Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Today we are jumping back into the book of Revelation - the final book of the Bible and one of the most interesting, and encouraging.

It’s the only book with an attached blessing for those who read it, speak it and apply it to their lives.

So we are unapologetic in our motivation for this journey.

I want God to bless our church!

I want you to walk in the blessing of God for your life.

But that blessing is attached to hearing and obeying his Word.

The book of Revelation is “apocalyptic literature.”

That means it uses highly figurative and often symbolic language to convey important truths.

Some assume since the language is apocalyptic that means the truth conveyed in somehow only metaphorical or spiritual in nature.

That’s not how we’ve been interpreting the book.

Our approach is that the events described in the book of Revelation will be real events that happen in human history at some point in the future.

Review of Revelation

I’ve encouraged you to think of the book of Revelation as four sets of seven.

In Revelation 2-3 there are seven letters to seven different churches.

In Revelation 6 there are seven seal judgments that correspond to seven disasters that take place on the earth.

(four horsemen are unleashed - the fourth containing authority to kill 1/4th of those living on the earth)

In Revelation 8-9 there are seven trumpet judgments that correspond to God’s judgment on all those who live on the earth.

(1/3 of the earth, the fresh/salt water, living creatures/people on the earth are destroyed)

Finally in Revelation 15-16 there are seven bowl judgments that correspond to God’s final act of judgment on those live on the earth.

(this time not fractional judgment.

It’s sweeping & total!)

This morning, we find ourselves on the precipice of those bowl judgments.

So I’m titling this series “the Day of the Lord.”

It’s the final judgment of God on those who live on the earth.

Interludes

On either side of these three sets of seven judgments are breaks or interludes.

They further extrapolate the events of the seals, trumpets and bowls but from a different perspective (often a heavenly perspective).

In Revelation 7 God marks 144,000 people from the 12 tribes of Israel followed by an innumerable multitude from every nation on the earth.

In Revelation 10-11 John has an angelic vision (of Christ) followed by a vision of two witnessess who prophecy against the antichrist.

That vision is followed by an extended parenthesis from Revelation 12 all the way to Revelation 14.

Revelation 12 depicts the universal and historical battle between God & his people and Satan & his resistance.

Revelation 13 depicts this battle from an earthly perspective (Satan’s rage against the church through the antichrist and the false prophet)

Revelation 14 depicts this battle from a heavenly perspective (warning of God’s coming judgment on those who reject him and persecute his people).

Context to the Text

Today’s text is sandwiched between God’s promise of judgment (end of 14) and the execution of that judgment through the seven bowls of wrath (all of 15-16).

It’s been over a month since we last looked at Revelation 14 so you may not remember the context.

Revelation 14 opens with a picture of God’s people being sealed and protected, standing with Jesus on Mount Zion (heavenly or earthly we weren’t for sure.)

That picture of protection was followed by three angelic pronouncements to all of those who lived on the earth.

I presented them as the three responses people must make upon hearing the Gospel.

Those who trust in Jesus and persevere to the end are bestowed a blessing in Revelation 14:13

Revelation 14:13 (CSB)

13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they will rest from their labors, since their works follow them.”

That promised blessing is followed by a description of two harvests.

Those two harvests are what we’re looking at today in Revelation 14:14-20

Revelation 14:14–20 (CSB)

14 Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and one like the Son of Man was seated on the cloud, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.

15 Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one who was seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, since the harvest of the earth is ripe.”

16 So the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

17 Then another angel who also had a sharp sickle came out of the temple in heaven.

18 Yet another angel, who had authority over fire, came from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vineyard of the earth, because its grapes have ripened.”

19 So the angel swung his sickle at the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.

20 Then the press was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press up to the horses’ bridles for about 180 miles.

Harvest Of Mercy

Living in West Texas we know all about harvesting season.

We may even have people in this room who harvest wheat or harvest a cotton crop every year.

Harvesting season is typically a time of great joy because it gives the farmer the reward of his patience endurance and diligent effort.

This passage contains TWO harvests.

Some see them as two harvests of God’s judgment but I see it differently.

Why Two Harvests?

In ancient times, particularly in Israel, there were two main harvests.

The harvest of grain (i.e.

barley, wheat, lintels, etc) generally happened during the spring (March/April/May).

The harvest of grapes (figs, pomegranates, etc) generally happened in the summer (June/July/August).

This passage also presents us with two harvests.

You might think of this first one as a grain harvest and the second as a grape harvest.

The first a harvest to display God’s mercy and the second a harvest to display God’s wrath.

Now I must say that this view I have is a minority view.

But the more I’ve thought about this passage in relation to its context the more convinced I become that John is presenting two DIFFERENT harvests in this text.

Different Harvester

I want to give you some reasons why I think these harvests are different.

First, the different description of the harvester.

In the first harvest Jesus himself throws his sickle out across the earth and reaps the harvest.

The second harvest isn’t done by Jesus himself, it’s carried out by an angel.

There’s not much debate that Jesus is the one being described in verse 14.

The second noteworthy thing about the harvester is that Jesus is seated not standing.

He’s seated on a cloud (where as in Revelation 19 he’s riding on a horse).

We know when Jesus comes in judgment that he will come with the clouds but the fact that he’s seated here suggests to me its a different harvest.

The third noteworthy thing about the harvester is the type of crown that he is wearing.

Here in verse 14 the Greek word for crown that is used is the word “stephanos” or “a golden victors crown.”

(in Revelation 19 Jesus is wearing the the diadema, kingly crown)

Typically the stephanos is correlated with endurance and conquest whereas the diadema is associated with power and authority.

Difference in Harvests

The second reason I think these are two different harvests is because of the description of the harvests.

The word used in Revelation 14:15 to describe the ripeness of the of the first harvest is the Greek word “xeraino” whereas the word used in the second harvest is “akmazo.”

The first carries the idea of being “dried up” and can be used to convey the idea of something being ripe.

The second carries more of the idea of “being at it’s prime” meaning it’s the perfect time to pick the fruit.

While it could be John uses different words to convey the different images of a grain harvest versus a fruit harvest I think something else might be going on.

Because they are different verb tenses as well.

I think the idea of the first is that is we don’t harvest now then the produce is going to go bad.

It’s getting OVER ripe.

I believe what John is saying of this first harvest is that it’s a harvest of God’s mercy.

Remember, these 144,000 have been obedient to the Lamb, following him wherever he leads.

Part of that I believe is their preaching of the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the world.

(just like we see in Matthew 24)

As the Gospel is being preached people are being saved but here comes the angel from the temple saying the time is running out.

God’s offer of grace is drying up and running out because the wickedness of this world is perfectly ripe for the pouring out of his wrath.

So choose!

Choose salvation quickly before the wrath comes!