The Smooth Road to Destruction

 By Pastor Doug Batchelor
An Amazing Fact: The California highway department noticed that on long, smooth stretches of highway, drivers were falling asleep and running off the road. So as a safety measure, they started adding line bumps to awaken sleeping motorists if they began drifting out of their lane. Most states now have these “drunk bumps” to keep drivers awake and alive.
“Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Isaiah 30:8–10).

A Protestant missionary in the South Pacific, after working among the indigenous population for several years, decided to return to the United States for a nine-month furlough. During this time, he planned to visit several churches to raise funds for the island mission.
He also persuaded a local chief, a recent convert to the faith, to join him on the trip. The tall chief had an imposing presence — a muscular body accentuated by a broad, pearly white smile. The missionary knew that having this living trophy of his evangelistic efforts would greatly impress the church members in North America to give more generously.
When the two arrived stateside, the missionary took the chief from church to church. After showing slides of their mission station, he paraded the chief around in a colorful native costume. People were thrilled to hear about the chief’s conversion from paganism. But along the journey across America, to avoid the gawking of onlookers, the missionary dressed his friend in typical western garments and fed him American food. It was hard to find a pair of shoes wide enough for the burly chief’s rough feet.
After the nine-month whirlwind tour, the Western lifestyle had taken a toll on the Polynesian king. His feet softened from the shoes, and he lost definition and tone in his muscles from lack of exercise. Unaccustomed to the sweet, highly processed foods, the chief even began to lose his teeth and was plagued with frequent stomach ailments.
By the time he returned to his island home, many of his own villagers barely recognized him. “Soft living” had nearly killed him.
Baby Food
When whole wheat is milled into white flour, 83 percent of the nutrients are removed; mostly only starch remains. The fiber is also gone, along with most of the Vitamin E and 21 other nutrients. The flour that is left is so drained as a food that it must be fortified with chemically manufactured thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and iron. In fact, refined bread is so depleted, 35 U.S. states require that white flour must be synthetically enriched to be sold.
In the same way that processed wheat and soft living can make us physically weak, spiritual food with refined fiber-less pabulum produces churches full of weak, infantile invalids. Physicians are constantly reminding us that we must have sufficient roughage and grist in our diets to be healthy. This also applies to our spiritual diet, yet many Christians have been gumming baby mush for so long they are offended by real food.

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:12–14 NKJV).

Tasty Terms
Especially in North America, our brains and bodies have been gradually weakened by convenience stores, elevators, auto dial, and remote control. Why expend the energy to do anything when it can all be done for you electronically?
This love of comfort, ease, and generally smooth living has affected our terms, as well as our time. A TV network explains, “This program is not for sensitive viewers” — instead of the truth: “This program is bloody, gruesome, grisly, and violent.” In fact, marketing executives know that as soon as they announce a program is not for sensitive viewers, the average person will pay even closer attention. You’ve also heard, “The following program is for mature audiences.” Of course, they really should warn that the “following program contains perverted, lustful, crude material.” (Is being perverted really “mature”?)
We’ve all heard the warning: The church is in the world, but the world is not supposed to be in the church! (See John 17:16–18.) Yet sadly, the fact is that the trends of the world are having an obvious influence on our church. The same longing for easy living is infecting God’s people. In this age of fast food, everyone wants a sermonette. (A friend of mine once said, “Sermonettes are for christianettes.”) In fact, to secure popularity among the clamoring of comfort-loving members, many pastors are falling into the same pattern as politicians who travel from one district to another telling everybody what they think will please them.
What are some of the smooth, popular, yet poisonous doctrines that some pastors are telling their flocks these days?

• As long as you pray over your food, you can eat or drink anything without consequences.
• If you have enough faith, you’ll be prosperous and comfortable.
• Abortion is not really killing an unborn baby; it’s simply “pregnancy termination.”
• Practicing homosexuality is not really a sin; it’s simply an alternate lifestyle.
• It’s not necessary to honor the Sabbath commandment literally as long as you are resting in Jesus.
• Once you say the sinner’s prayer, you’re saved and you can’t be lost.
• The most prevalent and deadly lie: Jesus came to save us in our sins, rather than from them.

