Cecil A. Fayard

Elliott Baptist Church

August 22, 2004

 

The Grapes of Wrath

In God’s Winepress

Revelation 14:14-20

INTRO: Armageddon, all have heard of it.  Movies have been made about it.  Now in Revelation 14, it is about to begin.  The magnitude of Armageddon is hard to grasp.  What is summarized here will be amplified in the chapters that follow.

Walter Scott says: “Judicial judgment is about to sweep the guilty earth with the broom of destruction and clear it of evil” (Lockyer 216).

In verses 6-13, we heard from the herald angels.  Now in verses 14-20, we have the harvest angels.  “The first three angels had warned the earth of imminent judgment; the last three speak of the implementation of that judgment, ordering and arranging the coming battle of the great day of God at Armageddon” (Morris 272).

I.  VS 14, THE HARVEST AND THE REAPER

    1. Between the two sets of three angels, John sees the Son of man, Jesus Christ.

    2. “Behold a white cloud.”  This is the skekinah glory of God.  This is the same cloud that:

      1. Went before the children of Israel in the wilderness (Ex 13:21-22).

      2. Was present at the giving of the Law (ten commandments Ex 19:9).

      3. Illuminated the transfiguration scene (Mt 15:5).

      4. Received Christ at His ascension (Acts 1:9).

  1. Christ is upon this cloud as He prepares to thrust in the sickle of judgment.

    1. “On his head a golden crown.”  The one who once had no place to lay His head now has the garland of victory upon His brow.

    2. Lockyer says: “Christ’s crown of gold expresses divine righteousness in victorious action and is no imitation” (217).

    3. The crown says that He will rule and reign.  David said: “Thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head” (Psa 21:3).

  2. It is harvest time, “and in his hand a sharp sickle.”

    1. The sickle in His hand speaks of coming judgment; judgment that He has authority to execute (Jn 5:27).

    1. In the parable of Matthew 13, Christ is the Sower.  Here in Revelation, He is the Reaper.  In the Gospels, He is the Husbandmen; in Revelation, He is the Harvester.

    2. The parable is Matthew 13 and Revelation 14:14-20 are in harmony.

    3. “The parable is the prophecy, this portion of Revelation is the fulfillment” (Tucker 308).

    4. In Revelation 14, the end of the age has arrived.  The tares are sown and the Son of man as harvester commands His angels (Mt 13:37-43).

II. VS 15-16, THE HARVEST IS RIPE

  1. Vs 15, The angel cries out to the Lord Jesus: “Thrust in thy sickle, and reap....”   He pleads with Christ to reap the harvest.  Christ is encouraged to put in the sickle of judgment.

    1. Joel 3:13 prophesied this: “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, get you down, for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.”

    2. Mark 4:29 says, “Immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.”

  2. Vs 16, The harvest of grain spoken of here was prophesied in Jeremiah 51:33.

    1. Folks believe that they can go on in sin and never pray.  But payday is coming for Numbers 32:22 says: “Be sure your sin will find you out.”

    1. Job 4:8 says: “They that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.”

    2. Matthew 13:39 tells us that the Son of man uses angels as the actual reapers.

 

VS. 17-20, THE TWO ANGELS AND THE GRAPE HARVEST

  1. Vs 17, Out of heaven’s temple comes another angel.

    1. This could be one of the angels which stood in the presence of God in Rev 8:2.

    2. This angel wields a sickle of judgment.

  2. Vs 18, This angel comes out from the altar, which altar we are not told.  It could be that he comes from the altar of incense (Rev 8:3-5).  If this is where he comes from then the prayers of the saints to bring down judgment on this sin cursed earth is answered (Rev 6:9).

    1. This angel has power over fire.  Angels have different duties and ministries as seen here.  Note also Heb 1:14.  The tares are to be cast into a furnace of fire (Mt 13:40-42).

    2. The angel will gather “clusters of the vine of the earth.”

    3. The vine of the earth has sour grapes from which bitter wine will be squeezed.

    4. This false vine, not the true vine of John 15:1, is to be judged.  The one world church and its anti-Christ followers will be put in the winepress of God.  Apostate Jews and Gentiles will be judged.

  3. Vs 19, This gathering will bring the followers of the beast and anti-Christ to the place of the Armageddon campaigns great battle (Joel 3:2; Zech 14:2; Rev 16:16; 19:19).

    1. A great army will be gathered (Rev 9:16).  Ezekiel says the army will come up as a cloud (38:16).  Joel 3:14 speaks of multitudes in the valley of decision.

    2. These rebels are cast into the winepress of the wrath of God (Rev 19:15; Heb 10:27).

  4. Vs 20, This battle takes place “without the city.”  The city is Jerusalem which will not be polluted with the blood of these heathen.

    1. Hundreds of thousands will die.  They will be trampled in the winepress of God.  “The sea of humanity will become a sea of blood” (Morris 271).

    1. Blood will literally reach the horse’s bridles.

    2. The blood of the winepress extends from Bozrah in the south (Isa 34:6) to Armageddon in the north (Rev 16:14-16) about 180 miles.

    3. It will take seven months to bury the dead from this battle (Eze 39:8-16).

    4. The largest army ever assembled on earth will be defeated by the Lord Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION:   Do you know Christ as Savior or will you have to face the sickle of His wrath?

For additional copies of the sermon CD's, please contact the church office:

Elliott Baptist Church
566 Nat G. Troutt Road
Elliott, Mississippi 38901
Phone: 662-226-4425
Pastors Email: cecilafayard@msn.com