What is the everlasting gospel in Revelation 14:6?

A "day of grace" always precedes judgment. This is shown in the following words: "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." (vv 6, 7.) On the very surface it is clear that this is not the gospel of the grace of God. It contains, indeed, but two things; first, a command to fear God and to give glory to Him, in the prospect of coming judgment; and, secondly, appealing to men on the ground of creation relationship, exhorts them to worship the Creator. Doubtless it is termed the everlasting gospel, because, apart from all special revelations of God, as to Israel and to Christians, and hence beyond all dispensations, God has ever borne to men the relationship of a Creator to His creatures, and as such is entitled to their reverence and adoration. (Compare Romans 1:18-23.) But man has utterly failed in his responsiblity as a creature, and consequently is, on that ground alone, exposed to judgment.†

46 In the Revelation "the earth" is always distinct from the world. The earth, where the light has already shone, is what is called the prophetic earth. Before God judges the nations, kindreds, people, and tongues (which are outside the earth), as well as those who inhabit the earth, there shall be given a new testimony - that of the angel who announces the judgments of God which are going to fall on the world (v. 6, 7). It is not here the gospel that gathers the church; it is the everlasting gospel. The testimony of the angel is, "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." This testimony bears on the judgment of God, and is an appeal to the idolatrous nations to flee from this judgment. There is no question here of the message of salvation which God is now addressing to men by the preaching of the name of Jesus. To apply this passage to the present missions is to close the mouth of the angel who says "The hour of his judgment is come." God, on the contrary, allows us time still to announce and to proclaim His grace towards poor sinners, and to preach the gospel to every creature. The time for this message is that of which the Holy Spirit says, "Behold, now is the day of salvation." The gospel we have to preach gathers the church for heaven; that of the angel announces the judgment to the earth. God always sends a special testimony before the judgment. He sent Noah before the deluge; He will act in the same manner before the judgment of the earth.

Such is the first angelic voice. In the midst of man's wickedness God gives a call to repentance. While man is turning to idols, and worshipping the creature more than the Creator, God asserts once more His rights as Creator to the worship of those whom He has made. It is not here the gospel of His grace, but "the everlasting gospel," the claim of God on man as his Creator independent of all dispensations.

383 Next, in these ways of God, the everlasting gospel is sent out into the earth and every nation before the judgment comes. Such is ever God's way. It is not the special witness of heavenly salvation and the church, but the old glad-tidings belonging to the course of God's dealings with the earth - that the Seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head, and the kingdom and final blessing be brought into the creation. Hence men were warned of the judgment just coming in, and called to own Him who made heaven and earth.

The next scene gives us an angel with a message to Gentiles. "And I saw another angel fly in mid heaven, having an everlasting gospel to preach to those that sit on the earth, and unto every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people." Why is it called "everlasting"? Remember that the gospel as now preached is a special gospel in character, fulness, and time, in no way an "everlasting" gospel. Nobody ever heard the gospel of the grace of God till Jesus died, rose, and went to heaven. The gospel as it should be preached in and out of Christendom depends on the most stupendous facts ever accomplished here below, for which God waited more than four thousand years even of man's dwelling on the earth before He would or could righteously send it forth. Consequently the gospel of His grace as we know it is never in scripture called an "everlasting gospel." Do not most use these terms without thinking what they really mean? When they speak of the "everlasting gospel," they have probably a vague notion that it connects us with eternity. They think it a grand and worthy epithet, conveying one really knows not what. It is a mistake, if scripture is to decide.

"Everlasting gospel" means what it says: those glad tidings which always have been and always will be true. Whatever else God has made known to man, this has always abode unchanging. The glad tidings of God since man fell were that He purposed, by the woman's Seed, Christ Jesus, to bless man and to crush Satan. Even the end of all things will proclaim the selfsame thing. The millennium will be the display and demonstrative testimony to it. When judgment in every form is over, in the new heavens and the new earth man will be thoroughly and for ever blest, and God will be with them, their God.

No doubt the everlasting gospel must be that which from the beginning was preached, and has been preaching ever since, although it should be plain that "the hour of His judgment is come" is just what with truth no one in Christian times could say. Plain it is too that the command to worship God the Creator is not what any one who knew the gospel could take as that. In fact, the gospel element, or glad tidings, in the angel message is just found in that which seems most incongruous with it today — that the "hour of His judgment is come." What else in it is "tidings" at all? That certainly is; and if serious, yet to those who know that just in this way deliverance is to come for the earth, it is simple enough that the coming of the delivering judgment is in fact the gospel.