The church is striving so hard to be politically correct and sensitive to the world. The result is that we are becoming increasingly indifferent to God’s Word.
Deadly by Any Name
The devil wants to soothe our conviction to sleep, lest we should realize our peril and turn from our sins. He is afraid we will discover how lethal sin really is — “That sin through the commandment might become exceeding sinful” (Romans 7:13) — and that we’ll start looking for a Savior.
My grandfather smoked Lucky Strike cigarettes for years. He made a few feeble attempts to quit, but his health was fair so he was not too alarmed and, therefore, not very motivated. But one day, he was admitted into the hospital for a simple procedure and was appalled when he saw the man in the bed next to him smoking those same cigarettes through a hole in his throat — his voice box had been removed from smoking-related cancer. When my grandfather understood how exceedingly dangerous smoking is, he threw away his cigarettes and never smoked again.
If a doctor is afraid to upset you so that he says that you have a touch of poison ivy when you really have skin cancer, he is not your friend. Likewise, as Christians, we should honestly diagnose ourselves if we are going to receive the appropriate treatment.
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Proverbs 27:6). Ministers and church members have a responsibility to faithfully and lovingly warn the world that there is a heaven to win and a hell to shun, that persisting to live a life of sin will end in irrevocable loss.

“So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul” (Ezekiel 33:7–9).

As we near the end of the world, seeing the imminence of the second coming, it is no time to proclaim smooth things. Every gospel presentation should be saturated with a sense of power and urgency. “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah 58:1).
Jesus has told us that one of the signs of the end is that the church will be softly singing Satan’s lullaby, “Peace, relax, rest in your sins.”
“For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3 NKJV). I used to believe this passage was speaking of the world, but perhaps Paul is warning us of conditions in the church!
The Truth Can Hurt
On many occasions, Jesus had to say some rough things for the purpose of saving souls. And on more than one occasion, droves of followers turned away from Him because of these challenging statements. “Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? … From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him” (John 6:60, 66).
I cannot improve on this statement from the book Steps to Christ:

“Jesus did not suppress one word of truth, but He uttered it always in love. He exercised the greatest tact and thoughtful, kind attention in His intercourse with the people. He was never rude, never needlessly spoke a severe word, never gave needless pain to a sensitive soul. He did not censure human weakness. He spoke the truth, but always in love. He denounced hypocrisy, unbelief, and iniquity; but tears were in His voice as He uttered His scathing rebukes” (p. 12).

