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ASon of Man

AndTwo Harvests

(An Exegetical Analysis of Revelation 14:14-20)

Joseph E. Carvajal

12/7/2014

NT780CO-FA2014

The Book of Revelation

Dr. Loyd MeltonFall 2014

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Table of Contents

I. Outline of Revelation...........................................3

II. Translation of Revelation 14:14-20............................6

III. Introduction...................................................7

IV. Revelation 14, It’s Structure, and Various Understandings....................................................11

V. The “Son of Man” and the Harvest (Vs. 14-16)................15

VI. The Vintage and Wrath (Vs. 17-20)............................19

VII. Concluding Thoughts..........................................22

VIII. Bibliography……..…………………………………………………………………………...............23

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I. Outline of Revelation

INTRODUCTION (1:1-20)1. Introduction and benediction (1-3)2. Greetings to the seven churches of Asia (4-6)3. Announcement of Christ's coming (7)4. The Lord's self-designation (8)

I. A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE CONFLICT (1:9-11:19)A. VISION OF CHRIST AMONG THE LAMPSTANDS (1:9-20)B. LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES (2:1-3:22)

1. The church at Ephesus (2:1-7)2. The church at Smyrna (2:8-11)3. The church at Pergamum (2:12-17)4. The church at Thyatira (2:18-29)5. The church at Sardis (3:1-6)6. The church at Philadelphia (3:7-13)7. The church at Laodicea (3:14-22)

C. THE THRONE SCENE (4:1-5:11)1. God on the throne (4:1-11)2. The Lamb worthy to open the seven-sealed scroll

(5:1-14)D. THE OPENING OF THE SEVEN SEALS (6:1-8:1)

1. First seal: The white horse and its rider (6:1-2)2. Second seal: The red horse and its rider (6:3-4)3. Third seal: The black horse and its rider (6:5-6)4. Fourth seal: The pale horse and its rider(s) (6:7-8)5. Fifth seal: The martyrs under the altar (6:9-11)6. Sixth seal: Cataclysmic disturbances (6:12-17)7. Interlude: Sealing of the 144,000 on earth, and the great multitude in heaven (7:1-17)8. Seventh seal: Silence in heaven (8:1)

D. THE SOUNDING OF SEVEN TRUMPETS (8:2-11:19)1. Seven angels prepare to sound their trumpets (8:2-6)2. First trumpet: Third of vegetation destroyed (8:7)3. Second trumpet: Third of sea creatures and ships

destroyed (8:8-9)4. Third trumpet: Third of rivers and springs become bitter, many men die (8:10-11)

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5. Fourth trumpet: Third of sun, moon, and stars struck, affecting day and night (8:12)6. Three-fold woe announced (8:13)7. Fifth trumpet (first woe): Locusts from the bottomless pit, sent to torment men (9:1-12)8. Sixth trumpet (second woe): Four angels with an armyof two hundred million, killing a third of mankind (9:13-21)9. Another interlude (10:1-11:14)

    a. The angel with the little book (10:1-11)    b. The two witnesses (11:1-13)

10. Seventh trumpet (third woe): The victory of Christ and His kingdom proclaimed (11:14-19)

II. A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CONFLICT (12:1-22:5)A. THE GREAT CONFLICT (12:1-14:20)

1. The Woman, the Child, the Dragon, and the rest of the Woman's offspring (12:1-17)2. The beast from the sea (13:1-10)3. The beast from the land (13:11-18)4. The Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion (14:1-5)5. Proclamations of three angels (14:6-13)6. Reaping the earth's harvest, and the grapes of wrath

(14:14-20) (PERICOPE)B. THE SEVEN BOWLS OF WRATH (15:1-16:21)

1. Prelude to pouring out the seven bowls of wrath (15:1-8)

2. First bowl: Sores on those who worshipped the beast and his image (16:1-2)

3. Second bowl: Sea turns to blood, all sea creatures die (16:3)

4. Third bowl: Rivers and springs turn to blood (16:4-7)

5. Fourth bowl: Men are scorched by the sun (16:8-9)6. Fifth bowl: Pain and darkness upon the beast and his

kingdom (16:10-11)7. Sixth bowl: Euphrates dried up, three unclean spirits gather the kingdoms of the earth for the battleat Armageddon (16:12-16)

