INTRODUCTION TO THE HARVEST JUDGMENT
REVELATION 14:14-20 to 15:8
The last two subjects of chapter 14 concern the end of the tribulation period, when Christ will return and engage the Antichrist and his armies in battle in the valley of Jehoshaphat, Armageddon, described by Isaiah, Joel and Ezekiel, with more details given in chapter 19:17-19 (Isa.34, Eze.38:21-23, Joel 3:9-17, Rev.16:16.).
The harvest: the person seated on the cloud must be the Lord Jesus Christ, who often called himself the Son of Man; he wears a crown on his head, symbol of victory, royalty, honour and glory (Hebrews 2:9). There is no mention in the Bible of any other heavenly being wearing a golden crown: the 24 elders (Rev.4:4) are human beings representative of the church of Christ and the rider of the white horse, to whom a crown was given (Rev.6:2) is the Antichrist.
Reaping is a common symbol of the end of a period, where people come up for judgment, as in the parable of the wheat and tares (Matt.13:24-30). This is therefore the announcement by a messenger (the angel coming out of the temple) of God's command for Christ personally to end the "times of the Gentiles", by coming to judge the nations, which he immediately obeys. It is appropriate that only He should be the Reaper, since he is the Sower of the good seed (Matt.13:37). This account looks forward to chapter 16:13-16, which speaks of how the armies of the world are to be gathered together for the great battle. Whereas the account of the harvest, like in the natural world, precedes the vintage, in effect the two events run concurrently over this short period of time.
The winepress of the wrath of God: a description of this winepress was given to Isaiah (Isa.63:1-6), which helps to explain this passage. Treading the grapes, previously gathered into the winepress, so that they are squeezed of their juice, is also a common symbol of judgment. The vintage is of the vine of the earth, the Antichrist and all who belong to him, counterfeit of the true vine, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Israel was a vine brought out of Egypt (Psalm 80:8) and planted in Canaan, but when God looked for it to bring forth good grapes it brought forth wild grapes and fruit unto itself (Isa.5:1-7, Hosea10:1). When the Lord of the Vineyard sent His servants for the fruit of the vineyard, the vine dressers beat one, killed another, and stoned another; at last he sent His Son, but they caught Him, cast Him out of the vineyard, and killed Him (Matt.21:33-43).
Then the Lord Jesus himself became the true vine, of which his disciples are the branches (John 15:5). The winepress is the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of the Almighty God (Rev.19:15). Through the prophecy of Isaiah (Isa.63:1-6) we have a description of Christ's share in it. It will cover all the land of Israel, and extend as far south as Edom and Bozrah (Jordan). So great shall be the slaughter that the blood shall be up to the horses' bridles in the valleys over the whole of Israel for 200 miles. It will be the time of which the prophet Isaiah speaks, when the land shall be drunk with blood (Isa.34:7-8).
Prelude to the Bowl Judgements
Chapter 15 is a prelude to the terrible fifth event of the days of the seventh trumpet, the judgment of the Seven Bowls, the completion of God's wrath upon rebellious humanity.
John describes the seven angels having the seven last plagues as a great and marvellous sign, or an awesome supernatural symbol of God's wrath. These angels are messengers carrying out His purposes.
Again John looks upon what looked like a sea of glass (Rev.4:6), but now it seems to be mingled with fire: fire in the Bible is generally a symbol of judgment (Deut.32:22, etc.), and it is therefore appropriate that the sea of glass before His throne should at this time mirror the fire of God's judgment and wrath.
The martyred saints of the second half of the tribulation, victorious over the efforts by the Beast and his followers to submit to him, stand on the sea of glass having harps of God and sing two songs:
The Song of Moses: in the Bible we find two Songs of Moses (Exo.15:1-18, Deut.32:1-43), both of which concern God's judgment upon his enemies, and deliverance of His people.
The Song of the Lamb: a new song, possibly the song of praise sung in Heaven after He took the scroll (Rev. 5:9-13).
The song transcribed in verses 3 and 4 contains a little of the second Song of Moses, but otherwise it is different from the others. It is a song of praise.
The entrance to the tabernacle of the testimony, or holy of holies, of the temple in heaven, was opened to all believers through the blood of Christ (Heb.10:19-22). As in the times of the Old Testament, it represents the presence of God among His people. John now sees the seven angels with the seven scourges coming out of it: the original Greek word means a stroke, which is figurative of a plague, a strike, a wound inflicted by a scourge.
The temple was filled with smoke from the Glory of God: called the Shechinah Glory, it was the visible manifestation of the presence of God among men. In the Old Testament most of these visible manifestations took the form of light, fire or cloud, or a combination of these (Gen. 3:23-24, 15:12-18, Exo. 3:1-5, 13:21-22, 14:24, 19:16-20, Isa.6:4, etc.). No-one could enter any more until the seven strikes had been made. The strikes are the punishment to be meted out to the Beast and his followers.
The clothing of the angels, of pure bright linen, brings to mind the angel seen by the centurion Cornelius, and the two men in shining garments by the tomb after the resurrection of the Lord (Luke 24:4, Acts 10:30), indicating they are God's messengers; the golden bands refer to the dignity and authority that has been given to them.
The seven golden vials, or bowls, are full of the wrath of God, and are given to the seven angels by one of the living creatures (cherubim) who are in the midst and around the throne of God (Rev.4:8.).
Reaping the Earth's Harvest
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.
Reaping the Grapes of Wrath
17 Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
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."
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.
Rev 14:14-20 (NKJV)
Prelude to the Bowl Judgments
1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.
2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.
3 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!
4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested."
5 After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.
6 And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands.
7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever.
8 The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
Rev 15:1-8 (NKJV)