The hard sayings of Jesus were never designed to simply wound or offend those hearing Him. He said them to save us and help us grow the fruits of the Spirit. “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11 NKJV).
False Prophets
Peter Marshall, in his vivid style, describes 20th century Christians with these words: “They are like deep-sea divers encased in suits designed for many fathoms deep, marching bravely forth to pull plugs out of bathtubs.”
Jesus warns us that there will be many false prophets in the last days preaching smooth things (Matthew 24:11). That’s why we must know how to distinguish the true from the counterfeit. But to take the high, straight, and rough road of biting honesty when everyone else is sliding down the smooth road buttered with platitudes of popularity requires a rare breed of courage.
In the first book of Kings, we find a story that dramatically illustrates how most people in this world are hungering to hear smooth things, while God still has faithful followers who want to tell the truth at any cost.
Ahab, the wicked king of Israel, wanted to recapture his town of Ramothgilead from the Syrians, but he needed help to take on the mighty army of Syria. So he asked King Jehoshaphat of Judah to join him in his campaign against their common enemy.
Jehoshaphat was willing to join forces with Ahab, but he believed that they should first seek God’s counsel. Ahab had forsaken the Lord years earlier to worship the pagan god Baal, so he called in his 400 hired false prophets to come before the two monarchs and prophesy. As the two kings sat on thrones, all the pompous pagan prophets said, with a loud dramatic display, “Go and fight the Syrians and you will be victorious!” It was a very impressive pep rally.
Yet Jehoshaphat was skeptical. Seeing these were all prophets of Baal and knowing how they always told the king what he wanted to hear, he requested to hear from a prophet of the Lord. Ahab was disturbed at this request but said that there was one prophet of God left, called Micaiah — but he added, “I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil” (1 Kings 22:8). Nevertheless, at Jehoshaphat’s urging, Ahab reluctantly sent a servant to fetch Micaiah.
The messenger sent to bring Micaiah told him, “Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good. [Preach smooth things!] And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak.” Now there’s a novel thought — tell the truth regardless of the consequences. The prophet went to the kings and bravely told Ahab that if he went to fight the Syrians, he would surely die in the battle.
Now Ahab was faced with a tough decision. Should he believe 400 prophets of Baal who preached smooth things — or one lone prophet of the Lord with a rough message? Ahab made the wrong decision, even though he knew what was right. He persuaded Jehoshaphat to disregard the warnings of Micaiah and join him in a war promoted by Baal’s prophets. After all, how could one prophet be right over 400 others?
Still, just in case, Ahab thought he could outsmart the Lord by dressing in full armor and avoiding the front lines. But the wicked king learned too late that you can never escape the Word of God. In the battle, a stray arrow struck Ahab in the joints of his armor and he bled to death in his chariot. Ahab was killed by embracing the fatal flatteries of false prophets.
In the Age of Smooth Things
When the famous evangelist Billy Sunday would preach direct and powerful sermons against specific sins, such as the evils of alcohol, local leaders would often ask him to tone down his direct preaching. They would say, “Pastor Sunday, you are always rubbing the cat’s fur the wrong way.” But the famed evangelist would respond, “I am rubbing the cat’s fur the right way; the cat just needs to turn around.”
Jesus warns, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26 NKJV). Jeremiah put it this way: “Do not believe them, Even though they speak smooth words to you” (Jeremiah 12:6 NKJV).
Paul goes on to tell us that this dilemma will be one of the characteristics of the church in the last days. Church members will be looking for ministers to tell them what pleases their carnal nature, for smooth, easy religion without a cross.
“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:2–4 NKJV).
Many people in our church today want a form of religion without the power to overcome their sins. Many churches are accommodating them, providing bazaars, bingo, and soothing social programs — but avoiding a message of salvation from sin. Their sermons are like a saw with no teeth. The sharp sword of God’s Word is replaced with a rubber baby spoon!
Sadly, the people leave church feeling like they have been feasting on molasses. It is sweet to eat, but then everyone walks away sick. It’s all gooey, sloppy sermons for cotton candy Christians.
One Sunday, Abraham Lincoln was riding home from church in his carriage when his secretary asked him how he liked the sermon they just heard. “Not very much.” The secretary was surprised, because most people felt the preacher was very gifted. What was the problem? Lincoln answered, “He did not ask me to do anything great.”
The true word of God will always challenge us to press onward and upward to greater things. One great writer put it this way:

“Preachers should have no scruples to preach the truth as it is found in God’s word. Let the truth cut. I have been shown that why ministers have not more success is, they are afraid of hurting feelings, fearful of not being courteous, and they lower the standard of truth, and conceal if possible the peculiarity of our faith. I saw that God could not make such successful. The truth must be made pointed, and the necessity of a decision urged. And as false shepherds are crying, Peace, and are preaching smooth things, the servants of God must cry aloud, and spare not, and leave the result with God” (Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 2, pp. 284, 285).

Avoiding Disaster
“When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat” (Proverbs 23:1–3).
So what can you do to resist the temptation of gobbling up Satan’s sweet but deceptive delicacies?
1. Measure all teachings by the Word of God. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).
2. Be willing to do His will, regardless of the consequences! “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God” (John 7:17).
3. Never accept a teaching just because it is popular. “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil” (Exodus 23:2).
4. Place yourself under a well-balanced diet of spiritual teaching and feed your own soul with God’s Word. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Several years ago, a man living in China bought a microscope. At first he was thrilled with his new acquisition; he marveled looking at the wonders of flowers and feathers magnified hundreds of times. But one day he made the mistake of looking at his rice under the microscope and saw that it was crawling with tiny creatures. Rice was his favorite food. Very disturbed, the man smashed his microscope with a rock because it revealed his rice had bugs, but he didn’t want to give up his beloved staple.
We are all faced with a similar challenge today. We can either place ourselves under the scrutiny of God’s Word and allow Him to boil away the bugs — or we can turn the microscope of His law out of focus to blur our defects and listen to the fancy fables of false prophets.
God desires that we look deep to find out what we really want. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves” (2 Corinthians 13:5). May our sincere response be, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23, 24).

Angel Messages From Outer Space

Angels are real! Sometimes called cherubim or seraphim, these powerful ministering spirits appear all through Bible history. Often they are seen protecting and guiding God's people, and sometimes punishing evil - but one of their most important missions is to reveal and explain prophecy. Did you know God has said something special through His angels to the stressed out people of our hectic world? In Revelation 14, God reveals some awesome last-day messages coded in the symbolism of three flying angels. So significant are these messages, that when they are completed, Jesus returns! This Guide will give you an eye-opening overview, and the following eight guides will present the incredible details. Hold on to your seat... God's personal message to you is about to be explained!