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8. Seventh bowl: Great earthquake, the great city divided, Babylon is remembered, cataclysmic events (16:17-21)

C. THE FALL OF BABYLON, THE HARLOT (17:1-19:10)1. The scarlet woman and the scarlet beast (17:1-6)2. The mystery of the woman and beast explained (17:7-

18)3. The fall of Babylon the great proclaimed and mourned

(18:1-24)4. The exaltation in heaven over the fall of the great

harlot (19:1-5)5. The announcement of the marriage supper of the Lamb

(19:6-10)D. THE DEFEAT OF THE LAMB'S ENEMIES (19:11-20:15)

1. Christ the victorious warrior and King of kings (19:11-16)

2. The beast, his armies, and the false prophet (land beast) are defeated (19:17-21)

3. Satan is bound for a thousand years, while those martyred reign with Christ (20:1-6)4. Satan released to deceive the nations once more, butis finally defeated once for all (20:7-10)5. The final judgment (20:11-15)

E. THE ETERNAL DESTINY OF THE REDEEMED (21:1-22:5)1. The new heaven and new earth, the New Jerusalem, Goddwelling with His people (21:1-8)2. The New Jerusalem described (21:9-27)3. The water of life, the tree of life, and the throne

of God and the Lamb (22:1-5)CONCLUSION (22:6-21)1. The time is near, do not seal up the book (22:6-11)2. The testimony of Jesus, the Spirit, and the bride (22:12-17)3. Warning not to tamper with the book, and closing prayers (22:18-21)1

1 Mark A. Copeland. 2012. "The Book of Revelation" in Executable Outlines. The Blue Letter Bible. http://blueletterbible.org/study/eo/Rev/Rev000.cfm (accessed November 5, 2014).

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The Pericope Being Examined

III. THE TWO HARVESTS (14:14-20)

A. REAPING THE EARTH'S HARVEST (14-16) 1. The Son of Man sitting on a white cloud a. With a golden crown on His head b. With a sharp sickle in His hand 2. An angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice... a. "Thrust in Your sickle and reap" b. "For the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe" 3. He who sat on a cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth,and it was reaped

B. REAPING THE GRAPES OF WRATH (17-20) 1. An angel came out of the temple in heaven, also having asharp sickle 2. Another angel, having power over fire, cried with a loudvoice to the angel with the sickle... a. "Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth" b. "For her grapes are fully ripe" 3. So the angel... a. Thrust his sickle into the earth b. Gathered the vine of the earth c. Threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God 4. The winepress was trampled outside the city a. Blood came out of the winepress b. Up to the horses' bridles, for 1600 furlongs2

2 Mark A. Copeland. 2012. "The Book of Revelation: Chapter 14" inExecutable Outlines. Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

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http://executableoutlines.com/rev/rev_14.htm (accessed November 5, 2014).

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II. Translation of Revelation 14:14-20 (NIV)3

  I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated

on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on

his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came

out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was

sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the

time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So

he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth,

and the earth was harvested.

Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too

had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, who had charge of the

fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who

had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the

clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are

ripe.” The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its

grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s

wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and

3 Unless otherwise indicated all Bible references in this paper are to The New International Version Bible (NIV).

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blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’

bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.

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III. Introduction

“What would you do in an impossible situation? How do you

respond when the situation seems prolonged and hopeless?” These

were the types of questions being asked by the professor of this

author’s literature class in their discussion of the The Plague by

Albert Camus. This work of Camus’ was fictional, espousing a

nihilistic philosophy throughout, and it sought to ponder the

very essence of human beings and societies in such “prolonged and

hopeless” situations. The current study of Revelation finds the

passage to be analyzed being written to those not in fictional

situations but in very lethal and dire circumstances. The first

century Church was written a revelation of Jesus Christ, given to

John when he was at Patmos.4 They are a people scattered as a

“Diaspora”5 and under the great pressures to conform to the norms

of Roman life and worship.6 At the time of the writing, they

have begun to endure persecution by the forces of evil, the

4 Revelation 1:1, 95 1 Peter 1:1-26 Calvin J. Roetzel, The World that Shaped the New Testament, rev. ed. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), 72-76; Emperor worship was the great spiritual temptation the Church faced in that context.

