The first angel’s message can be found in Revelation 14:6-7 and reads as follows:

“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.’”

Learn More About:

• The Second Angel’s Message
• The Third Angel’s Message
• The Three Angels’ Messages (Overview)

The Everlasting Gospel

The angel flying the midst of heaven is ready to share the everlasting gospel with the world. This is not a new gospel ; this is the gospel message of salvation through the grace of Jesus which has never changed. That is why it is called “the everlasting gospel.” It is the same message of salvation by faith that people in Old Testament times accepted (Hebrews 3:16-19; 4:2; 11:1-40). It is the same teaching that Jesus Himself proclaimed, the same gospel the disciples preached during apostolic times, and the same gospel that thundered down through the centuries of Christian history. It is the same message that God’s people preach around the world today to every nation, tribe tongue and people” living in the last days just before Jesus returns.

Judgment

This last-day message calls on Earth’s inhabitants to three actions: “fear [reverence] God and give glory to Him… and worship Him...” The angel gives the reason for the necessity of these three actions. Humans need to fear God, give glory to Him and worship Him because “the hour of His judgment has come.”

Many people are afraid of the word judgment. To them it is has a negative connotation. No one wants to be judged unless they can be assured of a positive outcome. That’s what is so incredible about God’s judgment. The positive outcome is assured! God has promised redemption to those who claim Jesus’ blood and perfect character to cover their sin. For these people, judgment will be a positive event. God will see them and declare them righteous because of Jesus’ sacrifice and intercession.

Not only that, but God’s judgment will bring an end to all God’s enemies. These enemies of God are also enemies of God’s people and have persecuted them and made their lives miserable. These adversaries have not chosen to repent and accept the character of Jesus like God’s people have. They intentionally choose to be on Satan’s side and on the side of evil and will be destroyed with all evil in the final judgment. The people of God can then rejoice because they will no longer be tormented by their enemies. They will be free to delight in the perfect peace of heaven and an uninterrupted relationship with Jesus.

Learn more: Get your free Bible prophecy guide about the judgment.

Fear God

The angel’s first instruction is to fear God. This means to honor and respect Him, but also to choose to serve and worship only Him. First Samuel 7:3 speaks of putting away foreign idols and directing our hearts to the Lord and serving Him alone. This is the kind of exclusive attention and worship described by the phrase “fear God.”

Give Glory to God

Giving glory to God is recognizing that He alone is righteous to judge and that we, as sinners, cannot stand alone before His judgment. Realizing that we are sinners leads us to repentance and the realization that only the blood and character of Jesus, the Lamb that was slain, can cover us and make us worthy to stand in the judgment of God. And this knowledge leads us to thankfulness and worship of our great Judge and Redeemer. This worship gives glory to God.

Giving glory to God also means we will be so overwhelmed by the saving grace of Jesus that we will want others to know our experience and be saved from the final negative judgment of the wicked enemies of God that the angel says is coming. We will want to spend our time telling others about the coming judgment and about how to be ready to be on God’s side.

A Call to Worship

The third instruction of the First Angel’s Message calls for us to “worship Him who made heaven and earth” (Revelation 14:7). This is a reference to creation. God alone is our Creator. This means that He alone is worthy of our worship. Exodus 20 also explicitly brings these two themes together. The fourth commandment asks us to “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” because “in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth” (Exodus 20:8, 11). Worshiping our Creator on the seventh day of each week, reminds us of His creative power and authority over all His created beings. This day also reminds us that the Heavenly Creator wants to have a relationship with us by spending one day each week with us. In the final days of Earth’s history, worshiping God on the seventh day of the week will be a sign of those who choose to follow God and be on His side at the time of the final judgment.

When Will These Messages Be Proclaimed?

The First Angel’s Message is just one of the Three Angels’ Messages that is being proclaimed throughout the world right now. They are God’s final messages of hope and warning. Each message warns against a coming judgment but also offers a way of escape through hope in Jesus Christ and His ministry. Jesus began the work of His pre-Advent judgment in 1844. This is an investigative judgment that will vindicate, before the entire universe, all of God’s actions and decisions since evil began. It will show that God has always been just, righteous, merciful and loving, contrary to Satan’s accusations. And it will allow those who have chosen to ally themselves with Christ and accept His perfect character to stand justified before God in the judgment. (The final phase of judgment that is executed against the wicked will occur after the second coming of Christ). Around the year 1844, when the investigative judgment began, is when God inspired people all over the world to begin preaching the messages of the three angels that tell about this judgment and how to be ready for it. (Revelation 14). These messages are still being proclaimed today and their proclamation will help to prepare all the people of the world for Jesus’ second coming in glory. There is still time to accept their warning and hold fast to the hope of the coming of Jesus. What will you choose?

Read more about the Sabbath as an integral part of the First Angel’s Message.