Scripture: 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.
Revelation 14:14-20 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, John sees three angels pronouncing God’s judgment. The first flies overhead, proclaiming the eternal gospel to all nations with the mandate to fear God, give him glory, and worship him. The second announces that Babylon (symbolic of the forces of evil) has fallen, for it enticed all the nations to indulge in sexual immorality (i.e., prostitute themselves with worldly gods). Lastly, the third angel declares that those who received the 666 mark on their forehead (i.e., submitted to the beast) will feel the full force of God’s wrath with eternal torment, separated from the Lamb and the heavenly hosts who witness their demise. Thus, John calls for the saints to endure suffering while upholding their faith in Christ, as evidenced by keeping God’s commandments even unto death. When they do, they will receive blessings with rest from their labors.
Today’s reading continues the divine revelation of our Triune God with the next scene of the escalating conflict with Satan that leads to the Parousia. John further envisions the incarnate Jesus donning a golden crown and holding a sharp sickle on a white cloud. An angel approaches Christ from the temple, announcing it is time to reap the earth with his sickle. Thus, from the altar, an angel with authority over fire commands another temple angel armed with a sickle to harvest the earth’s ripe grapes and throw them into God’s winepress of wrath outside the city (i.e., the symbolic City of God and his saints). As God unleashes his judgment on the grapes (unrepentant humans), blood gruesomely flows to the height of a horse’s bridle (i.e., head) for about two hundred miles.
Contextual note: The expression “like a son of man” could represent a humanlike celestial being. However, John uses these exact Greek words (homoion huion anthrōpou) in 1:13 concerning Christ. Furthermore, only Jesus could open the scroll of final judgment (5:1-5).
Takeaway: The notion of “harvesting” echoes the Old Testament representation of divine judgment (e.g., Hosea 6:11; Joel 3:13) and here refers to symbolic Babylon (representing the forces of evil) as Jeremiah foretold: “For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time when it is trodden; yet a little while and the time of her harvest will come” (Jeremiah 51:33 ESV). But while the angels administer judgment, the Father grants authority to the Son to execute judgment: “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man” (John 5:26-27 ESV). Still, while all will face judgment, those who love and obey Christ will receive the resurrection of life (John 5:28-29).
Our takeaway? There are two. First, the warning: Leave vengeance to God and instead kill our enemies with kindness: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19-21 ESV).
Second, the assurance: Where the blood of judgment flows for miles, the river of paradise that flows from God’s throne is so deep and long that it is impassable (Ezekiel 47:3-5) and provides healing and sustenance to all God’s people (22:1-2). So, rest in the assurance of our eternal home in paradise with the Lovers of our souls, resisting retaliation against perpetrators of evil and instead channeling Christ’s love to our enemies while praying for them (Matthew 5:44).
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who first came to serve and give his life as a ransom for us and will return to judge evil and its perpetrators and cleanse the earth of evil and decay. Still, it is hard to endure tribulation without resenting or hating those who oppress us. So please help rest in the assurance of our resurrection to paradise with you and thus find the strength to channel your unmerited love through us to overwhelm our enemies with kindness and uphold them in prayer. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
Leave a Reply