The Harvest - Revelation 14:14-20
INTRODUCTION:
This morning we will finish up Revelation 14 by looking at the last seven verses. I have mentioned several times that the theme of this chapter is the ultimate triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ. We will see that again this morning as we look at the judgments in our passage.
The vision in this chapter began looking into the future to the time that the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ will stand in triumph on Mount Zion surrounded by the 144,000 sealed Israelites who will live through the Great Tribulation and will usher in the millennial kingdom with Christ reigning as their king.
Last week, we looked at the final announcements that judgment is coming, God’s final appeal to sinners to repent and turn to Jesus Christ for forgiveness before it is too late, and the offer of salvation is no longer available. We learned of the everlasting torment of the unbelievers and the everlasting rest and reward of those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.
This morning as we look at the rest of this chapter it is a summary of the judgment that is to come upon the unrepentant world as God’s final wrath is unleashed culminating in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the battle of Armageddon. Let’s pray and then get into God’s Word.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Revelation 14:14-20, the last seven verses of this chapter. Please stand if you are able in honor of the reading of God’s Word. Follow along as I read.
Revelation 14:14-20,
“Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, ‘Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, ‘Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.’ So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.” (Revelation 14:14–20, NASB95)[1]
THE HARVESTS (Revelation 14:14-20)
In the Old Testament prophets, both Isaiah and Joel, spoke of a coming harvest of judgment. The Lord Jesus while He was living on the earth spoke of a coming harvest of judgment. This harvest of divine wrath will be the final judgment that will be carried out by the Messiah, and the remainder of this chapter is a summary of the final outpouring of the wrath of the Lamb.
In John’s vision, he sees the final harvest of divine wrath pictured for him in two agricultural subjects: First, is the grain harvest and second, the grape harvest. The grain harvest represents the seven bowl judgments which will begin in chapter 16 and the grape harvest represents the judgment of Armageddon. Both of these harvests involve a harvester, a sickle, and the harvesting.
THE GRAIN HARVEST (Revelation 14:14-16)
John opens this final section of chapter 14 with the familiar phrase, “Then I looked, and behold…” (Revelation 14:14a, NASB95)[2] This is a phrase that John uses to introduce a new and important subject in this book. John sees a white cloud and sitting on the cloud is one like a son of man. John is seeing something like the prophet Daniel saw in his visions. In Daniel 7:13 he writes, “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming…” (Daniel 7:13a, NASB95)[3] This can be no one else, this is the Lord Jesus Christ and He is coming to establish His kingdom in fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy. The word translated “white” is a Greek word that means brilliant, or a dazzling white and this dazzling white cloud symbolizes the glory and majesty of the One who is seated on it. The Lord Jesus Christ is sitting as He waits for the proper time to stand and begin reaping. The reaping, which is the seven bowl judgments that we will look at in detail in chapter 16, will be followed by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth to establish His millennial kingdom on the earth.
John describes Jesus Christ as “one like a son of man…” a title that was also used in Daniel’s prophecy, but also a favorite title that was used by the Lord Jesus Christ, during His earthly ministry, a title He used of Himself. Here we have emphasized for us the humanity of Christ, and He comes as a Son of man to execute judgment on mankind. This authority was given to Him by God the Father. Jesus said in John 5:22 and 27, “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,” (John 5:22, NASB95)[4]; “and He [God the Father] gave Him [Jesus Christ] authority to execute judgment, because He is [a] Son of Man.” (John 5:27, NASB95)[5] Do not read “the Son of Man” because the definite article is not there in the Greek. The authority to judge sinful mankind is His authority because He is the perfect Son of Man.
Jesus is seen here wearing a golden crown on His head, this is not a royal crown worn by a king, but a victor’s crown worn by the victors in war or athletic events. This crown that Jesus Christ is wearing is His crown of victory and shows that He is the triumphant conqueror over all His enemies.
John also tells us that Jesus Christ is holding a sharp sickle in His hand. A sickle is a long curved, razor-sharp blade attached to a long wooden handle and was used for harvesting grain. A sickle was held with both hands spread apart and then swung in a sweeping motion and its sharp blade would cut off the grain stalks at ground level.
Another angel, this is the fourth angel in this chapter, John saw three flying in mid-heaven in our passage last week. This one is not flying in midheaven, but John sees him coming out of the temple in heaven. The first three announced the coming of divine judgment, this one gives the command to execute that judgment. The fact that he is coming out of the heavenly temple indicates that he was before the throne of God. He cries out in a loud voice the message given to him by God the Father that he is to convey to the Son of Man, the time has come for the Son of Man to execute judgment. God’s anger has reached its limit, and His wrath is now poured out. The angel cries out, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” (Revelation 14:15b, NASB95)[6] Now is the time, sin has gone on long enough it is time for it to be judged. The word that is translated “ripe” is a word that actually means “dried up” or “withered.” In other words, the grain pictured here is past its prime, it has passed the point of usefulness, there is nothing left in this grain that is useful for the kingdom and it is fit only to be gathered up and burned with fire. A picture that the wickedness of sin could go on no longer, it had to be judged, removed and burned up. The hour of God’s judgment on sinful man has come and His wrath is poured out on the earth.