198 As to the everlasting gospel's being the opening of exhaustless grace, unshaken and unchanged throughout every age, the answer is simple. The gospel that the angel carries forth is, "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." That there will be deliverance and mercy for them who listen, I doubt not, when the judgment announced arrives. But surely this is not what we have to preach to sinners. Though we admit fully its truth, there is something more than this. Is calling from idols, because the Creator God is just going to judge, that which characterises the heavenly gospel of redemption which we preach? There is not even mentioned what finds its necessary place in what is most like it, the preaching of Paul at Athens. There Jesus and the resurrection form the topic which gives its weight to his discourse, and which tells on the assembled hearers, and brings things to a point with them. Here there is nothing of it.

It is during this same time also that the "everlasting gospel" (Rev. 14:6) will be proclaimed to them that dwell on the earth and to the nations, kindreds, and tongues; "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." This gospel is entirely different from the gospel of the grace of God which is preached today, telling of remission of sins through faith in the Lord Jesus, and the blessed news of a full and free salvation through His atoning work on the cross. It is a call to fear God because He is about to judge, and to acknowledge Him in creation. Such a message will be most appropriate to those who have never heard the gospel of today, and at a time when Satan's special aim will be to supplant God's authority by that of the beast and false prophet. And so (while it is true that apostate Christendom will meet its terrible judgment) the book of Revelation gives us views of several saved companies, both from amongst the Jews and Gentiles, some of whom will suffer martyrdom rather than bow to the authority of the Antichrist, and some will be spared to participate in the blessings of the millennial kingdom under the righteous reign of the Lord Himself (Rev. 7:14-17; Rev. 14:1-5; Rev. 20:2, 4, etc.).

Returning again to Revelation 14, we find the connection between the position, and portion of the remnant, and the angelic testimony of verses 6 and 7, which are practically the carrying out of the statement of the Lord in Matthew 24:14: "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to 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." There is the everlasting gospel — the testimony of Christ's power, from paradise onward, as in contrast with the special announcement of the glad tidings which relate to the assembly of God. Now I know very well that people often speak about the gospel of the grace of God as the everlasting gospel. I am by no means critical, nor anxious to make a man an offender for a word; but if you ask me whether the gospel of the grace of God is thus spoken of in Scripture, I unhesitatingly say, No, because the gospel of the grace of God is connected with the heavenly Saviour, who died, and rose again, and it calls the soul to have to do with Him where He now is. That gospel could only come out consequent on the incarnation of the Son of God, followed by His death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven, and it in no way resembles the everlasting gospel spoken of here. Nay more, supposing I were to stand up, and tell you, that your salvation depended upon this — your fearing God, and giving glory to Him, — and that you would be saved by that, I think you would tell me, with very good right, that I had better go and learn the gospel before preaching it — because there is therein no word about salvation, atonement, and the blood of Christ. No, that which is really characteristic of Christianity is conspicuous, by its absence, in this everlasting gospel; but, take the Scripture as it stands, read it in its just connection, and you soon see how, in view of the return of Him, who is the everlasting Son of God, to the earth — in view of the return of the Messiah, this godly little company goes out and asserts the rights of that coming One, ascribing to Him all that is His due, as they do in Psalm 96.

(Vv. 6, 7) Further, we learn that, though in this solemn time evil will come to a head, yet the world will not be left without a witness to God. There will be a world-wide proclamation of "the everlasting gospel." It will be preached "to those settled on the earth" (N. Tr.) — that special class who throw off all fear of God and seek their all in this world. It will also be proclaimed "to every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people." From the beginning of history until the end, there is only one way of salvation for fallen man — through the blood of Christ, for there is none other name under heaven given amongst men whereby they can be saved. This good news is truly then the "everlasting gospel," that is proclaimed to all. But if the gospel that brings salvation to man is ever the same, the end in view may vary at different times. Today, the gospel of the grace of God has in view the calling out of a people from this world for heavenly blessing. The gospel preached in the coming day will be to secure a people for Christ's earthly kingdom. Moreover, when the world has fallen under the fear of wicked men, and will worship the beast, men will be warned to "Fear God," and to "give glory to Him," and "worship Him who has made the heaven and the earth and the sea and the fountains of waters." Further, men will be warned that "the hour of His judgment is come." It will be a gospel of blessing with warnings of imminent judgment.