The image of the harvest, both in the Old Testament books and in the Gospel, means the end of times and the summing up. This end and this summing up are what the apostle sees. The image of the vineyard in the Gospel, and perhaps earlier, became a symbol of the people of God, now coming to the completion of their history. The fact that the last harvest is directed...
The image of the harvest, both in the Old Testament books and in the Gospel, means the end of times and the summing up. This end and this summing up are what the apostle sees. The image of the vineyard in the Gospel, and perhaps earlier, became a symbol of the people of God, now coming to the completion of their history. It is no surprise that the last harvest is directed by "one like a Son of Man": the matter concerns the completion of that messianic era which began with Christ's coming, His earthly ministry, His death on the cross, and His resurrection.
What John saw is not simply some episode belonging to the end of times, but the result of processes that began much earlier. In essence, it is the completion of the era in which we too have had to live. The harvest was being prepared and ripening throughout the whole time from Christ's coming to His return in glory, as John saw Him in his vision.
Of course, there is Judgment here too: the completion of an era also means the completion of the spiritual processes connected with it, and accordingly the completion of the spiritual path of everyone who lived on earth both in Christian times and earlier, before Christ's coming. And all this also turns out to be at the center of world history, just as the Messiah's coming itself does, just as His birth from the Virgin Mary, shown to the apostle a little earlier, does. When the Savior at the Last Supper compared Himself with the grapevine and His disciples with the branches, He was not merely speaking in allegories.
He meant the real spiritual connection of His own life with the life of everyone united with Him. It is no surprise that the fate of every Christian too turns out to be connected with His path, and His path is completed only now, on the day of the full triumph of His Kingdom. Accordingly, only now is the spiritual path of each Christian completed, a path that continues much longer than earthly human life. But now at last this long life and long path are summed up, and depending on that, the person's fate at the threshold of the Kingdom is determined: whether he will be able to cross the threshold or not.
14
14:14 In the following verses, under the emblem of an harvest and a vintage, are signified two general visitations; first, many good men are taken from the earth by the harvest; then many sinners during the vintage. The latter is altogether a penal visitation; the former seems to be altogether gracious.Here is no reference in either to the day of judgment, but to a season which cannot be far off. And I saw a white cloud - An emblem of mercy. And on the cloud sat one like a son of man - An angel in an human shape, sent by Christ, the Lord both of the vintage and of the harvest. Having a golden crown on his head - In token of his high dignity. And a sharp sickle in his hand - The sharper the welcomer to the righteous.
14:15 And another angel came out of the temple - "Which is in heaven," Rev 14:17. Rev 14, out of which came the judgments of God in the appointed seasons.
14:16 Crying - By the command of God. Thrust in thy sickle, for the harvest is ripe - This implies an high degree of holiness in those good men, and an earnest desire to be with God.
14:18 And another angel from the altar - Of burnt offering; from whence the martyrs had cried for vengeance. Who had power over fire - As "the angel of the waters," Rev 16:5, had over water.Cried, saying, Lop off the clusters of the vine of the earth - All the wicked are considered as constituting one body.
14:20 And the winepress was trodden - By the Son of God, Rev 19:15.Without the city - Jerusalem. They to whom St. John writes, when a man said, "The city," immediately understood this. And blood came out of the winepress, even to the horses' bridles - So deep at its first flowing from the winepress! One thousand six hundred furlongs - So far! at least two hundred miles, through the whole land of Palestine.