Revelation (Written)

Sunday, 18 April 2021

And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs. Revelation 14:20

The description of this verse follows in thought with the previous two so closely that they should be read together –

“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.” 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 horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.”

The imagery is that of immense carnage as the wrath of God is unleashed upon those who are to be destroyed. John writes, “And the winepress was trampled outside the city.” The city here is Jerusalem, not Babylon. This will be seen later as the location of the battle is named in Chapter 16. Of this coming carnage, John next says, “and blood came out of the winepress.”

The imagery has gone from grapes (that are full of juice) to humans (that area full of blood). In other words, the imagery of the grapes is that of humans being crushed as if they were tossed into a giant press. Hence, the symbolism from Isaiah 63, cited in the previous verse, is that of the Lord stomping on His enemies and splattering His garments with blood. So great will be the issue of blood that John says it will flow “up to the horses’ bridles.”

The height of a horse’s bridle is about four feet. The reason for including this particular measurement is probably because of what it says in Revelation 19 –

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. ¹³ He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.” Revelation 19:11-14

In other words, the measurement is given as a prophetic advance. John is seeing the vision of the height in relation to the horses now, but the description of the return of the Lord with the armies of heaven will only come later. Of this flow of blood, John says it will flow “for one thousand six hundred furlongs.”

A furlong is six hundred six- and three-quarter feet. Thus, there are eight furlongs in a mile. One thousand six hundred furlongs would equal two hundred miles. The amount of blood required for this to occur depends on several factors. One analysis is linked here to show how few bodies it actually takes to produce this much blood – http://www.ecalpemos.org/2006/09/how-many-people-will-die-at-battle-of.html

However, this only takes into account the two measurements. Is this speaking of a flow one foot wide? Is it a flow ten feet wide? And so on. It also does not account for blood soaking into the earth, and etc. The idea of the vision that John is describing is that of bodies heaped upon bodies and blood flowing out of them, even filling the entire area where they have been gathered.

The number itself, one thousand six hundred, is a multiple of four (four x four hundred). Four is the world number. Four hundred is the product of eight and fifty, and is “a divinely perfect period” (Bullinger). Hence, the judgment upon the world has come at its appointed time. The battle will be complete in its effectiveness in destroying the enemy, and when it is over, a new era will be ushered in.

Life application: Later in Revelation, this battle will be called Armageddon. The book of Joel says that it will be in the valley of Jehoshaphat – the valley where the Lord Judges.

Because this is a battle being waged by humans, it involves their own free will to come into this valley to fight. In other words, God is looking into the future and sees the inevitable result of how things will turn out because of human wickedness and a rejection of following His warnings. Israel is the key to these prophetic events. Thus, the eschatological (or “end times”) view of prophecy, which sees the land and the people of Israel being at the center stage of prophecy, is the only one that makes sense.

And God knowing all things in advance has returned His people to their land to bring about the astonishing fulfillment of these things. The grape harvest, which is this great battle, will come about as the armies of the world come into the land and engage in combat outside Jerusalem – geographically centered among the nations and also literally centered as the focus of the Bible.

As noted above, the symbolism of the winepress becomes clear in this verse. The “wine” is symbolic of blood. The pressing of the grapes represents the death of the humans engaged in this battle.

The battle, as is recorded here, has never occurred in the past. Thus, two main options must be considered. The first is to say that this is merely symbolic of God’s judgment, or the second is to say that the words are to be taken literally. Either option is possible, but due to the size of the land, the layout as it is described, the numbers and descriptions provided, and so on, the scope of the battle should probably be taken at face value.

Hence, the scene described here should be taken to represent actual numbers in a real battle that will really be waged in the land of Israel. The Day of the Lord is coming, and even now the news reports of the world are beginning to show the move toward their completion.

As this is so, the rapture of the church is coming closer each moment. The events of human history are coming to a climax, and what once seemed unlikely and only symbolic of something else now seems both possible and realistic. Let us take stock of our lives, consider our eternal destiny, and turn to God now – before it is too late. He has made the offer of peace and reconciliation. Let us be wise and accept it now. Let us turn to JESUS!

