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Signs of the Times Australia / NZ edition — lifestyle, health, relationships, culture, spirituality, people — published since 1886 |
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Signs of the Times Australia / NZ edition — lifestyle, health, relationships, culture, spirituality, people — published since 1886 |
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At a Hell’s Angels’s three-day rock concert, 6000 people drank, did drugs and rocked till they dropped. Crushed beer cans and bodies were sprawled across the ground. There to share their faith was the Christian bikie group God Squad. Founder John Smith said, “Our society has all the marks of a dying culture. Rock music is the cry of that culture in its last throes of death.” Almost 2000 years ago Jesus said something similar (Matthew 24).
Speaking about end-times, He said, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (verse 12).
(Matthew 24:14) “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” This message is expanded upon by John in Revelation 14:6-12, a message given by three symbolic angels.
(Revelation 14:14-16) “Seated on the cloud was one ‘like a son of man’ with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. . . . ‘Take your sickle and reap’ . . . and the earth was harvested” (vv 14-16).
(Matthew 13:36-39) “The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels” (v 39).
(Revelation 14:6) “The eternal gospel to . . . those who live on the earth.”
(Revelation 14:7) “The hour of his judgment has come.”
(Revelation 14:7) “Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
The creator God is a basic premise of the Bible and the reason for our worship. The Sabbath is a weekly reminder. The prevailing world view in the West is that life happened by chance and, therefore, is meaningless.
This message presents God as our creator, redeemer and judge.
(Revelation 14:8) “Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.” The name Babylon comes from the tower of Babel, where people tried to build a tower to heaven to save themselves— the concept of working your way to heaven is the essence of all false religion.
When Nebuchadnezzar became king of Babylon (605 BC), he glorified himself and imposed idol worship on God’s people (Daniel 1-5). The book of Revelation uses the term to indicate a similar scenario during the final crisis— a worldwide coalition imposing a false gospel and worship on the world under threat of death (Revelation 13; 16:12- 16). The “wine of her adulteries” (see Jeremiah 3:8, 9; 4:1, 2) stands for Babylon’s false teachings.
Just as the good news of salvation is to go to the world, so this false gospel will also spread. The world will be divided according to which “gospel” they follow. God calls us to come out of Babylon to avoid sharing in her sins or receive the punishments that fall on her (see Revelation18).
(Revelation 14:9, 10) “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.” When people reject God’s mercy and no longer hear His voice, they put themselves outside His protection.
(Revelation 14:12) “The saints . . . obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.” Jesus is both Creator and Redeemer.
The Sabbath—Saturday—is a memorial of both. Those committed to Jesus will be serious about following Him and honouring His ordained Sabbath.
This last message of hope presents God as our judge (see Revelation 14:7).
The gospel is a guarantee of a verdict in our favour, if we accept Jesus.
But it also means condemnation for those who reject His free gift of eternal life (see Romans 8:1; John 3:15-18).
The choices we make each day determine which group we belong to.
Articles of interest:
Extract from Signs of the Times, August 2002.
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