Apocalyptic Harvests
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Please turn to Revelation 14:14-20 as we look at Apocalyptic Harvests.
My dad, Frank Devaney, was a farmer at heart. He did not marry until he was 29 years old, and before he married, he and his brother, Pat Devaney, had a joint farming operation. If I recall correctly, dad loved harvest time. But sadly, he had to stop farming because his hay fever became so bad that he could not work the harvest any longer. So, instead of working the harvest he would go driving around, in an air-conditioned car, and admire the fields which were getting ready for harvest.
My dad would have enjoyed living around Britton, and seeing the different crops as they were readied for harvest.
Our passage for today focuses on two distinct harvests which are mentioned in our passage. The first is the harvest of the earth — most likely focusing on the harvest of grain which was so important to the agricultural economy of biblical times. The second is the harvest of grapes, which again was important to the economy of biblical times.
It seems that the mention of these two harvests symbolize what lies ahead in the Book of Revelation. In other words, they give us a birds-eye glimpse of what is to come.
We will look at each harvest in turn and will focus on the reaper, the ripeness, and the reaping.
Let’s read our passage together.
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.
Let’s begin by looking at
The Grain Harvest
The Grain Harvest
Like my dad, I love to look at fields that are ready for harvest, are in the process of being harvested, or have been recently harvested. I especially like seeing a wheat field that has been freshly harvested. The beautiful golden field full of bales of straw is breath-taking to me.
I should note that some commentators see the grain harvest as being the harvest of righteous ones, while the grape harvest is a harvest of the wicked. But since this harvest is mentioned in the context of judgment, it seems that both have a negative connotation.
The focus of this passage is not so much on what is being harvested, as to who is doing the harvesting. Let’s look at
The Reaper
The Reaper
Note that,
The Glorified Jesus Christ, the Eternal Lord of Glory, is the Reaper of the Grain Harvest
Look at verse 14.
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.
The first phrase, Then I looked, and behold, indicates something new is happening. The term translated behold is intended to draw the reader into the narrative and give particular attention to what follows. What did John see? He saw a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man. For the person familiar with the Hebrew Bible this phrase would produce a “ding-ding” moment. Why is that? Because in the Book of Daniel there is a very similar scene.
In Daniel chapter seven the aged prophet saw a scene in which God is described as the Ancient of Days, and He was sitting on His throne in heaven. The text says that the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
Then this happened:
“I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him.
“And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.
Jewish readers, and those God-fearing Gentiles who were familiar with the Jewish Scriptures would recognize that the scene in Revelation 14:14 was a reference to this vision.
Look at our text again.
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.
Who is this reaper who is sitting on the cloud looking like a human being? There are two main views. Some, such as Leon Morris, see this as being an angelic being. Others see this as the Glorified Christ. Morris argues against this being Christ because it appears that this Person is given a command to follow in verse 15, regarding reaping a harvest from the earth. And since it doesn’t seem appropriate for a lesser being to give a command to Christ, Morris believes this Person cannot be the glorified Christ.
Arguing against Morris is the connection between the prophecy in Daniel and this passage. In Daniel the son of man figure is given dominion, and a kingdom which is everlasting. The Daniel passage is clearly referring to the coming Messiah. In support of this figure being Jesus is the fact that Jesus claimed the title, Son of Man, as referring to Him. It was His favorite way of referring to Himself during His earthly ministry.
Jesus referred to His coming on the clouds in His Olivet Discourse.
“But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
The events of verse 29 will take place during the seal and trumpet judgments mention in chapters 6-9 of Revelation, along with the bowl judgments mentioned in chapter 16.
And then verse 30 is reflected in verse 14 of our text for today.
Also, during Jesus’ trial before the High Priest we read this:
The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?”
But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Because Jesus claimed to be this Son of Man, He was crucified on the charge of blasphemy against God.
Also, in support of our text is being a reference to Jesus, is a reference in chapter 1 of Revelation.
and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.
What else does this passage say about the appearance of the Reaper? Look at verse 14 again.
Revelation 14:14 (NASB 95)
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.
Again this reflects the vision of Daniel in which he saw the Son of Man receiving dominion and a kingdom. This crown is not the royal diadem but the victors crown. This pictures Christ being victorious over His enemies.
In the hands of the Son of Man is a sharp sickle. Sickles were the common tool used to reap the grain harvest. A sickle in the hand of a harvester would mow down the grain, separating the grain from the stalk. This pictures how Christ will mow down His enemies.