Lord God, You already know what is coming. The span of time is meeting up with recorded prophecy so that the two appear to be meeting in the near future. You also know each and every soul who will be saved from and out of those things. We can trust that You are working out a great salvation even in the face of coming global disaster. Help each of us to do our part to share the message of love and redemption found in the Person of Jesus before that day arrives. Amen.

Saturday, 17 April 2021

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. Revelation 14:19

In the previous verse, the order was given to harvest the fully ripe grapes. With that spoken forth, John records, “So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth.” The idea is that of the Lord’s judgment being directed to the spot on the earth where these calamitous events will take place. There, the fury of the Lord at the wickedness of man will find its release. As John next says, “and gathered the vine of the earth.”

The meaning is that of the fruit of the vine, meaning the fully ripe grapes. The earth is set for judgment, the wickedness has reached its full measure, and the vine will be harvested. In this action, John next notes, “and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.”

The Greek reads more forcibly, “the winepress, the great winepress, of the wrath of God.” A winepress is where wine is stomped out or crushed in some other manner. The judgment of the nations has come, and those who have rejected Jesus and come against His people will be slain. The imagery seen here will be fully explained later in Revelation. At this time, we are being given a panoramic overview.

A wine press is a place where all the grapes were gathered for processing. There, they are stomped on or crushed in some other way in order to make them burst. In the previous verse, Joel 3 was cited, showing that this will be located in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, meaning “God judges.”

In the end times, God is going to gather the nations of the world to one location and bring them into judgment. It will be in the place of God’s judgment, and it will be because they have divided the land – God’s land – which He has given it to the people of Israel.

In ancient times, once grapes were gathered into a single location, usually a large vat, there was a great celebration as the people came and stomped on them to release the juice from the ready-to-burst skins. As the grapes of this harvest symbolically represent people filled with wickedness, the imagery becomes obvious. There will be the utter destruction of countless numbers of people in this great battle of the future. Isaiah 63 ascribes the event, showing that it is the Lord’s Messiah, Christ Jesus, who will accomplish this –

“Who is this who comes from Edom,
With dyed garments from Bozrah,
This One who is glorious in His apparel,
Traveling in the greatness of His strength?—
‘I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.’
² Why is Your apparel red,
And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?
³ ‘I have trodden the winepress alone,
And from the peoples no one was with Me.
For I have trodden them in My anger,
And trampled them in My fury;
Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments,
And I have stained all My robes.
⁴ For the day of vengeance is in My heart,
And the year of My redeemed has come.
⁵ I looked, but there was no one to help,
And I wondered
That there was no one to uphold;
Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me;
And My own fury, it sustained Me.
⁶ I have trodden down the peoples in My anger,
Made them drunk in My fury,
And brought down their strength to the earth.’” Isaiah 63:1-6

Life application: The world at large generally looks at Jesus as a cosmic pushover. The focus is heavily on His forgiving nature. Their thought is that because He died for sin, sin can then be overlooked, and even reveled in. But this attitude dismisses His righteousness. The fact that He died for sin demonstrates that sin is appalling to Him.

God has offered peace to all people through the death of His Son. It is an offer for forgiveness of the sins we have committed. Either our sins are judged in Him at the cross of Calvary, or they will be judged in us individually. The choice is ours, let us take heed and accept His great forgiveness now.

God has provided the way of peace and reconciliation with Him, but someday, that same One will come again. When He does, it will not be to atone for sin, but to judge it. He is the One that God has appointed for all such matters related to sin. He is JESUS.

Lord Jesus, I stand in awe of the love You have for the people of the world. What we rightly deserve is to be destroyed through judgment and wrath because of our sins. But You have offered us reconciliation with God through Your own shed blood. What a great, tender, and loving Lord! I accept Your offer – Yes, I accept the cross of Calvary for my sin-debt. Amen.

