbath to the biblical creation that underlies it re-
quires in itself a closer examination of the creation doctrine and its re-
lation to the three angels’ messages. Indeed, the foundational nature
of the doctrine of creation to other biblical doctrines has been recog-
nized: “Alter the doctrine of creation at any point, and you have also
altered these other aspects of Christian doctrine.”152 Consequently,
a proper, biblical conception of the connection between the doctrine
of creation and the other biblical themes in the messages is needed.
The three angels’ messages talk about God, creation, redemption,
worship, and judgment, and we have tried to show the connections
among these themes. Clearly, creation, covenant, and judgment belong
together in the theological thinking of John as related expressions of
the work of God that are integral to the “eternal gospel” (Rev 14:6).
Part of it may appear threatening and may be seen as negative
motivation to “fear God.” Nevertheless, the positive motivation is
the concept of salvation in the three angels’ messages and the new
creation in communion with the God of love, holiness, and justice
being proclaimed in Revelation 21 and 22. Even the divine judg-
ments are to be seen as expressions of God’s love by which He seeks to
protect His creation.
The significance of the three angels’ messages in its universal
scope requires that the messages be shared not only as head knowl-
edge (although cognitive truth is important). People need to be
challenged to turn to God, follow Jesus, and love the Lord with all
their heart, all their soul, and all their mind. Also, while the message
is the final message that calls humanity to make a decision for God,
it should be understood and shared through the lens of the totality
of Revelation’s messages.

Millard Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House,
152 

1998), 393.

53
 STUDY GUIDES FOR CREATION
AND THE THREE ANGELS’ MESSAGES

These study guides are prepared to make the material presented in

this document more accessible. For each main section in the written
text we provide a conceptual diagram that summarizes the key points
in that section. Following the diagram, some specific questions are
offered to help the reader understand the theological and logical
connections among the concepts in the three angels’ messages that
have been presented in this document.

The Setting of the Three Angels’ Messages:

A Chronological Outline (Rev 11:19–14:20)

Revelation’s Central Vision (Rev 11:19–14:20)

Chronological Setting

1 2 3 4 Satan and two allies

First ally: sea beast Second ally: land beast

Satan attacks Satan attacks

Satan attacks the remnant
the church in Rev 13:1–10 Rev 13:11–18
Jesus with allies
history

Allies united against God’s people

Rev 12:6, 13–

Rev 12:1–5 Rev 12:7–13
16

God’s counter-response
The woman
and the
dragon The three angels’ message Rev 14:6–12

Study this diagram in connection with the section “The Setting of

the Three Angels’ Messages” (p. 6ff) and answer the following questions:

1. The vision recorded in Revelation 11:19–14:20 is a portrayal of the

outline of Christian history in symbols. How would you describe
the outline of events depicted in Revelation 12?

54
2. How do the characters in the vision of Revelation 13 contribute
to the program that was begun by the dragon in Revelation 12?

3. Reflect on Revelation 12 and 13. In view of what has been revealed

in those chapters, what contribution does chapter 14 make to the
narrative in this central vision of Revelation?

55
 Creation in the Book of Revelation
and the Three Angels’ Messages

Creation Texts in Revelation

Rev 3:14 Rev 4:11 Rev 5:13 Rev 10:6 Rev 14:7 Rev 21–22

Protology
The Father
(first things) God must
and the
Worship and be
Lamb are
Jesus is belongs to eschatology worshipped Creation is
worshipped
Creator God as (last things) because He renewed
because of
Creator are alone is
creation and
connected Creator
redemption

Study this diagram in connection with the section “Creation in the

Book of Revelation and the Three Angels’ Messages” (p. 9ff) and answer
the following questions:

1. Familiarize yourself with the passages identified as creation texts

in the book of Revelation by reading them carefully. Pay particular
attention to the contexts in which they occur. How would you
explain to someone the message on creation that each passage
conveys?

56
2. How do the creation passages in the book of Revelation echo the
creation in the book of Genesis? Which passages in particular
stand out for you?

3. Which aspects of the three angels’ messages do you think are

clarified by the creation passages of Revelation 4 and 5?

4. Why is creation so important for our understanding of God and

who we are?

