Rev 14:14-20 | KingComments | STEP | In this section we see two scenes that both deal with judgment. Both scenes represent the judgment in the picture of a harvest. The first scene ( ) shows the judgment in the metaphor of a wheat harvest. The second scene ( ) shows the judgment in the metaphor of a wine harvest. That two metaphors are used means that the judgment has different aspects. Both scenes are related to the coming of the Lord Jesus. . Together with John we look at the first metaphor. He sees “a white cloud”. ‘White’ speaks of cleanness, purity. Elsewhere is mention of a white horse ( ) and a great white throne ( ). The cloud makes us think of the glory in which God was in the midst of His people Israel. That cloud led the people through the wilderness and dwelled in the tabernacle and later in the temple ( ; ; cf. ). Then John sees a person, One like “a son of man” ( ; ). That is the Lord Jesus. He sits on the white cloud as He sits on the white horse and on the great white throne. Absolute purity is one of His characteristics in the exercise of judgment. He appears in Divine, royal glory, presented in the “golden crown” He has “on His head”. What a contrast to the crown of thorns that He once had on His head on earth. “In His hand” He has “a sharp sickle”. The instrument for the harvest has been sharpened, ready to cut the harvest in one smooth movement. . The picture of the Lord Jesus on the cloud radiates rest. He waits for the time to act. Authority to execute judgment is given to Him because He is the Son of Man ( ). Then another angel comes out of God’s holy presence to announce that the hour to judge has come. This is the hour which the Lord Jesus did not know of as Man, an hour that was only known by the Father ( ). The reason for judgment is also given and is clear. An end has come to all patience, for “the harvest of the earth is ripe”. ‘Ripe’ possibly has the meaning of ‘rot’, which therefore indicates the incorrigible corrupt moral condition of the earth, so that the judgment that will be executed will be fully justified. ‘Ripe’ also indicates that God has shown an excess of patience before He makes that judgment to be executed. . When it has been announced that the hour has come, the Lord Jesus comes into action. He swings His sickle over the earth and reaps the earth. Now what’s going on here? In order to get a better picture of it you should take a look at the parable of the weeds (or tares) among the wheat in the Gospel according to Matthew ( ). There you see that with the wheat harvest a distinction is made between tares (a weed that looks very much like wheat) and wheat. When the harvest time has come – which is the moment that the Lord Jesus swings His sickle over the earth – the Son of Man says to His angels that they must gather all stumbling blocs, and those who commit lawlessness, and throw them into the furnace of fire. In the parable you see some things that clarify the scene of the reaping of the earth. The Lord Jesus executes judgment, but He does so through His angels. The wheat harvest is a picture of the separation between good and evil (cf. ), but here the emphasis is on the judgment on the evil. In the end time the judgments are not executed at the same time, but they take place during the entire three and a half year period of the great tribulation. During all those different judgments the angels go out to reap away the unbelievers through judgment. They gather the weeds (the unbelievers who are judged) in bundles. The great Director, He Who directs everything, is the Man Jesus Christ. . After these actions you become a witness of another scene that deals with the execution of judgment. You can see that by the “sharp sickle” which, as in the previous scene, also plays a major role here. As the harbinger of this judgment another angel comes out “of the temple which is in heaven”, that is, from the holy presence of God. Here it is not the Lord Jesus Who has the sharp sickle, but the angel. Just like the Son of Man he waits for a command to act. That command comes from another angel who comes after him. . The second angel who appears in this scene does not come out of the temple, but “from the altar”. That makes the altar to be the starting point of this judgment. The thought of judgment is empowered because it is said of this angel that he “has power over fire”. Fire has to do with the exercise of judgment. You have come across the altar already. In Revelation 6 you have seen under the altar the souls of martyrs and you have heard them calling for vengeance ( ). Their cry for vengeance is answered now. Also in Revelation 8 you have seen the altar in connection with judgment ( ). The altar in the Old Testament is the place where the sacrifices were brought as a picture of the true sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. The fire consumed the sacrifice. In this way the Lord Jesus has been in the fire of God’s judgment for each who believes in Him. However, he who rejects His sacrifice will have to undergo the fire of God’s judgment himself ( ). The angel from the altar with power over fire commands the angel with the sharp sickle to carry out the harvesting of “the clusters from the vine of the earth”. God presents His people Israel in the Old Testament amongst other things as a vine ( ; ; ). In this picture He shows that He expected of His people that they would testify of Him in a way that He would receive fruit from them. That fruit would consist of the joy, of which the wine is a picture, that He would find in His people. He did everything that could cause the people to deliver that fruit. But His people have used the fruit for themselves. They have thought only of their own joy and not of what God expected of them. They even rejected and killed the Owner ( ). When the Lord Jesus came to earth, He as the true vine ( ) took the place of this depraved vine. He was rejected by His people. After He was rejected a new testimony was established, Christianity. The purpose of this new testimony was also that it should deliver fruit for God, that God would find His joy in it. All who are connected to the true vine, the Lord Jesus, and have life from Him, bear fruit for God. There are also some who are connected with Him, but do not bear fruit, because they have no life from Him ( ). Their connection with Him is an apparent connection. They confess to be God’s witness on earth and confess to give Him fruit, but it is an illusion, untrue, false. They bring forth stinking fruits, just as did Israel in the past. When the church is raptured, there is only a false Christian testimony on earth. This false Christian testimony will be cut off from the earth by the sharp sickle together with the apostate Jewish testimony. The Lord Jesus will judge every false confession when the false confessor has fully shown his apostasy. . This judgment is different from the judgment that is represented by the picture of the wheat harvest. Here, there is no distinction. The whole harvest is thrown into the great wine press. The severity of this judgment is even more emphasized by the addition “the wrath of God”. Especially what is in name connected to Him, but in reality denies Him ( ), arouses His wrath. There is nothing else that God hates so much as hypocrisy. Therefore, He doesn’t wait until the grapes are overripe as with the wheat harvest. If the harvest is ripe, judgment comes. The wickedness of the apostate testimony is great ( ). This is why the place of judgment, where God will unleash His fierce wrath ( ), is called “the great wine press”. This great wine press is Har-Magedon ( ), where the nations are gathered to fight against God and His Anointed ( ). . The wine press is “outside the city”. That is, judgment takes place outside Jerusalem. To give you an impression of how terrible that judgment is, it is said how high the blood comes and how far it reaches. The blood of those who are killed will splash up to the bridles of the horses. The blood of those who are killed fills the whole land. The “distance of two hundred miles”, which is approximately three hundred kilometers, is the length of the land Israel from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south. This judgment is also the fulfillment of the cry: “His blood shall be on us and on our children” ( ). At the same time this judgment means the purification of the land of the blood of the Lord Jesus Who was killed by them ( ). God fulfills His Word, both where it concerns His promises and where it concerns the prediction of judgment. Now read Revelation 14:14-20 again. Reflection: What are the differences between both harvests?

