Why We Are Here, Part 4

This sermon was preached during Annual Council 2025 on Monday, October 13. Elements of oral style have been retained.—Editors.

Yesterday we met the mystery man with $1 million cash in his briefcase. He asked the question “What is the mission of the Adventist Church?” We went through a number of responses and eventually homed in on the Great Commission. We said that yes, indeed, the Great Commission is significant and indispensable; if we are to be Christian, we must be about the business of the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28. We must be making mature disciples who make mature disciples, and so on. But that’s not all there is to our mission.

We also said that an essential framework must be laid, and that framework has to do with understanding how a prophetic movement is to work. We looked at three lessons. Let me remind you of what they are:

1. Prophets are to say and do what God commands them to say and do.

2. God often commands prophets to say and do strange things.

3. Prophets say and do strange things because God is trying to rescue people from disaster.

We’re not trying to be original or abrasive. We are seeking to partner with Jesus to help bring people out of darkness into light in these last days.

With that prophetic framework in place, what, then, is the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church? The mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the Great Commission of Matthew 28. But we take that Great Commission one step further.

The Three Angels’ Messages

Turn in your Bibles to Revelation 14:6, where we begin to read about the three angels’ messages. Let me be as clear as I can be: from a missiological perspective, if you take away the three angels’ messages from Adventism, it crumbles. It is that core to who we are. It’s the single pillar, and if you take it away, Adventism falls over. Our reason for being disappears.

We said yesterday, “If we are to be Christian, we must be about the business of making disciples.” Now we can add this: if we are to be Adventist, we must be about the business of proclaiming and living the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14. That’s how central they are. You cannot get around it. You can try to replace it with some other mission, but you will fail, because God Himself has said, “This is what I want the Adventist Church to proclaim and to live: these three angels’ messages.”

So with that in mind, what are they? That’s the question of the hour. And before you answer too quickly, let me say from experience: not many Adventists can clearly articulate the answer to that question. I checked with security this morning and asked, “Is there anyone in this building who cannot explain the three angels’ messages accurately to a nonbeliever?” They said, “Everyone here can.” So we’re all good! But perhaps as we go through this morning and tomorrow morning, you’ll pick up something you can pass on to others who aren’t quite as gifted as you are.

So what do these three messages mean?

To find out, we need to start by noting at least two important things about these three angels. First, they are a crucial part of thefocus of the book of Revelation. And of course, that means we need to take a brief moment to talk about chiastic structure.

In the West, if you want to know the point of a book, what chapter do you read? The last one, right? That’s where everything comes together. It’s the culmination, the happy ending where everyone rides off into the sunset. We put it at the end because, in the West, we tend to think linearly. There’s nothing wrong with that, but that’s not how Jewish apocalyptic literature often worked.

From a missiological perspective, if you take away the three angels’ messages from Adventism, it crumbles.

Instead, it used what’s called chiastic structure. Chiastic structure is a literary device, a popular form of writing in Jewish apocalyptic literature. You can find it elsewhere too, both within and outside Judaism.

Picture a ladder leaning against a mirror. Let’s say it has four steps: A, B, C, and D, with D at the top. In this kind of writing, the main point isn’t at the end of the book; it’s in the middle, at the top of the ladder. Themes in A appear again in the mirrored A at the end; B mirrors B, and so on. The structure reinforces the message as you climb up and then back down. The main point sits at the top.

Honestly, it’s genius. For a culture whose language didn’t have much punctuation, this literary framework reinforced the central message in the listener’s mind.

Well, Revelation is written as Jewish apocalyptic literature. Most of the early Christian converts were Jews, so when John wrote the book of Revelation, it naturally followed a chiastic form. That means the point of the book isn’t at the very end. We want to jump straight to Revelation 21—“Heaven is coming!” And praise the Lord that it is, but that’s not the main reason the book was written. The main point is at the top of the ladder, in the middle of the book, thematically speaking.

Among Adventist scholars there’s a slight debate as to exactly where that top of the ladder is. Some say it’s chapters 12 and 13. Others say it’s chapters 12 through 14. But as it turns out, it doesn’t really matter. If the top of the ladder includes chapter 14, then clearly the three angels’ messages represent the pinnacle of what God’s people are to be doing and proclaiming at the end of time. If the top of the ladder includes only chapters 12 and 13, then the three angels are heaven’s calculated response to all the devilish activity described there. Either way, this leads to an awe-inspiring conclusion: The three angels’ messages are the very heart of the book of Revelation, and are, indeed, a central reason the book was written in the first place.

