Chapter 14
THE HARVEST
“The harvest is the end of the world and the reapers are the angels.” (Mtt.13: 39)
THEMES IN CHAPTER 14
(1) Exodus deliverance: see the comparison between Revelation 14 and Exodus 15 and 19 in chapter 12 page 7.
(2) The 144,000: they are Jewish converts – see chapter 7 of this book.
(3) Martyrdom: they, “follow the lamb withersoever he goeth.”
(4) The unsealing of the seven thunders: the seven thunders that John was instructed to seal up (chpt. 10 page 7) are the seven pronouncements by the angels.
- 1 st thunder : another angel with a loud voice. (14:7)
- 2 nd thunder : another angel saying [he cried mightily 18:2] (14:8)
- 3 rd thunder : third angel with a loud voice. (14:9)
- 4 th thunder : another angel with a loud voice.(14:15)
- 5 th thunder : another angel [he cried with a loud voice 19:2] (14:17)
- 6 th thunder : another angel with a loud cry. (14:18)
- 7 th thunder : And I heard a great voice out of the temple. (16:1)
(5) The eternal gospel: the eternal or everlasting gospel – this is the proclamation; “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.” (v.7)
The mystery of God is about to be finished. The good tidings (gospel) is the imminent demise of Babylon and the inauguration of the eschaton. It is the same gospel message preached by Christ and his apostles – the good news of the kingdom: see the comparison between Revelation 10 and 14 in chapter 10 page 11.
THE STRUCTURE
In order to place chapter 14 in the correct chronological order, it has to be realised that the trumpets, vials and chapter 14 are progressively parallel. The visions all overlap. In order to demonstrate this, we only have to list the contacts with the other visions:
Chapter 14:
v.8 Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great 18:2
who gave all nations to drink 17:2; 18:3
v.9 If anyone worships the beast or 13:15; 16:2
his image and receives his mark 19:20; 20:4
13:16; 16:2; 19:20;20:4
v.10 wine of the wrath of God 16:19; 19:15
fire and sulphur 19:20; 20:10;21:9
v.19 the great winepress of Gods wrath 19:15
Now consider the following: one of the vial angels shows John the destruction of the harlot in chapter 17 indicating that this occurs during the outpouring of the vials in 16. The destruction of the harlot by ten kings is not immediately followed by the kingdom. The sixth vial deals with the Euphrates invasion. It is during these vial-trumpet visions, that Christ returns and destroys the beast, a vision which is expanded in chapter 19. All the above indicates that we are dealing with a progressively parallel picture.
THE LAMB AND THE 144,000
“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.” (Rev.14:1-5)
In the opening verse the Lamb is depicted as standing on Mt. Zion. This is a reference to Ps.2: 6. The Psalm describes the rebellion of the surrounding nations against God, and tells of God’s plan to entrust the suppression of the revolt to his son, the anointed king - “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill”, and it ends with an appeal to the rulers of the earth to do homage before they are overtaken by God’s final day of reckoning.
This Psalm already had a first century application (Acts 4: 27) but will realise it’s full potential in the eschatological “Day of the Lord.” It is extensively paraphrased in Revelation 11 and 12. (see chapter 11 page 33)
The Lamb is accompanied by his army, the 144,000. They do not represent the totality of the redeemed for they are “firstfruits”. The case has already been made, in chapter 7 of this book, for the 144,000 representing Jewish Christians.
The name in their foreheads is the spiritual counterpart to the mark of the beast. Just as the mark indicated that “no man could buy or sell”, without it (13: 17), so too “no man could learn the song” on the lips of the 144,000 unless their forehead bore the necessary name.
These 144,000 have now been gathered to, “mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly of the firstborn, which are written (enrolled RV) in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant.” (Heb.12: 22-24)
This army has fought the same battle as their Lord – they follow him, “withersoever he goeth”. This is the language of martyrdom and we should not be surprised to find its counterpart in John’s gospel.
