The Two Harvests

I know it’s been a few weeks since we were last together in the book of Revelation so I want to give us a quick refresher.

We’ve split chapter 14 into 3 sections…all 3 sections begin with the phrase “then I looked/saw…”

Verses 1-5 — The Lamb is standing on Mt. Zion in victory. The people of God participate in the victory of the Lamb.

Verses 6-13 — The gospel of judgment. Three angels announce the coming judgment of God against those who have refused to worship Him.

The warnings: Repent // Endure

NOW…

Revelation 14:14–20 ESV

Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.

REMINDER: This is not chronological/time order. There is more elaboration on the judgment described here in chapter 15 and beyond.

In chapter 14, judgment has been ANNOUNCED. Now, judgment is ARRIVING.

The GRAIN Harvest

“one like a son of man seated on a white cloud…”

Daniel 7:13 ESV

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

THREE CHARACTERISTICS

Seated on a white cloud (14, 15, 16)

White—purity, wisdom, glory, and victory

Not so much a means of “transport” but a kind of throne.

Joel 3:12 (ESV)

Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;

for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

Is this a throne of judgment or salvation? Even believers will stand before the judgment seat (20:12).

The white cloud signifies the glorious victory of Christ as he prepares to harvest the earth.

THREE CHARACTERISTICS

2. A gold crown on his head

He is the sovereign—gold = royal authority & divine glory.

THREE CHARACTERISTICS

3. A Sickle

Mark 4:29 ESV

But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

>>Judgment<<

Now, a new angel appears with a command from God. This ushers in the final ripe harvest of the saints. So…again..to be clear…this is the harvest of the saints to stand in judgment before God.

Matthew 9:37–38 ESV

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

John 4:34–38 ESV

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

One main “clue” that this is the saints—unlike the harvest of grapes, this is not destroyed.

The GRAPE Harvest

Two more angels appear—one with another sickle and one with authority from the temple.

“Fire”—authority/charge over the fiery judgment of God.

Joel 3:13 ESV

Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great.

Isaiah 5:5 ESV

And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.

Isaiah 63:2–3 ESV

Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel.

Isaiah 63:6 ESV

I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”

Lamentations 1:15 ESV

“The Lord rejected all my mighty men in my midst; he summoned an assembly against me to crush my young men; the Lord has trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.

The winepress of the wrath of God…his enemies are crushed.

Very graphic/violent imagery.

Outside the city—they are eternally cut off.

All people will stand before the judgment seat of Christ—either to salvation or to destruction.

The Charge

(Live Faithfully)

The Charge

(Live Urgently)