Alpha and Omega, Part 42, Revelation Part 19
The Greatest Harvest known to Man
Revelation 14:9-20
Introduction
- Been studying Revelation together, to understand God’s plan for creation
-- REM: Redemption of sin is granted through Jesus; and yes, we have a choice
- Last time, we explored the ministry of the 144,000 (Jews from the Tribulation)
-- We looked their primary purpose: To preach the gospel to all living souls
-- We also saw the instruction of angel for this time: Fear God and Worship God
- Today, we will unpack the reason for their instruction & see the APP for 2023
-- Please don’t nod off on this one … this is the reason we do what we do here!
- Read Revelation 14:9-20 / Pray for wisdom
-- TR: Truly, for the non-believer this is a terrible passage of scripture
-- It is a revelation of God’s anger and wrath for all of humanity’s sin
- Might think: This is an interesting piece of scripture for Pastor Apprec Sunday?
-- Well, let me just put this out there – and make no apologies about it …
-- I would not be a “pastor” if I didn’t tell you truth about a future without Jesus
Point 1 –The Wrath and Judgment of God
- God sends an angel to declare judgment for all those who worship the Antichrist
-- That is, all those in the Tribulation who have rejected Jesus Christ (v9)
- Since the beginning of time, man has believed he can control his own destiny
-- We (humanity) have sought to disprove God, and in turn earned His wrath
-- This is why Revelation is so pivotal: it truly is a warning to mankind
- The ungodly will drink the wrath and anger and fury of God
-- RE: God must keep Heaven perfect, without sin, even angels have been cast out
-- God has continually given man chance after chance to repent of their sin
-- Might ask: When? How about right now? If you haven’t accepted Jesus…
- Consider God’s judgment: there will be no (cannot be any) watering this down
- See this: It’s actually a double portion: anger AND wrath of God (v10)
-- Romans 1:18, “But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”
- How? The ungodly will be tormented with fire and brimstone
-- This is a description / picture of the same material that flows from a volcano
-- Undoubtedly, this must have been a terrifying image for John to take in
- Yet, it is not the first time! RE: Sodom and Gomorrah suffered the same fate
-- But … God is clear that this latter judgment will be even worse than that was!
-- Matthew 10:15, “I tell you the truth, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off than such a town on the judgment day.”
- See this (v10b) – they are tormented in front of the Lamb and Holy Angels
-- Every unbeliever will see Jesus Christ, He’ll be vindicated as the Messiah
-- Then, they shall suffer and be banished from His sight for denying Him
- The bible also gives us a picture that this torment will be never ending (v11)
-- GR: basanismos; torture (torment)
-- For all those who have willingly chosen to worship the Antichrist
-- It is for those who willingly reject Jesus - they will suffer for all eternity
-- They’ve chosen their wants over God’s ways, and this is their reward
- FACT: Hell will NOT be a party, nor a place filled with the “cool people”
-- Hell is a very real, very vivid reality – and one that you don’t have to go to
-- This is why John’s capturing is so pivotal: torment, no relief, no escape
- TR: It’s why the next verse gives us hope beyond anything we could imagine!
Point 2 – Faithfulness to Jesus produces Safety
- There is an escape for this torment, and a reason for us to have hope
-- Yes! Even during the worst moments of the Tribulation … there is still hope!
-- APP: Yes, believers will face terrible times during the Tribulation
-- They’ll be hunted, killed, forced to be martyred, and persecuted to death
- Why? The choice for those alive will be simple: worship the beast or die
-- It is those who endure for Christ who will be rescued from eternity
-- Though they may lose their life, the judgment of God will not be on them
- Someone who is faithful in this time (and even today) is described as (v12):
• A saint who endures (perseveres)
• One who keeps the commands of God (lives for God first)
• Someone who keeps his faith in Jesus (this is the foundation of all things)
- RE: Jesus warned those who would try to serve two masters (Him & the world)
-- Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”
- It is why the instruction for how to escape this is so easy to follow:
-- John 3:16-17, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
- The only way to avoid God’s judgment is STILL through salvation
-- BIG: Even in the end times, believers are still commanded to be faithful
-- CH: In the face of life’s adversities (today or then) – we must be faithful
- Re-read verse 13: Based on the work we do; we shall see rewards in Heaven
-- See reverse side of your handout for some of those (too much to preach through)
- If you have truly accepted Jesus, then this your future
-- If you have rejected Jesus and die, then the previous point is your future
- Know this, Heaven will not be spent floating on clouds and lounging
-- Yes, there is a rest from our Earthly labor (RE: Adam’s curse for sin)
-- But there is still work to be done in eternity that serves God
- Heaven will be a place filled with reward and service
-- It is another dimension of being, a place where we are with Jesus
- Believers are to made kings and priests in Heaven (part of our inheritance)
-- RE: The bible promises that we will rule and reign with Christ
-- This means we serve under His leadership, while worshiping what He has done
- TR: So, let’s examine the ONLY two people groups that exist in the end time
-- Please see the connection here … they are the same groups that exist today!