JOHN 12
REVELATION 14
If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there also shall my servant be. (v.26)
These are they that follow the Lamb withersoever he goeth. (v.4)
Verily, verily, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (v.24)
These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb. (v.4)
He that loveth his life shall loose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. (v.25)
From henceforth saith the spirit, (RVmg), yea, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. (v.13)
A voice from heaven saying. (v.28)
The people said that it thundered, others said, an angel spake to him. (v.29)
Saying with a loud voice (the voice of an angel)
The voice of a great thunder. (v.2)
For this cause came I unto this hour.(v.27)
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. (v.31)
The hour of his judgment is come. (v.7)
The theme of John chapter 12 is the crucifixion. The “judgment of the world” occurred when Jesus was “lifted up.” (v.32) In the same way the judgment of the world is present in the death and martyrdom of the saints. The point that John emphasises repeatedly is that the initial victory of Jesus needed to be repeated in the victory of the conquerors. (those that overcome)
Hebrews 12 plays on the contrast between old and new covenant, between Moses and Christ, between Sinai and Zion. Similarly, 14: 3-4, draws on the Exodus experience, this time however, the new Israel has come to Mt. Zion – not to receive the law, but in order to be justified by Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. Israel was inaugurated at Sinai as holy nation, a royal priesthood, and failed – but now we have the “firstfruits” of a new nation, which will include Jew and Gentile.
They are virgins (compare Ex.19: 15) for they have not been contaminated by the seductions and fornication of the great whore of Babylon. They sing a new song – the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. (15: 3) – this is the song of Exodus 15, which is extensively paraphrased in Revelation, for now it has also become the song of the Lamb. A new song to an old tune.
No one could learn the song except the 144,000. The learning process is the martyrdom.
FIRSTFRUITS
The Greek term used for first fruits here is aparchf, (avparchv) the Hebrew equivalent is the masculine plural form bikkurIm (MyrUKB) from the root bekOr (fem.bekorOt) meaning “firstborn”. Though bikkurIm can mean first-fruits, it is inexplicably never translated with aparchf in the LXX but is rendered by a different term, protogenemata (prwtogenhvata) – literally the first coming into being (Ex.23: 16, 19; 34: 26; Lev.2: 14; 23:17,20; Num.18: 13; 2Kgs.4: 42). Once by arche (archv) –“beginning” (Ex.34: 22), once by prodromoi (provdromoi) – “forerunners” (Num.13: 20), and once by Ta nea (ta neva), “the new things” (Num.28: 26).
A cognate term is used in the Septuagint of Jeremiah 2:3;
Israel is holy to the Lord, the first-fruits (arche- gené má ton) of his produce. All who eat it will transgress.
The AV renders this as follows:
“Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them saith the Lord.”
The Targum of Jeremiah paraphrases this as follows:
“The house of Israel are holy before the Lord – in respect of those who plunder them – like first fruits of heave offering of harvest, of which whoever eats is guilty of death; and like firstlings of harvest, the sheaf of the heave offering, of which everyone who eats, before the priests the sons of Aaron offer it as a sacrifice upon the altar, is guilty. Even so are all those who plunder the house of Israel guilty: evil shall come upon them says the Lord.”
Jeremiah chapter 2 has other connections with Revelation 14.
JEREMIAH 2
REVELATION 14
The firstfruits of his increase. (v.3)
Firstfruits unto God.(v.4)
The love of thy espousals; thou (Israel) wentest after me in the wilderness. (v.2)
They are virgins (betrothed to be married) they follow the Lamb withersoever he goeth.(v.4)
All the families of the house of Israel.(v.4)
The 144,000 [12,000 from every tribe] (v.1)
Through a land of drought and the shadow of death.(v.6)
That had been purchased out of the earth.(v.3)
How art thou then turned into a degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? (v.21)
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.(v.19)
The whole of Jeremiah chpt.2 has a latter day context – the above comparison is limited to comparisons with Revelation 14.
