A sermon on Revelation 14:6-7 for Reformation Sunday. Delivered by Pastor Caleb Strutz at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Lakeland, Florida.

On February 22, 1546, Johannes Bugenhagen preached the sermon at Martin Luther’s funeral. Bugenhagen was the parish pastor at Wittenberg, he and Luther had worked very closely over the years in spreading the Reformation. In this sermon, Bugenhagen posited some rather interesting interpretations of Scripture. When speaking of the great things God had accomplished through Luther, he said, “For he was without doubt the angel concerning whom it is written in Revelation 14… This angel who says, ‘Fear God and give [glory to Him],’ was Dr. Martin Luther.” It maybe strikes us as odd to see Martin Luther, specifically, as the fulfillment of a Biblical prophecy. Was Bugenhagen onto something or was his grief coloring how he read the Scriptures?

Who is this angel? Who or what is he meant to represent? What is “the everlasting gospel” he has and what is the force of his preaching? Today, as we celebrate the Reformation, we’ll look deeper into one of the texts used at Luther’s funeral to examine this messenger of the everlasting Gospel. When we take this scene in its Biblical context, we see the great enemies of this message as well as the eventual and inevitable triumph of the Gospel.

I. The Enemies of the Gospel

So taking two verses of Revelation out of context, like we did for our first lesson this morning, is a dangerous game to play. All the visions of Revelation are linked together like a chain, so we need to take a wider view to see what’s going on in this vision and how it fits.

A couple weeks ago, we looked at Revelation 12 and the war in heaven for the feast of St. Michael and All Angels. There we saw how Michael the Archangel cast down Satan the dragon from the spiritual realm on the basis of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. In this New Testament era, Satan is stripped of his spiritual authority, but that doesn’t mean he’s powerless. He’s cast down to the earth and begins persecuting the Church.

Revelation 13 shows the allies of Satan. Two beasts arise, not from heaven, but from the sea and the earth. These are grotesque-looking creatures, which represent political power outside of the Church and corruption within the Church. The dragon and these two beasts are the great enemies of the Gospel.

Then, in the beginning of Revelation 14, leading up to this text, the scene changes dramatically. We’re given a glimpse of heaven, which is removed from the horrible things happening on the earth with the dragon and the beasts. We have this vision of peace and tranquility as we see the Lamb seated on the throne, surrounded by the saints who are singing His praises. Christ and His reign are secure, can’t be touched by these enemies of the Gospel.

So what does this mean? What do we do with this? How do we unpack all this? Well, certainly in Luther’s time, we see how the Gospel had its enemies. He was constantly struggling with political powers and religious institutions as he was trying to spread the everlasting Gospel. And these visions apply to the whole New Testament era, including us. Although it’s perhaps not as pronounced in our day, we still struggle with these same enemies. The spiritual forces of evil still do battle against the Gospel message.

And it’s easy to grow discouraged. When we’re engaged with this struggle on earth, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. We look around and see congregations shrinking and churches closing. We look at our own life and efforts and are pained by the friend you’re trying to reach with the Gospel but it never seems to connect or by the family member that was raised in the church but can never seem to be brought back.

Where’s this victory of the Gospel when all we seem to experience is defeat? Sure, the Lamb is on the throne, I know that heaven is waiting for me and that’s great, but what about what’s happening on the earth? Is God’s Word really that powerful if it never seems to work? How can Jesus really be victorious when it seems like all that the Church suffers is defeat?

II. The Triumph of the Gospel

The enemies of the Gospel are formidable, but our own doubt and despair are more dangerous. It’s one thing to be engaged in the struggle, another thing to give up. So this is when our Lord sends us encouragement. It’s precisely when we see the disconnect between heaven and earth the most clearly when this angel with the everlasting Gospel is sent.

Amid the peace of heaven and the chaos of earth, this angel is sent “to preach to those who dwell on the earth,” bridging this gap. He is “flying in the midst of heaven,” unable to be touched by the dragon and his beasts on the earth. And the message he is given to proclaim is “the everlasting gospel.” The preaching of the Gospel cannot be stopped by its enemies, it will continue forever.