Friday, 16 April 2021

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.” Revelation 14:18

John continues to describe the events surrounding the reaping of the earth. He first described the harvest of the earth, implying a grain harvest. That was in accord with several parables spoken by the Lord that referred to the end of the age. Another harvest is now to be described, the grape harvest. Of this, John says, “And another angel came out from the altar.”

As before, this could be an angel, meaning a created being, or it could be another manifestation of the Lord as He reveals His many roles to us through apocalyptic scenes. The latter is surely the case. The previous angel came out of the temple, indicating a High Priestly Role. This one comes out from the altar.

This would be the altar of incense, and it recalls the words of both Revelation 6 and 8 –

“When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. ¹⁰ And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ ¹¹ Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.” Revelation 6:9-11

“Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.” Revelation 8:5

The tribulation saints of Revelation 6 were told they had to rest until the number of saints to be killed was completed. With the coming of the mark of the beast, those refusing to take it will be killed in great numbers. Revelation showed the beginning of the judgments of these things during the trumpet judgments.

The angel is coming out from this altar of incense, signifying that it is surely another manifestation of Christ, the High Priest. He is the One who mediates the prayers of His saints to the Father. Of this scene before John, he next says, “who had power over fire.”

There is an article before “fire.” The Greek reads, “who had power over the fire.” The word translated as “power” signifies “power to act,” meaning “authority.” As the fire is what lights the incense (the prayers of the saints) and causes it to rise, this is telling us that the number of the saints to be killed is completed. The prayers are heard, they have reached their full number, and the world is to be judged. Thus, John says, “and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle.”

The loud cry is a cry of authority and direction. The time has come. Action against those who have martyred God’s people is required because their numbers have reached their fullness, and their prayers will now be responded to. With this in mind, this angel (assumed to be the Lord Jesus) says, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth.”

The word translated as “gather” is one that only refers to the gathering of grapes. It comes from a word meaning “to dry.” Thus, it speaks of ripe fruit, ready to dry. These grapes are fully ripe. As the grapes signify the people of the earth, it means that they have heaped up their sins to the point that they are fully ripe for judgment. As the angel next says, “for her grapes are fully ripe.”

It is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 3 –

“Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
¹³ Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.
Come, go down;
For the winepress is full,
The vats overflow—
For their wickedness is great.” Joel 3:12, 13

The wickedness of the people has reached its fullness. It is as if they will simply explode if they are allowed to continue anymore, and so they will be gathered by clusters. What lies ahead is a judgment so great that it will be incredible to even imagine, but the words have been written, and they will come to pass just as revealed in Revelation.

Life application: The grape harvest is a harvest of judgment. It is a time of wrath being poured out. Throughout history, and now particularly during the tribulation period, the prayers of those who have been martyred are calling out for judgment. Eventually, that time will come.

Like grapes filled with their juice, the people of the world will come to the point where they are so full of iniquity that no remedy will be left. Only punishment can be expected. When grapes are harvested, they are then taken and processed. In Isaiah 5:5, a similar thought is seen concerning the judgment upon Israel –

“And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.”

This was speaking of the people of Israel (My vineyard) and the judgment they would receive. However, in Revelation, God has restored them to His land, and they are now the ones being protected while their enemies will face His judgment.

There is an end to the great patience of God. There is a time when sins fill up to the full measure and judgment must be executed. The grapes of God’s wrath will be taken to the winepress and the blood of the nations will flow. As terrible as these verses sound, everything which is described as coming upon man is self-inflicted. We only have ourselves to blame for the judgment to come.

The saddest part of all, though, is that God has already extended His offer of peace to the world. He has sent His Son to take the punishment that we all deserve. Let us be wise. Let us receive this wonderful gift of reconciliation and peace with God before He comes as the Judge of the earth to trample out the grapes of wrath. He first came as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. How do we want to face Him? Let us be wise. Let us turn today to our Lord and Savior. Let us turn to JESUS.

Lord God, of course You are loving and merciful. You give us beauty in nature and plenty at our tables. You give us the love of others and the joy of beautiful sunrises. And above all, You have given us Jesus as a gift and an offering of peace. How could we turn away from that? Help us to see rightly and to call out while the time of salvation is at hand. Amen.