The idea behind the offering of firstfruits was that all living things belong to God and must not be put to secular purposes without a recognition of his rights. The dedication of the firstfruits “redeemed” the harvest, and so released it for common use, God’s rights in the whole being guaranteed by his special possession of the part. (Ex.34: 22; Lev.23: 15-22; Num.28: 26; Deut.16: 9-12)
In the same way the first-born sons of men properly belong to God; but provision was made for their redemption, because God had accepted the Levites in their place (Num.8; 14-18), to be a symbol of the holiness to which the whole nation was called. In the New Testament Jesus is called firstfruits because his resurrection was the token and guarantee of a greater ingathering (1 Cor. 15: 20,23), and the Spirit is called firstfruits because it is the pledge of the full inheritance to come (Rom.8: 23; 2 Cor.1: 22; 5: 5; Eph.1: 14). Thus when John says that the martyrs have been ransomed from all mankind to be firstfruits, he cannot conceivably mean that they ‘alone from the whole world have been ransomed’ (NEB). He must mean that the offering of their lives to God in sacrifice is to be the opening ceremony of a great harvest home. This conclusion is confirmed by the quotation that follows from Isa.53: 9. Like Jesus (1 Pet.2: 22-24), the martyrs are to fulfil the Old Testament prophecy of the innocent sufferer, numbered with the transgressors although no lie has been found on their lips; for it is God’s will that their death is an acted preaching and precursor to an even greater ingathering. As Jesus had been a lamb without blemish or spot, offered for the salvation of the world (1 Pet.1: 19; cp.Heb.9: 14), so they are without blemish; they are to prove by their unwavering loyalty their fitness to be offered on the altar of sacrifice.
WITHOUT GUILE
Unlike the lamb who speaks like a dragon (that ancient serpent the devil), these are found without guile in their mouths. This is a reference to Zeph.3: 13 an Old Testament prophecy with numerous latter day connections.
ZEPHENIAH 3
REVELATION
Therefore wait upon me saith the Lord, until the day when I rise up for a witness.[LXX] (v.8)
Resurrection of the witnesses (11: 11)
For my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation. (v.8b)
Pour out the vials of wrath of God upon the earth.(16: 1)
For then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty in my holy mountain. (v.11. RV)
They have no rest day and night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. (14: 11)
I will also leave in the midst of them an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. (v.12)
The 144,000. (14: 1)
The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down and none shall make them afraid. (v.13)
And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.(14: 5)
NOTES: Zephaniah 3 also has a first century application – 3: 3 “her judges are evening wolves.” – this is a reference to the apostle Paul from the tribe of Benjamin. (see Gen.49: 27) Zeph.1: 7-10 compare Rev.19: 17. Zeph.2: 4 note the mention of Gaza – the source of much of Israel’s troubles.
The word guile is used in association with David’s adultery with Bathsheba, and his subsequent forgiveness.
Psalm 32:1-11
“A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.”
Forgiveness is possible if there is true repentance. David was forgiven his adultery. Even at this late stage it is possible for those who committed fornication with the great whore to be forgiven – God is able to justify them and make them blameless, as he did to David.
THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,” (Rev.14: 6)
John saw “another angel flying in midheaven” , this is unusual since no previous angel has been mentioned to which the adjective another can reasonably be thought to refer. It is possible that the phrase should be amended to another eagle which would then refer back to 8: 13.A comparison of these verses shows that they are a doublet.
Rev.8: 13 Rev.14: 6
Then I saw Then I saw
and heard -------------
an eagle another angel
flying in midheaven flying in midheaven
------------------ with an eternal gospel
saying with a loud voice to proclaim
Woe, woe, woe, -----------------
to the inhabitants of the earth to the inhabitants of the earth
The message is proclaimed in midheaven so that it could be seen and heard by everyone on earth. We have already examined 8: 13 in chapter 8 page and we have observed that it is linked with the covenant given to Abraham in Genesis 15. This is another indication that we are dealing with events concerning the nation of Israel.
The angel proclaims the gospel (euangelion). This is the only place where “euangelion” occurs without the definite article (i.e. gospel not the gospel). For this reason many commentators assure us that gospel should have a neutral translation as “message” rather than “good-news.” Whether it has an article or not, the word “euangelion” can only mean “good-news”, and it is improbable that John should have thought of using it in a cynical sense.
The “good- news” is the announcement that the hour of his judgment is come. The “good-news” is the fall of Babylon. The “good-news” is the introduction of the kingdom. The “good-news” (glad-tidings) is an eternal gospel for, its effect is everlasting, and it had previously been “declared to his servants the prophets.”(10: 7)
ISAIAH 52 REVELATION 14
My name continually every day is blasphemed.(v.5)
Blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle. (13: 6)
Therefore my people shall know my name. (v.6)
Having his name, and the name of his Father written in their foreheads. (14: 1)
…..good tidings [gospel], that saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth! (v.7)
The everlasting gospel.(14: 6)
Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice: with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. (v.8)
They sing as it were a new song. (14: 3)
Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing: go ye out of the midst of her. (v.11)
Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (18: 4)
ISAIAH 40
REVELATION
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins. (v.1, 2)
Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. (18:6)
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: (v.3, 4)
And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. (18: 6)
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. (v.5-8)
[ Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Mtt. 26:64]
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.
