Three Angels Messages Part 52

Thanks for joining us as we continue our study of the Three Angels’ Messages. We are still looking at the message of the third angel, the first part of which reads, “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation.’” Could anything be more important than understanding what God is telling us in these messages?
In our previous discussions, we’ve been considering the critical question, Who or what is this beast? It is obvious that the term “beast” is used in a symbolic way, and we have already seen that the beast that has the mark to be avoided is the first beast described in Revelation 13, the beast from the sea, with vital clues found in Revelation 13:1-10. We have seen that the system of the papacy, the hierarchy (not the congregants) of the Roman Catholic Church fit the prophetic specifications perfectly. Among the clues we’ve already discussed, we have seen that she came into power at the exact time, was given power and authority by the declining power of civil Rome, has engaged in “blasphemy,” against His name, temple, and those that dwell in heaven.
We now turn our attention to a vital but sad clue given in Revelation 13:7. We read, “And it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” Has this been fulfilled? Has the papacy made “war with the saints” and overcome them? Unfortunately the pages of history are stained with the blood of the martyrs. How many? We don’t really know; re records are incomplete. Conservative estimates place the number at somewhere between 50 and 100 million who gave their lives for their faith.
John Foxe published in 1563 a book entitled, Actes and Monuments of These Latter Perilous Days, Touching Matters of the Church. It is better known by the shorter title Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. It was the most prodigious publishing project undertaken in Great Britain up to that point, with numerous woodcut illustrations. The book recounts the afflictions and persecutions of Christians from the first century to his day, with emphasis on the 14th to 16th centuries. Outside of the Holy Bible, it is said that no book had as profound an influence on Protestant Christianity as the volume penned by John Foxe. It is available online free. http://www.ccel.org/f/foxe/martyrs/home.html. Peruse some of the chapters and become acquainted with the characters whose faith survived the persecutions heaped upon them in the name of religion. What John saw in the previous chapter, Revelation 12, literally became true. “And they (the saints) overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Revelation 12:11.
The Catholic Church does not deny the facts as historians have recorded them. The inquiring student can find voluminous evidence to substantiate the prophecy of Revelation. The dungeon, the rack, the Inquisition and the stake are all a part of the sad heritage of the power which thought itself to be in role of “corrector of heretics.”
Jesus predicted such. He said, “The time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.” John 16:2. The word “service” in that passage is sobering: it is the Greek latreia, which means “reverential worship.” In other words, Jesus said that the time would come when people would think that executing someone for his or her religious convictions would be equivalent to an act of worship. Can you imagine a mind so corrupted by the devil that it would think that torturing another person to death because of their belief in the Scriptures would constitute an act of homage or obeisance to God? Countless times this scene was enacted over the long centuries of papal domination.
The text says that, “it was granted” to him to make war with the saints. The word “grant” signifies that it was “given.” Who gave permission, and for what reason? The obvious answer is that God, Who is ultimately in control of all things, allowed this to happen. Why would He allow such atrocities to take place? Why didn’t He stop it? Remember that God is looking toward a long-range solution to the problem of sin. He didn’t stop Adam and Eve from eating the forbidden fruit. He didn’t stop Cain from killing Abel. He didn’t stop the Jews from killing Christ. And He didn’t stop the millions of martyrdoms of the Middle Ages.
Why? Although the omniscient Lord knows full well the lethal nature of sin and the insanity of iniquity, He must allow the actions of those who have given their minds over to satanic influences to be worked out, so that the universe can see that there is nothing good in sin; that there is nothing good in the proposal set forth by the arch rebel Lucifer. Evidence, as painful as its production must be, has to accrue. It must be shown how deadly disobedience is.
When Satan brought his charge against God, it was two-fold in nature. Essentially he said, “My way is better; you'll be better off if you disobey God and disregard His laws. My way will give you freedom and happiness.” The second part of the charge was that “God's way is impossible. No one can keep His law. If they were to try, they would discover only restriction and confinement.” Satan accused the loyal angels of God as being slaves.
God has allowed Satan room in which to operate so that his charges could be exposed for what they are: lies. Though it pains His great heart deeply, He has allowed sin to grow and flourish, with the ugly fruits of destruction and sorrow being the result. God also, through the Gospel, seeks to demonstrate that Satan's second charge is unfounded. Through the lives of committed saints, God desires to demonstrate that righteousness brings peace and joy; that through the indwelling Spirit and from the motive of love, obedience is possible.