‏ Revelation of John 14:14-20

The Two Harvests of the Earth

In this section we see two scenes that both deal with judgment. Both scenes represent the judgment in the picture of a harvest. The first scene (Rev 14:14-16) shows the judgment in the metaphor of a wheat harvest. The second scene (Rev 14:17-20) shows the judgment in the metaphor of a wine harvest. That two metaphors are used means that the judgment has different aspects. Both scenes are related to the coming of the Lord Jesus.

Rev 14:14. Together with John we look at the first metaphor. He sees “a white cloud”. ‘White’ speaks of cleanness, purity. Elsewhere is mention of a white horse (Rev 19:11) and a great white throne (Rev 20:11). The cloud makes us think of the glory in which God was in the midst of His people Israel. That cloud led the people through the wilderness and dwelled in the tabernacle and later in the temple (Exo 40:35; 1Kgs 8:10-11; cf. Mt 17:5).

Then John sees a person, One like “a son of man” (Rev 1:13; Dan 7:13). That is the Lord Jesus. He sits on the white cloud as He sits on the white horse and on the great white throne. Absolute purity is one of His characteristics in the exercise of judgment. He appears in Divine, royal glory, presented in the “golden crown” He has “on His head”. What a contrast to the crown of thorns that He once had on His head on earth. “In His hand” He has “a sharp sickle”. The instrument for the harvest has been sharpened, ready to cut the harvest in one smooth movement.

Rev 14:15. The picture of the Lord Jesus on the cloud radiates rest. He waits for the time to act. Authority to execute judgment is given to Him because He is the Son of Man (Jn 5:27). Then another angel comes out of God’s holy presence to announce that the hour to judge has come. This is the hour which the Lord Jesus did not know of as Man, an hour that was only known by the Father (Mk 13:32).

The reason for judgment is also given and is clear. An end has come to all patience, for “the harvest of the earth is ripe”. ‘Ripe’ possibly has the meaning of ‘rot’, which therefore indicates the incorrigible corrupt moral condition of the earth, so that the judgment that will be executed will be fully justified. ‘Ripe’ also indicates that God has shown an excess of patience before He makes that judgment to be executed.

Rev 14:16. When it has been announced that the hour has come, the Lord Jesus comes into action. He swings His sickle over the earth and reaps the earth. Now what’s going on here? In order to get a better picture of it you should take a look at the parable of the weeds (or tares) among the wheat in the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 13:24-30 ; 36-43). There you see that with the wheat harvest a distinction is made between tares (a weed that looks very much like wheat) and wheat. When the harvest time has come – which is the moment that the Lord Jesus swings His sickle over the earth – the Son of Man says to His angels that they must gather all stumbling blocs, and those who commit lawlessness, and throw them into the furnace of fire.