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governmental establishment, societal institutions, and by various

types of neighbors in their midst, with no one to save and come

to their rescue. How does one endure through such an onslaught

of suffering and rejection? Where does one find their hope?

Many of them were, perhaps, pondering the very same questions

above.

Further questions were surely to have abounded in times of

such suffering for the first century Church in Asia Minor. But,

God spoke into their situation through John, who also intended to

answer through the tangible and eschatological hope offered in

our Lord Jesus Christ;7 John was commanded by Christ to “Write,

therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take

place later.”8 The Lord has John record His word to the seven

struggling churches and immediately begins to record the many

different things he saw throughout his ecstatic experience in the

Spirit, perhaps around the time of Domitian’s rule.9 The

7 David A. DeSilva, "Honor Discourse and the Rhetorical Strategy of the Apocalypse of John." Journal For The Study Of The New Testament no.71 (September 1, 1998): 79-110. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed December 4, 2014), 82. Many were given a “wake-up call” by this letter, writes DeSilva.8 Rev. 1:199 DeSilva, 81.

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chapters following Christ’s message to the seven churches in

Revelation 2-3 are filled with visions and images including all

sorts of angelic beings, redeemed and unredeemed humanity, a

trinity of evil and their respective minions, God on the throne,

and the Lamb that was slain but is standing.10

As the book of Revelation progresses, there consists an

unfolding of 7 seals being broken, 7 trumpets being blown, and 7

bowls of wrath being poured out on humanity while the faithful

(Christians) are in their midst, having been sealed until their

final redemption.11 The structure of Revelation follows as

mentioned with the pericope at hand being found after the seventh

trumpet has been blown12 but the 7 bowls of wrath have not yet

commenced.13 Our passage is found where John is seeking to

interpret to his audience the real nature of the conflict that

the Church is facing and has been facing since the Fall of

mankind in Genesis 3.14 Brian Blount suggests that this section

10 See Rev. 4-2211 See Rev. 6-1612 Rev. 11:1513 Rev. 1614 Brian K. Blount, “Revelation: A Commentary” in The New Testament Library, edited by C. Black, et. al. (Louisville: Westminster JohnKnox Press, 2009), 223, 241.

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of chapters is meant to show readers that “All of creation is

apparently caught up in the conflict that has erupted been God

and Satan.”15 Thus, it is in this context that Revelation 14:14-

20 describes what God is doing, has done, and is going to do

about it; this is described in parallel images of a harvest

gathering and a vintage gathering as a conclusion for his four

chapter long description of the real nature of their conflict.

This section of Scripture under analysis describes, as

mentioned above, a harvest and a vintage, but it is preceded by

the pronouncement of three angels, each giving warnings to the

world because “the hour of His judgment has come.”16 John gives

either concurrent, completed, or forewarned17 descriptions of the

Lord’s judgments upon the inhabitants of the earth, upon the

city/harlot Babylon further discussed in chapter 19, and they are

warned to not follow the beast.18 John then gives another

beatitude for the faithful to endure through the pressures and

15 Ibid.16 Rev. 14:717 Blount, 274-275.18 Rev. 14:7-13

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temptation described earlier in the verse just preceding the

pericope examined.

Then John sees a different angelic being than before, giving

a different type of pronouncement saying, “Then I looked, and

behold” (καὶ ἰδοὺ).19 This being is described as sitting down on

a “white cloud” and being “one like a son of man.”20 He is

holding a sharp sickle and is told by an angel coming from the

temple to harvest the earth because it is ready to be harvested.