(14:15)
O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. (v. 9, 10)
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, ( 14:6)
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. (v.11)
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (7:17)
This was the eternal or everlasting gospel preached beforehand to Abraham (Gal.3: 8), and confirmed by the covenant made with Abraham in Genesis 15.
“Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in thehand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.” (Gal. 3:15-20 )
The covenant was unilateral –Abraham did not walk between the pieces. It relies solely on the faithfulness of God not on the faithfulness of the nation. Paul contrasts the covenant of promise with the law, a covenant ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. (Moses)
The law was an inferior covenant, one that relied on the righteousness of the people, and therefore it could not be kept. The Jews will therefore inherit the land (Gen 15: 8) despite their unfaithfulness, because God has sworn by himself.
This “gospel” is proclaimed not only to “them that dwell on earth” but to, “every nation, and kindred, and tongue and people.”
“And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” (Gal.3:8)
The judgment and reconciliation of the Jews will effect the redemption of the whole world. The distinctive fact about John’s gospel is not that it is a different gospel, but that he believes proclamation to mean martyrdom. The gospel was first proclaimed by Christ himself “the faithful witness” ; and the function of the martyr-witness is to preserve and repeat the testimony of Jesus. The great martyrdom, which happens at the fall of the nation, is the earthly reality which corresponds to the flight of the angel-eagle.
“For, wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” (Mtt.24: 28)
THE HOUR OF JUDGMENT
“Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Rev.14: 7)
The content of the gospel (euangelion) proclaimed by the angel is a call to repentance in view of Gods judgment, which has arrived. The conversion of the inhabitants of the city who escaped destruction in 11: 13 is described with similar language “and they gave glory to the God of heaven.
”
On that occasion God took his “tithe” from the city – this as compensation for the maltreatment of his witnesses. This action resulted in the birth of a Jewish ecclesia. Now however, a more serious punishment is initiated against that same city, this time for maltreating the infant Jewish ecclesia – a third is destroyed, and with it, “all the cities of the nations fell.” (16: 17)
The hour of his judgment has come – the hour of judgment has already arrived, there is an urgency to this call for conversion, even at this late stage God urges repentance ; “come out of her my people, that ye may not be partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (18: 4)
The hour has come is a phrase intimately linked with the crucifixion of Jesus. His death was Gods judgment on adamic nature, but also a judgment of the (Jewish) world (John 12: 23). It culminated in the passing away of the Mosaic dispensation, and the subsequent diaspora of the Jews. Likewise, the meaning of the angels proclamation must be that the judgment is also present in the death of the martyrs in the same way as it was present in the cross.
The great Babylon vented her wrath on the saints. In so doing she intoxicated the surrounding nations with the “wine of the wrath of her fornication” (14: 8). This final act of rebellion – the death of the saints, seals her fate, for now God will make her drink “the wine of the wrath of God” and that “undiluted.” (14: 10) What happened to Jesus and to his saints – is now about to occur to the nation. This is now Israel’s Gethsemane – and she will be forced to drink a full draught from the cup of wrath. The nation will now experience the same suffering and death that she inflicted on Jesus, on his two witnesses, and on his saints.
JESUS IN GETHSEMANE –LUKE 22
CONTRAST THE NATION – REV.14
His disciples also followed him. (v. 39)
Which follow the Lamb withersoever he goeth. (v.4)
Gethsemane: the oil press.(Mtt.26: 40)
The winepress. (v.20)
Remove this cup from me. (v.42)
The cup of his indignation.
