1 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:17,360 Well, I don't think anyone here would doubt the care needed 2 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:19,360 to interpret Scripture. 3 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:23,200 Some portions of God's Word are easier to understand than others, 4 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,880 while passages, including many that we've looked at in Revelation, 5 00:00:27,150 --> 00:00:30,980 that, and by the way, Exodus as well, can on first reading, appear 6 00:00:30,980 --> 00:00:34,180 to have a meaning beyond our comprehension. 7 00:00:34,900 --> 00:00:39,060 I openly confessed last Sunday morning that when I read it, read 8 00:00:39,140 --> 00:00:42,940 last Sunday morning's passage in Exodus, I had no idea what it 9 00:00:42,940 --> 00:00:43,300 meant. 10 00:00:43,540 --> 00:00:46,460 And it took a week to work through it and pray through it to 11 00:00:46,460 --> 00:00:47,780 see what that meaning would be. 12 00:00:47,780 --> 00:00:50,780 And if I'm honest, the passage this morning was a little bit like 13 00:00:50,780 --> 00:00:51,060 it. 14 00:00:52,660 --> 00:00:54,340 And there is a truth in all of this. 15 00:00:55,110 --> 00:00:58,270 And the truth is that we will not fully grasp all that Scripture 16 00:00:58,270 --> 00:00:59,990 says to us in this life. 17 00:01:01,030 --> 00:01:02,630 And that's a reality for us. 18 00:01:03,350 --> 00:01:07,830 None of us will ever understand the full counsel of God 19 00:01:08,390 --> 00:01:10,070 as revealed to us in His Word. 20 00:01:10,870 --> 00:01:14,630 And I say that from personal experience that as we grow in faith, 21 00:01:15,270 --> 00:01:20,670 we learn to understand the Bible in a different way as we learn 22 00:01:20,670 --> 00:01:21,670 other parts of the Bible. 23 00:01:21,670 --> 00:01:24,900 And so it begins to interpret different, differently, what perhaps 24 00:01:24,900 --> 00:01:29,220 we first thought, or simply there's things we will never understand 25 00:01:29,300 --> 00:01:31,460 because God has designed it as such. 26 00:01:32,660 --> 00:01:36,860 And so there must be an element of faith and trust when it 27 00:01:36,860 --> 00:01:41,260 comes to reading Scripture in what God has communicated through 28 00:01:41,260 --> 00:01:41,540 it. 29 00:01:42,580 --> 00:01:47,140 And over the years, as we look back on history, we can see that 30 00:01:47,140 --> 00:01:51,620 Scripture has been used carelessly to justify certain acts 31 00:01:51,780 --> 00:01:55,140 that we now see were not biblically faithful. 32 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:59,920 And so rather than looking to the God of Scripture, people have 33 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:03,640 not been faithful in their interpretation, and they have used 34 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:06,520 Scripture to justify their own means. 35 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:12,440 Take, for example, the structure of apartheid in South Africa. 36 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:18,720 This was a system of government that ran from 1948 to 37 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:20,120 1994. 38 00:02:21,250 --> 00:02:25,850 And it was a system that separated people groups that they 39 00:02:25,850 --> 00:02:27,090 were never to mix. 40 00:02:28,370 --> 00:02:32,490 And it saw one group, the group that organized the theology 41 00:02:32,490 --> 00:02:37,650 from Scripture of apartheid, as the superior group over all the 42 00:02:37,650 --> 00:02:37,970 rest. 43 00:02:38,930 --> 00:02:44,250 And the apartheid leaders used passages from Genesis, from the Acts 44 00:02:44,250 --> 00:02:47,730 of the Apostles, and from Revelation to justify segregation 45 00:02:49,230 --> 00:02:54,030 and to justify what was an unfair and an unjust system against 46 00:02:54,190 --> 00:02:54,830 humanity. 47 00:02:55,870 --> 00:02:59,150 And the passage that we're looking at tonight has also been 48 00:02:59,150 --> 00:03:03,230 used to justify political and social conflict. 49 00:03:03,630 --> 00:03:08,470 And all we have to do is look to the hymn by Julia Ward Howe and 50 00:03:08,470 --> 00:03:12,430 see how it was used to justify the American Civil War. 51 00:03:13,470 --> 00:03:17,230 Ward Howe wrote to him the Battle Hymn of the Republic, which 52 00:03:17,230 --> 00:03:22,050 has as its opening lines, mine ey have seen the glory of the coming 53 00:03:22,050 --> 00:03:26,970 of the Lord he is trampling out the vintage where the grapes 54 00:03:26,970 --> 00:03:33,450 of Wrath are stored, taken directly from Revelation 14. 55 00:03:34,330 --> 00:03:36,129 And you know, we do sing this hymn. 56 00:03:36,129 --> 00:03:36,770 And it is. 57 00:03:36,770 --> 00:03:40,290 I did check in our hymn books, find it there. 58 00:03:40,290 --> 00:03:40,890 It's there. 59 00:03:41,850 --> 00:03:44,530 And we don't see anything wrong with singing these words. 60 00:03:44,530 --> 00:03:50,240 But the hymn was written to quite literally anoint the northern 61 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:54,880 armies in the American Civil War with the sword of God's justice 62 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:57,280 against their southern neighbours. 63 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:02,000 That was a civil war that had nothing to do with the defence of 64 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:08,080 the Lord or of the Gospel and was simply used to justify a political 65 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:10,000 military campaign. 66 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:15,710 And this was the battle cry, the Battle Hymn of the Republic, 67 00:04:16,270 --> 00:04:20,910 using Revelation 14 to justify conflict. 