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6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” ~ Revelation 14:6-7
We return to Revelation 14 where we come face to face with three angels. And while the primary message that they deliver is a message of judgment, there is a note of grace and hope delivered. There is even a note of salvation. But the doom of those who reject the truth is still made very clear.
In v.6 we read, "Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people."
The angel will proclaim the "eternal gospel" which is the good news of the forgiveness of sin that was determined even before the world was created. Occasionally, we see angels praising God in the book of Revelation. Sometimes, we see them ministering God's will or fighting demons or bringing messages from God which is their role here. Interestingly, angels are involved in Revelation 4-14, with the exception of Revelation 13. So, angels will be very involved in the activities and the messages of the end times.
Before angels are the messengers of judgment, they are the instruments of warning. This angel in v.6 will anticipate the blowing of the seventh trumpet, and when it’s blown, the seven bowls will be poured out in Revelation 15-16. So just before the final outpouring of the last seven judgments on the earth, God will send angels to make a last final effort to provide opportunities for the people on the earth to repent.
This first angel in this chapter is shown flying in midair. The Greek word used for "midair" refers to the apex of the sun at noonday, to the point in the sky when the sun has reached its high point. This angel will fly to the very highest point in heaven where the greatest visibility will occur across the face of the earth. And, he will fly continually in the sight of everybody, delivering a message of grace to all who are willing to believe.
His pulpit will be beyond the influence of the antichrist. It will be even beyond the control of demons, who by then, of course, have been cast down to the earth. This angel will have absolute liberty and freedom because all the demons of the air have been cast down to the earth and he flies in midair.
At this point, the world will have already experienced incredible devastation. The sky will have been shredded, as it were, and the earth as well. And the people of the world will have heard the preaching of the two witnesses and the 144,000 Jews who will have been proclaiming the gospel since the beginning of the Tribulation.
But in spite of all of this, many will not believe. And here, in one great dominating role, God identifies one angel to just fly back and forth in the midair as the earth rotates so that the whole globe can hear him preach the eternal message of eternal life through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 24:14, the Lord Jesus told us the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations and then the end shall come. Before the end comes, the whole world will hear the gospel of the kingdom. And what better way to make sure that everybody on the face of the earth hears it than to set an angel in midair flying back and forth day after day after day proclaiming this eternal gospel of the kingdom?
God, by His grace, will still offer peace to mankind through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The angel will call out to "every nation, tribe, language and people" to change their allegiance from the beast to the Lamb. There will still be time to repent and to believe. To the very end God will call people to salvation. He will do it through angels and men.
In v.7 we read, "He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."
The angel will speak “in a loud voice.” In fact, it will be loud shouting, and through the shouting he will be heard by all. He will shout "Fear God and give Him glory." We must not fear anything but God because only He is the judge. Fearing God means living in the reality of His holiness and sovereignty. Fearing God is the negative side, but giving Him glory is the positive side.
The angel will shout because God's judgment will be on the verge of being unleashed on unbelieving man. The word “judgment” is used here for the first time in the book of the Revelation. We will see it used again in Revelation 16,18 and 19. Through God's judgment, we see His heart. Through His judgment, God is still calling people to fear Him and give Him glory.
And, as if saying, “Fear God and glorify Him,” isn’t enough, the angel adds at the end of v.7, "Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of waters."
To worship means to have a holy sense of fear of God and to glorify Him because He is the holy and glorious God. Interestingly, the first angel here will be asking the people of the earth to do for God precisely what they will be doing for the antichrist. In essence, the angel will say, " Turn from Satan and turn to God."
And, v.7 ends with, "Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of waters."
Throughout the Scriptures, whenever the preachers deliver God's message to the unbelieving people, they always approach them from the viewpoint of creation because creation is the greatest proof of God. Creation is always the ground for worship. And, He who created it all will be in charge of it all. He who brought it into existence is the One who will put it out of existence. He is the One to fear.
