THE HARVEST
THE HARVEST
REVELATION 14:14-20
If people choose to fight God, why should they be saved from the consequences?
The great difference between biblical religion and probably all others is its sense of final purpose. Islam and Mahayana Buddhism believe in a judgment after death, but neither sees any real purpose behind the world process. Equally, modem philosophies including Marxism and humanism may offer motives for what is considered good behavior, but they have no real goal for human history. For the Bible, human history is surely, if slowly, moving towards that moment when God’s triumph will be obvious, not so much because he crushes opposition—if that were his purpose, he could and would have done so long ago—but because the harvest is ripe, and the difference between wheat and tares is finally obvious. His goal is that humanity should accept his will, and that this acceptance be seen as humanity’s greatest good. “One like a son of man” (14:14): from the context it seems improbable that Jesus Christ is meant (see also Matthew 13:39,41,49).
If here the contrast is between grain and grapes, it is not a disparagement of the latter, or of the wine made from them—they can be used of the fruit borne by the Christian (John 15:2,5)—but because of the picture offered by the treading of the grapes in the winepress (19:15; Isaiah 63:3). “Outside the city” (14:20): normally a winepress would be outside the city walls. Here, however, “the city” is probably Jerusalem. This would link it with what is normally called the battle of Armageddon (16:16), though this is in fact merely mentioned as the mustering place for the army. The vision deals with the results of active and deliberate opposition to God.
“The angel who has power over fire” (14:18): the Greek is “the fire.” Probably lightning is meant. This was regarded in the ancient world as peculiarly the expression of God’s power, and in its suddenness and devastating destruction still reminds humanity of our weakness and insignificance.