Abstract
The First Angel’s Message in Revelation 14:7 calls us to worship God, who is identified as the Father through three key aspects: He is the one whose judgment has come (as seen in Daniel 7 where Christ comes to the Ancient of Days), He is the Creator of heaven and earth (consistently identified as the Father throughout Scripture), and He is the God whom all heavenly beings worship in the book of Revelation. Scripture consistently shows that while Christ was the medium through whom all things were created, the Father is the source and ultimate Creator whom we are called to worship in the First Angel’s Message.
- 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.
Who is God in the First Angel’s Message? Who is the God we ought to worship and give glory to?
This question is crucial since Revelation 13 reveals that mankind will be tested regarding which God we worship.
Revelation 14:7 provides several clues:
- He is God whose judgment has come
- He is the Creator
- In context, He is the God described in the book of Revelation
Let’s explore all three clues.
”His Judgment has Come”
This judgment is set at a specific time. When did His judgment come, and what kind of judgment is this? If we can determine which judgment is spoken of in the First Angel’s Message, it will be easier to understand whose judgment it is. When analyzing Adventist history, we see that this is the investigative judgment that commenced at the end of the 2300-day prophecy from Daniel 8:14.
- And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
The cleansing of the sanctuary in the typical sanctuary service was the final activity in the yearly service, called Yom Kippur or the Great Day of Atonement. The anti-typical service began at the conclusion of the 2300-day prophecy in 1844, when Christ came to the Ancient of Days in the Heavenly Sanctuary.
- I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
- And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him…
- I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
- A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
The Ancient of Days is God the Father. His judgment began at the conclusion of the 2300-day prophecy from Daniel 8:14, which the First Angel’s Message references.
”Who Created…”
The book of Revelation reveals the identity of God the Creator:
- [the angel with an open book] 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:
In Revelation, the Creator God is described as “Him that liveth for ever and ever.” This expression is commonly attributed to God throughout the book. But who exactly is He?
- The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
- 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.
Without a doubt, the twenty elders worship God, the Creator referenced in the First Angel’s Message. He is the God who lives forever and ever, the one who sits on the throne.
In Revelation 5:13–14, we can clearly identify who this God is:
- And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them [all created beings, created by God the Creator], heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
- And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
The twenty-four elders worship this Creator God - the One who sits on the throne and lives forever. Revelation 5:13-14 provides clear identification: there is a distinction between “Him that sitteth upon the throne” and “the Lamb.” The Lamb is Jesus (John 1:29, 36), while the One sitting on the throne who lives forever and is called the Creator is God the Father. This is evident in the context of chapter 5, particularly verses 1, 6 and 7. In Revelation, Jesus (the Lamb) is distinct from God, and we see the twenty-four elders and four beasts giving glory to both the Father and the Son - to God and the Lamb.
Lord of Heaven and Earth
Throughout Scripture, God the Creator is identified as the Lord of heaven and earth:
- God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
Jesus Himself confirmed that the Lord of heaven and earth is His Father:
- At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, …
Additional biblical passages clearly identify God the Creator as our Heavenly Father:
- And when they [Jews] heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
- Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
- The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
- For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
This passage reveals that the Lord God, who made heaven, earth, sea, and everything in them, is the Father who anointed His holy Child Jesus.
- Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? …
Christ as Creator
Several passages, including Ephesians 3:8, Hebrews 1:2, John 1:3, and Colossians 1:16-17, testify that everything was made “by” or “through” Christ. How does this harmonize with the previous passages that identify our Heavenly Father as the Creator of all things? The explanation lies in understanding that God the Father created everything through or by Christ, as indicated in these verses. Christ served as the medium through whom God created everything, since all things were made for Christ, and He is the heir of all things (Colossians 1:16 and Hebrews 1:2,4). However, the Bible attributes creation itself to the Father, as He is the source of all things. See Created Through Christ.
The Holy Spirit as the Creator?
It is often suggested that the Holy Spirit is the Creator. However, such claims lack direct biblical support and are derived more from theological reasoning than from concrete scriptural evidence. The primary text used to support this claim is Genesis 1:2, which states that “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” However, the God to whom this Spirit belongs is the Father. This Spirit was breathed into Adam so that he became a living soul, as described in Genesis 2:7, Job 33:4, and Psalm 104:30.
God from the book of Revelation
As we examine the context of the First Angel’s Message regarding who we ought to worship, let’s look at the book of Revelation to see whom the angels of God, the saved people, and all creation worship and refer to as “their God.” Throughout Revelation, we consistently see that all references point to God the Father.
Pay close attention to Who is God for these 24 elders:
- And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
- And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
- And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
- And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
- Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
- And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
The person whom these twenty-four elders acknowledge as God and address as their God is the Father. However, they also give glory to His Son.
Whom the angels call God?
- And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Clearly the kingdom of “their” God, and power of His Christ, points to the Father as their God, and His Christ. Here are more examples:
- And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
- And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
- Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
The God of all citizens of Heaven is God the Father, and they worship Him as God.
- And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
- And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
- Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
The seal they will receive is the Seal of the Father - the seal of the Living God.
Even Christ refers to the Father as His God within the book of Revelation (but also broader see Matthew 27:24, John 20:17 and Hebrews 1:9):
- Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Let’s observe whom the saved people identify as “their God”:
- And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
- For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
- And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
- And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
- 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.
The angels in heaven acknowledge the heavenly Father as “our God.” Scripture testifies that when the plan of salvation is complete, the Father will be the God of the saved:
- And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
- And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
- And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
- And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
- And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
- He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
The God of the saved people is the Father. Ezekiel expresses this same truth:
- And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
- And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.
- And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:
- Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
- And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
- And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
- Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
- My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
- And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
The broader context of Revelation clearly establishes the Father as the God of the angels, the saved people, the citizens of Heaven, and Christ Himself. All worship the Father as their God. Without any doubt, the God referenced in the First Angel’s Message is God the Father.
Conclusion
Through comprehensive biblical analysis, we can conclusively identify that the God of the First Angel’s Message is our Heavenly Father. This understanding aligns with both Scripture and early Adventist teachings. The first point of the 1872 Fundamental Principles of Seventh-day Adventists clearly stated: “That there is one God, a personal, spiritual being, the creator of all things, omnipotent, omniscient, and eternal, infinite in wisdom, holiness, justice, goodness, truth, and mercy; unchangeable, and everywhere present by his representative, the Holy Spirit. .” This God they identified as the Father, as shown in subsequent points that distinguished Him from His Son Jesus Christ.
As we face the final test of worship described in Revelation 13, this truth becomes increasingly vital. The Father is the Creator who made all things through His Son, the ultimate Judge whose investigative judgment began in 1844, and the God whom all heavenly beings—including Christ Himself—worship and acknowledge. This understanding is crucial for God’s end-time people who must make a clear distinction between true and false worship. By following the example of heavenly beings, Christ, and our Adventist pioneers, we too should direct our worship to the Father, the one true God of heaven and earth.
