Featuring leaders from various departments of the General Conference (GC), the Three Angels’ Messages Report presented at about 2:30 pm on Thursday at this year’s 61st GC Session inspired Adventists across the globe to get involved in sharing God’s final-day message with the world. Hosted by Justin Kim, GC editor and assistant director of Sabbath School and Personal Ministries, the video emphasized the importance of young people in sharing the Three Angels’ Message, as well as the different resources available to equip and empower members at a grass-roots level.
“GC administration nominated the GC Three Angels’ Messages Committee to focus, in these last time of our world history, in preaching the three angels’ messages according to Revelation 14,” GC General Vice President Billy Biagi said.
The video report began with brief testimonies from individuals across different countries, who’ve had their lives and communities transformed by the Three Angels’ Message through Adventist World Radio (AWR). From pagan chiefs in the Philippines, to witch doctors in Nepal, to struggling teens in South Africa, people have been baptized, started Adventist churches, become involved in their communities, and taken up cell phone evangelism in response to hearing the good news.
“It’s a movement that preaches, teaches and heals,” said Kim. “It’s not just about individuals, it’s about a whole movement of God’s people utilizing every type of medium out there— from social media to books to good old radio to one-on-one evangelism. From radio broadcasts and cellphone evangelism. All sorts of people—people you’ve never even thought of—are partaking and joining in the three angels messages movement.”
UTILIZING YOUNG PEOPLE: “3AM MORNING IS COMING”
The Three Angels’ Message Committee is investing time and resources into producing engaging and relevant content across all ages, nationalities, and people groups. “We’re committed to use all resources and the strategies, the best of our finances and people, in a digital or printed way, to share resources that can be used to fulfill the mission across the street or across the world,” explained GC Secretary Erton Köhler.
While various departments and institutions of the World Church have been busy developing material focused on the Three Angels’ Message (you can read about this further here), a strong focus of the Three Angels’ Message Report this year was on the power of young people to spread the gospel message effectively. Specifically, a new video series entitled “3AM Morning is Coming” has been produced by the Three Angels’ Message Committee in partnership with Hope Channel International (HCI).
“The Spirit of Prophecy says that young people well trained can be an army that will help to preach the gospel and enlighten this world with a message of hope,” said Biagi. “So HCI has started this project of the Three Angels’ Message through the words and participation of young preachers from around the world.”
The new series has been launched under a new brand “3AM” and hopes to appeal to wider and younger audiences. So far, approximately 30 young people from 30 different languages have been trained to preach the Three Angels’ Message, and their video sermons are being shared online. Organizers hope to add another 10 languages for each year of the current quinquennium, with the ultimate goal of reaching 70 languages with the combined efforts of more than 600 evangelists.
“The 3AM brand is an exemplary embodiment of the Adventist Church’s I Will Go strategy,” encouraged world church president, Elder Ted Wilson. “I couldn’t be prouder of the many young people at Hope Channel stations around the world who are translating prophecy into their languages.”
The level of international participation in watching and supporting this project has been “unprecedented”, according to the video, even being watched in countries within the 10/40 window, where Christianity is outlawed. The videos are being posted across all social media channels, with promising results.
“For example, on Facebook, the Portuguese version alone reached nearly 40,000 people. And on YouTube, the English version reached one million viewes within the first two weeks of launch,” the voice over said. To date, the 3AM Morning is Coming Facebook page has achieved a reach of nearly 4.8 million people worldwide.
INTEGRATING 3AM AND HOPE CHANNEL: “HOPE.STUDY”
“What’s really exciting to me is the great synergy that 3AM will have with our other initiatives like hope.study,” said Justin Woods, director of digital distribution for HCI.
Hope Channel’s dedicated online Bible study website, hope.study launched just over 12 months ago and has already reached more than 200,000 people who are now studying the Bible. The plan is to create Bible studies on topics related to the Three Angels’ Message later this year.
“We'll launch comprehensive social media marketing campaigns to bring people to our 3AM content of our Bible studies,” said Woods. “But what we really need is God’s blessing and your prayers.”
INTEGRATING 3AM AND PUBLISHING
Aside from integrations with Hope Channel, another major initiative supported by the Three Angels’ Message Committee is the various books being published that explore the themes of Revelation 14. One of these is “Hope’s End Time Secrets” written by Mark Finley and Loron Wade, and produced especially to be shared by literature evangelists.
Another project the Three Angels’ Message Committee has been involved with since 2007 is the “Missionary Book of the Year”. For 2022, approximately 50 million copies of “The Final Hope” by Clifford Goldstein will be printed in 50 languages.
Another book will also be the Great Controversy. “What else could be printed to reflect the three angels’ messages better than this book?” asked Alir Marronis, GC director of publishing. “I invite you to participate … this books is powerful tools to reach people with the three angels’ message.”
Continuing on the theme of outreach, GC director of Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Ramon Canals also introduced a new GC initiative called “City Sidewalk Evangelism”. Targeting major cities, volunteers will spend two weeks distributing invitations to Bible studies, that are to take place in two weeks time. “It will be a four week ministry cycle,” he said. “This cycle will be repeated for a whole year using different teams of individuals!” To get involved in this project, click here.
According to Mike Ryan, special assistant to the president, the partnership and participation of local pastors and members in sharing the Three Angels’ Message is the key to success.
“Without their involvement it will be a very slow proclamation,” Ryan said. “If you read Testimonies to the Church, Volume 9, page 19, Ellen White says that nothing should be allowed to interfere with that proclamation. It’s the most important task that the church has before it.”
“We must do this always with a sense of urgency because we understand that we have an eternal gospel to preach, but we don’t have an eternity to do so,” continued Köhler. “If God gives us the opportunity to fulfill this message today, it’s very risky to leave it for tomorrow.”
STRONG LEADERSHIP SUPPORT
To end the video, Justin Kim encouraged viewers to “get trained, get organized, get inspired and get into action”, giving them practical tips to share the Three Angels’ Message in their own communities.
“It’s not just about knowing and proclaiming the three angels’ messages on a theoretical level, but about experiencing it on a deeper level,” he said. “New content is going to be created in an artful way where you can share with your social and your digital circles, and we have new books coming out...It’s going to be a way that the Three Angels’ Message goes to the whole world through your involvement!”
Multiple leaders at the GC and HCI also expressed their support for the various projects mentioned in the video, and particularly the 3AM initiative.
“This program being conducted by Hope Channel is exactly what the hope of the Three Angels’ Messages Committee is all about,” said committee chairman Michael Ryan. “This future generation that is being trained will be fully capable of bringing this work forward. It also taps into a technology and media platform that is on the cutting edge, and that people are actually watching. I’m very supportive,” he said.
“The Three Angels’ Message is the very foundation, the very heart of the book of Revelation,” continued Mark Finley, host of Three Cosmic Messages: Earth’s Final Conflict. “Hope Channel is launching the 3AM Project to transform men and women and prepare them for the coming of Jesus. I wholeheartedly encourage you to watch the programs and support the project.
To watch, support and share HCI’s “3AM: Morning is Coming”, visit their YouTube channel.
- Angelica Sanchez contributed to this article