Revelation 14:14-20 "Judgment & Wrath"

Lesson Handout

Introduction

Two visions conclude chapter 14 (a panoramic view of the tribulation period) using two images: a harvest and treading of grapes. The harvest signifies the appointed execution of judgment on the wicked and the treading of grapes signifies the violent nature of that judgment. The setting is foretold by the prophet Joel:

Let the nations stir themselves up 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. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great. (Joel 3:12-13)

Verse-By-Verse Notes

Verse 14

• “One like a son of man” is undoubtedly the risen Christ, returning to judge the world. Some see the grain harvest as the gathering of true believers and the grape harvest as the judgment of the wicked (David Jeremiah, et al.), but contextually it is probably best to see them both as representations of the judgment of the wicked.
• John MacArthur: “The grain harvest symbolizes the seven bowl judgments, the grape harvest the judgment of Armageddon.”

Verses 15

• An angel carries a divine message to the Son that the time to reap the harvest is now. Go judge. The image of a harvest is frequently used as a reference to divine judgment on the wicked (Jeremiah 51:33; Hosea 6:11a; etc.) See also Matthew 13:30 & 39.

Verse 16

• In one fell swoop, Christ judges the entire earth. Note that the image of Jesus with a “sharp sickle” in His hand runs completely counter to the effeminate, loving image of Jesus much of the church has today. The eschatological Christ will unleash fury and wrath, as the next vision will demonstrate.

Verses 17 & 18

• Two additional angels appear: one from the heavenly temple and another from the altar. Robert Mounce: “As the altar is elsewhere connected with the prayers of the righteous (6:9; 8:3-5), we are probably to understand here that the prayers of the faithful play a definite part in bringing about God’s judgment upon the wicked.”

Verse 19

• Again, like the harvest (v. 16), in one fell swoop the angel slices the grapes from the vine and throws them into the “great winepress of the wrath of God.” Notice the violence of the language.

Verse 20

• Verses 19 & 20 reference the final battle of Armageddon, further described in Revelation 16. The grapes will be trodden “outside the city” of Jerusalem, though Jerusalem will be damaged (see Zechariah 14:1-4), she will ultimately be saved, and the wicked will fall.
• The bloodshed from this judgment will be incomprehensible. Some see the language of verse 20 as hyperbolic, simply indicating massive violence and slaughter. Others see it as literal – blood as deep as 5 feet running nearly the length of Israel (1600 stadia = approx. 200 miles). Still, others see these numbers as pure symbolism, indicating the totality of divine judgment on the wicked: 4 is the number of the earth (four winds 7:1, four corners 20:8, etc.), multiplied by the square of 10 (the number of completeness – 5:11; 20:6). So basically 4² X 10² (or 16 X 100) = 1600.

BIG IDEA: CHRIST WILL FEROCIOUSLY AND WITHOUT MERCY JUDGE THE WICKED.