November 17, 2014
THE GRAPES OF WRATH
Revelation 14:13–20
Brendon Lankford
Central Truth
We are fruit-bearing branches. We are either connected to Jesus, the True Vine; or we are connected to this world. We can help others find the True Vine only if we are connected and bearing fruit.
Key Verse | Revelation 14:18
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." (Revelation 14:18)
Revelation 14:13–20
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
The Harvest of the Earth
14 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. 15 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.” 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 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.” 19 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. 20 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. 1 14:20 About 184 miles; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters
Dive Deeper | Revelation 14:13–20
I see two vines in this passage. The first one is easy to spot: the vine of the earth in verse 18, which in the end leads to death by God's wrath. The fruit that grows out of being connected to the earth is seen in Galatians 5 right before the fruit of the Spirit. "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these." (Galatians 5:19-21a)
The other Vine is in verse 13. The word vine is not used, but the words "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord" show a picture of people who are connected to the Lord so much that they would rather face death with Him than life apart. The people connected to this Vine bear the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When we live a life in relationship with Jesus, reading His Word and talking with Him, He will grow in us the love and patience and kindness necessary to reach out to a lost, hurting, and evil world.
A work in progress, I find myself afraid of rejection when I reach out to others with the lifesaving truth of the gospel. I find I can be more concerned about my own short-term discomfort than the eternal death and destruction people will face apart from Jesus, the True Vine.
Most of us have not faced the violent persecution we see in the Middle East and the persecution Revelation assures us will come; however, we already know the ending for those who are not connected to the True Vine. They are going to receive a judgment far worse than what I would wish upon them. Knowing I may some day face this same persecution that fellow believers are facing right now around the world, I must trust in Jesus to grow within me the fruit of the Spirit that I need to boldly tell others about the True Vine.
Discussion Questions
1. If you've recently faced a trial or are going through one, what fruit have you seen in yourself?
2. Thinking over the last year, have you seen the fruit of the Spirit growing in your life and the fruit of the world diminishing? If so, how?
3. Do you think God's wrath will really be as graphic as verse 20 describes?
4. Do you think God's wrath also applies to your neighbors who die apart from knowing Jesus? If so, how does that change the intentionality of your relationships?