68 00:04:22,110 --> 00:04:26,070 Now, I use this example because Christians have sometimes 69 00:04:26,070 --> 00:04:31,790 understood the details of the visions of Revelation differently. 70 00:04:32,830 --> 00:04:37,070 And we may not interpret these verses in chapter 14 as being the 71 00:04:37,070 --> 00:04:41,260 rallying call for a civil war for the northern armies. 72 00:04:41,500 --> 00:04:44,380 It was, however, exactly how they read them. 73 00:04:44,940 --> 00:04:49,620 But what I want to affirm tonight is that all faithful readings 74 00:04:49,620 --> 00:04:56,060 of verses 14 to 20 agree on a day is coming when Christ will gather 75 00:04:56,060 --> 00:05:00,780 the earth, judge wickedness and vindicate his people. 76 00:05:02,140 --> 00:05:06,390 Regardless of however else we interpret the imagery of of this 77 00:05:06,390 --> 00:05:09,070 passage, this is the certainty. 78 00:05:09,710 --> 00:05:14,670 A day is coming when Christ will gather the earth, judge wickedness 79 00:05:14,830 --> 00:05:16,590 and vindicate his people. 80 00:05:17,790 --> 00:05:22,070 Chapter 14 has already seen three angels declaring the eternal 81 00:05:22,070 --> 00:05:26,630 rule of God and the Lamb as Babylon, the great enemy of God's 82 00:05:26,630 --> 00:05:27,710 people, falls. 83 00:05:28,110 --> 00:05:34,710 And these angels also issue a call to repentance by those who have 84 00:05:34,710 --> 00:05:37,190 worshipped the beast and his image. 85 00:05:37,270 --> 00:05:41,390 And the vision now continues, as John now looks and sees, as we 86 00:05:41,390 --> 00:05:45,030 read in verse 14, seated on the cloud, one like a son of man, 87 00:05:45,110 --> 00:05:49,590 with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 88 00:05:50,390 --> 00:05:54,510 And so, as we begin this section, already a question appears 89 00:05:54,510 --> 00:05:55,030 for us. 90 00:05:55,110 --> 00:05:57,350 Who is the one like a son of man? 91 00:05:57,670 --> 00:06:00,630 Well, if we know our scriptures, and I think we do, then 92 00:06:00,630 --> 00:06:03,500 we'll be drawn back to two places in Scripture. 93 00:06:03,660 --> 00:06:07,060 The first will be to chapter one of Revelation, where we've already 94 00:06:07,060 --> 00:06:09,900 been introduced to one like the Son of man. 95 00:06:10,460 --> 00:06:14,220 But we'll also have to go further back to Daniel and in Daniel 96 00:06:14,220 --> 00:06:18,020 7 and verse 13, one like a son of man, comes with the clouds of 97 00:06:18,020 --> 00:06:21,500 heaven to the ancient of days, that is the Father God. 98 00:06:21,980 --> 00:06:25,780 And so what we can say by how Scripture has taught us and by what 99 00:06:25,780 --> 00:06:28,780 John has revealed in Revelation already, that this is 100 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:33,400 the risen Lord Jesus Christ, who is now seated on a white cloud, 101 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:37,960 telling us of his rule and his reign over humanity. 102 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:44,720 He has a golden crown, and that affirms the purity, and it also 103 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:47,640 affirms the Excellency of his reign. 104 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:53,320 But the one thing we don't expect to see in his hand is a sickle. 105 00:06:54,200 --> 00:07:00,450 We might expect a mitre or a rod of justice, but a sickle. 106 00:07:01,890 --> 00:07:06,130 Now this tells us that he is about to reap something. 107 00:07:06,930 --> 00:07:11,330 And what he is about to reap is the harvest of souls. 108 00:07:13,170 --> 00:07:17,810 And what we Read in verses 15 to 16 describe that for us because 109 00:07:17,810 --> 00:07:19,650 John sees another angel. 110 00:07:19,650 --> 00:07:23,450 So now we're into Angel 5 coming out of the temple and calls 111 00:07:23,450 --> 00:07:28,130 to the risen Lord Jesus to put the sickle to work and reap the harvest, 112 00:07:28,670 --> 00:07:30,350 for it is now ready. 113 00:07:31,070 --> 00:07:35,150 Now I appreciate that after bringing an old fashioned camera 114 00:07:35,310 --> 00:07:38,510 out in front of the girls and boys today, they think I'm really 115 00:07:38,510 --> 00:07:38,910 old. 116 00:07:39,790 --> 00:07:44,550 However, I know that many of you are older than me and you indeed 117 00:07:44,550 --> 00:07:47,950 have put your hand to the sickle and you have reaped a harvest, 118 00:07:48,270 --> 00:07:50,950 whether that be simply to cut grass in the old ways. 119 00:07:50,950 --> 00:07:53,030 And by the way, I have tried that and I can't do it. 120 00:07:53,030 --> 00:07:55,470 And so the strimmer was got and that's just how it was done. 121 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:57,640 You know how hard work it is. 122 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:02,680 You know what it means to have a sickle item to start to harvest 123 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:04,120 whatever it is you want to cut. 124 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:11,360 So here's the risen Lord Jesus, not with a mitre, not with 125 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:18,360 a rod of justice, but with an instrument that cuts and cuts down. 126 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:21,880 This is what we read in verse 15. 127 00:08:22,780 --> 00:08:25,580 Another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice 128 00:08:25,580 --> 00:08:31,100 to him who sat on the cloud, put in your sickle and reap for the 129 00:08:31,100 --> 00:08:32,580 hour to reap has come. 130 00:08:32,580 --> 00:08:35,740 For the harvest of the earth is fully ripe. 131 00:08:36,220 --> 00:08:39,060 So that's the first thing that last week's section. 