And what that means is this: We Adventists didn’t invent the idea that the three angels’ messages are important—God did. This isn’t an Adventist creation. God placed these messages right at the top of the ladder and said, “This is why I wrote this book. Be about these things.”

That’s the first thing to know.

A second thing that will help us understand the meaning of these messages is this: In context, the three angels’ messages are clearly the last messages given to the world. Because what happens right after the third angel? The harvest of the earth. The Second Coming.

In other words, it isn’t an exaggeration to say that the three angels’ messages are literally a matter of life and death. What you and I do with these three messages will determine our eternal destiny.

This is not just an “Adventist thing.” We didn’t create this. When the rock hit Ellen White on the nose, it didn’t cause some sort of brain trauma so that she imagined these messages. God Himself put them in place at the very end. He established them 2,000 years ago, and when the time was right, He pressed the start button and raised up the Advent movement.

That’s why we cannot afford to take these three angels lightly.

“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water’ ” (Rev. 14:6, 7).

What does the word “gospel” literally mean? Good news. And it’s the good news about whom? About Jesus.

The entire book of Revelation is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, so the whole book is revealing Jesus. Any interpretation of Revelation that does not have Jesus at its center is wrong. That includes the three angels’ messages.

No wonder the prelude to the first angel in God’s final three messages to the world before Jesus returns begins by saying, “This is the everlasting good news about Jesus” (see Rev. 14:6). Therefore, whatever follows next must be good news about Jesus. If I perceive it as anything other than that—if God and I have a difference of viewpoint—guess who has the privilege of adjusting their opinion? I do!

As I shared previously, when I started out in pastoral ministry, I wasn’t a Seventh-day Adventist. When I went through a period of intense Bible study, this was one of those jaw-dropping moments for me.

Now I need to introduce you to my neighbor, Bob.

Have you met my neighbor, Bob? He’s also your neighbor, by the way. Bob is in his 20s, 30s, or 40s. He doesn’t like religion, but he’s open-minded. He’s a postmodern, moral-relativist kind of guy, but he’s open to spiritual things. We go to visit our neighbor Bob, because we want to tell him the good news of the first angel.

“Bob! It’s me, your neighbor, Shane. Can I come in?”

“Sure,” Bob says, a little cautious but friendly.

“Hey, Bob, listen, I’ve been studying my Bible recently, and I’ve discovered something amazing. At the end of time—the days we’re living in right now—God says there are three special messages He wants everyone to hear. He wants you to hear them too. It’s really good news. Want to hear it?”

Bob nods. “Sure, I’d like to hear some good news from God.”

“Well, Bob, here it is. You’re going to love this. It’s so good! Ready?

“Be afraid, because God is going to judge you! . . . Now, would you like to come to church with me this week or next?”

Bob isn’t sure he ever wants to go to church with me. If this is my version of “good news,” who needs it?

It’s not just Bob who struggles with this. The people in our conferences, our unions, even our divisions, struggle with this idea too, including the Seventh-day Adventists.

But remember, the prelude said, “This is good news.” So clearly, Bob—and probably I in my presentation—have misunderstood what God is actually trying to say.

How can we find this eternal good news in the message of the first angel?

If you are in Jesus Christ, you have nothing to fear from the judgment. Jesus is sufficient. His sacrifice was enough. Put your trust in Him, and He will take you through.

Fear God

We begin by doing some very basic Bible study—specifically, by looking at how the word “fear” is used in the Bible. It is used in at least two ways.

The first way is stark terror.

You might say, “That doesn’t sound like good news.” And you’d be right. This is the terror that those who know what is right but defiantly do otherwise will experience at the end of time when they enter the presence of a holy God. The Old Testament calls this “high-handed sin.” It occurs when a person knows what is right and what is wrong but chooses the wrong anyway, loving it, cherishing it, and shaking a fist in God’s face: “I know what You want, God, but I know what I want, and I’m doing it my way.”

At the end of time such people will experience terror in the presence of a holy God. And you may ask, “How is that good news?” It’s bad news for the oppressor, but, oh, such good news for the oppressed.