The wine of the wrath of God. (v.8)
Sweat as great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (v.44)
[Jesus the true vine - John 15: 1]
The blood came out of the winepress.(V.20)
[every branch that beareth not fruit he purgeth-John 15: 1]
Could ye not watch with me one hour? (Mtt.26: 40)
This is your hour and the power of darkness. (v.53)
The hour of his judgment is come. (v.7)
Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. (Heb.13: 12)
And the winepress was trodden without the city. (v.20)
The twin motif of fear and judgment are drawn from Psalm 96:
O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. (image of the beast) For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth. (Ps.96: 1-13)
THE FALL OF BABYLON
“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (Rev. 14: 8)
The fall of Babylon will mean the redemption of the world. She will no longer be the source of intoxication and seduction. This connection between redemption and the fall of Babylon was as old as the Exile, when Israel was waiting for the end of her captivity. One prophet conceived himself to be a sentry on a watchtower, eagerly awaiting the couriers who would bring the news of Babylon’s fall and Israel’s release (Isa.21: 8, 9). Another had depicted Babylon as a “golden cup in the Lord’s hand, making all the earth drunken”, a cup which must be dashed to the ground if her victims were to go free (Jer.51: 6-10). Yet another had spoken God’s promise to those “who are drunk, but not with wine…..See, I am taking from your hand the cup of staggering; never again shall you drink the bowl of my wrath; I will put it into the hands of your oppressors” (Isa.51: 21-23) John is weaving his own patterns out of these Old Testament themes, but there is no reason to suppose that he has departed from the original intention of his scriptural texts, in which the fall of Babylon brought the salvation, not the doom, of those who had been made drunk with her wine.
The wine of the wrath of her fornication – this is an unusual phrase – thymos, here translated wrath, can also mean passion. In verse 10 two different words are used to express anger – the cup of his anger [RV] indignation [AV] (orge) and the wine of the wrath (thymos) of God.
The difference between the two, is that orge expresses deliberate, controlled anger and thymos anger of a more passionate nature. The fornication of Babylon the great culminates in her venting a fierce passionate wrath against the saints – Jewish converts in this case. She has unleashed her thymos against God’s people, therefore, God will vent his orge and thymos against her.
Babylon the Great is none other than Jezebel – the whore, who sought to kill the witness (forerunner) Elijah.
“Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.” (1 Kings 19:2)
Jezebel was a foreign queen, the result of political alliances between Israel and her neighbours. As such she represents the nation, and in particular the “great city” Jerusalem, which has before, and will again prostitute itself.
It was not enough to attempt to kill Elijah ( = the witnesses) she also exercised her passion on Naboth ( = Christ) and his children.
2 KINGS 9
REVELATION
And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? (v.22)
The mother of harlots (17: 5), committing fornication and sorcery (18: 23)
Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat1 of ground, according to the word of the LORD. (v.26)
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus…. (17: 6)
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation……… (14: 10)
And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. (v.30)
How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. (18: 7-8)
And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trod her under foot. (v.33)
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. (14: 20)
And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.2 (v.35)
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: (13: 16)
(even the dogs would not eat her hands and feet!)
Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians. She worshipped Baal, (image of the beast) and since her husband was weak and irresolute, she ruled over him and made him also a Baal worshiper. She turned the children of Israel away from God – this was the foreign influence. She forced Baal worship on the nation killing the prophets of God. As a consequence the nation suffered 3½ years of drought – predicted by the witness Elijah. The iniquity of Ahab and Jezebel was made full to overflowing by the affair of Naboth’s vineyard.
It was Ahab, together with the king of Damascus and other neighbouring kings, who resisted the approach of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser. (is this typical?) After this, hostilities with Damascus were soon renewed, and a joint expedition with the king of Judah ended in the death of Ahab, as predicted by the prophet Micaiah. (A lying spirit was put in the mouth of his prophets –1Kgs.22: 22 compare the unclean spirit in the mouth of the false prophet in order to gather them to war – Rev.16: 13,14)
Jezebel is also the “false prophetess” in the ecclesia of Thyatira. She seduced members to commit fornication and eat things sacrificed to idols. She is therefore archtypical of those whose seduction leads to the worship of the image of the beast.
According to Strongs Jezebel Iyzebû l means chaste [348] the present author believes this etymology to be wrong. A meaning more consistent to the type is obtained from the cognate term Iy [338 – yx9] literally meaning a howler – a solitary creature that makes a doleful sound and Zebû l [2083 – lb@z9] meaning a dwelling or habitation. Babylon is described as a habitation of devils, the hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. (18: 2) Isaiah describes Babylon as the dwelling place of doleful creatures and satyrs. (Isa.13: 22)
The only one that is chaste is the bride of Christ.
