Reaping Earth’s Harvest
Revelation 14
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat one like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
One like the Son of Man rode upon a white cloud. The cloud represents God’s shekinah glory. But who is this One? Refer to Daniel 7:13-14.
Some teach Jesus Himself will be the executioner of God’s wrath. The question is; how can this be Jesus when the reaping represents the destruction of so many He loves and died to save? They say, who better to execute God’s wrath than God Himself whom they pierced?
Revelation 1:7, Zechariah 12:10, John 19:37
Matthew 13:29-30 is Jesus’ parable of the wheat and tares. The laborers are instructed to gather up the wheat and tares together, gather the wheat into barns, and bind the tares to burn. Remember, this is a snapshot of history. This scene coincides with the seventh trumpet in chapter eleven, the gathering together and catching away of the Church, the saints of God.
Verses fourteen through sixteen represent the final end-time revival and the reaping of those predestined to enter the kingdom of heaven. The word in Ephesians 1:5 translated predestinated is the Greek proorizō, meaning to determine before. Remember, God is not stuck in linear time as we are. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He knows your heart, your spirit, better than you, and is not willing any be lost, but for all to come to salvation. (1 Timothy 2:4) Read Ephesians 1:5 in context. Paul is referring to mankind as a whole, not a portion. Jesus waits to reap the harvest of the saints (the wheat); all who will accept Him as Savior.
The Message Translation clarifies this passage in Ephesians:
4-5 Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, He had us (Mankind) in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love. Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. MSG
Revelation 14
17 Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also had a sharp sickle.
This is the angel carrying the orders from the throne of God, to begin the reaping of the ungodly for judgement (the tares). This angel, probably Michael, triggers the angels with the bowls of judgement seen in chapter fifteen.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.”
According to verses seventeen and eighteen, another angel came out to reap the grapes of the earth. In light of verses seventeen and eighteen, Jesus’ reaping in verse fourteen is not of judgement, but of revival. (Matthew 9:37, Luke 10:2) This shows Jesus reaping or gathering the last of those to be saved and added to His incomplete church (Revelation 14:1) before judgement and wrath is poured out on the rest of earth’s inhabitants.
You may ask; “If Jesus is the one on the cloud, why would God be directed by a messenger angel?” In the military, a simple private can carry a message between the general and the colonel.
Jesus Himself admitted only God the Father is in charge of all things, times, and seasons. (Acts 1:7) Michael the archangel is in charge of making sure all the events are carried out. (Revelation 10:1-2) The “other angel” may be Gabriel, the messenger angel, who is relaying the message from the Father to the Son to make things official. Consider the duties of a king’s majordomo.
The baptism of Jesus by John is found in Matthew 3:13-15. John said to Jesus; “I have need to be baptized by you. But are you coming to me?”
Jesus replied, “Permit it to be so for now, thus it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness.”
Jesus’ existence and crucifixion on earth fulfilled every prophecy from the Old Testament. (Matthew 5:17-18) The Son loves His Church, and is anxious to call His bride home. God the Father is a perfect and righteous judge. Everything must be done in perfect order with no grounds for mistrial.
Verses seventeen through twenty-one on the other hand, represent the reaping of all destined for judgement.
19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horse’s bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.
The altar from which the angel proceeds is symbolic for sacrifice, slaughter, and death. This angel controls fire. In the original Greek, this fire refers back to the fire on the altar. Fire is symbolic for burning judgement. The sin sacrifice must always be burned, purify the offering.
The ungodly refuse to offer themselves up as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Now they are left with no choice; they will become “unwilling sacrifices.” Romans 12:1
The reaping angel was instructed to gather the clusters of the vine. Wheat was the primary staple in early middle eastern culture. After reaping, the grain is winnowed to separate the kernels from the chaff. The chaff is burned and the grain is ground as flour for bread, or eaten whole. Wheat and bread are symbolic of Jesus, the Bread of Life.
Grapes, on the other hand, were dried and eaten as raisins, but the grape’s primary use was as wine. They crushed the grapes and used their “blood” for this purpose. Wine is used in many pagan rituals. The intoxicating effects enhance the demonic activity.
