REVELATION LESSON 33

REVELATION

LESSON 33

ARE WE LIVING IN THE END TIMES?

Revelation 14:19   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.

The fifth angel will use his great sickle to gather the wicked nations of the earth. He will then cast them into the winepress of Gods wrath. This is a symbol to help us understand what is going to happen. He gathers the vine of the earth into a place called in the Hebrew tongue, Armageddon.

The great winepress of the wrath of God refers to the assembled nations that will gather in the valley of Jehoshaphat. When farmers go into their vineyards to harvest the grapes, they cast them into the wine press and squeeze the juice out of them. In this process the grapes are literally destroyed. The same thing will happen to the wicked when this angel harvests the earth. They will be like the grapes being squashed into the wine press.

I believe that the Christians will not be force to endure this wrath of Gods judgment. We will be raptured (caught up) out to meet our Lord in the air at some point prior to the beginning of that dreadful time.

Two reasons why many believe the church will be raptured before the tribulation period are, Jesus rescues us from the wrath, and God did not appoint us to wrath.

1 Thessalonian 1:10   ¹⁰ And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

To wait for his son from heaven refers to the rapture of the church, which is delivered from the wrath to come. Delivered by means of the cross and meaning that judgment will ultimately come to all who reject Christ and the cross.

Revelation 14:20   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.

This is a reference to the battle of Armageddon. The ripe grapes (the wicked nations) will be trampled in the winepress of Gods wrath. People will be crushed by the fine brass feet of Jesus like small grapes under the weight of the wine press.

Since the blood will rise as high as the horse’s bridles for a thousand and six hundred furlongs, which is approximately 175 miles.

The blood will be mixed with water and in some places, it will be around six feet deep. It is possible that millions will be killed in this battle.

Before this happens, God will preach the gospel through the 144,000 Jewish men and the two witnesses as well as his angels. He wants to warn those who follow the antichrist. He will give the people in the world many chances to repent before He destroys them. Imagine looking to the eastern sky and seeing the King of all Kings, the King of glory, the King of the universe coming with flaming fires of judgment. At that moment those who have denied His name, followed the antichrist, taken his mark (666) will realize that Jesus is the true God and savior of the world. They will see him whom they have pierced and wail in fear under his wrath.

Revelation 15:1-2   15 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

² And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

This will be the third great sign in the heaven. These are the forewarning of the seven vials. First the sun-clothed woman (Israel), second the great red dragon (Satan). Then seven angels with seven last plagues, this sign will be great and marvelous because of its terrible nature and amazing result.

It will bring on the full wrath of God which will cause the fall of Satan and his devilish crew. These plagues can be called the last plagues because they will be Gods final warning to an unrepentant world.

When these plagues are over, all of those who have not made a decision to side with God through Jesus will stand before the judgment of unbelievers and will perish for their unbelief.

In verse two it is speaking of the glassy sea to appear in heaven. The first glassy sea will be clear as crystal, this one they speak of will be mixed with fire. The sea symbolizes the masses of humanity and the fire represents the judgment. The tribulation saints will come up out of the sea of humanity. They will have been in a fiery persecution. They are those who had been victorious over the beast and his image, and over the number of his name.

They will not be deceived by the antichrist or his false prophet. They will be tracked down and ordered to take the mark of the beast. They will refuse.

Because they refuse, they will face retaliation in the form of torture and death. Victory however, will be theirs because they will lose their earthly life but will gain an eternal one.

When they reach heaven, God will give them harps. Their earthly trials will have caused a lot of crying, but when they get to heaven they will sing and play.

Until the next lesson,

Stay in the word.

Brother Andy.