The book of Revelation reveals Jesus in a unique manner.

1. Why are we studying Revelation? Isn't it sealed?
Answer:   There are six crucial reasons to study Revelation:

A. It never has been sealed (Revelation 22:10). The age long controversy between Christ and Satan, plus the devil's strategies and last-day devious plans, are exposed in Revelation. Satan cannot easily trap people who are aware of his lying deceptions in advance, so he hopes people will believe that Revelation is sealed.

B. The very name "Revelation" means "unveiling," "opening," or "revealing" the complete opposite of being sealed. It always has been wide open.

C. Revelation is Jesus' book in a unique way. It begins, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." It even gives a word picture of Him in Revelation 1:13-16. No other book of the Bible reveals Jesus and His last-day instructions and plans for His work and His people as does Revelation.

D. Revelation is primarily written for and geared to the people of our day, just before Jesus' return (Revelation 1:1-3 3:11 22:6, 7, 12, 20).

E. A special blessing is pronounced upon those who read Revelation and heed its counsel (Revelation 1:3 22:7).

F. Revelation describes God's end-time people and church with startling clarity. It makes the Bible come to life when you see the last-day events depicted in Revelation taking place. It also tells precisely what God's church must be preaching in the last days (Revelation 14:6-14). This Study Guide will give an overview of that preaching so you will recognize it when you hear it.

Note: Before proceeding further, please open your Bible and read Revelation 14:6-14.

God uses angels to symbolize His final three-point message.

2. God commissioned His church to take the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). How does He symbolize this sacred work in Revelation?
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach. ... And there followed another angel, saying ... . And the third angel followed them, saying ... . " Revelation 14:6-9.
Answer:   The word "angel" literally means "messenger," so it is fitting that God uses three angels to symbolize the preaching of His three-point gospel message for the last days. God uses the symbolism of angels to remind us that supernatural power will accompany
the messages.

God's end-time message of hope must be delivered to every person on earth.

3. What two crucial points does Revelation 14:6 reveal about God's message for the last days?
"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." Revelation 14:6.
Answer:   The two crucial points are: (1) that it is "the everlasting gospel," and (2) that it must be preached to every person on earth. The three angels' messages stress the gospel, which makes it plain that people are saved by faith in -and acceptance of- Jesus Christ alone (Acts 4:12 Mark 10:26, 27). Since no other way to salvation exists, it is evil to claim that there is some other way.

Satan's Counterfeits
Satan's counterfeits, while many, include two very effective ones: (1) salvation by works, and (2) salvation in sin. These two counterfeits are uncovered and revealed in the three angels' messages. Many, without realizing it, have embraced one of these two errors and are trying to build their salvation upon it - an utterly impossible feat. We also must stress that no one is truly preaching the gospel of Jesus for the end time who does not include the three angels' messages.

Those who revere God will find pure joy in serving Him.

4. What four distinctive points does the first angel's message cover?
"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." Revelation 14:7.
Answer:   A. Fear God. This means we should revere God and look upon Him with love, trust, and respect - eager to do His bidding. This keeps us from evil. "By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil." Proverbs 16:6. Solomon, the wise man, also said, "Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13.

B. Give glory to God. We fulfill this command when we obey, praise, and thank God for His goodness to us. One of the major sins of the last days is un-thankfulness (2 Timothy 3:1, 2).

C. The hour of His judgment is come. This indicates that everyone is accountable to God, and it is a clear statement that the judgment is now in session. A number of translations say "has" come instead of "is" come.

D. Worship the Creator. This command rejects idolatry of all kinds -including self-worship- and totally repudiates evolution, which denies that God is Creator and Redeemer. (Many books and radio talk shows today overstress self-worth, which leads to self-worship. A Christian's self-worth is in Christ, who makes His children sons and daughters of the King of heaven.)

The gospel includes the creation and redemption of the world by the Lord God of heaven. Worshiping the Creator includes worshiping Him on the day He set aside as a memorial of Creation (the seventh-day Sabbath). That the reference in Revelation 14:7 is to the Sabbath is made clear by the fact that the words "made heaven, and earth, and the sea" were lifted right out of the Sabbath commandment (Exodus 20:11) and used here. Our true roots are found in God alone, who made us in His image in the beginning. Those who do not worship God as Creator, no matter what else they may worship,may never discover their real roots.