PUNISHMENT OF THE BEAST WORSHIPERS
“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” (Rev.14:9-13)
Babylon is a corrupting force that lures the nations into a kind of insane immorality. The background is the picture of a prostitute persuading a man into immorality by filling him full of wine, so that he could no longer resist her wiles. The other picture is the cup of the wrath of God. Job says of the wicked man: “Let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty” (Job 21: 20). The Psalmist speaks of the wicked having to drink the dregs of the red cup in the hand of God (Psalm 75: 8). Isaiah speaks of Jerusalem having drunk the cup of God’s fury (Isa.51: 17) God instructs Jeremiah to take the wine cup of his fury and to give it to the nations to drink (Jer.25: 15)
We might paraphrase by saying that Babylon made the nations drink of the wine which seduces men to fornication and which brings as its consequence the wrath of God. We have already been warned about the power of the beast and the mark that the beast will seek to set upon all men who fall under it’s jurisdiction. Now there is a warning to those who fail in that time of trial. It is significant that this is the fiercest warning of all. Of all dooms, that of the apostate is the worst. The reason is that the ecclesia is battling for its very existence. If it was to continue, the individual believer must be prepared to face suffering and trial, imprisonment and death. If the individual believer yielded, the ecclesia died.
Verse 12 is an exhortation to endurance. A literal rendering would be “Hither (hode) the endurance of God’s people.” John uses hode on three other occasions, twice in chapter 13 (v.10, 18), hither (hode) is the wisdom – inviting the reader to apply his intelligence to calculating the number of the beast. And once in 17: 9, hither (hode) the mind of wisdom – again inviting the reader to apply his wits to his cryptic description of the woman on the beast. So here the angel is inviting the people of God to summon up all their endurance to meet the crisis he is describing.
If they keep God’s commandments (i.e., to break bread) and their faith in Jesus, they will face death in confidence, for henceforth saith the spirit, they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them. What they have done goes with them, not as merit, nor as personal satisfaction, but in a more solid fashion; for they are to win an innumerable host of converts.1
These have “died in the Lord” i.e. in his service – now they have rest from their labours. Rest is never so sweet as after the most strenuous toil. They await the resurrection, when they will enter into Gods rest, and permanently cease from labouring in the millennial Sabbath. This is contrasted with the beast-worshipers who have no rest day or night.(v.11)
If men remain impenitent to the end, their consciences untouched by the death of the martyrs and the redemptive love of Christ, of which that death is an acted preaching – what then? For these there will be no mitigation. They will endure the “lake of fire” (19: 20). The traditional fate of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen.19: 24) was also fire and brimstone, and metaphorically the same destiny awaits the “great city” which is figuratively called Sodom (11: 8).
The punishment and the torment is eternal, in that the consequences are everlasting. They face oblivion, and their torment is the knowledge that the city they loved and lived for, that they identified with, is fallen never to rise again, for the smoke will rise for ever and ever.
This city will never be restored, or built again, instead it will be replaced with the “heavenly Jerusalem.” We do well to remember that the metaphorical and literal often complement each other in scripture. The “lake of fire” may well be a permanent fixture in the geography of the region, after the “great earthquake.” The earthquake is also to be understood metaphorically and literally. (Zech.14: 1-4) Such a “lake of fire” (molten magma) would be consistent with a great tear in the rift valley, and would serve as a constant reminder of the fate of the wicked.
In grim parody of the worship of the heavenly choir (4: 8) we are told that the beast worshipers have no rest day or night; even their self imposed torment is a caricature of what they might have been.