Let me use an illustration here, one I honestly don’t like using, but sometimes our insulation against this truth is so strong that it takes something stark to break through.

Imagine you move to a small town. You don’t have much money, so you buy the best house you can, but it’s in the roughest part of town. Soon after you move in, neighbors warn you: “Be careful about that house down at the far end of the street heading out of town. There’s a man there you don’t want to cross. He’s predatory.”

You thank them for the warning, and you tell your little girl, “Don’t walk down that street without me. Stay near the house unless I say otherwise.”

One afternoon you come home from work, look at your watch, and realize your daughter isn’t there. You call the school and ask, “Did my daughter get on the bus?”

“Yes,” they say. “She got on the bus. She should have been home by now.”

Now panic sets in. You call the neighbors, but no one has seen her. Desperate, you go door to door, asking, “Have you seen my daughter?”

Finally someone says, “Yes, I saw her walking that way.” And they point down the road heading out of town.

You run. You pound on the door. After a pause the door opens. The man stands there, a cruel smile on his face.

“Where is my daughter?” you demand.

Still smiling, he says, “Oh, your daughter? Yeah, you can have her. I’m done.”

And sure enough, there she is—and you’re too late.

Now, I want you to imagine something. Imagine that this is real. You look that man in the eye and say, “My God, Jesus Christ, is walking down this road right now to see you.”

Tell me: What do you want that man’s reaction to be?

Do you want him to say, “Oh, Jesus? I’ve heard of Him. He’s so gracious and loving and kind. I’ve done this dozens of times before. He’ll just forgive me. We’ll have a cup of coffee together. It’ll be fine”?

Is that what you want him to say?

Or do you want him to fall down in a dead faint because the Judge of all the earth is at last coming to see him?

Ladies and gentlemen, if there is not room in your theology for Jesus to invoke this kind of justice at the end of time, then you do not understand Him correctly, from a biblical perspective.

The Judge of All the Earth

Listen to how Scripture describes Jesus when He comes to bring that justice:

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:11-16).

The first angel loudly proclaims that the final judgment of all humanity has begun. Translation: Justice is coming. The Judge of all the earth is on His way. Evil, at last, is going to be brought to an end.

God’s perfect judgment, the investigative judgment in the heavenly sanctuary, is the only judgment that can bring evil to an end so that it will never rise again.

Here on earth, in our tribunals and courts, we always talk about justice in temporary terms. There’s not a single judge on the planet who, after successfully adjudicating a case, says, “Well, I’ll never have to do that again.” Justice on this planet is always temporary. Someone will always break the law again. But when God judges and finishes His process, evil will not rise a second time. The only way for that to happen is through this kind of investigative judgment.

The first angel refers to this judgment process with “the hour of His judgment has come” (Rev. 14:7). “The hour of His judgment” is unique; it occurs nowhere else in Scripture. You’ll find “the day of His judgment” or “the time of His visitation” elsewhere, but the hour of His judgment appears only here.

This phrase specifically points to what transpired on October 22, 1844. The prophecy of the 2,300 days, found in Daniel 8:14, spans from 457 B.C. to A.D. 1844. The math works perfectly. On that day Jesus moved from the holy place to the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary to begin the final judgment process so that evil would never rise again.

We must pause here for just a moment. Because if we are honest, too many Christians—including too many Seventh-day Adventists—are fearful of the very idea of the judgment of God, of the investigative judgment. They start to sweat when they think about it. “What will I do when my name comes up in the judgment? Will I make it through?”

But dear friends, in light of what Scripture actually says, every one of us should not only approve of such a judgment but actually crave it.

You say, “How could that be? Why would anyone crave the judgment?”

There are at least two reasons.

At the end of time the Sabbath, precisely because it points to God as the Creator, will play a significant role in earth’s final events.

First, when thinking about the final judgment, always remember this foundational fact: God is not looking for ways to keep you out of His kingdom, but to get you into His kingdom. Do we really believe that Jesus emptied heaven, came to this earth, and died on the cross because “God so loved the world,” only to turn around a few hundred years later and say, “I can’t wait to keep these people out of the kingdom”?

Of course not! That makes no sense at all. God loves you. He gave His life for you. He is looking for ways to get you into the kingdom, not for ways to keep you out. And the way into that kingdom is Jesus.