In the parable you see some things that clarify the scene of the reaping of the earth. The Lord Jesus executes judgment, but He does so through His angels. The wheat harvest is a picture of the separation between good and evil (cf. Mt 3:12), but here the emphasis is on the judgment on the evil. In the end time the judgments are not executed at the same time, but they take place during the entire three and a half year period of the great tribulation. During all those different judgments the angels go out to reap away the unbelievers through judgment. They gather the weeds (the unbelievers who are judged) in bundles. The great Director, He Who directs everything, is the Man Jesus Christ.

Rev 14:17. After these actions you become a witness of another scene that deals with the execution of judgment. You can see that by the “sharp sickle” which, as in the previous scene, also plays a major role here. As the harbinger of this judgment another angel comes out “of the temple which is in heaven”, that is, from the holy presence of God. Here it is not the Lord Jesus Who has the sharp sickle, but the angel. Just like the Son of Man he waits for a command to act. That command comes from another angel who comes after him.

Rev 14:18. The second angel who appears in this scene does not come out of the temple, but “from the altar”. That makes the altar to be the starting point of this judgment. The thought of judgment is empowered because it is said of this angel that he “has power over fire”. Fire has to do with the exercise of judgment. You have come across the altar already. In Revelation 6 you have seen under the altar the souls of martyrs and you have heard them calling for vengeance (Rev 6:9-10). Their cry for vengeance is answered now. Also in Revelation 8 you have seen the altar in connection with judgment (Rev 8:5).

The altar in the Old Testament is the place where the sacrifices were brought as a picture of the true sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. The fire consumed the sacrifice. In this way the Lord Jesus has been in the fire of God’s judgment for each who believes in Him. However, he who rejects His sacrifice will have to undergo the fire of God’s judgment himself (Jn 3:36).

The angel from the altar with power over fire commands the angel with the sharp sickle to carry out the harvesting of “the clusters from the vine of the earth”. God presents His people Israel in the Old Testament amongst other things as a vine (Psa 80:8 ; 14-15; Isa 5:2-7; Jer 2:21). In this picture He shows that He expected of His people that they would testify of Him in a way that He would receive fruit from them. That fruit would consist of the joy, of which the wine is a picture, that He would find in His people.

He did everything that could cause the people to deliver that fruit. But His people have used the fruit for themselves. They have thought only of their own joy and not of what God expected of them. They even rejected and killed the Owner (Mt 21:33-39).

When the Lord Jesus came to earth, He as the true vine (Jn 15:1) took the place of this depraved vine. He was rejected by His people. After He was rejected a new testimony was established, Christianity. The purpose of this new testimony was also that it should deliver fruit for God, that God would find His joy in it. All who are connected to the true vine, the Lord Jesus, and have life from Him, bear fruit for God.

There are also some who are connected with Him, but do not bear fruit, because they have no life from Him (Jn 15:2a ; 6). Their connection with Him is an apparent connection. They confess to be God’s witness on earth and confess to give Him fruit, but it is an illusion, untrue, false. They bring forth stinking fruits, just as did Israel in the past.

When the church is raptured, there is only a false Christian testimony on earth. This false Christian testimony will be cut off from the earth by the sharp sickle together with the apostate Jewish testimony. The Lord Jesus will judge every false confession when the false confessor has fully shown his apostasy.

Rev 14:19. This judgment is different from the judgment that is represented by the picture of the wheat harvest. Here, there is no distinction. The whole harvest is thrown into the great wine press. The severity of this judgment is even more emphasized by the addition “the wrath of God”. Especially what is in name connected to Him, but in reality denies Him (2Tim 3:5), arouses His wrath. There is nothing else that God hates so much as hypocrisy. Therefore, He doesn’t wait until the grapes are overripe as with the wheat harvest. If the harvest is ripe, judgment comes.

The wickedness of the apostate testimony is great (Joel 3:13). This is why the place of judgment, where God will unleash His fierce wrath (Isa 63:1-6), is called “the great wine press”. This great wine press is Har-Magedon (Rev 16:16), where the nations are gathered to fight against God and His Anointed (Psa 2:2).

Rev 14:20. The wine press is “outside the city”. That is, judgment takes place outside Jerusalem. To give you an impression of how terrible that judgment is, it is said how high the blood comes and how far it reaches. The blood of those who are killed will splash up to the bridles of the horses. The blood of those who are killed fills the whole land. The “distance of two hundred miles”, which is approximately three hundred kilometers, is the length of the land Israel from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.

This judgment is also the fulfillment of the cry: “His blood shall be on us and on our children” (Mt 27:25). At the same time this judgment means the purification of the land of the blood of the Lord Jesus Who was killed by them (Num 35:33). God fulfills His Word, both where it concerns His promises and where it concerns the prediction of judgment.

Now read Revelation 14:14-20 again.

Reflection: What are the differences between both harvests?