SEVEN ANGELS AND THE HARVEST OF JUDGMENT
“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. 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. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And 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, 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. 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. 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.” (Rev. 14:14-20)
“Hereafter shall ye see the son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
(The words of Jesus spoken to the High Priest at his trial. Mtt.26: 64)
This section has six angels that are specifically called angels. If the one like the son of man is also to be called an angel there are seven; in which event it is tempting to identify them with “the seven angels having seven plagues, which are the last”, of chapter 15 : 1. This is made more likely by the fact that one of the present group is “he that hath power over fire” (14: 18), which seems to refer to the angel of the fourth vial in 16: 8, “and it was given to him to scorch men with fire.” Since we should always try to picture what John actually saw in his vision, it looks as though what happened was that John saw a succession of angels assembling themselves. The first flies in with the message that the gospel is to be preached for the last time: the second follows him and announces the pending doom of Babylon: then a third arrives with the warning against becoming compromised with the activities of the Beast; then a fourth, the one like a son of man, with the promise that the wicked world is about to be reaped; then the fifth, encouraging the fourth to start his work; then a sixth to support him, and a seventh to urge him to action. All these fly in and assemble before the throne of God, the one on the cloud with the crown in the centre, and to each of them is given by one of the “living creatures”, his vial to pour out on earth.
If the scene is actually pictured like this, then the need to assign a particular task to each angel in chapter 14 falls away. The angels are to get ready for work yet to be done, and going through motions suggestive of what will happen as they do so. The actual doing of it is quickly to follow, but first we have an interlude scene of the final harvest.
Another way of considering this, would be that chapter 14 and 16 are parallel, with chapter 14 concentrating on events in the land of Israel, and 16 emphasising the consequences on the surrounding nations. Which ever way we view this, both chapters end with the same reaping.
Significantly, the angel who announces the punishment of the wicked came out from the altar (v.18). In the heavenly tabernacle the altar is associated with two things – the blood (6: 9) and prayers (8: 3) of the saints. It would seem that the destruction of the ungodly is out of vengeance for the persecutions that the elect had received at their hands. This is another prominent theme in the Apocalypse. (6: 10, 19: 2)
The final vision of this chapter is of judgment depicted in pictures which were very familiar to Jewish thought. It begins with the picture of the victorious figure of one like the son of man from Dan.7: 13,14:
“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” (Dan. 7: 13-14 )
John depicts the judgment in two metaphors familiar to scripture. The judgment is the ingathering of the harvest. It is here however that our problems begin. We have a grain harvest and the harvest of the vintage. Do these two different harvests depict the same retributive judgment, or can we distinguish between them? Is the grain harvest the ingathering of the saints and the vintage the punishment of the wicked? Both harvest and vintage are regularly used as symbols of divine judgment.
John is obviously drawing on Joel’s vision of all the nations gathered for judgment in the valley of Decision, which involves, as here a double harvest.
“Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.” (Joel 3:12-13)
The LXX has the plural sickles, suggesting that the grain is harvested at the same time as the treading of the vintage. It should also not be forgotten that Zion was originally a threshing floor (2 Sam.24: 18). The context of these verse deserves further consideration. Earlier in Joel chapter 3 we are informed that the nation experienced captivity, and that this latest stage of the holy- war (jihad – sanctify war- 3: 9RVmg.) was the climax of a process of subjugation.1 In verse 16 we have the return of the Lord – “for he shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem.”
In this light we must conclude that an interval exists between the captivity of Jerusalem and the return of Christ to the mount of Olives in Zech.14: 1-4. Scripture often compresses events (disregarding the time element) into a single eschatological “Day of the Lord.”
Despite the Joel passage being singularly focused on retributive judgment, closer examination shows that John does distinguish between the harvest and the vintage.
(1) Whereas the vintage is trodden – signifying punishment, no mention is made of the fate of the grain harvest.
(2) The 144,000 were “first fruits.” The offering of the ‘omer or first sheaf by the priest in the temple set free the rest of the crop for general use, and was therefore the signal for the reaping to begin; and this is no doubt why the command, “ply your sickle and reap”, is given by an angel who came out of the temple. The implicit suggestion is that the “firstfruits” is a portion of a much lager harvest to the Lord – a harvest of joy, not of wrath.
(3) The noun therismos (harvest) and the verb therizo, though they could perfectly well have been used of the mowing down of enemies, are never so used in the Septuagint, even in the passages where judgment is likened to reaping.2
A partial exception to this is Mtt.13: 24-431 since the weeds are reaped along with the wheat, and the reaping is a prelude to their destruction. But even here the object of the reaping is the storing of the crop, not the bonfire.
