Judgment upon a Christ rejecting world
July 13, 2020
Commentary
This part of Chapter 14 is a preview leading up to the 2nd coming of Christ. This actual event we will study in chapter 19. We see the coming judgment on a Christ rejecting world (v. 14). “And in His hand a sharp sickle.” This is a harvesting tool used by ancient farmers to cut grain. It represents swift and devastating judgment. What John is describing to his readers here is a manifestation of judgment upon a Christ rejecting world (vv. 15-18). We can look around us today and see the results of sin on every hand. But during the time of the tribulation sin will be much more evident (v. 17). This is a vivid description of a horrendous slaughter or bloodbath (vv. 19-20). It refers to the slaughter of the enemies of God who are still alive. God’s wrath is described as a winepress where every part of the grape is crushed leaving only the juice to remain.
Concerning this passage Dr. Warren Wiersbe says “God is speaking to a world in grace, and people will not listen. One day He must speak in wrath. The bitter cup will be drunk, the harvest of sin reaped, and the vine of the earth cut down and cast into the winepress.” God allows the seeds of sin to grow and produce a harvest and Christ reaps what has been sown (v. 14). The judge is the Lord Jesus Christ, and it appears this is just prior to his pouring out of judgement on the wicked. He separates the faithful from the unfaithful like a farmer harvesting his crops (vv. 15-20). The earth is ripe for judgement, Jesus Christ has his sickle in hand, and he swings it over the whole earth so no one can escape. This depicts judgment in terms of the winepress where the grapes were trampled in the upper trough as the juice flowed into the lower trough. The result in this case was that the blood flowed out of this press as high as the horses bridles for a distance of 180 miles.
Application
Lord, help me to understand the reality of the meaning of “forever” in heaven and in hell.
Revelation 14:14– 20 (NET)
14 Then I looked, and a white cloud appeared, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man! He had a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple, shouting in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and start to reap, because the time to reap has come, since the earth’s harvest is ripe!” 16 So the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Another angel, who was in charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to the angel who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes off the vine of the earth, because its grapes are now ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard of the earth and tossed them into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 Then the winepress was stomped outside the city, and blood poured out of the winepress up to the height of horses’ bridles for a distance of almost 200 miles.
Illustration: Queen Victoria’s reign brought great revival
I have heard the story told of Queen Victoria who at her coronation ceremony began to weep and took off her royal crown of England. She said she was unworthy to wear a crown and only her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was worthy of wearing such a crown. It is a fact that during the following years of her reign, the country was greatly blessed. England saw a great revival and awakening during this time. That is what needs to happen today in our world. (Lou Nicholes – Author and Missionary).