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Revelation 14:14-17 Reaping the earth - Day 357

Good afternoon faithful readers,

Writing this the morning after "rains of biblical proportions" from Ida last night.  Of course, these rains were a drop in the bucket to Noah's day.  But they do make man look very small and helpless.  For those who believe in scientism, this must be very depressing.  The natural world has very little concern for man.  Thanks be to God who knows the hairs on our head.

Blessings,

Jeff

 Between the 7 trumpets and the 7 bowls.

From ESV study Bible notes:

Harvests of Earth and Vine. Two reapers appear in heaven, sharp sickles in hand. Angels emerge from the temple with God's directive, “Put in your sickle, and reap.” First “one like a son of man” gathers the grain of the earth, then an angel gathers grapes from the earth's vine, to be crushed in the “winepress of the wrath of God.” Although both harvests could signify either God's judgment on the wicked or Christ's gathering of his saints, probably the grain harvest shows the Son of Man's gathering of believers (cf. Matt. 13:30) and the grape harvest envisions the bloody destruction of the wicked. Cf. the Lord's gathering of nations in the valley of judgment because the harvest is ready for reaping (Joel 3:12–13).

Like we did with our previous devotion from Rev 6, let us look at this note and see if it makes sense.

1.  There are two different harvests.  One by the "one seated on the cloud like a son of man with a golden crown" Since he is not called and angel, certainly makes sense that this would be Jesus. It does seem odd that another angel would tell Jesus that "the hour to reap has come".  Why wouldn't He know this?  Or why wouldn't the Father tell the Son directly?  It is important to keep Christology straight.  After the incarnation, the two natures in one person does not end.  Christ remains fully God and fully man after the ascension.  His glorified body still has the wounds from the cross.  The two natures are not mixed or shared.  His human nature still isn't omniscient.  All this to say that his human nature would not know when the hour had  come.  The grain harvest imagery symbolizing the righteous seems to fit with the parables of wheat and tares.

The other harvest is by another angel who is given direction by still another angel.  The harvest is "grapes of wrath".  The imagery of blood and crushing fits with judgment of the wicked. 

While there are two harvests, they seem to be essentially coincident.  Trying to make the first "a secret return" seems to be a stretch.

So I would say that the ESV note is certainly supported by the passage.  Other interpretations may also be supported, but we can make sense of the ESV note.

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