The one upon the cloud harvests the earth by the swing of his

sickle. Then two additional angels appear on the scene, coming

from the temple and altar, one bringing the message for the other

angel to gather the vintage with his sickle. That angel then

swing his sickle and threw the vintage “into the winepress of

God’s wrath,”21 and the vintage “was trampled” (ἐπατήθη) in the

winepress; blood is described as coming out of the winepress,

rather than juice, in a vividly large amount and depth for many

miles.

19 James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: New Strong’s Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), 42.20 Rev. 14:1421 Rev. 14:19

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The passage of Revelation 14:14-20 seeks to show the reader

that God will ultimately be vindicated. This passage shows that

He will indeed do what He says He will do, for both the faithful

and for the unfaithful; He will enact what is owed so that God is

unjust to no one. This passage joins in harmony and in partial

fulfillment with those promises throughout the Scriptures of

redemption and judgment that are too numerous to be recounted in

the scope of this paper. This pericope seeks to draw the reader

to the reality that Jesus Christ will personally take part in the

final harvest and vintage of the redeemed and unredeemed.22 This

passage joins in the imagery and format used through the prophets

of the Old Testament and the words of Jesus and Paul to

communicate judgment and salvation. This passage seeks to teach

readers today that there will be a day of ingathering and a day

of vindication for both God and His Church. This passage hits on

the nature of God, the ways in which God takes sin seriously, the

need for all of mankind to repent to be at peace with God, and

the dreadful ways in which God will enact His wrath on those who 22 Robert H. Mounce, “The Book of Revelation, rev. ed.” in The New International Commentary on the New Testament, edited by Ned B. Stonehouse, et. al. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1997) 277, 279-280.

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do not repent,23 albeit He is patient and kind. There is a day

coming when God has had enough and the time of His kindness to

His enemies is over.

The scholarly literature is vast and often filled with

various opinions about this passage’s structure and the meaning

thereof. Therefore, it proves wise for the reader and this

author to commence further analysis. This author will argue for

a more simplistic understanding of this section of verses while

interacting with some of the best ideas found in the literature.

Effort will be made to clarify and carefully draw conclusions

concerning the meaning and implications of this group of verses

amidst such various opinions.

IV. Revelation 14, It’s Structure, and Various Understandings

While chapters 12-22 can be considered a major section

helping readers understand the major conflict of the Church since

the dawn of time,24 the chapters are sections, as mentioned

above, with visions that are either bunched together or distinct

and separated. Scholars have consistently sought to understand 23 Ibid., 277, 279-281.24 Copeland, 1.

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the relation between the various visions within the book of

Revelation in order to have a more faithful understanding and

interpretation of the book. Thus, Revelation 14 has this very

predicament and scholarly concern attached to it among the

research. The structure of chapter 14 is hotly debated and the

ways in which to understand Rev. 14:14-20 changes and differs

among the commentators because of the various ways to look at the

book of Revelation. The many varying positions of understanding

chapter 14 alone cannot be covered fully in the scope of this

paper, but major positions and highlights will be given to allow

for adequate understanding of the passage’s main idea.

First, the pericope is understood as a vision discussing two

types of harvest, with these two sections of 14:14-16 and 14:17-

20 as being one vision concerning two harvests that are separate

from 14:1-5 and 14:6-13; it is to be analyzed semi-independently

from the beginning of the chapter and the next, given John’s

shift in vision descriptions.25 Almost all scholars examined

offer that the twofold harvest is talking about two different

25 DeVilliers, 235-236, notes that vv. 14-20 is a “coherent whole” section.

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harvests,26 with some scholars suggesting and contemplating that

they are happening at the same time or sequentially.

