Revelation 14:6-7; Fear God, Worship Him, Give Glory to Him
- Judgment and Faith and Patience
6 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, 7Saying 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.
The Lord sent finally an angel to proclaim the everlasting gospel to them on earth. The angel preached the gospel in the midst of heaven. What a sight! And this message was carried to all on earth – to every nation, kindred and tongue and people. This is God’s love for His creatures despite their rebellion.
John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
The message was that men may fear God and honour Him rather than Satan. Give the worth duly accorded to who He is our Creator and Sustainer! This is the beginning wisdom. For the longsuffering of God has found its limit. God’s patience to the unrepentant has been a message of compassion and mercy. Time and time again, His grace has been spurned. Not only so, but men became more and more evil till God has to judged.
The angel speaks loudly (Revelation 18:2) so that all the inhabitants of the earth can hear and respond to the message.
Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Everyone who hears reacts either positively or negatively, either ardently or apathetically, either obediently or defiantly. There is no middle ground (Matthew 12:30).
Matthew 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Here is a command to fear God and give him glory and worship him, which on the basis of the Greek text may be interpreted as “Fear God, and give glory to him…and worship him.” If this interpretation is correct, then the angel is addressing people who have not yet heeded God’s call for reverence, glory, and worship (Revelation 15:4).
Revelation 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thouonly artholy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
They have paid him no respect, were insensitive to His word and testimony, and failed to honour him. The injunction fear God asks from mankind reverence and praise (Eccles. 12:13).
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this isthe whole dutyof man.
The order to give him glory is a Hebraic saying appearing in both Old and New Testaments: Joshua told Achan to give glory to the Lord (Joshua 7:19; Jeremiah 13:16), and the Pharisees commanded the man born blind to give glory to God (John 9:24).
Joshua 7:19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide itnot from me.
Jeremiah 13:16 Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, andmake itgross darkness.
The phrase signifies telling the truth by sinners who appear before God’s judgment seat. Indeed the two commands to fear God and to give him glory are part of John’s phraseology in Revelation (15:4; 19:5 and 16:9; 19:7 respectively).
Revelation 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thouonly artholy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
Revelation 19:5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
Revelation 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
The reason for these commands is that the hour of God’s judgment has come. Chronological time is running out for the human race, for the end is near with the Judgment Day at hand. In fact, the angel announces that the hour of judgment has come. John already alluded to this, writing that when God’s adversaries saw his intervening action on behalf of the two witnesses, they were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. Now we hear the announcement uttered by the angel, but we are not told of its effect. The reference to the time of judgment is a repetitive theme in the Apocalypse: imminent judgment for sinners (6:16); judging the dead (11:18); the judgment has come (14:15–16); the great day of God’s wrath (16:17–21); the rider coming to judge (19:11–21); and the final judgment (20:11–15).
Revelation 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Revelation 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Revelation 14:15-16 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
Revelation 16:17-21 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, andso great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stoneabout the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Revelation 19:11-21 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him wascalled Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes wereas a flame of fire, and on his head weremany crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he wasclothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which werein heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on hisvesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, bothfree and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Revelation 20:11-15 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the bookof life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
The people are told to worship God, the Maker of heaven and earth and the sea and springs of water. References to God the Creator are scarce in the Apocalypse (4:11; 10:6; 14:7) but abundant in the Old Testament, and the message of the angel echoes wording borrowed from the Old Testament (e.g., Gen. 1:1; 14:19, 22; 2 Chron. 2:12).
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Revelation 10:6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
Revelation 14:7 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.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed beAbram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
Genesis 14:22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
2 Chronicles 2:12 Huram said moreover, Blessed bethe LORD God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that might build an house for the LORD, and an house for his kingdom.
The point of the angel’s command is to show the immense difference between worshiping God as Creator of the universe and worshiping the beast as servant of Satan (13:4, 8, 12, 15). The comparison is ludicrous, because while God is the Creator, Satan is the destroyer.
Revelation 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who islike unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Revelation 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, pp. 408–409). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.