These two charges; these two philosophies and systems find their terminus in the two harvests of Revelation 14. Understanding the truth of the two harvests gives significant meaning to the condition and perplexities of life as we see it now. There is the harvest of the grain and there is the harvest of the grapes. The harvest of the grain is pictured in verse 14, which reveals Christ coming with His sickle in hand. In verse 5 of that chapter the righteous are depicted as being the “firstfruits,” a reminder of the wave-sheaf offering presented after the Passover.
In symbolic terms, this is speaking of those who have yielded their lives to His Spirit and allowed the “fruits of the Spirit” to develop in their lives. They are the ones who have been “transformed by the renewing” of their minds and reflect the gracious character attributes of Jesus. They prove that Satan's charges are false, in that by God's strength they have become overcomers. They demonstrate that, through His power, obedience is possible. They are both “happy” and “holy,” two words that the devil claimed didn't belong together. Revelation 20:6. The harvest of the grain represents the maturation of the growth of grace in their hearts. “When the grain ripens, He puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:29.
On the other hand, a second harvest is described in the 14th chapter of Revelation, the harvest of the grapes. This represents the ripening of the character of sin, the full development of the heart that is absent of God's Spirit and in rebellion against His government. They have taken on the character of the devil.  Devoid of God's Spirit, they manifest all the attributes of their leader, Satan. The prophecy of Ezekiel will come to pass: “Behold, the day! Behold, it has come! Doom has gone out; the rod has blossomed, pride has budded, violence has risen up into a rod of wickedness.” Ezekiel 7:10. “Another angel” brings the sickle for their harvest, as the grapes of wickedness will be thrown into the furnace for destruction. “So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.” Revelation 14:19.
Before God can wrap up the saga of Planet Earth, the two harvests have to be ready for reaping. Toward this culmination the wheels of time have turned for some six thousand years now. There can be little doubt but that the effects of sin have been manifested. Who could argue that sin is good? Who could argue that there is any good result from disobeying God? Yet, before Jesus comes, as the angels release the figurative winds of strife and God withdraws His Spirit from the wicked, there will be an even greater demonstration of what sin brings. The harvest of iniquity will be fully ripe. World-wide chaos on a scale not yet seen will be brought forth.
God is waiting patiently for His people to surrender their wills to Him so that the harvest of righteousness, the harvest of the grain will be ready. He is desirous of His people providing the exhibits for His courtroom rebuttal of Satan's charge. Is it possible to live a righteous and holy life? God is waiting to point to His true children and say, “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. From our perspective, it seems that the conflict has raged long enough. “How long?” is the question that has been on the minds and lips of His people for a sizable period of time. It seems like it's been an eternity, from our point of view. But when the harvest comes, immediately He will put in the sickle.  
The good news is that God’s solution will be a permanent one. “Affliction will not rise up a second time.” Nahum 1:9. God’s solution will effectively cleanse the entire universe of the sin problem for time and eternity. Though it may seem long and painful now, ultimately the safety of the universe will be assured through the operation of God’s response to the sin problem.
Remember, these things were not a part of God’s plan in the beginning. He created a perfect world where sin, pain and death were non-existent. It was because man chose to sell out to Satan that the effects of sin came to overshadow the peace that God had made. But God, praise His name, stepped in and provided a solution to the problem. He would Himself take the penalty of our sin and give us another chance to be faithful to Him.
And, when thinking of the all the pain of the martyrs, don’t forget that their pain didn’t reach the level to which Christ, God’s dear Son, experienced. He suffered beyond what any human being has been asked to endure. It was “granted” to him, the beast, to make war with the saints so that the heinous nature of sin could be seen by all.
When you meet one of God’s warriors in heaven, one whose life was extinguished by the cruel of hand of man in the name of religion, you might be surprised to learn that they considered it an honor to walk the footsteps of their Lord. Bearing the cross of Christ was to them similar to the privilege given to Simon of Cyrene who bore the cross of Jesus. Is sin ugly, painful and horrific? Yes. Were the martyrdoms conducted by the Church wrong and depraved? Yes. We would minimize neither the agony nor the culpability of these things. But God has a way of bringing good out of bad, triumph from tragedy. “Surely the wrath of man shall praise You.” Psalm 76:10. These who gave the last ounce of their blood as a sacrifice on the altar of misled zeal will one day live to praise and honor the God for Whom they died. Covenant to be faithful to your Lord and Savior, no matter what the cost. He deserves our devotion and our obedience.
Please join us again as we continue to study the most important messages given to Planet Earth, the Three Angels’ Messages.