Scholars like G. B. Caird offer that the vision of the

harvests are not separated from the preceding vision of the

144,000 saints found in verses 1-5 and from the three angels

giving warnings in verses 6-13.27 Caird suggests that the

presentation of the “one like a son of man” as the fourth angel

in a series of seven angels throughout versus 6-18 puts this

particular being at the center of the series with special focus

to his importance and duties.28 Furthermore, Caird connects the

two harvests, the series of angels, and the 144,000 saints in

verses 1-5 by offering how the whole chapter and preceding

chapters are meant to describe why “the harvest of the earth is

ripe.”29 He offers that John is trying to communicate the

procedural ritual understanding of the proceedings of Revelation

26 The amount of scholars is too numerous to annotate; this author is trying to paint this idea with broad strokes.27 G. B. Caird, “A Commentary on The Revelation of St. John the Divine, First Ed.” in Harper New Testament Commentaries (New York: Harper and Row, 1966), 191-195.28 Beale, Mounce, Blount, agree with Caird on this point or make mention of the likelihood of this understanding.29 Rev. 14:15

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in regards to the gathering and offering of the firstfruits omer

before the gathering of the harvest. This was the ritual

prescribed by the Lord for the Israelites to do in the Feast of

Firstfruits and the Feast of Tabernacles in the Old Testament.30

In a concise description of the Leviticus 23 ritual of the

Feast of the Harvest found in Leviticus 23, Sam Nadler states,

“The barley of the firstfruits offering was laid

together in a sheaf and brought to the court of the

Temple. There the grain was winnow, parched, and

bruised in a mortar. The next morning after some

incense had been sprinkled on the sheaf, the priest

waved it before the Lord towards the four different

points of the compass. He then took a part of the

grain and threw it into the fire of the altar. Once

the offering was accepted, the remainder of the harvest

was then acceptable before God.”31

30 Caird, 191.31 Sam Nadler, Messiah in The Feasts of Israel, rev. ed. (Charlotte: Word of Messiah Ministries, 2010), 63.

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Thus, Caird, Beale, and Mounce suggest that the mention of

“firstfruits” in Rev. 14:4, followed by the vision of harvest and

vintage, is a way that John is communicating that both visions

represent both ingathering and judgment, but Caird emphasizes

ingathering,32 and Beale and Mounce give a more duplicitous

position.33 Caird’s position is that Rev. 14 is a polemic to

encourage Christians in the First Century concerning martyrdom,

as they are apart of God’s final movement in history through

gathering and wrath.34 Those emphasizing the judgment in both

images further argue that the vision is too closely alluding to

Joel 3-4 and Isaiah 63 to simply say that the first harvest image

is suggesting only redemption.35

32 Caird, 191-194; Dennis E. Johnson, Him We Proclaim: Preaching Christ from All the Scriptures (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2007), 375-376; Johnson gives a quick summary of the various ways that the “firstfruits” imagery is used to communicate theological truth throughout the Scriptures.33 Beale, 770, 776-777; Mounce, 278.34 Caird, 190, 193-194.35 Caird, 191-194; Beale, 777; Mounce, 278; Michael J. Svigel, "The Apocalypse of John and the rapture of the church: a reevaluation." Trinity Journal 22, no. 1 (March 1, 2001): 23-74. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed December 4, 2014),49; Matthew Henry, “Revelation 14” in Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete), http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/revelation/14.html (accessed November 22, 2014).

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Opposed to this nuanced position is Blount who builds on the

foundation of other scholars. He offers that the harvest is

showing the gathering of the faithful and the vintage is showing

the gathering and judgment of the unfaithful amidst acknowledging

how John uses Joel strongly.36 He states “vv. 14-16 includes

reaping but no threshing or winnowing…vv. 14-16 offer a fully

salvific image of universal ingathering.”37 The absence of any

reference to the most significant portion of the harvesting

process alluding to judgment suggests a purposeful withholding,38

especially since the two images of harvest and vintage are

parallel in structure.39 It is this author’s opinion that it is

a significant oversight for John to withhold threshing and

winnowing of the harvest while the vintage mentions the immediate

destiny upon the grapes into the winepress of God’s wrath. It is

better, in this author’s opinion, to interpret this pericope in 36 Blount, 279; William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1967),154-156; 37 Blount, 279-280.38 Blount, 279-281.39 Beale, 773, admits that “the imagery of the harvest is repeated in almost identical terms from vv. 15-16, though the picture is expanded.”; DeVilliers, 238, notes that the fourth andsixth beings mentioned are “two parallel figures” with “similar motifs.”

