By: Tom Lowe Date: 12/30/16
Title: Reaping the Earth’s Harvest, and the Grapes of Wrath (14:14-20)
Series: Verse By Verse Through Revelations
Revelation 14:14-20 (KJV)
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
Introduction
(14:14-16) The Lord’s great parable of the wheat and the tares casts light on this harvest. Satan sows his tares among the wheat, and both wheat and tares grows together until the day of harvest. In the early stages, Satan’s tares are so much like the wheat that it is hard to tell them apart. But that is no longer the case! The black, ugly darnel[1] stands now in stark contrast with the golden grain of the wheat. The good seed and the bad are revealed by their fruits, and the time has come to separate the one from the other forever. The tares are to be bundled for the fire, and the wheat is to be harvested and stored in the barn of the millennial earth.
(14:17-20) The harvest is all about Christendom—or what is left of it, for the sphere of the harvest is religious. The vintage[2] has to do with the world and the mention of it makes it clear that the time of God’s vengeance has come. The harvest depicts the final separation of the false from the true; the vintage describes the final subjugation of the foes of the truth. The vintage pictures the Lord stepping down into the arena of Armageddon to trample down the beast and all those gathered to his standard in this final conflict of the age.
Commentary
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
This is a judgment scene; for John sees “one like unto the Son of Man”[5] all set to separate the faithful from the unfaithful. This will be a time of joy for Christians who have been persecuted and martyred because they will receive their own long awaited reward. Christians should not fear the Last Judgment. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24).
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In the vision, someone “like unto the son of man” sits on a “white cloud” (Daniel 7:13-14). He is wearing a “crown” and holding a “sickle”[3]. Another angel then appears (14:15) to announce that it is the right time for the harvest. For John’s original readers this idea of it being the right time would have been meaningful. Since they are facing persecution, they would surely be eager to know when God is going to intervene on their behalf.
John mentioned that the reaper of the harvest appeared in his vision: “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.” The identity of the “one . . . like unto the son of man” has been debated by two groups.
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The first group says, “This is none other than the Lord Himself. He was the Sower in Matthew 13, now He is the Reaper. This interpretation is based upon the use of the name Son of Man, which often describes Jesus in the gospels.
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The second group focuses on the fact that this being is described as “like unto the Son of man” (meaning like a human being) which is more like the description of an angel. Then verse 15 begins by referring to another angel, as if an angel had just been mentioned. This group also believes that it is not Christ, but another angel, because in verse 15 the second angel gives the first a command (to begin harvesting), and they don’t believes that Christ would be commanded by an angel. Thus, this group concludes that this Sower/Reaper is an angel using his sickle to do God’s bidding by bringing in a harvest.
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The problem of Christ’s taking orders from the angel is explained by pointing out that the angel bears the message from God. He came “out of the temple (14:15).” The statement “for the time is come for thee to reap” is taken to allude to Christ’s own statement that no one but the Father knew the hour (Mark 13:32).
Most likely however, THIS IS CHRIST, for nowhere else in Scripture is an angel designated as “like unto the Son of Man.” In the vision, Christ may be waiting for the angelic messenger to announce the time for the harvest of the earth to begin, just as other angels have announced the judgments. The “white cloud” is the usual vehicle for Christ’s coming (Matthew 24:30; 26:64) and going (Acts 1:9) and returning (Acts 1:11). He wears “a golden crown,” probably to identify him as victor and to contrast Him with the beast who also wore a crown.
These visions comprising the six visions shown to John might well be a preview in brief of Armageddon. Certain prophecies in the Old Testament fit the case. There is the word by Jeremiah, “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says:
“Babylon is like wheat on a threshing floor, about to be trampled. In just a little while her harvest will begin.” (Jeremiah 51:33). Again we read in Joel, “Come quickly, all you nations everywhere. Gather together in the valley.” And now, O Lord, call out your warriors! “Let the nations be called to arms. Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I, the Lord, will sit to pronounce judgment on them all. Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread the grapes, for the winepress is full. The storage vats are overflowing with the wickedness of these people. Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. There the day of the Lord will soon arrive. The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine. The Lord’s voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth will shake. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a strong fortress for the people of Israel” (Joel 3:11-16). The devil has been sowing his tares during this present age (Matthew 13:25, 39), but after the rapture of the Church the reaping will come. It seems that the world is moving toward that reaping. This is not the judgment of the Great White Throne which takes place after the millennium; it is a preliminary judgment upon the wicked nations who have followed evil leaders.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
Next, John speaks of the ripeness of the harvest: “And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” The darnel[1] was not merely a weed, it was a dangerous weed capable of hindering the growth of the wheat, and was poisonous if eaten. It symbolizes those described by the Lord Jesus as “sons of the evil one.” These wicked people are related to the devil as intimately as the sons of the kingdom are related to God. In His parable the Lord explained that the harvest will take place at the end of the age and will be in two stages. First the weeds will be gathered into bundles, and then later they will be flung into the flames. The great separation of the wheat from the tares is now to take place.