132 00:08:39,060 --> 00:08:41,900 The harvest of the earth is ready. 133 00:08:42,380 --> 00:08:45,340 It's ready to be harvested, to be cut and brought in. 134 00:08:45,820 --> 00:08:49,340 And though it's not clear here in the English text and none of our 135 00:08:49,340 --> 00:08:53,970 English translation really help us here, but if you have any 136 00:08:53,970 --> 00:08:56,930 understanding of Greek, which as you know, in Union College we 137 00:08:56,930 --> 00:09:02,050 have to do for two years, the Greek original refers to believers 138 00:09:02,050 --> 00:09:05,650 here whenever it talks about the harvest of the earth is fully 139 00:09:05,650 --> 00:09:10,170 ripe, because verse 15 speaks of that ripeness of the harvest. 140 00:09:10,170 --> 00:09:15,170 Now, fully ripe in the Greek means dried out, and that's a term 141 00:09:15,170 --> 00:09:16,570 used for grain. 142 00:09:17,290 --> 00:09:20,440 Other places in scripture that's ready to be harvested, such 143 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:21,520 as wheat. 144 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:23,840 Now, why is that significant? 145 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:27,800 Why do we need to understand why is it maybe we bit clunky in 146 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:30,000 our English and clear in the Greek? 147 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:34,560 Well, John the Baptist contrasted the wheat of the godly 148 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:39,080 with the chaff of the ungodly in Matthew chapter three in verse 149 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:39,440 12. 150 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:44,720 And in one parable, Jesus contrasted the godly wheat with the 151 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:49,162 weeds that the enemy sowed in the Master's fields in Matthew 13:25, 152 00:09:49,358 --> 00:09:50,240 30. 153 00:09:50,900 --> 00:09:55,180 So the point is that there is a measured difference between those 154 00:09:55,180 --> 00:09:59,700 who are saved and those who are condemned long before the final 155 00:09:59,700 --> 00:10:00,420 harvest. 156 00:10:01,620 --> 00:10:05,300 This difference is evidenced by their reaction to God's Word, 157 00:10:05,780 --> 00:10:08,780 because Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is like a farmer who 158 00:10:08,780 --> 00:10:10,820 went out to sow his seed in Luke 8. 159 00:10:10,980 --> 00:10:12,500 And what does Jesus say? 160 00:10:12,740 --> 00:10:15,700 He tells us that the seed is the word of God. 161 00:10:16,590 --> 00:10:20,350 And while many hard and worldly hearts reject God's word, 162 00:10:20,670 --> 00:10:26,030 believers receive it, and they bear fruit through faith, so that 163 00:10:26,110 --> 00:10:30,590 quite literally, they are dried out as the harvest, ready to 164 00:10:30,590 --> 00:10:34,510 be cut now by the risen Lord Jesus Christ and brought in as the 165 00:10:34,510 --> 00:10:35,870 harvest of souls. 166 00:10:36,670 --> 00:10:40,110 And so this measured difference of those who are ready 167 00:10:40,110 --> 00:10:43,350 to be cut and brought in, as opposed to what we'll see in a few 168 00:10:43,350 --> 00:10:48,090 minutes in the Grapes of Wrath, does not result from any moral 169 00:10:48,090 --> 00:10:52,250 or spiritual superiority on the part of the Christian, but only 170 00:10:52,250 --> 00:10:54,570 the grace of God that's at work in them. 171 00:10:55,290 --> 00:10:58,890 How will any believer be ready to be harvested? 172 00:11:00,170 --> 00:11:04,370 Well, it's all because of the grace and love of Jesus, because 173 00:11:04,370 --> 00:11:10,010 he died for us so that indeed we may be the harvest of the earth 174 00:11:10,570 --> 00:11:14,570 and the ingathering of souls into his eternal kingdom. 175 00:11:16,010 --> 00:11:20,930 And it is this grace that makes all the difference in the final 176 00:11:20,930 --> 00:11:21,530 harvest. 177 00:11:21,690 --> 00:11:26,250 For we read Jesus saying in Matthew 13:39, the harvest is the 178 00:11:26,250 --> 00:11:30,010 end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 179 00:11:31,210 --> 00:11:35,930 With this, the godly are gathered into the barn and the ungodly 180 00:11:35,930 --> 00:11:37,530 are cast into fire. 181 00:11:38,740 --> 00:11:41,980 And the way to know that you will be gathered for salvation when 182 00:11:41,980 --> 00:11:46,940 Christ returns is to, as the Gospels tell us, to receive God's 183 00:11:46,940 --> 00:11:51,820 word in faith now and live in a way that bears godly fruit for 184 00:11:51,820 --> 00:11:52,420 the Lord. 185 00:11:53,300 --> 00:11:59,020 This faith, or unbelief, is the decisive mark between God's gathered 186 00:11:59,020 --> 00:12:03,540 wheat and the chaff that is cast off into that eternal fire. 187 00:12:04,380 --> 00:12:07,220 And that's what the next verses in this passage tell us. 188 00:12:07,220 --> 00:12:10,060 Although they're not telling us of what's been burned up. 189 00:12:10,060 --> 00:12:12,820 They're giving us another image, another vision. 190 00:12:12,820 --> 00:12:19,460 John sees of how this punishment is depicted of those who 191 00:12:19,460 --> 00:12:20,700 have not accepted Christ. 192 00:12:21,820 --> 00:12:26,540 Verse 17 tells us that another angel comes out of the temple, and 193 00:12:26,540 --> 00:12:28,540 he is now the one with a sickle. 194 00:12:29,350 --> 00:12:33,430 But there's another angel in verse 18 where we read, and another 195 00:12:33,430 --> 00:12:37,070 angel came out from the altar this time, and the angel who has 196 00:12:37,070 --> 00:12:38,150 authority over the fire. 197 00:12:38,390 --> 00:12:41,990 And he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp 198 00:12:41,990 --> 00:12:42,550 sickle. 