NOTES for Rev 14:14-15
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. |
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. |
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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.
Other notes
For Rev 14:14-19
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. |
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. |
16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. |
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. |
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. |
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. |
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For Rev 14:14-20
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. |
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. |
16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. |
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. |
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. |
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. |
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. |
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Readings for 3 January 2023
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