The Harvest
The Revelation of Jesus Christ Series • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 49:45
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There has been a real struggle since I stated this series. Please pray for me, it is sometimes daily, but consistently weekly… MY WIFE keeps referring to this book we have grown to love and have been studying together as REVELATION (S)… the struggle is real and I have come to the conclusion she is doing it on purpose!
This is Singular… REVELATION
There is only One Christ
This is His revealing of Himself to us
We are able through this revealing to know Him fuller
Chapter 14 beautifully allows you and I to “Know Him” in a fuller , richer way
We saw some powerful PREVIEWS last week as we:
Previewed His reign and the worship given Him
Previewed His Grace (willingness to stoop)
Last cry for the gospel
Assured of His Victory
Gave a stern WARNING!
Previewed Eternity
Heaven and Hell are real & Eternity is forever
Chapter 14 gives us another preview… this one is of Christ Return!
Jesus Christ reveals (or makes known “again”) in our passage, His great MERCY & JUDGEMENT! Revelation 14:14-20
Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.
And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.
And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.
Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.”
So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God.
And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.
Two Advents
Two Advents
There are two Advents of Jesus Christ spoken of in scripture. In BOTH ADVENTS Jesus Christ will come in bodily form.
1st he came as man to pay for man’s sin
2nd He comes in bodily form to sit on David’s throne
1st He came as a SERVANT... 2nd He comes as JUDGE
1st He came in HUMILITY & GENTLENESS… 2nd He comes MAJESTY & SPLENDOR
1st He came to SEEK & SAVE the lost… 2nd He comes to JUDGE & REIGN
1st He came to take God’s wrath on Himself
2nd He comes to deliver God’s wrath on unbelievers
The first time Jesus Christ came it was as a baby through the virgin Mary… the next time He comes it will be on the clouds with the title SON OF MAN!
Son of Man
Son of Man
There are two hymns that I am found of… “Jesus Loves Me” & “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”. The first is an incomplete picture of Jesus Christ while the second one gives that fuller concept… WE NEED TO HAVE A FULLER CONCEPT OF WHO JESUS IS!
The Son of Man
Daniel would write: “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming”
Jesus in the gospels would often refer to Himself as the Son of Man (Matthew uses this many times in his writing)
Son of Man emphasized His humanity at the same time referencing the incarnation (God becoming Man)
Swindoll writes: “The image of the cloud-riding “Son of Man” in Daniel 7:13 places this figure in the realm of heaven—a divine, glorious, exalted Man who alone receives the right to rule.”
He Comes On A Cloud!
Not a sweet fluffy thing… imagine the clouds bright with lightning flashing in them rolling towards you and riding the cloud is The Son of Man, Jesus Christ
Clouds throughout scripture have been a physical form of the power and glory of God! (shekinah glory)
While visible it cannot be grasped, it power is manifested
Matthew 17:5 illustrates when God was present at the transfiguration
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
We see it in Exodus as God demonstrates His presence and power through the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. That same cloud would rest on the tabernacle illustration God’s Glory and Holiness… that this God was dwelling with them.
I read this part of Revelation and the chorus of the praise song DAYS OF ELIJAH comes to mind!
Behold He comes, riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun, at the trumpet call!
Lift your voice, it’s the year of jubilee
And out of Zion’s hill salvation comes!
There is no God like Jehovah.
There is no God like Jehovah!
He Wears a Crown
This is not the crown of ruler or reign but one of Victory
There is a battle about to be engaged here, judgment is coming
As Jesus Christ engages, as He comes… VICTORY IS SURE!!!!
All of this is so majestic and powerful, it brings some peace until you see the sickle in His hand! Judgment is coming and it will be swift!!! The world is RIPE FOR HARVEST!
A Ripe World
A Ripe World
It is time… maybe even past time. It is from the pages of scripture that we get the image of the angel of death carrying a sharp sickle. That is what is coming.
Twice we see the word RIPE used in this passage… notice in verse 15 “the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
The Greek word here is used of grain harvest… it would be used of grain fields that had dried out, almost so to the point of withering… almost like there was a delay
I took pause at this, why not harvest right when it was RIPE???
Why would you delay or be slow in this matter???
One word “MERCY”!!! 2 Peter 3:9 illustrates this well
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
MERCY… compassion displayed, blessed with more time, forbearance shown through patience self-control, restraint demonstrated… TOWARDS THOSE WHO DESERVE GOD’S WRATH!
… Then Jesus Christ swings His sickle!
Robert Thomas notes, “The brevity of the statement dramatizes the suddenness of the judgment.”5 Like an overripe wheat field that demands immediate attention by the harvester, the evil of humanity will call for swift and decisive justice.”
We see the next time RIPE is used in verse 18 and means “prime time for harvest” the wickedness and evil in the world had reach a climatic point!!!
It was now time for sin and evil to face the full furry of God’s Wrath!
Wine Press of Wrath
Wine Press of Wrath
We see illustrated in these two harvest both the swiftness and severity… while the first harvest may illustrate the rapid successions of the coming bowl judgements the second harvest clearly illustrates the coming battle at Armageddon.
The third angel we looked at last week warned that the beast and those who worship him with taste the wrath of God.
Their allegiance had been declared
Their boast of pride and arrogance now puts them under God’s wrath
A wine press pictured here is the crushing underfoot
Grapes would be collected in one massive tub or holding area then tread upon squeezed out
In a similar way we see here depicted the coming of the nations in 16:16 and 19:15-21 against God
The place of this gathering is Armageddon a valley outside Jerusalem spanning almost 200 miles long
This will be a war to end all wars a battle like none ever before!
The reference to blood flowing to the horses bridal is a picture of the devastation and massive bloodshed
The previews of Chapter 14 come to a close as we consider this battle that will take place… However I do not want to close there today.
I want us to close today looking at another GREAT BATTLE that occured where both God’s Mercy and Judgment were seen…
Calvary
Calvary
We read a passage like Revelation 14 and may ponder WHY such harsh judgment, WHY such wrath?
I want to remind you that the first Advent of Christ we saw this JUDGMENT & WRATH poured out at Calvary
But that time it was upon not mankind as sinners
It was poured out on the very Son of God who stooped down… sinless
What GRACE, what MERCY, oh to see Jesus reveal His love to take the wrath and judgment of God on Himself
Those who receive His finished work of redemption, who repent of their sin and take the free gift of salvation paid for with His Blood
...will not face God’s Wrath for the wrath has been appeased, paid for in full
But woe to the one who rejects what Jesus Christ did at Calvary
Woe to the one who fails to see fully who Jesus Christ is and what He has done
What Jesu did at Calvary is an absolute necessity for us to remember!!!
THE BREAD
Jesus came in bodily form so that He could atone for our sin… we remember this in the bread broken
THE CUP
The wages of sin is death. Blood was the covering for sin allowed by God… and it is the blood shed by Christ, His death that pays
Because of Calvary we have a relationship with God the Father, able to be co-heirs with Christ… Mark is going to come and lead us in a very fitting closing song… “Family of God”
Let’s sing it with emphasis!!!
