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1. Angels Preaching to the Earth

The three angel’s messages are God’s warnings to his people in the last days however these warnings cannot be properly heeded without first understanding the great central truth from which all other bible truths cluster, this is the atonement of Jesus Christ. As we delve into the three Angel’s messages of Revelation 14 and the fourth angel’s message of Revelation 18, this wonderful and incomprehensible sacrifice that Christ made for us will become enlarged in our minds that we begin to understand the deep things of God in an intelligent, practical and living reality. God has elected to communicate the deep things about Himself to the human race. The scriptures reveal that these angels are actually physical movements of people which carry out and heed the messages given for their time.

Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

Here is an angel preaching the everlasting gospel to the inhabitants of earth and this is again repeated in verse 8 and 9.

Revelation 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city,

A second angel is proclaiming something to earth’s inhabitants.

Revelation 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image,

The second angel is followed by a third angel.

Revelation 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen,

Here we have repeated statements of angels preaching to the earth’s inhabitants. Have you ever seen an angel flying in the heavens and preaching to the earth for everybody to hear? It is our purpose to clarify how it is that angels proclaim a message to humanity.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

See how important it is to know God? It declares here the words of Jesus: This is life eternal – to know God. If we want to have eternal life we need to know God. In order for us to know Him there is something we need to appreciate. God cannot be approached unto. So then how can you get to know Him the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Potentate?

1 Timothy 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom [be] honour and power everlasting.

Here we meet with a difficulty – if you want eternal life you need to know God. But how can you come to know God if He lives in a light that is unapproachable by man? God dwells in a light which no man can approach and no man hath seen God nor can see him. Then how can we come to know Him? How can we know Him that we may have eternal life?

Job 11:7-9 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? [It is] as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? The measure thereof [is] longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.

Here is another text that makes it very difficult for us to come and find out about God. Canst thou by searching find out God? It is just about impossible according to this statement.

Isaiah 55:8,9 For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

According to this, God is way out of our reach and yet we are told this is life eternal that we might know him. How can we know Him when He is out of our reach? Well it appears then that we need someone to tell us. We need someone to communicate God to us and the question is will God himself come and talk to us about Himself?

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].

It is Jesus His the only begotten Son that comes to us and declares something about the Father to us. No man can do it but the only begotten Son – He is the One who declares and speaks about God. Here we have the attitude of Jesus;

John 5:31,32 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.

Even Jesus Himself will not speak about Himself, the Father will not speak about Himself, it is the Son that declares Him and Jesus won’t speak about Himself – He has another one to speak about Him.

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.

Each person of the Godhead will not declare anything about Himself – He always waits for the other person of the Godhead to talk about them and tell you about them if you want to get to know God. The Son speaks of the Father, the Holy Spirit speaks of Jesus and neither of the three of them speaks about themselves. This is the attitude of God. Therefore, how do they communicate and declare God to us? How does it get down to us? Jesus isn’t here, we can’t see the Holy Spirit ourselves, we might be able to sense Him coming upon us but how do we know it’s the Holy Spirit?

John 7:18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

Obviously for God to communicate about Himself to us that we might be saved, He can’t talk about Himself because His testimony is according to this statement – any one that testifies of himself is not true the one. Who is true permits someone else to declare of the other hence John 7:18. As the Father talks of the Son and the Son of the Father and the Holy Spirit of the Son, who do they speak to in order to communicate this information to man? This takes us come back to our original question as to where the angels come into the picture and how they communicate to us.

Revelation 1:1,2 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

These texts all speak to us that the One who declares of the other is true. Here John is spoken of as bearing record of the word of God and of the Testimony of Jesus of all things he saw, not himself, but the things that were shown to him. It was sent and signified to John by the angel and then John bare record of what he was shown by the angel.

Revelation 22:16. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star.

Very clearly the angels are commissioned to communicate from God. God is the one who has sent them. He speaks of Jesus, Jesus speaks of the Father, the Holy Spirit speaks of the other two, but never of Himself and who does he communicate it to? To the angel and the angel passes it on to John, or in Daniel 8, the angel passes it onto Daniel, in other words the angels communicate it to men on earth.