God's people must come out of Babylon.

5. What solemn statement does the second angel make about Babylon? What does the angel of Revelation 18 command God's people to do?
"And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen." Revelation 14:8. "I saw another angel come down from heaven. ... And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen. ... And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people." Revelation 18:1-4.
Answer:   The second angel solemnly states that "Babylon is fallen," and the voice from heaven urges all of God's people to come out of Babylon at once. Unless you know what Babylon is, you could easily end up in it. Think about it. Could you possibly be in Babylon now?

Those who worship the beast and receive his mark will be destroyed by God.

6. Against what does the third angel's message solemnly warn?
"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." Revelation 14:9, 10.
Answer:   The third angel's message warns people against worshiping the beast and his image and receiving the mark of the beast in their foreheads or hands. The first angel commands true worship. The third angel tells of the awesome consequences connected with false worship. Do you know for certain who the beast is? And what is his mark? Unless you know positively who the beast is and what his mark is, you may end up worshiping him without realizing it.

The Lord's end-time saints will find their greatest happiness in pleasing Him.

7. What four-point description does God give in Revelation 14:12 of His people who accept and follow the three angels' messages?
"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12.
Answer:   A. They are patient, persevering, and faithful to the enda big order for a "do it now" generation. God's people reveal Him by their patient, loving conduct.

B. They are saints, or holy ones, because they are fully on God's side.

C. They keep the commandments of God. These people of God happily obey His Ten Commandments and all other commandments He has given them. Their first aim is to please Him, whom they love (1 John 3:22).

D. They have the faith of Jesus. This also can be translated "faith in Jesus." In either case, God's people fully follow Jesus and fully trust Him.

When all have heard Jesus' end-time message, He will return to earth to take His people with Him to heaven.

8. What happens immediately following the teaching of the three angels' messages to all people?
"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown."
Revelation 14:14.
Answer:   Immediately after the teaching of the three angels' messages to every person, Jesus will return in the clouds (His second advent) to take His people to their heavenly home. At His appearing, the great 1,000-year blackout of Revelation chapter 20 will begin.

9. In 2 Peter 1:12, the apostle speaks of "present truth." What does he mean?
Answer:   Present truth is an aspect of the everlasting gospel that has particular urgency for a certain time. Examples are:

A. Noah's message of the Flood (Genesis 6 and 7 2 Peter 2:5). Noah was a preacher of righteousness. He taught God's love as he warned of a coming flood that would destroy the world. The Flood message was "present truth" for that time. Its urgent cry was "get into the boat." And it was so important that it would have been immoral not to preach it.

B. Jonah's message to Nineveh (Jonah 3:4). Jonah's "present truth" was that Nineveh would be destroyed in 40 days. Jonah also uplifted the Saviour, and the city repented. To omit, however, the 40-day warning would have been unfaithful and unforgivable. It was present truth. It fitted that time in a special way.

C. John the Baptist's message (Matthew 3:1-3 Luke 1:17). John's "present truth" was that Jesus, the Messiah, was about to appear. His work was to present the gospel and prepare people for Jesus' first coming. To have omitted that first-coming element of the gospel for his day would have been unthinkable.

D. The three angels' messages (Revelation 14:6-14). God's "present truth" for today is contained in the three angels' messages. Of course, salvation through Jesus Christ alone is central to these messages. However, the "present truth" of the three angels also has been given to prepare people for Jesus' second coming and to open their eyes to Satan's brilliant and highly convincing deceptions. Unless people understand these messages, Satan will indeed capture and destroy them. Jesus knew we needed these three special messages, so in loving kindness He has given them. They must not be omitted. Please pray earnestly as you examine them point by point in the next eight Study Guides.

Some of your discoveries may be almost shocking. But all will be satisfying. Your heart will be tremendously stirred. You will sense Jesus speaking to you! After all, they are His messages.

10. Who does the Bible say will come to give a "present truth" message before the great day of the Lord?
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Malachi 4:5.
Answer:   Elijah the prophet. There is something significant about Elijah and his message, as we shall see in the next few questions.

God's end-time messages are also called the "Elijah" message. They call for a decision.