That’s why the apostle Paul could write, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).

That word “condemnation” is katakrima in Greek. It’s judgment language. Paul is referring to the entire judgment process, including the final investigative judgment. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

If you are in Jesus Christ, you have nothing to fear from the judgment. Jesus is sufficient. His sacrifice was enough. Put your trust in Him, and He will take you through.

Second, notice the deeply detailed nature of this investigative judgment. The unfallen universe, as Daniel 7 describes, is looking on and reviewing the records of all who have ever lived, including us. That’s absolutely essential if evil is to be forever abolished. This is for two reasons.

First, because the devil is always looking for a loophole. Can you imagine if God looked at only half the evidence? So God says, “Fine. We’ll look at everything, every last detail. Satan, when I’m finished, you’ll have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.”

Second, the detailed nature of the investigative judgment is for us, too. Imagine you’re falsely accused of murder. You go to trial, and the judge walks in saying, “I’ve got a golf game this afternoon, so I’ll look at only half the evidence.” Would that be justice? Of course not. Because what if the evidence that exonerated you was in the half the judge didn’t review?

God examines everything because He is trying to find an excuse, according to the rules of the great controversy, to bring you into His kingdom.

In the American legal system, if your lawyer were also your judge, the case would be thrown out. But in heaven’s judgement system, that’s normal. Jesus is both your attorney and your judge because the Father has entrusted all judgment to Him.

How could you lose when you put yourself in Jesus’ hands? Your lawyer is also your judge.

It’s no wonder that David, even years before the investigative judgment began, could pray such words as these:

“Arise, O Lord, in Your anger; lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies; rise up for me to the judgment You have commanded! So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You; for their sakes, therefore, return on high. The Lord shall judge the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity within me. Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds” (Ps. 7:6-9).

God’s judgment process brings evil to an end and makes the righteous secure. And that righteousness, of course, comes from Jesus.

We’re told in Steps to Christ—and, of course, the Bible abundantly supports this truth—that when we confess our sins and God forgives them, Christ’s record stands in place of ours. Heaven looks upon us as though we had never sinned.

That’s astonishing. I don’t deserve it. You don’t deserve it. None of us do. Yet Jesus lavishes this grace upon us. We have no reason to fear the final investigative judgment. Jesus is on our side.

Without this final investigative work of judgment, evil would rise again the second time. But with it, evil is doomed. Bad news for the oppressor, but, oh, such good news for the oppressed.

Here is a practical application.

The oppressors of this world, the high-handed sinners, the ones who know what is wrong and love it anyway, who shake their fists at God—we have the often difficult duty of proclaiming the news that their days are numbered. There is still time. God is indeed a God of justice, but He is also a God of mercy. Even the worst of oppressors can still find grace and forgiveness at the feet of Jesus Christ.

Part of our task in proclaiming the first angel’s message is to lovingly, wisely, and compassionately call people to account, to tell them that the clock is ticking. Those oppressors—those high-handed sinners for whom Jesus died—their days are numbered.

In a room like this, my guess is that some of you come from parts of the world where human oppression is very real. Some of you have experienced it firsthand. But even beyond that, every one of us, regardless of where we live, faces oppression from the devil himself—24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Some have even speculated that for spiritual leaders, the devil assigns two evil angels apiece because he knows that if he can lead a leader astray, he can wound many more.

We are an oppressed people. But praise the Lord! Lift up your heads! Jesus is judging your oppressors, and He is coming soon to set you free.

The first angel loudly proclaims, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come” (Rev. 14:7).

It’s here. It’s now. We can almost hear the hoofbeats of that white horse approaching.

Bad news for the oppressor, but, oh, such good news for the oppressed.

From Terror to Reverence

That’s the first way the Bible uses the word “fear.” There’s a second way, and one of the best examples of that comes from Psalm 34.

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.
I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. . . .
Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him” (Ps. 34:1-9).

Notice what David says: “I sought the Lord, and He . . . delivered me from all my fears.” That’s the first kind of fear—the terror we talked about earlier. God takes it away.

But then only a few verses later David says, “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him.” Wait, what? Didn’t he just say God delivered him from all his fears?

Clearly David is talking about two different kinds of fear. The first kind—terror—God removes. The second kind—reverence—God rewards.