57
 Creation and the Gospel

Creation and the Gospel

Everlasting gospel of Rev 14:6 is

the same as the gospel in the rest of Creation and salvific themes occur close to each other
the NT in Revelation

Gospel defined by Jesus

(Mark 1:15; cf. Ps 96)

Gospel in other NT texts cf. Rev 1:5 and 3:14

(Matt 4:23; 24:14; Mark 1:15; cf. Rev 4:8–11 and 5:9–13
Gospel in direct and indirect
John 3:16; Acts 20:24; Rom cf. Rev 10:6 and 11:8
texts in Revelation
1:16; Eph 1:13; 6:15; Col 1:5; Rev 12:10–11
2 Cor 10:14; 2 Tim 1:10) Rev 13:8

Description of the The immediate context of Creation/salvation in the

The crucified, resurrected
Godhead and work Rev 14:6 context of judgment
Prologue Savior
of Jesus (Rev 11:9; 13:4, 12 [cf. (Rev 15:2–4; 16:17; 19:1;
(Rev 1:5) (Rev 1:17–18; 5:9; 7:14;
(Rev 1:4–8) Gen 3:15] 14:4, 13) 21–22)
12:11; 14:3–4)

Study this diagram in connection with the section “Creation and

the Gospel” (p. 14ff) and answer the following questions:

1. Look over the passages in the book of Revelation that address the
concept of the gospel. How do these passages contribute to the
point that the “everlasting gospel” of Revelation 14:6 is the same
gospel proclaimed by Jesus, the apostles, and Paul?

58
2. How is this gospel connected with the doctrine of creation in the
first angel’s message? How does the connection between
creation, gospel, and salvation elsewhere in Revelation support
your answer?

3. Study carefully the passages in the book of Revelation that connect

creation and salvation before and after the central vision of Rev-
elation 11:19–14:20. How can you relate these passages to the first
angel’s message?

59
 Creation and Worship

Creation and Worship

First angel Second angel Third angel

Rev 14:6–7 Rev 14:8 Rev 14:9–12

True worship is False worship is

Consequences of true and false
motivated by motivated by
worship
God as Creator Babylon’s intoxicating wine

Study this diagram in connection with the section “Creation and

Worship” (p. 31ff), and answer the following questions:

1. What do the phrases “fear God” and “give Him glory” mean in the
context of worship?

2. The first angel’s command to fear God, give Him glory, and wor-
ship Him is based on God’s status as Creator. How would you
explain that the directive to humans to worship God is proper
and deserving?

60
3. In the context of the three angels’ messages, how would you answer
the allegation that the emphasis on commandment keeping,
including the Sabbath commandment, is a form of legalism?

4. How might you demonstrate that the first angel’s message

involves a situation of conflict over worship?

5. According to the second angel’s message, Babylon is “fallen”

because she “made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of
her fornication.” How do you understand this phrase in relation
to the issue of worship announced by the first angel?

6. How is Babylon a threat to the worship that only God as Creator

deserves?

61
 Creation and Judgment

Creation and Judgment

Second Third
First angel
angel angel
Rev 14:6–7
Rev 14:8 Rev 14:9–12

Worshippers of Babylon
“Hour” of judgment Babylon is fallen
Those who worship
A process of clarity and A judgment on Babylon
Babylon are judged for
security regarding the for promoting covenant
rejecting the call of the
Creator’s worthiness to breaking with the Creator
first angel to worship the
receive worship God
Creator

Study this diagram in the connection with the section “Creation

and Judgment Motifs” (p. 45ff) and answer the following questions:

1. Reflect on the point that the announcement of judgment by the

first angel does not indicate a single moment in time, but rather a
process. What key moments of the process can you identify in all
the three angels’ messages?

62
2. Consider Revelation 11:18 carefully and explain how, in cove-
nantal terms, the third angel’s message about judgment is
connected with Revelation’s teaching on creation.

3. From the point of view of judgment, how is the judgment announ-

ced by the first angel related to the judgment of the third angel?

63
This book is an initiative of the Faith and Science
Council through the Biblical Research Institute. It
explores the theological connection between the
Genesis creation account and the prophetic mes-
sages of the three angels of Revelation 14 and
provides a solid exposition of this important biblical
connection. The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s
belief in the seventh-day Sabbath as God’s day of
rest and its special relevance for our time is rooted
in these messages and shapes the church’s missio-
nary efforts. Among the theological themes present
in the three angels’ messages, three stand out
—gospel, worship, and judgment. Each of these
biblical themes are carefully examined in the
setting of the biblical creation within the context
of the three angels’ messages and the book of
Revelation as a whole. A practical study guide is
included at the end to facilitate personal study and
group discussion of this important topic. The Faith
and Science Council supports scientific and theo-
logical research in order to provide resources that
help confirm and better understand the Genesis
creation account on which many biblical doctrines,
including the Sabbath, are based.