199 00:12:42,790 --> 00:12:46,590 Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the 200 00:12:46,590 --> 00:12:49,510 earth, for its grapes are ripe. 201 00:12:50,470 --> 00:12:52,510 So here we have another harvest ready. 202 00:12:52,510 --> 00:12:56,310 But it's not going to be the harvest of souls unto righteousness. 203 00:12:57,560 --> 00:13:01,800 It's going to be a harvest of the wicked, those who have rejected 204 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:04,600 the risen Lord Jesus Christ. 205 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:09,680 But it's all very different because we're not told that this 206 00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:12,640 angel comes out from the temple, although that's where they 207 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:13,160 come from. 208 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:15,800 More specifically, we're told they come from the altar. 209 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:19,720 And again, this is what we've heard before, because we have to 210 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:22,140 remember that Revelation is. 211 00:13:22,290 --> 00:13:26,250 Is giving us the same information in about three or four 212 00:13:26,250 --> 00:13:28,450 different ways from different perspectives. 213 00:13:28,930 --> 00:13:31,250 And so if any of this is sounding familiar, it's because we've 214 00:13:31,250 --> 00:13:34,770 already looked at it in chapters four through to eight. 215 00:13:35,650 --> 00:13:40,130 But here, now, in chapter 14, the altar of incense is mentioned 216 00:13:40,850 --> 00:13:42,770 as this angel comes out of the altar. 217 00:13:43,250 --> 00:13:46,810 And the reference to fire here fits in with what was spoken back 218 00:13:46,810 --> 00:13:50,490 in chapter eight in verse five, where an angel fills his censer 219 00:13:50,490 --> 00:13:53,920 with with hot coals or with fire, and he throws it on the earth. 220 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:57,960 And if you recall, that was a sign of God's judgment on the earth. 221 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:02,680 Well, the harvest here in this scene clearly represents that same 222 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:03,400 judgment. 223 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:07,880 The second angel summons the first angel with the sickle to begin 224 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:09,800 the grape harvest. 225 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:14,600 So the judgment is cast, and now the harvest must commence. 226 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:18,630 And all through Revelation, what we must understand is that the 227 00:14:18,630 --> 00:14:23,550 good news of salvation always includes the destruction of the enemies 228 00:14:23,550 --> 00:14:24,750 of Christ and his people. 229 00:14:25,310 --> 00:14:29,430 And so to this end, this second harvest is depicted for us 230 00:14:29,430 --> 00:14:31,030 here in these verses. 231 00:14:31,030 --> 00:14:35,390 And John's vision seems to follow the sequence of Joel's prophecy 232 00:14:36,510 --> 00:14:40,710 where we would read in Joel chapter 3 and verse 13, put in the 233 00:14:40,710 --> 00:14:42,430 sickle, for the harvest is ripe. 234 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:44,880 That's what the angel has said to do. 235 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:45,920 But look what happens next. 236 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:52,040 Go in tread, for the winepress is full, the vats overflow, for their 237 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:52,840 evil is great. 238 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:57,240 And so Joel has already foretold what is going to happen 239 00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:03,960 in vivid imagery that John is seeing that that harvest of grapes, 240 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:09,520 where judgment has been heaped by hot coals and fire on the wicked 241 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:10,040 of the world. 242 00:15:11,380 --> 00:15:13,780 We're now given this image of the wine press where these grapes 243 00:15:13,780 --> 00:15:16,100 are put into the wine and they're trampled underfoot. 244 00:15:17,380 --> 00:15:22,300 They are the grapes of wrath, because they receive what is their 245 00:15:22,300 --> 00:15:24,820 judgment and their punishment. 246 00:15:25,940 --> 00:15:28,900 And so to help us understand this and where all of this is Coming 247 00:15:28,900 --> 00:15:31,860 from, we need to remember something that we've read before. 248 00:15:32,740 --> 00:15:36,340 And we need to remember that the souls of the martyrs were gathered 249 00:15:36,340 --> 00:15:41,210 beneath the altar of heaven and that their prayers were offered 250 00:15:41,210 --> 00:15:42,530 on that altar. 251 00:15:43,490 --> 00:15:48,010 And so this association with the altar tells us that the judgment 252 00:15:48,010 --> 00:15:52,690 of the wicked will be in part a response to the prayers of Christian 253 00:15:52,690 --> 00:15:54,210 martyrs for God's justice. 254 00:15:54,610 --> 00:15:57,890 And so now this is the second time we're seeing this, that God 255 00:15:57,970 --> 00:16:00,810 hears the prayers of the martyrs, and he answers them. 256 00:16:00,810 --> 00:16:02,210 Remember what their prayer was. 257 00:16:02,370 --> 00:16:03,810 How long, O Lord. 258 00:16:05,430 --> 00:16:09,150 And in the first cycle of seeing all of this, we saw God answer. 