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The Coming Judgment  |
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| [ Revelation 14:14 - 14:20 ] |
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14. I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
15. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe."
16. So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
17. Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
18. Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe."
19. The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath.
20. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
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Reflection |
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The Great Harvest (14:14–16)
In Christ’s first coming to the earth, He came as a helpless baby, totally dependent on others and incapable of hurting anyone. He died as the Savior of the world, offering Himself as a sacrifice on behalf of the whole human race to pay the wages of sin. In His second coming, He will come as a Judge. The great harvest (v. 14) is the gathering of the righteous at the end of the age and a parallel to Jesus’ agricultural parables in Matthew 13. A sickle is an agricultural tool consisting of a sharp blade attached to a long pole and is used to cut fruit or wheat from hard-to-reach places. The harvesters are angels who are representatives of Jesus and take their sickles to the ripe harvest of the earth.
The Winepress (14:17–20)
The winepress is another picture of the wrath of God and His coming judgment. In ancient times, people used large vats to crush grapes, usually with their bare feet, and the juice would flow out from the vats to produce wine. The blood that will flow from the great harvest is likened to the wine that flows from these vats. The measurement of 1,600 stadia equates to about 180 miles, which is approximately the length of Palestine. There will be blood flowing along that whole distance, as high as the bridles of horses (v. 20). Notice that the grapes are ripe—meaning that judgment will come at the right time.
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Application |
- The great harvest is coming. How does knowing that Jesus will one day return to judge the world affect your lifestyle, decisions, and vision?
- Do you understand the depths from which you have been saved? We often do not understand amazing grace because we do not fully realize how wretched we once were. There is no more condemnation for believers in Jesus Christ.
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A Letter to
God |
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Lord, thank you for my salvation, given to me as a free gift in Christ. In the great judgment, although I am secure, there are many around me and in the world who are not. Grant me the strength to share the Good News with them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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