Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.
We can characterize the Bible as simultaneously telling a story of hope and a story of warning. What we see from the very beginning of the scriptures is that there are two kingdoms at odds with one another. We saw this way back in the garden of Eden, but the tension had started before the account of creation. This is an uneven and predictable battle between good and evil in which good prevails because that is just and right. We see this battle unfold in our lives as we live through it, but no one can be a mere spectator. Each of us is a player on the stage. This passage illustrates just how different the future will be for those in God’s kingdom compared to those outside it.
The first harvest shows Jesus Christ collecting his ransom from among the Earth. The moment for which we hope, the time when the Church will be purified and ready as the bride, certainly will happen. We do not only dream of this occasion, but we are assured it will occur. The son of man will collect us when we are spiritually ripe and gather us to him. The second harvest is not one of salvation but one of judgment. The winepress of God’s wrath overflowing with the blood of his enemies is a graphic picture to paint. Those who choose to be in league with darkness will be judged harshly. Spiritual death is the final fruit that will be produced from their short lives here.
Like the wheat farmer at harvest time who keeps the good seed for himself and lets the chaff blow far away from him, the Lord will not countenance sin near him. Those who reject him will experience what it is to be out of his presence, away from his love and with no hope for grace. It is a place devoid of life, light or anything good. This is what is at stake for each and every soul. We all deserve judgment, but some of us will live through grace instead. Our desire should be to help as many as possible be collected in that first harvest. Father, help us to truly understand this picture of the two harvests and to be moved to keep many from the winepress of your wrath.