The gospel is the incredibly good news of Christ’s death for our sins, His glorious resurrection, and His ever-present love and concern for us. By faith in His shed blood and resurrection, we are delivered from both sin’s penalty and power.

A. Visions of grace and hope.

The first word of the last book in the Bible summarizes its main theme, Revelation (ἀποκάλυψις [apokalupsis] in Greek). What is this revelation?

— Jesus is revealed as the Lamb who was slain
— We can see God’s grace through the story of the Church and the world
— We can see Jesus’ hand reaching the sinners to save them and to overcome evil
— We can see the promise of eternal life

The book of Revelation is the revelation of the everlasting gospel; the grace God gives to the sinners. It’s a message of hope for each one of us.

B. An angel with a message:

The gospel of grace.

— The first angel brings the everlasting gospel (Revelation 14:6

KJV 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, NLT ⁶ And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world — to every nation, tribe, language, and people.
). The proper question here is, what is the gospel?
— Paul described it in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

KJV ¹ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; ² By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. ³ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: NLT ¹ Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. ² It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you — unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. ³ I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. ⁴ He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
, it’s the news of Christ’s death for our sins, and His resurrection. We can be saved thanks to that.
— In Romans 3:24-26

KJV ²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: ²⁵ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; ²⁶ To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. NLT ²⁴ Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, ²⁶ for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
and Romans 5:6-8

KJV ⁶ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. ⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. NLT ⁶ When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. ⁷ Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. ⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
, Paul explained it more extensively, linking the gospel to God’s grace:

(1) We’re justified by His grace without any cost (Romans 3:24

KJV ²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: NLT ²⁴ Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
)
(2) God’s grace is a manifestation of His righteousness (Romans 3:25

KJV ²⁵ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; NLT ²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,
)
(3) Those who accept Jesus by faith are justified by God’s grace (Romans 3:26

KJV ²⁶ To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. NLT ²⁶ for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
)
(4) God showed His love for us even when we were sinners (Romans 5:6-8

KJV ⁶ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. ⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. NLT ⁶ When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. ⁷ Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. ⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
)

The everlasting gospel.

— The gospel was announced to Adam and Eve right after they sinned. It brought the hope of redemption to humankind (Genesis 3:15

KJV ¹⁵ And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. NLT ¹⁵ And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
).
— However, it was not a plan that God suddenly improvised. God loved us so much that He created humans free, so they could decide either to love Him back or not. Freedom came with a risk since humans might rebel against Him.
— Therefore, God had already planned a way to redeem them in case they rebelled but then repented and wanted to love Him back again (2 Timothy 1:9

KJV ⁹ Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, NLT ⁹ For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time — to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.
; Titus 1:2

KJV ² In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; NLT ² This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God — who does not lie — promised them before the world began.
; Ephesians 1:4

KJV ⁴ According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: NLT ⁴ Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
;
1 Peter 1:18-20

KJV ¹⁸ Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; ¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: ²⁰ Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, NLT ¹⁸ For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. ¹⁹ It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. ²⁰ God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.
).

C. An angel with a purpose:

Preaching the gospel.

— After Jesus was resurrected, He commanded His disciples to preach the gospel to “all the nations” (Matthew 28:19

KJV ¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: NLT ¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
). Just before ascending to Heaven, He guaranteed them that the small seed of the gospel would grow “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8

KJV ⁸ But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. NLT ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere — in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
).
— Now we are heirs to that great mission in the End Time! We must dedicate all our strength to fulfill it.
— A commitment to the mission is needed. We must leave our self-interest aside. We must care for those who need to know Jesus, to have a hope, and to accept His grace.

A missionary Church.

— Revelation 10

KJV ¹ And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: ² And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, ³ And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. ⁴ And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. ⁵ And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 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: ⁷ But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. ⁸ And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. ⁹ And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. ¹⁰ And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. ¹¹ And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. NLT ¹ Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire. ² And in his hand was a small scroll that had been opened. He stood with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. ³ And he gave a great shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted, the seven thunders answered. ⁴ When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Keep secret what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down.” ⁵ Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand toward heaven. ⁶ He swore an oath in the name of the one who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and everything in them, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it. He said, “There will be no more delay. ⁷ When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled. It will happen just as he announced it to his servants the prophets.” ⁸ Then the voice from heaven spoke to me again: “Go and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. “Yes, take it and eat it,” he said. “It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!” ¹⁰ So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach. ¹¹ Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”
contains a prophecy about a remnant that would suffer a great disappointment (Revelation 10:9-10

KJV ⁹ And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. ¹⁰ And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. NLT ⁹ So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. “Yes, take it and eat it,” he said. “It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!” ¹⁰ So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach.
), and then would preach all throughout the world (Revelation 10:11

KJV ¹¹ And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. NLT ¹¹ Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”
).
— The second part of the prophecy began to be fulfilled in 1874 when the General Conference sent out the first missionary to Europe: John N. Andrews.
— He was a highly skilled person who left everything behind to go to an unknown place. His motivation was the love for those who needed to meet Jesus, their Savior who was coming soon.
— There are still places to reach and people to preach to. What is your part in this mission?