This second use of “fear” in Scripture means “honor” and “respect.” And here God says that if we honor and respect Him, He will supply all our needs. That isn’t just poetic language. The text says plainly, “Those who fear Him lack nothing.” We may not always get what we want, but if we trust in God, He will provide all our needs. You will never lack that which you truly need.

This is astonishing, especially in a world full of unmet needs. We live in an age of division, loneliness, anxiety, and despair. But here God says, If you will honor and respect Me, I will take care of you.

Isn’t that one of the most fundamental facts of Christianity?

The Bible has been called an anvil that has worn out many hammers. You can say the same about Christianity. Two thousand years after Jesus began His church, it continues to grow because God is faithful to those who fear Him. We were created for relationship with God. And when we live in that relationship—when we trust Him, honor Him, and stand in awe of Him—He takes care of us.

Sabbath at the End of Time

Now, as good as that is, the first angel does not end there.

“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water” (Rev. 14:7).

The first angel clearly points to God as our Creator. And I think sometimes, as Seventh-day Adventists, we get a little too used to this. But let’s be crystal clear—saying that God is the Creator is the most important thing we can possibly say about Him. It’s even more important than saying that God is our Redeemer. Because only the Creator can be the Redeemer. What does the Bible say? “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10). Salvation itself is an act of creation. Only the Creator can be the Redeemer.

It’s also more important than saying that God is our Sustainer, because only the Creator can sustain that which He alone created.

Now, don’t misunderstand me. It’s vitally important to know that God is our Redeemer and our Sustainer. We’re not minimizing that truth at all. But to say that God is the Creator is foundational. If you believe that God is your Creator, it will change everything else about your life.

The question at the end of time is this: Whom will you worship? The first angel is deeply concerned that you worship the right God—the Creator.

We must stop apologizing for being Seventh-day Adventists. We’ve been given a precious gift that the world desperately needs.

And notice, this verse is essentially a direct quotation from the fourth commandment of the Ten in Exodus 20:11. The language of the first angel unmistakably echoes this commandment.

Sometimes people say, “You Adventists make too much of the Sabbath.” No, we don’t. God does. He’s the one who highlights it here in the first angel’s message. At the end of time the Sabbath, precisely because it points to God as the Creator, will play a significant role in earth’s final events. And again, we didn’t make that up—God did.

With this in mind, we can now sum up the meaning of the first angel’s message. If I had to sum up the message of the first angel in one sentence, I’d say it this way: Honor and worship the Creator, for justice is coming, and time is running out.

This is not the first judgment or the middle judgment—this is the final judgment.

A God of love tells the world before He arrives: Honor and worship the Creator, for justice is coming, and time is running out.

The Call to Share

Now, I need to go back to my neighbor, Bob.

“Hey, Bob, it’s me again, Shane. Listen, I owe you an apology. Remember those three final messages from God that I told you about last time? I wasn’t quite right in how I explained them.

“I went back and did some more studying, and what I found is amazing. At the close of earth’s history, God is saying that if you will honor and respect Him, He will take care of you. The emptiness you feel inside—the despair, the hopelessness, that sense of lacking purpose or fulfillment—God promises that if you’ll honor and respect Him, He’ll take care of all those needs.

“And Bob, you know all the oppression you see on the news? The wars, the violence, the strong harming the weak? God is going through a process right now where He’s not only going to stop that, but He’s going to end it forever. What do you think about that kind of message, Bob?”

Most likely Bob likes that message a lot better. Because God decided that this is the message for this time.

We have been entrusted with a gold mine of goodness about Jesus, right here at the end of time. We must stop apologizing for being Seventh-day Adventists. We’ve been given a precious gift that the world desperately needs. Just look at your news feed. There are millions of people oppressed today. There are millions in despair, without purpose beyond making money, surviving another day, or finding their next meal.

And Jesus can save them. He is going through a process right now that will finally bring all evil to an end, and it will never, ever rise again. We have the privilege of sharing this message with the world.

There are still two more parts to this message, so please come back tomorrow and the next day as we finish. Until then, let’s praise the Lord that we’ve been given eternally good messages about Jesus that can help save as many as possible before He returns.

To read part 1 of this sermon series, click here.

To read part 2 of this sermon series, click here.

To read part 3 of this sermon series, click here.