11. What did Elijah do that caused the Lord to focus on him?
Note: Please open your Bible and carefully read 1 Kings 18:17-40 before answering this question.
Answer:   Elijah urged the people to make up their minds whom they would serve (verse 21). The nation was almost wholly idolatrous. The people had forsaken the true God and His commandments. There was one prophet of God, Elijah, and 450 heathen prophets of Baal (verse 22). Elijah suggested that both he and the idolaters build altars and place wood and a bull on them. He then suggested they ask the true God to reveal Himself by setting fire to His altar. The heathen god did not answer, but the true God of Elijah sent fire from heaven and burned up Elijah's sacrifice.

The Message Demanded a Decision
Elijah's message came at a time of deep spiritual crisis and national apostasy. It came with such power from heaven above that it stopped "business as usual" and drew national attention. Elijah then insisted that people decide whom they would serve, God or Baal. Deeply moved and fully convinced, the people chose God (verse 39).

John the Baptist presented the "Elijah" message of his day. Those who preach Revelation 14:6-14 have the Elijah message for today.

12. The Elijah message has a twofold application. It applies to a "present truth" message to prepare people for Jesus' first advent and a "present truth" message to prepare people for Jesus' second advent. Who did Jesus say preached the Elijah message to prepare people for His first advent?
"There hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist." "And if ye will receive it, this is Elias [Elijah], which was for to come." Matthew 11:11, 14.
Answer:   Jesus called John's preaching to prepare people for His first advent "Elijah," or the Elijah message. John's message, as in Elijah's day, made truth very clear and then insisted on a decision. The Bible says of John the Baptist, "He shall go ... in the spirit and power of Elias [Elijah]." Luke 1:17.

13. How do we know the prophecy has a second application to our time just before the second advent?
"I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Malachi 4:5. "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come." Joel 2:31.
Answer:   Please take note that two events will occur before the coming of "the great and terrible day of the Lord" mentioned in Joel 2:31. One, the coming of Elijah. And two, the tremendous signs in the heavens. This helps us locate both events. The dark day occurred May 19, 1780. That same night, the moon appeared as blood. Matthew 24:29 includes one more sign, the falling of the stars, which took place November 13, 1833. From this, we know the end-time Elijah message must begin some time near or after 1833, before the coming of the great day of the Lord.

Second Elijah Message After Sky Signs
It is obvious that John's "Elijah message" does not apply to the second "Elijah message" because God's great sky signs appeared over 1,700 years after John preached his message. The Elijah message of Joel 2:31 had to begin after those sky signs in 1833 and must prepare people for Jesus' second advent. The threefold "present truth" message of Revelation 14:6-14 fits perfectly. It began around 1844 and is preparing people worldwide for Jesus' second advent (verse 14), which will take place after the threefold message has reached every person on earth.

The Message Demands a Decision
Elijah insisted evil be met head-on and that all decide whom they would serve. So it is with God's threefold message for us today. A decision must be made. God's threefold message unmasks Satan and his plans. It clearly reveals God's love and His requirements. God is calling people today back to true worship, worship of God alone. To knowingly serve and worship anyone or anything else in this crucial day amounts to disloyalty and will result in eternal death. God miraculously reached hearts in Elijah's day (1 Kings 18:37, 39) and in the days of John the Baptist. He will do the same in these last days as people respond to the three angels' messages (Revelation 18:1).

God's final Elijah message will bring families together in joy, love, and happiness.

14. What other wonderful blessing will the preaching of the Elijah (or the three angels') messages bring?
"Elijah ... shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers." Malachi 4:5, 6.
Answer:   Praise God! The Elijah message, or three angels' messages, will bring family members together in a loving, close, joyous, heavenly relationship. What a blessed promise!

The three angels' messages focus upon Jesus.

15. The word "gospel" means "good news." Do the three angels' messages of Revelation chapter 14 provide good news?
Answer:   Yes indeed! Let's review the good news we have found in this overview of the three angels' messages:

A. Every person will have an opportunity to hear and understand the last-day gospel. Not one will be passed by.

B. The devil's brilliant, powerful plans to trap and destroy people will be revealed to us, so we need not be ensnared.

C. Heaven's supernatural power will accompany the spreading of God's message in these last days.

D. God's people will be patient. He calls them "saints."

E. God's people will have the faith of Jesus.

F. God's people will, out of love, obey His commandments.

G. God loves us so much that He has sent a very special message to prepare us for Jesus' second coming.

H. God's message for these last days will bring family members together in love and unity.

I. The major emphasis of the three angels' messages is that salvation has been provided for everyone through Jesus Christ alone. He gives His righteousness to cover our past and miraculously imparts His righteousness to us daily so we will grow in grace and truly become like Him. With Him, we cannot fail. Without Him, we cannot succeed.

