Revelation 14:14-15:8 (Daily Bread of 25/08/2017)

Friday 25th August 2017

key verse: 15:4

THE LAST THREE VISIONS

After the first four visions, let's study the last three visions. 

5. The harvest and the grape harvest (14:14-20)

This vision must be compared with the events in 19: 11-21 where the Lord comes back with his heavenly host to hit his opponents and judge mankind. Christ delegates some work of harvest to his angels and he reserves the work to eradicate the Antichrist. First, the harvest. It's announced by John the Baptist (Lc 3:17). It's elucidatd by Christ (Mt 13:24:30). At the beginning ryegrass mixes with wheat but finally it will be exposed and cast in a furnace of fire. Then, the grape harvest. The harvest references a political system and the grape harvest references a religious system. The winemakers are unworthy and produced only foul fruit. They rejected Jesus, the true vine. Even if the religious system has the appearance of a true vine, their grapes will be poisonous and they will produce a wine infected with snake venom. Tthe Son of Man will press the wine, the impious peoples, then after the day of vengeance will come the year of the redeemed ! Christ, of course, will not forget his people.

6. The winners song on the sea of glass (15:2-4)

Before the throne, there is a sea of glass akin to crystal. The great winners of the tribulation stand up on this sea with fire. The 144000 people with the martyrs sing with harp but they aren't consumed by fire like Moses' burning bush or the fiercy furnace of Daniel's friends. Like Moses' canticle to celebrate the release, these martyrs will sing to celebrate the issuance of the Antichrist's oppression. In v.3 there is the Lamb's canticle which celebrates the poured blood on the cross to redeem the people. So, they exalt him: "you are the only righteous one", "because your justice has been manifested". 

7. The sign of the seven angels coming from God's temple (15:1-5-8)

After the two signs of chapter 12 (woman and dragon), it's the third sign. It's the achivement of God's wrath (1). Like the first two signs, during the third sign the tabernacle will open, and the testimony in the ark will help to accomplish the judgment. Like the 12 angels to the churches, the 7 angels to the trumpets, these 7 angels coated with vestments come from the temple, full of fumes, to give the last scourges on the world. The cup was filled during all the centuries, but it will be poured all at once.