Let’s consider now
The Ripeness of the Grain
The Ripeness of the Grain
Look at verse 15.
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.”
Another angel refers back to verse 9 in which John had seen a third angel making a proclamation regarding the doom for those who worship the beast. The angel in our passage is of the same kind as the three previous angels who made their various proclamations. This angel also made a proclamation announcing that it was time to begin the harvest of grain.
MacArthur pointed out, "the verb translated is ripe actually means “dried up,” “withered,” “overripe,” or “rotten.” The grain (the earth) pictured here has passed the point of any usefulness and is fit only to be “gathered up and burned with fire” (Matt. 13:40)." (MacArthur)
That is an apt description of wicked mankind. Note that,
God, in His Patience and Mercy, has Given Mankind Ample Time to Repent of their Wicked Ways and to Turn in Faith to Him
But they have refused. And now they are at the point of no return. Their fruit is ruined, and not useful. This pictures what awaits those who refuse the last chance gospel which was announced by the first angel in verse 6.
Let’s look at
The Reaping
The Reaping
Look at verse 16.
Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.
Note that,
The Reaping will Take Place with One Fell Swoop of the Sickle of Christ
MacArthur believes that this reaping is a reference to the bowl judgments which are mentioned in chapter 16. Since we will not be able to get that far in our exposition of this book, let’s quickly read through the bowl judgments.
Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”
So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.
The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died.
Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood.
And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things;
for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.”
And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”
The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire.
Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.
Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain,
and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.
The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.
And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs;
for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.
(“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”)
And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.
Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.”
And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.
Unlike the previous judgments which seem to be spread out over a period of time, these present themselves in the text as being one right after another.
We have been looking at the grain harvest. Let’s turn our attention to
The Grape Harvest
The Grape Harvest
When we moved from Maine to Britton we were pleasantly surprised by the grape vines which were growing on the fence between the Parsonage yard and the neighbor’s yard. For several years we were able to make delicious grape jelly, until one year the grapes became diseased. Then we were never able to get much of a harvest again. Eventually those vines were torn down and disposed of.
Let’s once again look at
The Reaper
The Reaper
Look at verse 17.
And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.
Note that,
The Reaper in this Harvest is not Christ, but an Angel of the Same Kind as Michael
This angel is of the same kind as the previous four angels mentioned in this chapter. If you will recall, these are of the same kind as either Michael, the ark angel, or of the angels who make up the mighty army which he commands.
MacArthur wrote, “The reaper in this vision is not the Son of Man, as in the grain harvest, but an angel, the fifth one mentioned in chapter 14. Like the fourth angel (v. 15), he came out of the temple which is in heaven. Like Christ in the previous vision, he also had a sharp sickle. Angels have played a prominent role in Revelation up to this point, summoning the four horsemen, sounding the seven trumpets, and defeating Satan and his demon hosts. Angels will also pour out the seven bowl judgments in chapter 16, announce the Battle of Armageddon (19:17), and bind Satan (20:1–3). That an angel is pictured in this vision as the reaper, then, is not surprising. The Son of Man will be assisted by holy angels in His final judgment (cf. Matt. 13:39, 49; 2 Thess. 1:7)." (MacArthur)
Let’s look at
The Ripeness of the Grapes
The Ripeness of the Grapes
Look at verse 18.
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.”
This is the sixth angel of the same kind mentioned in this chapter. For this angel, John gave us some further information. He is the one who has power over fire.
Note that,
This Angel is a Minister of Wrath
Thomas wrote, “The authority of this angel over fire is an allusion to 8:3 ff. where an angel took a censer full of fire and threw it into the earth. So the implications of this reference to fire suggest the figure of a minister of wrath responding to the prayers of the saints. This is probably the same angel who cast fire to the earth earlier, and here as there, the connection of the imprecatory prayers of the saints for vengeance is conspicuous.” (Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995), 222.)
This time the angel did not hurtle fire to the earth, but gave the other angel the go ahead to reap the grapes for harvest. MacArthur noted, "The word ripe is not the same Greek word used in verse 15. This word refers to something fully ripe and in its prime. It pictures earth’s wicked, unregenerate people as bursting with the juice of wickedness and ready for the harvest of righteousness." (MacArthur)
Let’s turn our attention to
The Reaping of the Grapes
The Reaping of the Grapes
Look at verse 19.
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.