All things considered, there seems to be a distinction between the harvest and the vintage. What happens then to the harvest? It seems that the ingathering of both the harvest and the vintage occur simultaneously.
“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.) And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” (Rev.16: 14-16)
The above verse speaks to us of a harvest and a vintage. The harvest is the ingathering of the saints as indicated by parenthesis in the AV.
If the parenthesis is extended to the end of the verse, this would make THEM refer to the saints instead of kings of the earth; And he gathered them (= the saints) together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. This challenges our normal understanding of HAR – MAGEDON. It is a composite Hebrew word meaning the mountain of precious (meged) fruit or things. The word precious (merged) is found in Deut.33: 15-16 and Psalm 133.
“And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, And for the precious things of the earth and fullness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.” (Deut.33:13-16)
These are the “precious (merged) fruits brought forth by the sun” - they are the “precious (merged) ointment” on the head of the High Priest (Ps.133: 2), the blessing that adorns the head of Joseph – “the crown on the head of him that was separate (a Nazarene) amongst his brethren.” (Deut.33: 16)
It is the blessing of brethren dwelling together in unity (Ps.133: 1), this represents the ingathering of the saints, the crowning glory of Christ at the mountain of precious fruits. (HAR –MAGEDON)
Let us now examine the vintage:
1. The vine is always used as a symbol of Israel, not of the heathen. The vine was a traditional Old Testament symbol for Israel.1
2. The branches of the vine that do not abide in Christ are destined for destruction (not for purging): “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:1-6)
3. The vintage is trodden outside the city. This is poetic justice – the place where Christ suffered – the place where the saints are exhorted to separate themselves to – “without the gate” (Heb.13: 12), thus disassociating themselves with temple worship (compare worship of the beast), is the very place where the nation will meet it’s Gethsemane. This confirms that reward and retribution happen at the same location. “The body of those beasts …..are burned without the camp.” (Heb.13: 11) – this beast will also be slain (and burnt in the lake of fire) without the camp. Their refusal to accept the purifying waters of separation prepared outside the camp (Num.19: 9) will cause them to forfeit their own lives outside the city. The city is, of course, Jerusalem – “The Lord flouted all the mighty men in the midst of me…..the Lord has trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.” (Lam.1: 15)
4. The Old Testament refers to this last downtreading in Isa.63: 3; “I have trodden the winepress alone; and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger, and trampled them in my wrath.” This passage speaks of Jesus Christ: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev.19:11-16)
Christ is mounted on a white horse, and when he tramples the winepress the blood reaches the bridle of the horse.(14: 20). The armies that are with him are probably the angels and not the saints (who are simultaneously ingathered), for he treads the winepress “alone” i.e., without the help of the “peoples.”
The picture ends with a river of blood flowing from Jerusalem, and encompassing the whole region. This river of blood, will however be turned into a pure river of water of life proceeding out of the throne of God (Jerusalem) and this for the purification and healing of the nations. (22: 1)
This will be the last time that any foreign power enters the land of Israel to destroy them. The wicked in Israel will perish, but ultimately the nation will be saved from out of their time of trouble. Jesus will reign in Jerusalem and the captivity (prisoners of war) will be ingathered.
“And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” (Rev.11:18)
“Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out. There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up. These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee? Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God. Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine: Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again: But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.” (Isaiah 51:17-23)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES
1 This plat or portion was the vineyard of Naboth, that Jezebel had stolen for her husband.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Her hands and feet were probably dyed with henna, and her face was thick with cosmetics.
NOTES
1 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Cor. 3:11-15) WORK = DISCIPLE
NOTES
1 Joel is contemporary with Hezekiah, and the Assyrian invasion by Sennacherib. He (and his allies) destroyed 42 cities and deported captives. The captives were returned when the angel of the Lord destroyed the Assyrian army outside Jerusalem.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; (Matt. 9:37) But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. (Mark 4:29) Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. (Luke 10:2) Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth (John the Baptist) and he that reapeth (Christ) may rejoice [see John 3: 29] together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. (John 4:35-38)
1
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:24-43)
1
Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images. (Hosea 10:1) Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgement, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. (Isaiah 5:1-7) Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? (Jeremiah 2:21) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel; And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants. He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree. And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. (Ezekiel 17:1-8) Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her? The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. (Psalm 80:8-13)