A Further Word
Points of the three angels' messages that will be explained in upcoming Study Guides are:

A. God's judgment hour has arrived!

B. Come out of fallen Babylon.

C. Don't receive the mark of the beast.

Much more good news will be revealed as you prayerfully study these subjects in the next eight Study Guides. You will be surprised and gladdened at some things, shocked and saddened at others. Some points may be very hard to accept. But since Jesus sent a special message from heaven to help and guide each one of us personally in these last days, surely nothing could be more important than to hear it, understand it fully, and follow it.

16. I am relieved and thankful that Jesus has a special three-point message to guide and assist His people in these last days of earth.
Answer:  

Thought Questions
1. Will every person on earth be reached with the three angels' messages before Jesus returns? With billions of people now living, how can this be possible?
Yes, it will happen because God promised it (Mark 16:15). Paul says the gospel went "to every creature which is under heaven" in his day (Colossians 1:23). Jonah, by God's grace, reached the entire city of Nineveh in less than 40 days (Jonah 3:4-10). The Bible says God will finish the work and cut it short (Romans 9:28). Count on it. It will happen very quickly and in our day.
2. Did Moses and Elijah actually appear with Jesus at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:3) or was it only a vision?
The event was literal. The Greek word "horama", translated "vision" in verse 9, literally means "what had been seen". Moses was raised from the dead and taken to heaven (Jude 1:9), and Elijah was later translated without seeing death (2 Kings 2:1, 11, 12). These two men, who had been on earth and suffered terribly from the onslaughts of the devil and the rebellion of God's people, understood what Jesus was passing through. They came to encourage and remind Him of all who would be translated into His kingdom without seeing death (like Elijah) and raised to life from the grave to enter His kingdom (like Moses) because of His sacrifice for our sins.
3. Why did John say he was not Elijah (John 1:19-21) when Jesus said that he was (Matthew 11:10-14)?
The answer comes from Luke 1:3-17. The angel who announced John's coming birth said, "Thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. ... He shall be great in the sight of the Lord. ... And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Verses 13-17. When Jesus referred to John as Elijah, He was referring to his life, spirit, power, and work being like that of Elijah. The same is true of the Elijah message of these last days. The emphasis is on the message, not the man. So John was not Elijah in person, but he was presenting the Elijah message. ("Elias" is the Greek form of "Elijah".)
4. Is it possible for someone to be preaching Jesus' full end-time truth for today without including the three angels' messages?
No! The three angels' messages must be included. In the book of Revelation, Jesus Himself reveals or stipulates His end-time message (Revelation 1:1) and says clearly that His people must keep on following what He has revealed in the book (Revelation 1:3 22:7). So faithful end-time clergymen must be preaching Jesus' messages from the book of Revelation. This, of course, includes preaching His special three-point message of Revelation 14:6-14. Notice that Jesus calls these messages the "everlasting gospel" in verse 6. He also says they must be taken to every person on earth before He returns for His people. Here are three solemn thoughts:

A. No one is truly preaching Jesus' "everlasting gospel" unless he includes the three angels' messages.

B. No one has the right to call his messages the everlasting gospel if he omits the three angels' messages.

C. The three angels' messages prepare people for Jesus' second coming (Revelation 14:12-14). Unless you hear, understand, and accept Jesus' three-point end-time messages, you may not be prepared for His second coming.

Special Messages for the End-time
Jesus, who knows what we need, gave us three special messages for the end-time. We must understand and follow them. The next eight Study Guides will make these messages clear to you.
5. Luke 1:17 says the Elijah message was to turn "the disobedient to the wisdom of the just". What does this mean?
"The just shall live by faith." Romans 1:17. The just have the wisdom to rest their salvation upon faith in the Saviour. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12. John's message was to make this crystal clear to all. A faith that is anchored to anyone or anything other than Jesus Christ can never save people from sin and lead to a changed life. People must hear and understand this great point of truth. This truth is also the very heart of God's three-point Elijah message for today.