Point 3 – The Redeemed and the Lost
- John sees a harvest of the Earth, that harvester is none other than Jesus Christ
-- Being the sinless, spotless, lamb of God, He has the authority to redeem man
-- He is pictured upon a white cloud (purity), with a gold crown (stephanos)
- He is seen as returning with a sharp sickle in his hand (v14)
-- APP: It is a long, curved knife meant for removing crops from their stalks
- This harvest is the physical separation of the believers from the unbelievers
-- In a moment’s time, every believer will see Him, and be rescued
- The bible tells us that the harvest is ripe (v15)
-- An angel proclaims, from God’s throne, that the crop is ready for harvest
-- Much like a farmer might declare the same thing about his fields
- GR: xérainó; implies drying up, that the crop is ready to be picked
- GR: therismos; reaping, harvest; the harvest
- BIG: No one knows this timeline – but here is the order to do so!
-- What a priv: John tells us what it will look like when God says to go!
- “Swing the sickle” is a term of action – it is a verb – go and reclaim them!
-- In this moment, Jesus separates those who are His from those who deny Him
-- This is what John saw and understood as the “harvest” of the believers
-- Simplest terms: Ch 14 is a chapter of relief; John is describing the rapture!
-- Looking at Ch 14 concisely, it is nearly a summary of the entire book!
- Please hang with me and never forget this passage: read verses 17-20
- Another angel is sent from the Temple in Heaven
-- He is carrying in his hands a sickle, just like the one Jesus had
-- And another comes also: very specific about this angel and his traits/purpose
-- He comes with a precise mission, and from a very specific place in Heaven
- He does not come from God’s presence, but from the altar in the temple
-- Remember that? Revelation 6:9-11, “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters - their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred - had joined them.”
- This is where the prayers of the Saints are heard and kept as an offering
-- This angel declares that it is time for judgment to begin – for God’s wrath to fall
-- The imagery here is terrifying, if you ask me – especially for the lost
- God’s angel gives instructions to go get those who have rebelled from Him
-- This angel directs with the power of fire (burning incense at altar)
-- Gather them for what? Word use matters here: “Ripe for Judgment” (v18)
-- (added, not in notes) GR: trugaó; to gather in (physically remove)
- BIG: They are not being harvested or retrieved by Jesus
-- This is a command to bring God’s judgment on those who rightly deserve it
-- FACT: God is not playing games with your sin – it’s His way or no way
- Once harvested, where are they put? In the “great winepress of God’s wrath”!
-- This is the most graphic picture of horror from God’s word for today
- Must see: The trampling is measured, thorough, exhaustive (imagery matters)
-- This is a deliberate, purposeful, action – there is NO love or compassion implied
-- This winepress serves one purpose: to destroy the grape, to crush it forever
-- Once it is trampled, it is good for nothing else except destruction and trash
- Romans 2:8, “But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.”
-- God’s wrath will be without any compassion shown to the lost
-- The imagery is clear – and the metaphor is deliberate – crush them to death
BIG IDEA
- God is not mincing words here, and neither should we – warning of destruction
-- Where you are in being harvested depends on what your position is with Him
-- Are you redeemed and will be rescued by Christ when He harvests?
-- Or will you be cut down and trampled in judgment by a righteous God?
- See, you cannot be both – nor can you live a worldly life & expect mercy
-- While Chapter 14 is a great encouragement, it is also a preview of terror
-- A picture of terror that sets you and a righteous God on a collision course
- John does an incredible job giving us the imagery of rescue or judgment
-- Now, the choice is yours on how you respond – God is calling you
-- Calling you to repent and receive – to be amongst those harvested by Christ
- Truly, the worst is yet to come in our study … but you can escape it
- Let’s pray together … Obedience to God, trust in His eternal reward
-- Perhaps, if we know we are His, we can worship Him a little more today?
