“Revelation 14:14-20”

Friday, January 05, 2018

“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.”

---End of Scripture verses---

John sees a new vision of “one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head” riding on “a white cloud” (verse 14). This seems to be an obvious reference to our victorious King Jesus coming with a favorable judgment for the persecuted people of his kingdom. Daniel wrote in prophetic tones of Jesus ascending His heavenly throne: “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14) This “Son of Man” who reigns over all the kingdoms of the earth now appears in the visions of Revelation saving His royal subjects and exacting vengeance against the enemies of His domain.

“The Scriptures speak of bright clouds, thick clouds, a dark cloud, a swift cloud, and a great cloud, but this is the only reference to a white cloud, and thus it must carry special significance. White is the symbol of purity and holiness…therefore, whatever the cloud symbolizes is associated with these two attributes. Clouds often symbolize judgment or the appearing of judgment. Jehovah came in judgment against Egypt, riding ‘upon a swift cloud; (Isa. 19:1), and He would ‘come up as clouds’ against wicked Jerusalem (Jer. 4:13). Jesus would come against Jerusalem ‘on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory’ (Matt. 24:30; 26:64…), and John describes His comings in judgment as coming ‘with the clouds’.” (Hailey)

It seems likely that this is not a depiction of Final Judgment, even though it is said that “His mighty angels” will be present with the Lord on that day when He comes “dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8). It also seems likely that verse 14 refers to “the Lord of the harvest” (Matthew 9:38; 13:30) coming to “reap” a “righteous harvest” of His “select vintage,” while the angel with “the sharp sickle” (verse 18) delivers a crushing blow to the evil empire of Rome.

Homer Hailey wrote: “In thrusting away the offer of the gospel men judge themselves unworthy of eternal life (Acts 13:46), and therefore remain under the judgment of damnation. We conclude that as the Lord reaps His harvest through preaching the gospel, judgment falls on all who reject it (vv. 6-7; 14-16)…While He will be gathering His own harvest, the judgment of the wicked in time will come. The metaphor of the winepress indicates this idea rather than the final judgment at His second coming. Jehovah’s treading the winepress of His wrath symbolized judgment against the heathen nations of earth at that time (Isa. 63:1-6; Joel 3:12 f.). Also, the judgment against the nations, which would include the beast and the kings of the earth, is likewise described as treading the winepress of His wrath (19:11-16…).”

In regards to verse 20, Homer Hailey wrote: “The city is probably the holy city, spiritual Jerusalem… As the bodies of the sin-offering were burned outside of the camp, and as a sin-offering Jesus ‘suffered without the gate’ (Heb. 13:11f.); so it is appropriate that the world that rejected Him and His salvation should be trodden without the city… Probably the picture intends only to indicate the magnitude and completeness of the judgment… The picture indicates the gory completeness of God’s judgment upon the wicked, as the horsemen wade through the sea of blood that reaches to the bridles.”

Please read Revelation 15:1-4 for tomorrow.

Blessings!

-Louie Taylor

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