The message of the first angel concludes by giving an invitation to “worship Him Who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” This is a clear call to worship God as the Creator! What is “worship”? The word “worship” is an abbreviated form of the word “worthship,” which has to do with whatever we consider of highest worth. Because that word is hard to pronounce, it was shortened to “worship.” Whatever we consider to be of highest value, that we “worship.” We are called to make God the highest priority and give Him “first place” in our lives: we are called to “worship Him.” 

The Bible teaches that merely performing acts of worship without being loyal to God is worthless. Such was the “worship” of Cain and the Jews of Jesus’ day, who went through the motions of “worship,” but openly disobeyed Him. This type of worship is unacceptable to God. “To obey is better than sacrifice.” I Samuel 15:22. Jesus said, “You have made the commandments of God of no effect by your tradition.” Matthew 15:6. Having a right relationship with God, appreciating all that He’s done for us will lead to willing obedience through His Spirit to all His commandments. 

Though the theory of evolution is widely held today, the Bible clearly teaches that “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” This creation process occurred, according to Genesis 1, through the successive 24-hour days of creation week, not long epochs as some believe. The grammar of the Hebrew language is clear; by stating these days to be “evenings and mornings,” no other than 24-hour days described. Also, by identifying them as the “first day,” and the “second day,” etc, it makes it clear that these were 24-hour periods of time.

Many thinking scientists today recognize that there is “design” in the world we see about ourselves. Fibonacci, a 13-century Italian mathematician, noted an ideal proportion of 1.618 which was employed in architecture and is seen often in nature, testifying of God as a Lover of beauty. “Irreducible Complexity,” which describes the concept that machines such as a mousetrap must be totally “complete,” without one part missing, in order to function, testify that a divine Designer made us and everything in the world.

When God ended His creation, He rested on the seventh day and sanctified it as His appointed memorial of creation. That memorial has never changed! To worship “Him Who created heaven and earth and the sea” must include observing His Sabbath, the seventh day of the week! God included the Sabbath as part of the Ten Commandments, written in stone to illustrate their perpetuity. “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.” Exodus 20:8-11. We are not called to observe the “Jewish Sabbath.” That was a corruption of God’s memorial, heaped with man-made traditions and requirements. We are called to keep the Sabbath of Jehovah; it is the “Lord’s Day.” Jesus never changed the Sabbath, nor did His apostles. He said, “Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” Matthew 5:17, 18. 

In an age when the theory of evolution is so widely held, we are called to return to the simple worship of the Creator God by observing (not legalistically, by with true heart-felt appreciation and loyalty) His memorial of creation, the seventh-day Sabbath. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15. True Sabbath-keeping can never be legalism (relying on my works to save me); it is resting! It is ceasing from “working” to earn God’s favor. 

Satan hates the Sabbath, because it identifies God as Creator; it teaches us that we “rest” in His work for salvation; it demonstrates that God can take something “without form and void” (the earth in the beginning, and my life today) and make it “good,” and because it affords a weekly opportunity to spend time with God. All relationships require time in order to thrive. The seventh day is a Christian’s weekly “sabbatical” to set apart the concerns of the world and enjoy time with his or her Creator!

The phrase “Worship Him Who made heaven and earth, the seas” is drawn from the fourth commandment, identifying the Sabbath as God’s holy day. The phrase, “springs of water” is a reference to the other great geological event of Genesis, the Flood ( Genesis 7:11), the historical fact of which many in today’s world reject. The purpose of the messages of the Three Angels is to alert us to the fact that God has a plan for this planet, and when He returns in glory to bring this earth to its end, there will be salvation for all who are in Him, as Noah was in the ark, but destruction for those who refuse His offer of grace and persist in disobedience.

God loves us dearly and wants us to know that He is our Creator and Redeemer! It is our privilege to “worship Him Who made heaven and earth, the seas and the springs of waters.”