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light of what John is clearly leaving out among the twofold

harvest descriptions, such as Blount, et. al., than to go so far

as Caird in suggesting the vintage grapes under God’s wrath are

the faithful; nor should scholars give no leeway to the

possibility that the “son of man” could be gathering the faithful

in the harvest that He desired to be gathered by His disciples.40

This would be a great overhearing of many New Testament heavy

usages/images of “harvest” in favor of Old Testament

usages/images. Blount, this author, and other scholars hold this

more simplistic position, yet Blount adds that the interpretation

of this imagery could be different, whether of salvation or of

judgment, depending on the reader/hearer’s stance coram deo.41

Vern Poythress holds this similar possibility that the harvest

could be of the righteous and the vintage of the faithless while

acknowledging the interconnected judgment symbols used in both

types of harvest.42

40 Matt. 9:3741 Blount, 279.42 Vern S. Poythress, The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2000), 151-152.

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Another scholar, Leon Morris, states that scholars interpret

the reaping imagery too hastily as wheat and barley though they

are never mentioned. He leaves scholars unable to satisfactorily

connect the elect to those being harvested in their analysis of

various Gospel references.43 Meanwhile, Morris takes the harvest

as “general,” saying it “is not explained and we are left to

apply the imagery for ourselves.”44 Morris joins other scholars

with interpreting the vintage image as judgment on the

unfaithful, but emphasizes that John desires to allude to the

reality/images that will be described later in the book of

Revelation,45 such as chapter 19. Furthermore, Bruce Metzger’s

classic work on Revelation fails to comment regarding this

passage besides discussing the heinousness of the depictions of

God’s wrath and a way in which to understand His purposes in

judgments.46

V. The “Son of Man” and Harvest (Vs. 14-16)

43 Leon Morris, “The Revelation of St. John: An Introduction and Commentary” in The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, edited by R. V. G. Tasker (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1980), 185.44 Ibid.45 Ibid., 185-186.46 Bruce M. Metzger, Breaking the Code: Understanding the Book of Revelation (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993), 78-79.

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Since we have taken considerable time to analyze various

positions on the structure of the pericope, it is helpful to

mention some of the main characters and symbols in order to gain

further clarity. The phrase “son of man” (ὅμοιον υἱὸν

ἀνθρώπου)47 is used by John to describe the fourth heavenly being

that comes in succession from the preceding verses. This

heavenly being is preceded by three angels and is followed by

three more angels. This makes him the focal point of the image

if you understand Revelation 14 as having images that overflow

into each other as described above.48 Nonetheless, there is much

debate and opinion as to who exactly is this “son of man”

mentioned, with most scholars offering that it is Jesus Christ,

or an angelic representative.49

47 Cf. Blount, 279-281, translates the title as “child of humanity”; Beale, 771, says that John uses a “stylistic Semitism”to connect the concept to Daniel 7.48 Beale, 770-772; Caird, 193-194; Blount, 279; Josephine M. Ford, "Shalom in the Johannine corpus." Horizons In Biblical Theology 6,no. 2 (December 1, 1984): 67-89. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed November 22, 2014), 71-72.49 Beale, 771-772.

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This title given to Christ by John in this vision is the

most predominantly used title when Jesus refers to Himself.50 It

signifies to the Jewish/Christian reader that it is none other

than the character mentioned in Daniel 7:13-14. In this passage,

the Ancient of Days (God) gives power, authority, dominion, and a

Kingdom forever and ever to a “son of man;” these are things that

only God, Himself, has been known to have total control and reign

over, or the power and strength to keep.51 This notion is

seconded and is further developed by Lasor, Hubbard, and Bush,

stating that the “son of man” would be a “preexistent heavenly

being who rules over a universal kingdom” according to Book II of

Enoch.52 Furthermore, the understanding of the “son of man”

character in early Jewish doctrine had come to consist of being

either the long awaited Messiah or a “divine or semi-divine

being…who comes from heaven to bring to a close this age and to

inaugurate the ‘age to come.’”53 Interestingly, other sources

50 Willem VanGemeren, The Progress of Redemption: The Story of Salvation from Creation to the New Jerusalem (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1988), 343.51 Ibid.52 William Lasor, David A. Hubbard, and Frederic Bush. Old TestamentSurvey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1996), 581.53 Lasor, 581.

