WORSHIP THE CREATOR
“Worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of water” (Revelation 14:7). Here a neglected aspect of God is presented—the fact that He is the Creator of the universe. As much as the redemption of man makes God worthy of honor and worship, redemption and salvation bring man back to the original perfection that existed before sin. Without the perfect creation that was marred by sin there would be nothing to redeem. “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalms 19:1). Even our bodies, degenerated by sin, are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalms 139:14). The tremendous advances in modern science give awe-inspiring proof of the infinite intelligence, creativity, and artistry of our Creator. Paradoxically, most of the people of the world believe scientists who claim that there was no Creator, that the universe came into being with an undirected "Big Bang," and life evolved out of non-living elements. The first angel's message denies this world view and challenges the humanity to remember their Creator.
Revelation 14:7 is a direct reference to the fourth commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20:8-11). The fourth commandment identifies the true God out of all the myriad of gods which clamor for recognition, and in particular it distinguishes the genuine Father, Son and Holy Spirit of the Bible from the counterfeits who are masquerading by the same name within the
When God points to the Sabbath as an identifying mark of His authority it is the antithesis of the spurious first-day “sabbath,” which was shown in chapter 13 to be the mark of the beast. Since the fourth commandment is highlighted in the universal end-time message of the first angel, we can see that the number of the beast (666, the refusal to honor the seventh-day Sabbath) will be an issue that will agitate the whole world, and God through His messengers will make the issues very clear. Their lives will be a witness to the truth: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12). They will keep God's commandments, including the fourth (Sabbath) commandment despite the pressure and persecution of the beast.
The faithful remnant will face economic threats and finally a death decree for those who refuse to honor the beast’s first-day “sabbath.” But keep in mind that the issue is much larger than which day is the right day to worship. The alternate days are symbols of loyalty, one to Jesus and His gospel, law, and faith, and the other to the false Jesus and the spurious “gospel” of human works. Both sides will claim to be followers of Jesus and will point to the Bible as the basis of their faith. Jesus warned, “Take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name” (Matthew 24:4,5).