Excerpt - E.J. Waggoner -
'This is the last evening allotted to our Bible study, and it therefore seems proper that we should take a little review of the truths we have been considering.
We shall find this review outlined in Revelation 14:6-12:
"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, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that kept the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."
We are accustomed and rightly so, to speak of these three messages as one threefold message. The word which is rendered "followed" means properly, "went with." Thus rendered the text would read, "and the third angel went with them." It is the same word that is used in 1 Corinthians 10:4, "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual rock that went with them (margin), and that rock was Christ."
Thus the first angel sounded, the second joined him, and the third joined them both, and together they all three go sounding the message. There is therefore but one message for us to consider, and that one comprises all three.
The message prepares a people who are described in the twelfth verse:
"Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."
There are three points which these people have--patience, keeping the commandments, and the faith of Jesus.
While they are all combined in one, I think we may consider them in a reverse order to that in which they are stated: faith, obedience, and patience.
For faith is the foundation upon which everything is built and out of which everything grows. Faith that works obedience and the crowning grace is patience, for the apostle James says, "Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." James 1:4.
When patience is perfected in the saints, then they themselves are perfect. So it is that this threefold message brings out a people who are perfect before God. They are just what the Saviour says they must be, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48.
Perhaps some in the audience have not realized the fact that the lessons we have been studying for the last dozen evenings on the book of Romans have been nothing but the third angel's message. I wish to show you this evening that the third angel's message is all summed up in the preaching of the apostle Paul, as described in 1 Corinthians 2:2. "For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." That was all that Paul preached, and that which he preached was powerful. He says, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. . . . And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." 1 Corinthians 2:1,4.
Now the things which Paul preached he describes in 1 Corinthians 1:17, 18: "For Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the gospel; not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."
Christ sent him to preach the gospel and he did it, not using the wisdom of man's words, in order that his preaching might not be disannulled. He says, "Lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect." Then when Paul preached among the Corinthians, he preached nothing but Christ and Him crucified, and that was the gospel. That gospel--the cross of Christ--is the power of God unto salvation unto every one that believeth.
Now the question arises, Was this preaching of Paul's anything like the third angel's message or the threefold message which is committed to us? Did his preaching differ from the preaching which we preach? If it differs, are we preaching what we ought to preach? In other words, should our preaching embrace anything more than what the apostle Paul had? If it does, then whatever may be, we had better get rid of it as soon as we can. Now let us see why:
"But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."
That is a strong statement, but he repeats it and emphasizes it. "As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:8, 9.
These words are not in vain, for there have been men that have preached other gospels or other things for the gospel and more than that, there have been angels who have preached other gospels and other things for the gospel. We shall yet see those fallen angels coming to us and preaching that which they call the gospel, which will have a power with it and which will be accompanied by dazzling light. But the things which they tell us we are to pronounce false and the one who preaches them to us accursed, because it will differ in some particular from that which the apostle Paul preached.
**
'This is the last evening allotted to our Bible study, and it therefore seems proper that we should take a little review of the truths we have been considering.
We shall find this review outlined in Revelation 14:6-12:
"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, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that kept the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."
We are accustomed and rightly so, to speak of these three messages as one threefold message. The word which is rendered "followed" means properly, "went with." Thus rendered the text would read, "and the third angel went with them." It is the same word that is used in 1 Corinthians 10:4, "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual rock that went with them (margin), and that rock was Christ."
Thus the first angel sounded, the second joined him, and the third joined them both, and together they all three go sounding the message. There is therefore but one message for us to consider, and that one comprises all three.
The message prepares a people who are described in the twelfth verse:
"Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."
There are three points which these people have--patience, keeping the commandments, and the faith of Jesus.
While they are all combined in one, I think we may consider them in a reverse order to that in which they are stated: faith, obedience, and patience.
For faith is the foundation upon which everything is built and out of which everything grows. Faith that works obedience and the crowning grace is patience, for the apostle James says, "Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." James 1:4.
When patience is perfected in the saints, then they themselves are perfect. So it is that this threefold message brings out a people who are perfect before God. They are just what the Saviour says they must be, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48.
Perhaps some in the audience have not realized the fact that the lessons we have been studying for the last dozen evenings on the book of Romans have been nothing but the third angel's message. I wish to show you this evening that the third angel's message is all summed up in the preaching of the apostle Paul, as described in 1 Corinthians 2:2. "For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." That was all that Paul preached, and that which he preached was powerful. He says, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. . . . And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." 1 Corinthians 2:1,4.
Now the things which Paul preached he describes in 1 Corinthians 1:17, 18: "For Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the gospel; not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."
Christ sent him to preach the gospel and he did it, not using the wisdom of man's words, in order that his preaching might not be disannulled. He says, "Lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect." Then when Paul preached among the Corinthians, he preached nothing but Christ and Him crucified, and that was the gospel. That gospel--the cross of Christ--is the power of God unto salvation unto every one that believeth.
Now the question arises, Was this preaching of Paul's anything like the third angel's message or the threefold message which is committed to us? Did his preaching differ from the preaching which we preach? If it differs, are we preaching what we ought to preach? In other words, should our preaching embrace anything more than what the apostle Paul had? If it does, then whatever may be, we had better get rid of it as soon as we can. Now let us see why:
"But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."
That is a strong statement, but he repeats it and emphasizes it. "As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:8, 9.
These words are not in vain, for there have been men that have preached other gospels or other things for the gospel and more than that, there have been angels who have preached other gospels and other things for the gospel. We shall yet see those fallen angels coming to us and preaching that which they call the gospel, which will have a power with it and which will be accompanied by dazzling light. But the things which they tell us we are to pronounce false and the one who preaches them to us accursed, because it will differ in some particular from that which the apostle Paul preached.
**