1. The First Angel’s Message.

“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. 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.

God’s people do not proclaim a new gospel, but “the eternal gospel” to the entire world—“to every nation, tribe, language and people.” Even though God may have a special message in the last days, we must always be careful never to de-emphasize or distort the “eternal gospel” of Jesus Christ. It is the same message of salvation that people in Old Testament times accepted “by faith” (Hebrews 3:16-19; 4:2; 11:1-40); the same teaching that Jesus Himself proclaimed; the same gospel the disciples preached to conquer the world for Christ; the same gospel that has thundered down through the centuries of the Christian era.

The simple, saving gospel of Jesus Christ almost vanished from the church for more than a thousand years during the Dark Ages, but the Reformation revived it, and God’s people preach it around the world today. The first angel proclaims this same gospel message, but it is given in a new setting—a worldwide one—for people living in these last days just before Jesus comes a second time.