Dan 8:15 And it came to pass, when I, [even] I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man’s voice between [the banks of] Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this [man] to understand the vision.

We know who Gabriel is – he was an angel and once again just like in Revelation the angel signified it and communicated it to John, here to Daniel. John and Daniel were human beings who received the illumination from the angel and it is actually the angels work to minister and communicate the knowledge of God to man. They are spirits or a flame of fire.

Hebrews 1:7,13,14 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

The Bible expresses that angels are the ministers to the human being so that if we want to come to know God and have eternal life, this knowledge of God will be communicated by the angels. They are the ministering spirits to minister to man, the heirs of salvation.

The angels of glory find their joy in giving–giving love and tireless watch care to souls that are fallen and unholy. Heavenly beings woo the hearts of men; they bring to this dark world light from the courts above; by gentle and patient ministry they move upon the human spirit, to bring the lost into a fellowship with Christ which is even closer than they themselves can know. {DA 21.1}

Here this is a declaration of God’s amazing way of communicating to us as human beings. The angels are sent to be ministering spirits unto us and they are the ones that are wooing the hearts of men by bringing into this dark world light from the courts above. Gentle patient ministry does this that they will provide for us a relationship with Christ which is even closer than the angels themselves can know.

This is amazing when you consider the attitude of these heavenly ministers. Angels communicate to man and then as man is communicated to by the angels the particular messages of God are delivered to man. We discover that human beings and the human race is illuminated by the men whom the angels have communicated with.

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

We’ve just seen how the Bible has declared that everything is revealed to man through the angels to the prophets. John was a prophet, Daniel was a prophet. All the writers of the Bible were moved upon by the spirit of prophecy. They prophesied and then as God reveals it to these prophets, man comes to know of what God reveals.

How Can We Come to Know God?

How can we come to know salvation? It is repeated to our appreciation and the question is asked;

Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Romans 10:17 So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The word of God was chronicled at the hand of the prophets to whom it had been revealed by angels and then it is revealed through the prophets by the preacher to us. The ministry of men is actually the ministry of angels because angels have ministered to men and then men have communicated it to the human race. In fact the word angel comes from the Greek word aggelos and it simply means messenger.

Messengers to the Human Race

Angels preached the first, second and third angel’s messages. As these angels are flying in the midst of heaven preaching the everlasting gospel and all these other things that they were to present to the human race, they presented it through John the Revelator and then through the preacher who picks it up from the written word communicates it to the human populous and we see that men, human beings are identified as angels – messengers to the human race.

Revelation 1:10-13 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send [it] unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks [one] like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

Here John was told that the things that he had seen he was to write down and send it to the seven churches.

Revelation 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance [was] as the sun shineth in his strength.

Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

John was to write to the seven churches and the seven churches would have angels that he was writing to.

Revelation 1:21 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write;

He proceeds to write what he has to write. Now he’s writing to the angel of the church of Ephesus and next the angel of the church of Smyrna and then to Pergamos and then Thyatira. Now who is he writing to? Aggelos means messenger.

The Ministry

Malachi 2:7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he [is] the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

Who is the messenger or aggelos or the angel? The priest. The ministry. When John writes the things that were shown to him at the hands of the angels of heaven, he communicates it then by letter to the angel of the church which are the messengers or the priests – the leaders or the spiritual priests of the churches. We see the order of the chain of communication down from the Father to the human nations that the message is given to. It is the communication of God to the angels, to the prophets, to the ministers or the preachers and then via the preachers to the people.

The Olive Trees

Zechariah 4:1 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, 2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all [of] gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which [are] upon the top thereof: 3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right [side] of the bowl, and the other upon the left [side] thereof. 4 So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What [are] these, my lord?

We are reading a vision, a communication from heaven of olive trees. In heaven are the golden candlesticks where Jesus was moving amongst them. These two olive trees have to do with the oil which lights up the candles of these candlesticks.