259 00:16:09,150 --> 00:16:11,030 And here we now see him answer again. 260 00:16:11,510 --> 00:16:14,270 This altar is not just the significance of the burning coals, 261 00:16:14,270 --> 00:16:18,510 but it's the altar under which the martyrs are crying to God for 262 00:16:18,510 --> 00:16:19,110 how long? 263 00:16:19,190 --> 00:16:21,110 God is now reaping his judgment. 264 00:16:22,630 --> 00:16:25,030 But notice who has the authority here. 265 00:16:25,910 --> 00:16:30,390 This angel has the authority over the fire, which probably speaks 266 00:16:30,390 --> 00:16:32,940 to his rule in judging the wicked. 267 00:16:33,020 --> 00:16:36,700 And so he therefore brings God's command to gather rebellious 268 00:16:36,700 --> 00:16:39,260 mankind and to judge them. 269 00:16:40,620 --> 00:16:43,780 The English Bible scholar H.B. 270 00:16:43,780 --> 00:16:48,860 Sweet writes in his Commentary on Revelation of the Delicate Beauty, 271 00:16:49,260 --> 00:16:53,980 beautiful term, delicate beauty of this passage, because Christ 272 00:16:54,060 --> 00:16:57,820 does not himself harvest the ungodly for their judgment. 273 00:16:59,260 --> 00:17:01,900 But did you notice this is done by the angels? 274 00:17:03,420 --> 00:17:06,140 Now, this may reflect that while Jesus is immediately involved 275 00:17:06,140 --> 00:17:09,260 in the salvation of his people, the judgment of the rebellious, 276 00:17:09,260 --> 00:17:13,580 while under his authority, does not involve such personal contact. 277 00:17:14,380 --> 00:17:19,740 It is Christ's own hand that saves his people, but his command 278 00:17:19,820 --> 00:17:23,180 is enough for the judgment of rebels. 279 00:17:24,550 --> 00:17:29,670 And this understanding, this delicate beauty that HB Sweet calls 280 00:17:29,670 --> 00:17:35,270 it, should not in any way suggest that Jesus is squeamish about 281 00:17:35,270 --> 00:17:38,710 divine judgment, because as we go to chapter 19, we will see him 282 00:17:38,710 --> 00:17:42,470 personally wielding the sword of judgment and treading the winepress 283 00:17:42,470 --> 00:17:43,510 of God's fury. 284 00:17:43,750 --> 00:17:48,230 But it at least suggests the same mercy that Jesus has shown throughout 285 00:17:48,230 --> 00:17:52,790 his earthly ministry is now shown to us here and in his cry to 286 00:17:52,790 --> 00:17:56,490 grant his persecutors forgiveness while suffering on the 287 00:17:56,490 --> 00:17:56,850 cross. 288 00:17:58,370 --> 00:18:01,890 And so in verses 19 to 20, when the angel swings his sickle, 289 00:18:01,890 --> 00:18:04,610 the vintage of the earth is gathered in. 290 00:18:05,410 --> 00:18:10,730 But this is a most unusual harvest, for the grapes are thrown 291 00:18:10,730 --> 00:18:13,970 into the winepress of God's wrath. 292 00:18:15,330 --> 00:18:20,050 In the Old Testament, treading a winepress is an image of God's 293 00:18:20,050 --> 00:18:20,410 judgment. 294 00:18:20,410 --> 00:18:24,890 And you have to remember the original hearers and readers of this 295 00:18:24,890 --> 00:18:27,970 letter that John would send out from Patmos would understand 296 00:18:28,210 --> 00:18:31,770 that, because they were still in the mind and in the culture and 297 00:18:31,770 --> 00:18:35,570 indeed in the Mediterranean basin of wine presses. 298 00:18:37,170 --> 00:18:40,370 And so we see this in Isaiah 63. 299 00:18:41,010 --> 00:18:43,570 It's also told in Lamentations 1. 300 00:18:43,570 --> 00:18:47,810 And as we read earlier, Joel chapter 3 and verse 13. 301 00:18:48,530 --> 00:18:52,130 And so we have here a picture of what is final judgment. 302 00:18:52,130 --> 00:18:55,250 And the scene is a gory one, to be sure. 303 00:18:56,290 --> 00:19:00,770 The blood of those judged flows as high as the bridles of horses, 304 00:19:01,730 --> 00:19:02,810 like a river. 305 00:19:02,810 --> 00:19:08,850 It flows for 1,600 stadia, and that's about 200 miles or 320 kilometers. 306 00:19:08,850 --> 00:19:12,610 And if you're interested, that is about the length of the nation 307 00:19:12,770 --> 00:19:13,650 of Israel. 308 00:19:14,930 --> 00:19:19,810 But this river of blood vividly captures the judgment to 309 00:19:19,810 --> 00:19:24,210 be poured out on those who sighed with the unholy Trinity. 310 00:19:24,610 --> 00:19:29,210 Remember, we met them just a few chapters earlier. 311 00:19:29,210 --> 00:19:34,290 They are the false Trinity of the dragon, the beast, and false 312 00:19:34,290 --> 00:19:36,770 prophets there in chapters 12 and 13. 313 00:19:37,490 --> 00:19:41,050 And so in this part of the vision that John now sees in chapter 314 00:19:41,050 --> 00:19:44,290 14, he sees God's judgment against the wicked. 315 00:19:44,450 --> 00:19:47,410 And it is complete and it is decisive. 316 00:19:47,410 --> 00:19:50,570 That's why we have this image of this river of blood that is as 317 00:19:50,570 --> 00:19:54,530 high as the bridle of horses and flows for 200 miles. 318 00:19:55,130 --> 00:19:58,410 It is complete and it is decisive. 319 00:20:00,170 --> 00:20:00,970 This is it. 320 00:20:02,330 --> 00:20:07,410 This is God answering the cries of the martyrs and bringing 321 00:20:07,410 --> 00:20:09,930 all people under himself. 322 00:20:10,970 --> 00:20:16,370 And so verse 19 tells us the angel swung his sickle across the 323 00:20:16,370 --> 00:20:21,060 earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it 324 00:20:21,060 --> 00:20:25,700 into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 325 00:20:26,900 --> 00:20:30,660 Can anyone survive the wrath of God? 326 00:20:32,420 --> 00:20:35,860 No, they cannot. 