Revelation 14:14-20

The last seven verses of this chapter present two scenes.

Scene first: One like the Son of Man sat on a white cloud with a sharp sickle in his hand. And an angel said: Thrust in thy sickle and reap, for the time is come for thee to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle, and the earth was reaped.

Scene second: An angel appears with a sharp sickle, and another angel cries: Thrust in thy sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle, gathered the vine of the earth, cast it into the great wine-press of the wrath of God, and the wine-press was trodden without the city and blood came out of the wine-press, even unto the horse-bridles, by the space of 1600 furlongs.

Some slight differences appear as between these two scenes. In one, the reaper was Christ; in the other, an angel. In one, the harvest seems to be of grain; in the other, the harvest of the vineyard. Then follows the pressing of grapes, and 200 miles of blood, horse-deep, flows from the wine-press. Is there any other difference? Does the first scene represent the gathering of the righteous and the second represent the gathering of the wicked? Or do both stand for the judgment of the wicked? Since we are dealing with the judgment of an evil power, the latter view may be best. At any rate the second scene is an appalling scene of wrath and judgment on the enemies of God. Two hundred miles of blood up to the bridles of the horses is certainly appalling enough, and perhaps further suggests that the judgment that would fall on this enemy of God and the church, would come in the form of war.