Zechariah 4:5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This [is] the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Zechariah 4:11 Then answered I, and said unto him, What [are] these two olive trees upon the right [side] of the candlestick and upon the left [side] thereof? 12 And I answered again, and said unto him, What [be these] two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden [oil] out of themselves? 13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these [be]? And I said, No, my lord. 14 Then said he, These [are] the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

The two olive trees represent the two holy ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth. God does not speak of Himself, it is Jesus that speaks of Him. It is the Holy Spirit that speaks of Jesus and who do they speak to? These two that stand at the side of God. They hear and they are sent to communicate. Gabriel was one who was right beside God. These are the two cherubim that are right beside God in the sanctuary. The two cherubim are beside the throne. Here we have the chain of communication. There are two angels that are right beside God. God communicates to the angels about Jesus, Jesus communicates about the Father, the Holy Spirit communicates which is represented as the oil that is passed down the chain of communication.

Revelation 11:3 And I will give [power] unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

The message is passed on via angels. In Revelation is a reference to Zechariah – the two olive trees.

Concerning the two witnesses the prophet declares further: These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. Thy word, said the psalmist, is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Revelation 11:4; Psalm 119:105. The two witnesses represent the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament. Both are important testimonies to the origin and perpetuity of the law of God. Both are witnesses of the plan of salvation. The types, sacrifices, and prophecies of the Old Testament point forward to a Saviour to come. The Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament tell of a Saviour who has come in the exact manner foretold by type and prophecy. {GC 267.1}

The two olive trees are the two anointed ones that stand before the Lord. They have communicated the word of God through the prophets in the Old and New Testament. They are the two olive trees. They are the two communicating factors that the oil that comes from. The olive trees, the Holy Spirit which is communicated through the channel of the angels to the human prophet who then writes down and from whom the Bible writings come – the prophets and the writers of the Old and the New Testament.

This is the same as the communication of the two olive tree witnesses. The Old and the New Testament is communicated and the preachers pick it up and proclaim it before the people. This is where the picture of being preached to in sackcloth is the preaching of the word of God by those who were suffering during these times of history during the dark ages. This is Gods communicating link.

From the two olive trees, the golden oil was emptied through golden pipes into the bowl of the candlestick and thence into the golden lamps that gave light to the sanctuary. From the holy ones that stand in God’s presence, His Spirit is imparted to human instrumentalities that are consecrated to His service. The mission of the two anointed ones is to communicate light and power to God’s people. It is to receive blessing for us that they stand in God’s presence. As the olive trees empty themselves into the golden pipes, the heavenly messengers seek to communicate all that they receive from God. The whole heavenly treasure awaits our demand and reception; and as we receive the blessing, we in our turn are to impart it. Thus it is that the holy lamps are fed, and the church becomes a light bearer in the world. {TM 510.1}

This is the work that the Lord would have every soul prepared to do at this time. This is a summary of everything we have just been highlighting in Zechariah. From Daniel to Amos and Revelation, the seven churches picture and the priest being the messenger or aggelos. The angels have communicated to the prophets, who have communicated it to the preachers, and the preaching of God’s word is in the hands of human preachers.

Angels flying in heaven communicate God’s glory and this is experienced on earth as human beings communicating it. In the process of the study of the three angel’s messages, anything we will be reading, any conclusions drawn will be read, are not my own conclusions but simply what the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy say. This is to conclude for us that we have inspiration telling us what it’s all about.

One part of the ministry of heavenly angels is to visit our world and oversee the work of the Lord in the hands of His stewards. In every time of necessity they minister to those who as co-workers with God are striving to carry forward His work in the earth. These heavenly intelligences are represented as desiring to look into the plan of redemption, and they rejoice whenever any part of God’s work prospers. Angels are interested in the spiritual welfare of all who are seeking to restore God’s moral image in man; and the earthly family are to connect with the heavenly family in binding up the wounds and bruises that sin has made. {6T 456.1}

The heavenly family is binding up with the earthly family to do the work upon other human beings.

Angelic agencies, though invisible, are co-operating with visible human agencies, forming a relief association with men. {6T 456.2}

Can we see, to answer to our question as to who are the angels are proclaiming; they are the invisible angels who work through visible human angels forming a relief association.