327 00:20:37,700 --> 00:20:42,900 And so the contrast of this judgment of the wicked to the assurance 328 00:20:42,900 --> 00:20:49,290 of the harvest of the redeemed is a stark one, where the harvest 329 00:20:49,290 --> 00:20:53,770 is ripe, in both cases telling us that the fullness of time has 330 00:20:53,770 --> 00:20:59,530 come and one is cut and brought into the barn, into the place 331 00:20:59,530 --> 00:21:04,170 of security, into the Mount of Zion, that holy city. 332 00:21:05,450 --> 00:21:09,130 And where is the winepress where the wrath of God's judgment? 333 00:21:10,010 --> 00:21:11,730 Well, it's not in Mount Zion. 334 00:21:11,730 --> 00:21:12,810 It's not within the city. 335 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:14,880 It is outside the city. 336 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:20,360 What else do we know happened outside the city of Jerusalem that 337 00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:21,680 we call Zion? 338 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:26,400 The crucifixion of Jesus Christ, where God's wrath was poured 339 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:33,120 out on his Son so that it wouldn't have to be put on us? 340 00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:41,460 You see, all of these links, all of these golden threads that 341 00:21:41,460 --> 00:21:45,580 take us through scripture from Genesis right through to Revelation, 342 00:21:45,580 --> 00:21:47,060 are not insignificant. 343 00:21:47,140 --> 00:21:52,540 And they are telling us, not multiple stories, but one story of 344 00:21:52,540 --> 00:21:57,260 God's great love towards humanity, so that while there is 345 00:21:57,260 --> 00:22:03,820 yet time, we can know assurance of being amongst the harvest 346 00:22:03,820 --> 00:22:08,870 of the redeemed and so avoid the harvest of the grapes that will 347 00:22:08,870 --> 00:22:14,670 be trampled underfoot in the winepress of the wrath of God. 348 00:22:17,070 --> 00:22:21,110 You see, this is not a fine wine, as Nancy Guthrie says, that's 349 00:22:21,110 --> 00:22:22,510 going to be produced. 350 00:22:23,629 --> 00:22:27,390 It is punishment that is going to be executed. 351 00:22:28,910 --> 00:22:34,480 The picture is bloody, the picture's even disturbing as we think 352 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:44,240 of this round stone base that captures the grapes and being trampled 353 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:47,880 underfoot, with a channel going out where the wine will flow, 354 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:54,440 but yet flowing as judgment as far as 320 kilometres and as high 355 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:56,520 as the bridle of a horse. 356 00:22:57,240 --> 00:22:59,560 Complete and decisive. 357 00:23:00,940 --> 00:23:04,940 And once again, in this section of Revelation, which is drawing 358 00:23:04,940 --> 00:23:09,980 this second retelling to a close, we're given a stark warning. 359 00:23:10,700 --> 00:23:15,340 And that warning is to pay attention, because the message is 360 00:23:16,300 --> 00:23:21,820 the sickle will fall, the harvest will come, the winepress 361 00:23:21,820 --> 00:23:26,220 will be trodden, but there's still time to flee to Christ. 362 00:23:26,300 --> 00:23:31,640 The one who will judge is the same one who who was judged for sinners. 363 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:36,760 And in the end, God's purposes will be realized and his kingdom 364 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:37,480 will come. 365 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:41,080 And those he intends to save will be harvested and brought into 366 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:42,440 his kingdom forever. 367 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:44,920 And for that we declare Hallelujah. 368 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:50,360 But those who are wicked and pursue evil will not escape judgment. 369 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:55,400 Final salvation and judgment can seem unreal to us during our 370 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:56,200 present lives. 371 00:23:57,540 --> 00:24:02,020 So John reminds us repeatedly that the last day is coming and he 372 00:24:02,020 --> 00:24:04,260 summons us to be ready for it. 373 00:24:04,580 --> 00:24:08,300 And so the applications of this passage are both urgent and, 374 00:24:08,300 --> 00:24:09,460 I hope, obvious. 375 00:24:10,580 --> 00:24:11,220 Christians. 376 00:24:11,220 --> 00:24:15,060 We are reminded that we must be willing to be different now from 377 00:24:15,060 --> 00:24:20,340 unbelieving people, since we hope for such a different end from 378 00:24:20,340 --> 00:24:21,700 that which awaits them. 379 00:24:22,670 --> 00:24:26,910 If in the eyes of Christ, believers are wheat compared to chaff 380 00:24:26,910 --> 00:24:31,870 and weeds, then there must be a spiritual substance to our lives 381 00:24:31,870 --> 00:24:37,350 and godly fruitfulness that corresponds to our identity in the 382 00:24:37,350 --> 00:24:37,710 lord. 383 00:24:38,350 --> 00:24:46,030 In Psalm 73, Asaph resented the difficulty of living out an obedient 384 00:24:46,030 --> 00:24:47,710 faith in a world like ours. 385 00:24:48,730 --> 00:24:50,970 Esau actually envied the wicked. 386 00:24:51,370 --> 00:24:55,210 He envied them for their fun, the fun that they seemed to have 387 00:24:55,290 --> 00:25:00,450 amongst their evil, and even thought of abandoning God and going 388 00:25:00,450 --> 00:25:01,450 over to their side. 389 00:25:02,890 --> 00:25:07,530 But when he went once more near to God, when he went into God's 390 00:25:07,530 --> 00:25:13,570 sanctuary, he declared this in Psalm 73:17, 18. 