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“Another angel came out of the temple”—referring to the presence of God—bringing with him the command to begin reaping. The phrase “the harvest of the earth is ripe” takes the Old Testament picture of divine judgment as a “harvest” (see Jeremiah 51:33; Hosea 6:11; Joel 3:13). One of Jesus’ parables also describes the end times as a harvest: “Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn” (Matthew 13:30).
All judgment belongs to Him—“And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man” (John 5:27). The harvest here is not the gathering of the good wheat into His garner as in Luke 3:17, but rather the tares which are the children of the wicked one as in Matthew 13:38-42. There is a harvest of evil as well as a harvest of good (Proverbs 13:21; Luke 3:17; Galatians 6:7).
16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
Next John describes the rapidity of the harvest. The one who is sitting on a cloud swings his sickle and after a few swift strokes of the sickle it is all over; the earth has been harvested. “And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.” Because there is no mention of wrath, those who interpret the person on the cloud as Jesus hold that this reaping is the time when the followers of God are being brought to heaven. For those who hold that the one doing the reaping is an angel, this harvest is undefined. Once again, there is some debate about who was being harvested—God’s people, or the sinners. Some scholars have suggested that 14:14-16 pictures the harvesting of God’s people, while 14:17-18 pictures the harvest of sinners. Most likely, however, as Jesus’ parable seems to indicate, 14:14-16 indicates the harvest of all people. This is a general picture of the final judgment, with the elect being taken to heaven and the unbelievers being sent to eternal punishment, as recorded in the following verses.
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For two thousand years the saints have watched satanic cults spring up and flourish. After the rapture of the church no doubt they will prosper even more, cultivated with a bountiful hand by Satan and his demon hosts. The believers during these days of consummation will find themselves beset on every hand with weird and wicked cults as false prophets abound, deceiving many. The Lord, however, makes no mistakes when harvest time comes, and swiftly separates the false from the true. The burning comes later. “The Son of man shall send forth his angels,” the Lord Jesus said, “. . . they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:41-42).
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It is a sad and sorry scene, but it must come. The increasing corruption and rottenness in the “earth” is objectionable to a holy God. Man cannot continue as he is without the interruption of divine judgment. It is the “earth” that is reaped because this is where men dwell and where they have perpetuated their evil works. The “sickle” Christ holds in His hand is “sharp.” It will not fail to do its work thoroughly. The “earth” must be rid of its evil.
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But while the Church awaits the Rapture, there is a good harvest before us even now. Jesus said, “You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35). Our business as Christians is to witness of Christ and His gospel. The world must hear His message of salvation, and we are responsible to tell it to the utmost part of the earth. “They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest” (Psalm 126:6).
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
[Verses 17-20 describe a grape harvest.] “Another angel” appears with a “sharp sickle”; this one coming out of the “temple” in Heaven (14:17). Then “another angel,” this one “from the altar” (14:18) and having “power over fire,” is in command and he joins the angel which “came out of the Temple” and orders him to “gather the clusters of grapes” because they are “ripe” (14:18). When the angel gathers the grapes, he tosses them into God’s “wine press” (14:19). This is most likely a picture of judgment, since it is a “winepress” of “wrath” (14:19). We aren’t told who presses the grapes, but the huge amount of blood that pours from the “winepress” reveals a devastating judgment. This is probably the third picture of the same reality of coming judgment. First was the cup of unmixed wine to be poured out (14:10), second was the grain harvest (14:15-16), and third was the grape harvest (14:17-20). This third stresses the violent nature of this final judgment. The Old Testament also pictures divine judgment as a grape harvest (see Isaiah 63:1-6; Lamentations 1:15; Joel 3:13). Revelation 19:15 describes the return of the victorious Christ: “He trod the winepress of the fierce wrath of almighty God.”
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The judgment described in verses 17-19 is very timely. Isaiah foresaw this and wrote, “Who is this who comes from Edom, from the city of Bozrah, with his clothing stained red? Who is this in royal robes, marching in his great strength? “It is I, the Lord, announcing your salvation! It is I, the Lord, who has the power to save!” Why are your clothes so red, as if you have been treading out grapes? “I have been treading the winepress alone; no one was there to help me. In my anger I have trampled my enemies as if they were grapes. In my fury I have trampled my foes. Their blood has stained my clothes” (Isaiah 63:1-3, NLT). Joel saw it also and said, “Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread the grapes, for the winepress is full. The storage vats are overflowing with the wickedness of these people.” Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. There the day of the Lord will soon arrive” (Joel 3:13-14).