Now the content of his message doesn’t seem very Gospelly, it’s more a call to repentance. This message isn’t the Gospel itself, but is the purpose for which the Gospel is preached, it speaks to the results of the Gospel. Because elsewhere in Revelation, the Gospel itself has very clearly been proclaimed.

Earlier in Revelation, when we see another vision of heaven, similar to the one before our text, we see again the Lamb and the song that is sung to Him. “You were slain, And you have redeemed us to God by Your blood… Worthy is the Lamb who was slain” (5:9, 12). There’s a callback to this when the beasts are described in Revelation 13, the first beast is given power over those who dwell on the earth except those “whose names have … been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (v8).

Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb. By His blood, He has washed away all our sins and defeated all our enemies. Although our enemies are great, they have no power over us because of the blood of the Lamb. This is the everlasting Gospel, that we are saved not by our works, but by the work of Christ. By His death and resurrection, He has won salvation for you and gives it as a free gift. Christ’s victory is your victory and it is secure in the peace of heaven no matter what happens on this earth. The everlasting Gospel will be preached forever and will triumph in the end.

The angel’s message relies on this Gospel, even though it is one of repentance, since repentance is founded on an assurance of God’s love and mercy. This heavenly messenger encourages us in the Gospel and proclaims what the Gospel leads us to do: “Fear God and give glory to Him… and worship Him.” This is the purpose of the Gospel in our lives

Fear God. This is not being afraid of God although, for the unbeliever, that is an appropriate response in view of His judgment. But for the one who has faith, this is a trusting, loving fear. It’s a deep respect for God and His promises. A fear which stands in awe at the undeserved pardon God has given us. “If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared” (Ps 130:3-4).

Give glory to Him. This is how we demonstrate this proper fear in our lives. We praise Him as a fruit of faith, as a result of the Gospel. This is founded on God’s saving deeds for us, which we proclaim back to Him and to those around us.

And worship Him. This invitation to worship God shows how this message relies on the Gospel. Worship comes as our response to God for what He has done for us. The Christian life leads to worship, worship is, in a sense, the goal of our redemption. Throughout Revelation we’ve seen the worship in heaven which we participate in here on earth and which we will one day join.

The message of the angel of the everlasting Gospel shows how God’s Word will continue to be proclaimed, no matter the opposition, no matter how fierce its enemies are. The Gospel will bear fruit in every generation as those who hear it are led to fear God, give glory to Him, and worship Him. This is our call-to-action in this New Testament age. This is our encouragement as we rely on the peace of heaven in the midst of the warfare on earth. This angel bridges the gap and gives us resolve as we await for God to make all things right.

So, after we’ve seen what’s going on in and around Revelation 14, who do you think the angel is? I think Bugenhagen was taking it a little too far in identifying the angel solely with Luther, but what the angel represents is certainly inclusive of Luther. We can see this angel in those faithful Gospel witnesses in every generation which continue till the end of the world. Every pastor, every preacher is a messenger of the everlasting Gospel. And certainly Martin Luther is a prime example.

It’s hard to think of a clearer example in history of the Gospel overcoming its enemies than the Reformation. One of Luther’s great accomplishments was translating the Bible into German, which started this whole movement of Bible translations so that the Word is preached “to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people,” as the angel did. And we can see how the threefold message of the angel has been accomplished in him. From the teaching of Luther, especially in the Catechism, we’ve learned what it means to fear God and give glory to Him. Through Luther, we have inherited our forms of the liturgy, so that we worship God in the purity of the Gospel.

In this angel of Revelation 14, we see that adversaries will never silence the Gospel, that it is “everlasting,” will continue to be preached throughout all ages. We see one fulfillment of that promise in the Reformation, and we see it fulfilled still in our time as we gather around the truth of God’s Word and await His final victory. Amen.