The Sickle and Harvest Judgments

The sickle and harvest judgments are also referred to as the grain and grape harvests.

“Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.
Come, go down;
For the winepress is full,
The vats overflow—
For their wickedness is great.”

Joel 3:13 NKJV

The Grain and Grape Harvests

Our last post dealt with the Judgment of Babylon (read it HERE). Now we come to the grain and grape harvests. These suggest that they probably both relate to God’s judgment against the wicked, as Joel 3:13 states above. However, debate exists around the interpretation of these two harvests. The grain harvest may be a gathering unto salvation, as held by the mid-Tribulationists. But most, if not all, agree that the grape harvest will be a judgment on the unrighteous.

Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, ‘Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

Revelation 14:14-16 NKJV

Grain harvests may refer to both salvation and judgment. But perhaps it is more likely that these two harvests combine into one judgment of God’s wrath against the wicked. God is no longer tolerating man’s wickedness but is now sending His righteous punishment. As we see in the next verses, the grape harvest is quite gory.

Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, ‘Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.’ So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.

Revelation 14:17-20 NKJV

It’s hard to imagine blood rising as high as horses’ bridles for one hundred eighty miles. And whose blood is this? In several places, Scripture refers to the blood of the saints and the prophets (read more HERE) whose blood will be mixed with the wrath of God. Regardless, it is a clear picture of God’s anger and subsequent judgment against wickedness. This terrible day is one of the most awful occurrences of the final part of the Tribulation.

The Worship of Those Delivered From the Beast

Before the last seven plagues are released on the earth, we have another scene in heaven. This outpouring of worship is for Jesus who saved them after they refused to take the mark of the beast. These worship Him with a special song called the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb.

Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.

And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:

‘Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints!
Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
For all nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested.‘

Revelation 15:1-4 NKJV

The Song of Moses

Remember the Song of Moses in the Old Testament? The children of Israel and Moses sang this song of victory, praise, and thanksgiving. After their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, God destroyed Pharoah and his armies. Here is how it begins: (Click HERE for the entire song.)

‘I will sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!
The Lord is my strength and song,‘

Exodus 15:1 NKJV

The same thread ties both songs together, celebrating the Jews’ deliverance from their enemies–one at the beginning of Biblical history and the other at the End of the Age. Israel’s first deliverance from Pharoah, who was hellbent on killing the Jewish people, parallels the final deliverance from the Anti-Christ in Revelation. The difference is that the final deliverance requires death by guillotine, except for the Jews who will be protected in Edom at Petra. Now justice is finally dealt to the wicked with these last seven bowls, and in them, the wrath of God is finished.

The Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony

The description in Revelation 15 plays out like a grand ceremony in heaven. The most honored people who suffered during the Tribulation sing their special song to the Lamb, followed by the pomp and majesty of seven angels, clothed in bright white linen with golden sashes. Then one of the four living creatures presents each one with a golden bowl, full of God’s wrath.

The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

Revelation 15:8 NKJV

The temple in heaven represents God’s judgment seat, so the golden bowls are God’s righteous judgment of His wrath. God is so angry with the wicked that the smoke of His glory and His power fills the temple, making it impossible for anyone to enter there until the seven plagues are finished.

What are these seven final plagues of God’s judgment? We’ll find out in the next post.

Dear Father God, thank You that a day is coming when the wicked who refuse to repent of their sins will reap what they have sown. You are a just Judge and a righteous God, and the wicked will not get away with anything in the end. May they repent of their sins today and escape these judgments of Your wrath before it is too late. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

The Sickle and Harvest Judgments by Karen Jurgens Copyright © 2024 All Rights Reserved.