391 00:25:13,570 --> 00:25:15,850 Until I went into the sanctuary of God. 392 00:25:16,970 --> 00:25:18,970 Then I discerned their end. 393 00:25:19,610 --> 00:25:23,690 Truly, you set them in slippery places, you make them fall 394 00:25:24,010 --> 00:25:24,730 to ruin. 395 00:25:25,210 --> 00:25:27,050 Asaph got a wake up call. 396 00:25:27,370 --> 00:25:28,730 He envied the world. 397 00:25:29,130 --> 00:25:33,210 He wanted to be them until he spent time with God and realized 398 00:25:34,250 --> 00:25:39,250 exactly what we've been shown in Revelation 14 this evening, believer 399 00:25:39,250 --> 00:25:41,050 never Envy the ungodly. 400 00:25:44,020 --> 00:25:47,460 Never, never think they have more fun than you. 401 00:25:48,020 --> 00:25:48,820 They don't. 402 00:25:50,500 --> 00:25:56,740 For their judgment, for their wickedness will be final, complete 403 00:25:57,379 --> 00:25:58,420 and decisive. 404 00:25:59,860 --> 00:26:02,660 We may think that the world is impressive. 405 00:26:02,900 --> 00:26:07,940 We may even, like as Asaph, think about jumping ship so that 406 00:26:07,940 --> 00:26:10,860 we too can enjoy a life of sin that they have. 407 00:26:10,860 --> 00:26:15,100 But if you belong to Christ Jesus, remember that he has separated 408 00:26:15,100 --> 00:26:19,140 you now in the manner of your faith and life, and he will separate 409 00:26:19,140 --> 00:26:23,940 you in the day of his return so that you may enter into eternal 410 00:26:23,940 --> 00:26:27,820 life, escaping God's wrath through faith in Him. 411 00:26:29,020 --> 00:26:32,620 But not only must Christians gladly accept the cost of following 412 00:26:32,620 --> 00:26:36,820 Jesus in this world, bearing a cross, as he did for us, but we must 413 00:26:36,820 --> 00:26:41,180 urgently warn the ungodly of the judgment that will soon appear. 414 00:26:41,980 --> 00:26:46,060 I mentioned earlier that since Christ is now engaged in the great 415 00:26:46,060 --> 00:26:50,140 harvest of salvation, we must make the witness of the Gospel our 416 00:26:50,140 --> 00:26:51,020 chief labor. 417 00:26:51,420 --> 00:26:55,900 We're reminded by the closing verses of Revelation 14 that this 418 00:26:55,900 --> 00:27:00,060 witness must not fail to point out the terror of God's wrath. 419 00:27:01,220 --> 00:27:03,220 And you can walk around this country. 420 00:27:03,380 --> 00:27:05,220 You can go right across the world. 421 00:27:05,220 --> 00:27:09,460 And today many Christians shy away from mentioning God's terrible 422 00:27:09,460 --> 00:27:12,860 judgment, thinking that it will make the gospel more palatable 423 00:27:12,860 --> 00:27:14,500 if we don't mention it. 424 00:27:15,540 --> 00:27:18,220 But what they're doing is they're failing to realize that the 425 00:27:18,220 --> 00:27:24,180 gospel saves us from God's wrath, apart from which it's not 426 00:27:24,180 --> 00:27:28,630 fully clear why we should believe what are we being saved from. 427 00:27:31,430 --> 00:27:35,750 So we must proclaim the truth of both God's justice and Christ's 428 00:27:35,750 --> 00:27:40,790 redemption, trusting in his sovereign grace to call sinners through 429 00:27:40,790 --> 00:27:43,110 the whole counsel of God unto himself. 430 00:27:43,750 --> 00:27:47,230 It was the command that Jesus gave us before his return to heaven 431 00:27:47,230 --> 00:27:49,350 in Matthew 28:19, 20. 432 00:27:49,590 --> 00:27:52,910 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing 433 00:27:52,910 --> 00:27:55,510 them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, 434 00:27:56,420 --> 00:28:00,580 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you to teach 435 00:28:00,580 --> 00:28:02,660 them to live as Christ taught us to live. 436 00:28:02,980 --> 00:28:05,620 And Jesus says, behold the wonderful promise. 437 00:28:06,820 --> 00:28:13,220 I am with you always, even to the end of the age. 438 00:28:20,180 --> 00:28:23,100 But maybe tonight you haven't yet confessed your sin. 439 00:28:23,100 --> 00:28:23,870 Tonight, God. 440 00:28:25,070 --> 00:28:30,510 Maybe yet you haven't turned to Christ for forgiveness and salvation. 441 00:28:31,870 --> 00:28:35,070 Well, everything that we have been looking at in Revelation 14 442 00:28:35,230 --> 00:28:41,230 this evening is the most urgent matter of your life. 443 00:28:44,830 --> 00:28:48,430 A name that I've quoted a number of times is that of John Bunyan, 444 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:50,960 who wrote the Pilgrim's Progress. 445 00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:53,320 And can I encourage you if you've never read it, or if it's 446 00:28:53,320 --> 00:28:56,120 been a long time since you've read it, get Yourself a copy. 447 00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:59,840 I think you can even download them free for Kindles and everything 448 00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:00,360 like that. 449 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:01,920 Have a read at this. 450 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:09,400 It's a fantastic book written over 500 years ago to help us understand 451 00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:12,520 what it means to live in the way of Christ. 452 00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:17,410 Well, in the Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan depicts the 453 00:29:17,410 --> 00:29:19,770 urgent need in the opening chapter. 454 00:29:20,410 --> 00:29:26,290 A sinner learns in God's book that he dwelt in a city, and that 455 00:29:26,290 --> 00:29:28,170 city was called the city of destruction. 456 00:29:28,730 --> 00:29:32,170 And what he learned was that that city was the city in which God's 457 00:29:32,170 --> 00:29:34,730 wrath might fall at any moment. 