The very angels who, when Satan was seeking the supremacy, fought the battle in the heavenly courts and triumphed on the side of God, the very angels who shouted for joy over the creation of our world and its sinless inhabitants, the angels who witnessed the fall of man and his expulsion from his Eden home – these very heavenly messengers are most intensely interested to work in union with the fallen, redeemed race for the salvation of human beings perishing in their sins. Human agencies are the hands of heavenly instrumentalities, for heavenly angels employ human hands in practical ministry. {6T 456.2}

What is the experience of human beings on earth who receive the three angel’s messages? They are human agencies on earth in touch with heavenly agencies and the two work together for the benefit of man.

Human agencies as hand helpers are to work out the knowledge and use the facilities of heavenly beings. {6T 456.2}

What do the heavenly beings do? They communicate to us the knowledge of God which they see firsthand in the heavenly courts.

By uniting with these powers that are omnipotent, we are benefited by their higher education and experience. Thus as we become partakers of the divine nature, and separate selfishness from our lives, special talents for helping one another are granted us. This is heaven’s way of administering saving power. {6T 456.3}

Visible Human Beings

What is heaven’s way of administering saving power? Angels receiving the firsthand information communicate it to the human agencies and the human agencies through the word that has been written, pass it on to the preachers, who pass it on to the church and the church is the light of the world.

The Three Angels can be identified as a group of visible ministries – visible human beings.

The angels are represented as flying in the midst of heaven, proclaiming to the world a message of warning, and having a direct bearing upon the people living in the last days of this earth’s history. No one hears the voice of these angels, for they are a symbol to represent the people of God who are working in harmony with the universe of heaven. Men and women, enlightened by the Spirit of God and sanctified through the truth, proclaim the three messages in their order. {2SM 387.1}

When we study the three angel’s messages, we are actually studying what has been proclaimed to the human race and what who these particular messengers are – human messengers.

God has called His church in this day, as He called ancient Israel, to stand as a light in the earth. By the mighty cleaver of truth, the messages of the first, second, and third angels, He has separated them from the churches and from the world to bring them into a sacred nearness to Himself. He has made them the depositaries of His law and has committed to them the great truths of prophecy for this time. Like the holy oracles committed to ancient Israel, these are a sacred trust to be communicated to the world. The three angels of Revelation 14 represent the people who accept the light of God’s messages and go forth as His agents to sound the warning throughout the length and breadth of the earth. 5T 455-456

The three Angels of Revelation 14 are the people who accept these messages and go forth as God’s agents to sound the warning throughout the length and breadth of the earth. When we come to Revelation 18 we have exactly the same appreciation.

The third angel’s message must go over the land, and awaken the people, and call their attention to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Another angel unites his voice with the third angel, and the earth is lighted with its glory. The light increases, and it shines out to all the nations of the earth. It is to go forth as a light that burneth. It will be attended with great power, until its golden beams have fallen upon every tongue, every people, and every nation upon the face of the whole earth. Let me ask you, What you are doing to prepare for this work? Are you building for eternity? You must remember that this angel represents the people that have this message to give to the world. Are you among that people? Do you really believe that this work in which we are engaged is truly the third angel’s message? If so, then you understand that we have a mighty work to do, and that we ought to be about it. We must sanctify ourselves by a strict obedience to the truth, placing ourselves in right relation to God and his work. RH 18 Aug 1885 [par14]

This angel represents the people that have this message to give to the world. Are you among that people? Revelation 18 is exactly the same thing. It is another movement of people that proclaim the Revelation 18 angel message. With that revelation in summary, we have the three angels to study. We will be studying the content of these three angels messages and we will realise that as we study them, they have been communicated to us through the agency of human beings.

As we go right through to the very end we will see who these ministers actually are that are responsible for this message and we will know completely from the revelations that are given from the scriptures and the writings of E.G. White the messages that we are much in need of to be able to hear in all their clarity. The study will show how the angels communicate the representation of the Holy Three –the Godhead. By the revelation of what they have communicated in the Bible, we will know what the first angel’s message really is when he says to give God the glory. How can you give Him the glory when you don’t know Him? The angels will reveal him to us – the holy three of the Godhead.

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