Revelation chapter seventeen refers to the Whore of Babylon and those people of the earth who are drunken on the wine of her fornication. They choose to worship Satan and his Antichrist, and become drunken, intoxicated by the experienced lifestyle. In pure irony, God refers to these drunkards as grapes ready to be crushed to make more wine. Where they used grape wine to worship their pagan idols, their blood will be used as a sacrifice to worship and glorify God Almighty.
They will be trampled in God’s winepress, symbolic for Armageddon. Isaiah 63:1-4
The winepress is trampled outside the city. (Hebrews 13:12) Jesus shed his blood outside of the holy city of Jerusalem. Everything unclean or unholy was put outside the city gates.
Jerusalem is “the City of Peace.” The Hebrew Jeru’Salem translates as founded peaceful. The law allowed no violence in the City of Peace. This is why executions and crucifixions occurred outside the gates.
Jerusalem is a type of Jesus Christ, Shiloh, the Prince of Peace. (Genesis 49:10) God is saying to the Babylon worshipers, “You showed my Son no mercy, casting Him like garbage out of the city named for Him, and crucified Him. You will be sacrificed for your own sins there. He shed His blood as a sin sacrifice for you; now in My winepress your blood will be shed as a sacrifice for yourselves.”
20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horse’s bridles (five feet deep), for one thousand six hundred furlongs.
This is an often misunderstood verse. “How can so much blood be spilled?” If the blood trail were only one thousand feet wide, it would mean 3.5 to the 10th power gallons of blood. There aren’t that many people on the earth.
Hang on; we’re in for a fascinating study of the accuracy and detail of God’s word. It’s all about the numbers.
The word translated furlong is the Greek stadion. One stadion is approximately one-eight Roman mile, or six-hundred seven English feet. However, the key here is the number sixteen-hundred.
1600 = 2 X 8 X 10 X 10
2 is the number of witness.
8 is the number of Resurrection and beginnings.
10 is the number of government, representing Antichrist’s kingdom; also the number of trial and testing.
2 X 8 is symbolic for the witness of Christ’s resurrection, which demonstrates God’s power and righteousness.
10 X 10 is symbolic for the witnessing against, and testing of Antichrist, his
government, and followers.
10 X 10 is 10 twice, or 100, symbolic trial and testing, or restoration as a witness.
God is about to complete the testing of Antichrist and his followers. It will be a witness to all heaven of the righteousness and fairness of God, and His ability to keep His side of His covenant with creation.
1600 stadia equal 200 Roman miles. Again, the symbols for witness (2), and
judgement (10, 100).
1600 stadia equals 971,000 English feet.
9 is the number of finality and fullness. This event is the finality of God’s plan and fullness of His wrath.
7 is the number of perfection and completeness. His judgement is perfect, His plan, complete.
1 is the number of God, beginning, source. God is the Beginning and End, the source of all things, and in control of all things.
1000 is 10 three times, symbolic for divine completeness in testing and restoration.
Satan’s reign of terror is over; God is about to make all things new.
1600 stadia is184 English miles (183.90). Here, in addition, is the number 4.
4 is the number of earth and creation.
8 is the number of beginnings
God is renewing His creation. If you don’t like rounding off to 4, try 3 and 9.
3 is the number of the Godhead, divine completeness, perfect witness.
9 again, is finality and fullness.
No matter the translation you read, the numbers all come out to mean the same thing. God doesn’t use any random number. 1600 is the key.
Note to the wise: not all translations treat numbers the same. For example, the Living Bible translation uses 200 miles rather than 1600 stadia. Although the measurement is accurate, something is lost in the translation. Regardless, 200 is still useful.
2 is the number of witness.
100 represents fullness of testing.
Blood for 200 miles represents complete and full witness.
God’s numbers are perfect.
According to verse twenty, the blood will as deep as a horse’s bridle. The horse is symbolic of warfare and strength. The bridle is what the rider uses to control the horse. A horse’s bridle is around five feet off the ground, depending, of course, on the size of the horse. 5 is the number of grace and atonement.
God controls the horses of war. His grace will only require as much blood as needed for atonement and to bring about all righteousness.
In Revelation 14:20, Satan’s power will line up nose to nose with God’s power one last time. On the physical side of the veil the meeting place will be Megiddo, the valley of Armageddon. Satan has already been defeated on the heaven side of the veil. Armageddon is his last shot.