Note that,
The Wine Press of the Wrath of God is a Picture of Divine Judgment Against Rebellious Mankind
Thomas wrote, “The winepress in ancient times consisted of two bowls hewn out of solid rock. One was higher than the other and contained the grapes which someone walked on to squeeze the juice from them. The juice flowed through a duct into the lower basin where it collected until being removed for consumption. The redness of the juice and the staining of the feet and garments of the treaders made this an apt picture of divine judgment (cf. Gen. 49:11). This is God’s judgment against the rebels (Johnson), not a picture of the deaths of martyrs (contra Caird). The same imagery will arise again in 19:15 (Lee).” (Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995), 223.)
As if this picture wasn’t gruesome enough, look at verse 20.
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.
Most commentators consider the amount of blood mentioned here to be hyperbolic of great carnage. Two hundred miles is about the length of Palestine. The idea seems to be that the blood from this battle stretches the entire length of the nation of Israel.
MacArthur, as well as others, believe this to be a reference to the battle of Armageddon which takes place at the end of the Tribulation. This battle is referred to in
And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
While not mentioned by name, this battle is described in
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God,
so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”
And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.
And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
I know I probably say this every week, but I am so grateful for the fact that I will not be a member of the human race who has to experience these judgments. I have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and so, for me there is no wrath which awaits. My hope is that you, too, have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
How is one redeemed by Christ’s death? It all begins with acknowledging that the God of the Bible, who is the Creator of this world, exists.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
You must believe that God exists in order to truly seek Him.
Next a person must recognize that they are a sinner.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
And you must understand that there is a penalty for sin.
For the wages of sin is death,
Spiritual death is eternal separation from God. Ultimately a sinner must recognize that their sin problem cannot be remedied by anything they do. The “good things” a person has done will never out weigh the bad things they have done. The sin which Adam committed in the Garden of Eden so long ago seems to be just a “little sin.” I mean, all he did was to eat a piece of fruit. But that sin was all it took for Adam to come under the judgment of God. Fortunately for Adam, I believe that God demonstrated the same kind of grace which He demonstrates for us. He provided a substitute for Adam. Both a near and a far substitute. When God killed an animal to cloth Adam’s nakedness, He set in motion the concept of a Substitutionary Atonement. That means that an offering made in faith to God can provide a satisfaction or propitiation for our sins. But the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sins. They just looked forward to the ultimate sacrifice which was fulfilled at the cross of Christ.
This bring us to Jesus. He is the Eternal Son of God. He has always existed as the second person of the Trinity. In obedience to His Father’s will He became man. Paul wrote about this to the Philippians.
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
When Jesus died on the cross, He absorbed God’s wrath that was intended for all who have embraced Him as their Lord and Savior.
The question of the ages is: have you truly embraced Jesus as your Lord and Savior? There are many people who have been led to do what I’m going to call “a repeat after me formula,” who walk away still in their sins. And that is because salvation is not gained by repeating an incantation of some kind. First, it is gained in true heart belief in the gospel message. Second, it is announced by public testimony. And third, it is proven by a changed life — by bearing fruit in keeping with repentance — by walking in a manner worthy of our calling in Christ Jesus.
Am I saying that a person cannot be saved by “repeating after me?” No, absolutely not. Many of us were — but that is because when the words were repeated, they were done so in true heart belief in the message of the gospel.
Today, is an end to an era for us as a church. This is my last sermon as the Pastor of Britton Bethel Baptist Church. And it is a bittersweet moment, indeed! As I write this my eyes are filling up with tears.
It was twelve years ago this month when I received a phone call from Derek Cochrane asking if I would be willing to consider being the Pastor of this church. And these last twelve years have been precious to me and my family. I want to thank you folks for the way you have loved and accepted us; for the way that you have sacrificially given to this ministry in order to financially support us.
As my friend wrote as our days at Moody Bible Institute were coming to an end:
Now the time has come for us to part,
And I’ll always carry you closely to my heart,
I know that deep down inside I will never say goodbye to you.
Let’s pray.
Dear Father,
This is a bittersweet moment as we end one ministry and begin another. I pray that Britton Bethel will truly know how much I have loved them.
Father, I pray for this assembly, that they would directed by Your Word, and according to Your will. I pray that you would raise up men to leads this assembly, because one man shouldn’t have to do so by himself. I pray that You would bless and keep them, and look upon them with favor.
Lord, I pray for any who have never placed their true heart felt faith in Jesus Christ, that this would be the day the Your Spirit brings them to true repentance and faith in the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In His name I pray. Amen.