458 00:29:35,770 --> 00:29:40,170 And he found in that city a man named Evangelist who pointed 459 00:29:40,170 --> 00:29:43,450 him to the cross of Christ as the way of escape. 460 00:29:44,300 --> 00:29:48,380 And so, leaving his former life behind and with God's book open 461 00:29:48,380 --> 00:29:52,860 in his hand, he began running towards the cross. 462 00:29:53,580 --> 00:29:54,780 Life, life. 463 00:29:54,860 --> 00:29:57,660 He cried, eternal life. 464 00:29:59,020 --> 00:30:06,540 This is what it means to consider your mortal soul urgently. 465 00:30:08,300 --> 00:30:10,620 Would you let this be your cry? 466 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:14,760 Will you too cry, Life, life, eternal life. 467 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:19,680 As you flee from God's wrath on your sins, gaining at the cross 468 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:24,360 both forgiveness and a place in Christ's gospel harvest, you see, 469 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:28,840 through faith in Jesus, you will find that he suffered God's 470 00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:34,080 wrath for you so that he might gather you into his harvest of eternal 471 00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:34,400 life. 472 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:39,160 And Jesus makes it clear for us in John chapter 5 and verse 24 473 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:44,180 when he says, truly, truly or verily, verily, I unto you, whoever 474 00:30:44,180 --> 00:30:49,460 hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, he 475 00:30:49,460 --> 00:30:54,540 does not come into judgment, but has passed from life to death. 476 00:30:56,060 --> 00:30:57,340 What is it that you want? 477 00:30:58,940 --> 00:31:02,860 Are you assured this night that you will be amongst the harvest 478 00:31:03,100 --> 00:31:07,260 of the redeemed, that you will be gathered into the barn? 479 00:31:08,060 --> 00:31:12,300 Well, if that is the case, then your life will demonstrate that. 480 00:31:13,980 --> 00:31:19,340 And maybe tonight you know, and you really know deep down that 481 00:31:19,340 --> 00:31:21,660 that's not the harvest you'll be part of. 482 00:31:22,620 --> 00:31:25,260 Rather, you're going to be part of the harvest of the grapes 483 00:31:25,820 --> 00:31:30,220 that will be just as fully ripe, but they will not be gathered 484 00:31:30,220 --> 00:31:34,860 into barns, rather into the winepress of God's wrath for judgment. 485 00:31:35,990 --> 00:31:40,470 But the good news this night is that there is still time to run 486 00:31:40,470 --> 00:31:45,990 to Christ, to run as Pilgrim did to the cross, crying, life, life, 487 00:31:46,070 --> 00:31:47,190 eternal life. 488 00:31:47,430 --> 00:31:51,670 And to trust these words of Jesus who says, whoever hears my 489 00:31:51,670 --> 00:31:54,710 words and believes him who sent me has eternal life. 490 00:31:54,710 --> 00:31:58,910 And when we have eternal life, we do not come into judgment, but 491 00:31:58,910 --> 00:32:00,230 we pass from death. 492 00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:01,680 Life. 493 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:06,880 This is the most excellent news of the Gospel. 494 00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:10,320 This is what is truly our glorious hope. 495 00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:14,480 As we read Revelation, regardless of how we interpret the 496 00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:17,920 imagery, there is no doubt that judgment is coming. 497 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:23,600 I urge you tonight to be amongst the harvest of the redeemed 498 00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:29,360 and avoid such great punishment as God will reap with 499 00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:30,120 his wrath. 500 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:32,840 So let us pray. 501 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:38,000 Our Father God, tonight we come to you with a passage once again 502 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:42,160 in Revelation that challenges us to consider who we are before 503 00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:42,520 you. 504 00:32:42,920 --> 00:32:46,760 And we will be a mixed bunch in this meeting house tonight. 505 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:50,520 For we will leave this place assured that we are part of the harvest 506 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:51,400 of the redeemed. 507 00:32:52,370 --> 00:32:56,170 But we also leave knowing that we will be amongst the harvest of 508 00:32:56,170 --> 00:32:59,730 those who will be judged in the winepress of God's wrath. 509 00:33:01,810 --> 00:33:04,210 But Father, there is still yet time. 510 00:33:04,210 --> 00:33:08,610 For you are slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 511 00:33:08,610 --> 00:33:13,170 As our assurance of pardon told us this evening, so may we run 512 00:33:13,250 --> 00:33:13,890 to Christ. 513 00:33:14,770 --> 00:33:20,800 May we declare life, life, eternal life as we know how great 514 00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:25,840 you are that when Christ comes indeed you will bring your own home. 515 00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:28,880 We have no excuse. 516 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:33,520 And so this night convict us of our need of a Savior. 517 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:35,680 We pray in Jesus name. 518 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:37,440 Amen. 519 00:33:48,890 --> 00:33:53,850 Sam.