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The angel reapers are not identified in detail. The angel (see 8:5 for fire angel; 16:5 for water angel; 7:1 for wind angel) gave the order to harvest the grapes. The angel “which had power over fire” could refer to the angel who had authority over the fire on “the alter” (8:3-5). “The altar” is connected both with the souls of the martyrs (6:9) and the prayers of the saints (8:3), both of which played a part in bringing about this final drama of ultimate judgment.
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In the Old Testament, Israel is symbolized by a vine, but a fruitless, disappointing vine. Moses, in his last song, which was written as a witness against Israel because of her failure, said “Their vine grows from the vine of Sodom, from the vineyards of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poison and their clusters are bitter. Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras.” (Deuteronomy 32:32-33). The Psalmist and the Prophet Isaiah give a summary of the history of this vine in psalm 88:8-16 and Isaiah 5:1-7. By the time of the end of the Great Tribulation, unbelieving Israel will have degenerated so far as to be allied with the world church headed by the great harlot and the Antichrist. Our Lord confirmed these Old Testament Scriptures, giving Israel’s failure as His reason for coming into the world as the True Vine and grafting in other branches (Matthew 21:33-43). The expression “vine of the earth” constitutes the entire religious system in the coming crisis, when earth shall be reaped at the close of the Tribulation period.
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Obeying the command (14:18), the angel with the sickle swung it across the earth and gathered its Grapes (picturing the unbelievers who will receive punishment) into the great winepress of God’s wrath. A “winepress” was a large vat or trough where Grapes would be collected and then smashed. The juice would flow out of a duct that led into a large holding vat. The unbelievers are collected and trampled in the winepress outside the city, possibly referring to Jerusalem (or Babylon). Since Jesus was crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem, this great scene of judgment is pictured there (see also Joel 3:12-14; Zechariah 14:1-4; John 19:20; Hebrews 13:12).
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
The Judgment symbolized here is also very terrible. The description is graphic indeed; “And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.” What an appalling scene. From Dan to Beersheba was sixteen hundred furlongs, that is, about 200 miles. Flowing from Armageddon, a deep crimson tide of human blood is seen. John describes the amount of blood as deep enough to reach the height of horse’s “bridles”[4]. The greatest concern here is not the exact distance; it is the immeasurable extent of God’s judgment falling on those who refuse to believe.
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Outside the city where He was crucified, down there in the valley of Jehoshaphat, the valley of judgment, the Lord will complete the trampling down of His foes. What is signified is a vast destruction of human life, a slaughter beyond anything the world has ever known, a slaughter that begins at Armageddon and which continues on to the end of the judgment of the living nations spoken of in Matthew 25:31-46. When the Lamb of God thrusts His sickle into earth’s harvest, such plagues, such agonies as will immediately come upon the earth have never before been known. Men will “gnaw their tongues for pain” (Revelation 16:10). Ezekiel describes the scene by relating that seven years will be required to rid the earth of the weapons of warfare amassed by the nations, and seven months to bury the dead (Ezekiel 39:8-16). This is THE END of man’s glory and Satan’s rule on the earth.
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The harvest. Both grain and grape harvest illustrate the single event of coming judgment. Some would make the grain harvest include only the righteous and the grape harvest only the wicked, but this cannot be substantiated. The grain harvest, at the end of the world (Mark 4:29; Matthew 13:30; Jeremiah 51:33; Hosea 6:11), appears to include both righteous and wicked. John uses the two symbols to describe the single judgment which is going to happen soon.
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In both illustrations, the grain and the grapes were pronounced ready for harvest because they were “ripe.” Evidently all conditions had been met, such as preaching the gospel to all nations. Everything is in readiness.
The Judgment. Inasmuch as the grapes are thrown into the great winepress of the wrath of God, some interpreters see this judgment as including the wicked only. The grain was the righteous and was gathered by the Son of man; an angel reaped the grapes. Others point out that in the parable of the tares angels reap both righteous and wicked and that the distinction cannot be sustained. Wine has been used as a symbol of seductive evil (14:8). But it is also symbolic of Christ’s redeeming blood.
My prayer is that the unsaved who read these pages will turn to Christ at once and thereby escape the unsparing wrath to come. Man ought to praise God that in this day of grace sinners can find refuge in the Lord Jesus Christ. Today God’s mercy is extended to all. Oh, yield to the wooing of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ at once.
Notes and Scriptures
[1] Darnel is any of several grasses of the genus Lolium, having simple stems, flat leaves, and terminal spikes.
[2] Vintage stands for a season’s yield of grapes or wine from a vineyard.
[3] Sickle is the name of an implement used in harvesting grain, and is still in use in remote sections of the Arabic country today.
[4] Certainly, John is using hyperbole when he describes a river of blood four feet deep and 200 miles long.
[5] The identical terminology is used in Revelation 1:13—“And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.”