Thursday, 15 April 2021

Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. Revelation 14:17

Like in verse 15, John sees another angel coming “out of the temple which is in heaven.” As before, it is most likely another vision of Christ in His mediatorial role; being God’s true High Priest. The previous angel came from the temple, to direct the One like the Son of Man to harvest the earth. This is the wheat as noted from Jesus’ parables. Now, another angel (possibly another manifestation of the Lord) will direct a different type of harvest.

For now, and like in verse 14, this angel has “a sharp sickle.” The first harvest was symbolic of those who are the grain. In that harvest, the wheat is separated from the chaff, and the good stalks are separated from the tares. The next harvest will be emblematic of another type of judgment.

Life application: The book of Jude reveals that there will be many following the Lord in what this harvest signifies –

“Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, ¹⁵ to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.’” Jude 1:14, 15

The sickle in the hand of this angel is a clear indication that there will be a great harvest of God’s wrath. The consequences of this harvest will be astonishing. That will be seen in the verses ahead. Times of great trial and woe are coming upon the earth for those who fail to make the right choice now. Be sure to be spared of this time of trial by putting your faith in Christ before it comes. He is the One God has designated to save His people. Great is the Lord God who redeems us. He is JESUS.

Heavenly Father, as Your word is written, we have every assurance that it will come about exactly as the details state. Help us to spread the word of peace concerning Jesus and to be faithful witnesses of His work now. When the rapture occurs, it will be too late. Our work will be finished. Give us hearts for the lost now. Amen.

Wednesday, 14 April 2021

So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. Revelation 14:16

In the previous verse, the instruction was given – “Thrust in your sickle and reap.” The time for the harvest is at hand. With that, John records, “So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth.”

The word translated as “thrust,” balló, is completely different than that of the previous verse, pempó. This word signifies to cast or throw. The previous word meant “to send.” This word, balló, can give the sense of lesser actions, such as placing something. It was called for him to “send” his sickle forth, and in response, He has “cast” it forth.

What may be the case is that the One who sat on the cloud cast forth His sickle as a means of conveying to His angels that the time of harvest had come. The reason for this is that angels are specifically noted as participants in this harvest –

“He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. ³⁹ The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. ⁴⁰ Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, ⁴² and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matthew 13:37-43

The reaping of the harvest signifies preparation for the kingdom age. The good grain will be reaped and gathered in. At the same time, those who are as tares in the field will be separated and burned up. As John says, “and the earth was reaped.”

This is the harvest of grain – both wheat and tares. The next harvest will be a completely different harvest. Wheat (faithful believers) and tares (false believers) will be separated at this time. The next harvest will be of those in the earth who simply rejected God’s offer of Christ altogether. That will be seen next and will continue until the end of the chapter.

Life application: It should be remembered that what is being seen here is not dealing with the church. Those who are in the church are sealed with the Holy Spirit. That is a pledge for the day of redemption, and the full redemption payment for us will be at the rapture (See Ephesians 1:13, 14). What is being seen now is that which is in accord with the symbolism Jesus spoke of in the gospels. It is dealing with the tribulation period.

Whereas now the church is predominantly Gentile focused, during the tribulation, the situation will be predominantly Israel focused. Keeping these categories straight is necessary to see how events will properly unfold.

Until our departure, those in the church should continue to tell the message of Christ to those in the world. In their receiving Him, there is the great hope that someday the Lord will return for His church. We shall be gathered to Him before the terrifying events of Revelation will take place. Let us hold fast to this hope, knowing that God has not appointed us to wrath, but to salvation through our great and glorious Lord, JESUS!

O God, You alone know the hearts and thoughts of man. You know the thoughts of each of us and how far from perfection and holiness they often are. We can look to the judgments the Bible says are coming in the end times as are recorded in Your word, and we can see that only by Your mercy we are saved from them. We deserve the same, and yet You have granted us peace with You because of Jesus’ work. Thank You, O Lord. Amen.