John writes, “Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.” (Revelation 14:16, NASB95)[7] John MacArthur writes, “Here is one of the most tragic and sobering statements in all of Scripture. Without fanfare, it announces the executing of divine judgment.”[8] The terrifying details of this judgment are described for us in chapter 16, the seven bowl judgments are poured out in quick succession and they mark the first phase of the final harvest of the earth preparing it for the return of the King, Jesus Christ will come to take possession of what rightfully belongs to Him and was wrongly usurped from Him.
THE GRAPE HARVEST (Revelation 14:17-20)
From the vision of the judgment of the grain harvest we move to the vision of the grape harvest, this vision speaks of the judgment which takes place at the battle of Armageddon.
The harvester in this vision is not the Son of Man, but instead John sees another angel, a fifth one, come out of the heavenly temple. Like the Son of Man this angel has a sharp sickle in his hand, a sickle for harvesting grapes. It should not surprise us that this harvester is an angel, we know from other Scriptures that the Son of Man will be assisted by angels in His final judgment. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 13:49-50, “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:49–50, NASB95)[9] The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7, part of our Scripture reading this morning, “For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6–8, NASB95)[10] Both Jesus and Paul spoke of angels assisting the Lord Jesus Christ in His final judgment on the earth.
A sixth angel comes from the altar of incense. This angel has the title of “the one who has power over fire” and this title is closely connected with the fact that he “came out from the altar.” Unlike the angel that came from the throne of God in the temple in the grain harvest vision, this angel comes from the altar of incense which is associated with the prayers of the saints. His appearance at this moment means that the time has come for those prayers to be answered fully.
Leaving the altar, he cried with a loud and urgent voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” (Revelation 14:18b, NASB95)[11] In response to the prayers of the saints, the time of judgment has come. The word translated “ripe” here is not the same word that is translated “ripe” in verse 15. This Greek word translated “ripe” refers to something that is fully ripe and in its prime. It speaks of grapes almost bursting with juice and prime for harvest. It is a picture of earth’s wicked people bursting with the juice of wickedness. They are ripe unto judgment; the time of their righteous judgment has come.
The result of this angel swinging his sickle is catastrophic. All the enemies of God who survive the seven bowl judgments will be gathered like clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth and thrown into the great wine press of the wrath of God. A wine press was usually carved out of the native rock and consisted of an upper basin and a lower basin, the upper basin had a channel carved in the bottom of it that channeled the juice of the grapes into the lower basin. The grapes were placed in the upper basin and stomped on with the feet and the juice would flow and collect in the lower basin. The splattering of the juice as the grapes are stomped pictures the splattered blood of those who will be destroyed.
The shocking, horrifying bloodbath of the battle of Armageddon will be so widespread that it is described as blood coming from the winepress of God’s wrath that will come up to the horses’ bridles for a distance of 200 miles. This is literally 1600 stadia which is closer to 180 miles. John tells us the winepress will be trodden outside the city, the city refers to Jerusalem and the Lord will protect the city from the carnage of the battle of Armageddon.
There will be millions of people engaged in this battle as all the nations of the earth gather to fight against Jesus Christ. John may be using a little hyperbole of exaggeration here by saying the blood flowed up to the horses’ bridles for a distance of 180 miles. What John is describing is not a battle, but a slaughter. It is possible that at the peak of the battle which will cover most of the land of Israel that blood could flow deep in troughs and streambeds.
When the Lord Jesus Christ returns the Antichrist, the false prophet, and all their human and demonic forces will be immediately destroyed. Those who refuse to repent, even after repeated warnings through the seven years of Tribulation will learn the sobering truth of Hebrews 10:31, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31, NASB95)[12] The judgment of Armageddon will be swift and will bring an end to the wicked and usher in the millennial kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION:
As I wrap this up this morning, what can we take from this passage? In these seven verses we find a summary of the end times and in the end, Jesus Christ will triumph. I believe that the message that we can take from this is only too clear. Today is the day of grace, but what is true about the tribulation is also true today, and that is, God will ultimately judge sinful man. Today, the invitation is still open to those who will trust in Christ, those who will accept God’s offer of forgiveness through grace. Maybe you are here this morning and maybe you are visiting or maybe you have been at this church longer than I have, but you have never put your trust in Christ. You have never agreed with God that you are a sinner, a sinner helpless to save yourself, but you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross, and His death paid the penalty required for sin, you believe that He was buried and three days later rose from the dead. If you believe this, you are forgiven, and you are saved from the wrath to come. You do not have to experience the judgment of God because Jesus experienced it for you on the cross. He took on your sin that you might take on His righteousness.
As we consider the judgment that is to come on the earth on sinful mankind in the end times we should be spurred on to share the truth of the Gospel message with those that God brings into our lives. We should desire to live our lives in holiness and purity in this increasingly sinful world. This can only happen if the doctrine of Christ return is more than just something you know, but it is something you are always waiting for, you are always looking for Christ’s return for the church. Paul explained it this way to Titus, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” (Titus 2:11–14, NASB95)[13] Are you looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, and if you are how is it affecting the way you live your life?
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[3]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[4]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[5]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[6]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[7]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[8]MacArthur, John, Because the Time is Near : John MacArthur explains the book of Revelation. Chicago, IL : Moody Publishers, 2007
[9]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[10]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[11]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[12]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[13]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995