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and myths prevalent in Jewish theology and early Christian

understanding are likely to have been used by John. John may be

seeking to convey that this “son of man” is executing the role of

the “Divine Warrior” in what Ford reports as the “Divine Warrior

myth.”54 Thus, it is safe to conclude that John is trying to

communicate that Jesus, the “son of man,” and the Divine Warrior

is the same person being mentioned in Daniel, the Gospels, and

other apocalyptic/eschatological traditions;55 Jesus is the

fulfillment and synthesis of all of these expectations at the

time when God’s Kingdom and “Rule” are ultimately established in

the “Day of the Lord.”56

The “son of man” image is further developed in connection

with Daniel 7:13-14 and John’s earlier depiction of Jesus in Rev.

1:7 by the description of the son of man coming upon a white

cloud (νεφέλη λευκή). This imagery is used to connect Christ’s

54 Ford, 67, 69-73; VanGemeren, 453, also picks up on the Divine Warrior tradition stating, “As the Divine Warrior, the Lord’s kingly role comes to expression in his acts of deliverance of hissaints and in his acts of vengeance.”55 See Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III, et. al., eds. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downers Grove: InterVarsityPress, 1998), 447-451. 56 VanGemeren, 450-453.

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coming to bring salvation and judgment in the Gospel tradition,

such as in Matthew 24:27-51 and other places in the synoptic

gospels.57 It is clearly a majestic picture that is trying to be

communicated: the “son of man” appearing seated upon the white

cloud is wearing a “golden crown on his head.”58 Scholars have

commented that the “crown” upon his head is actually better

translated as “wreath.”59 Gregory Stevenson’s work regarding

golden crown descriptions in Revelation is pivotal to harbor a

clearer understanding. Stevenson concludes that the word

στἐφανος (wreath)60 being used in vs. 14, as opposed to διἀδημα

(crown),61 brings more to mind than the traditional understanding

of royalty.62 Rather, the golden63 wreath being worn by the son

57 Beale, 770.58 Rev. 14:1459 Beale, 770, notes that the word στἐφανος is used also in Rev. 2:10, 3:11, 4:4, 10; Gregory M. Stevenson, "Conceptual Backgroundto Golden Crown Imagery in the Apocalypse of John (4:4,10, 14:14)." Journal Of Biblical Literature 114, no. 2 (June 1, 1995): 257-272. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed December 4, 2014), 257, adds Rev. 9:7 but it is referring to the crowns worn by the locusts from the Abyss.60 Strong, 83.61 Ibid., 22.62 Stevenson, 257.63 Ibid., 261, notes the symbolic nature of gold historically in Greco-Roman society; gold was a precious commodity as it is today.

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of man should also help us ascribe unto Him concepts of “victory,

royalty, divine glory, and honor.”64

The son of man is also seen as holding a “sharp sickle.”65

The sickle (δρέπανόν)66 is an ancient tool that has been used to

harvest wheat, barley, and other crops throughout the centuries.

Farmers can be found today using sickles of similar fashion that

people used in the times of the writing of Revelation.67 The

sickle has often been identified throughout the Old Testament

prophets as a symbol of judgment; logically associated with the

sickle is the concept of reaping through the activity of

harvesting.68 Therefore, the son of man holding a sharp sickle

for the Final Harvest gives the reader a clear picture that Jesus

64 Ibid., 258; Hendriksen, 155; Caird, 194, suggests the concept of conquering to be ascribed to the “son of man” and his followers.65 Rev. 14:1466 Strong, 25.67 Ryken, et. al., 366-367.68 Ibid.; Ryken et. al., 366-367, also state that the harvest image is used both positively and negatively by Jesus, likely giving some evidence to those like Caird and Mounce; Caird, 190; Gregory K. Beale, and D. A. Carson, Eds., Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007),1133.

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Christ is coming to the scene69 with his tools in hand to

accomplish His task though He has not yet received the command.70

And thus, the son of man receives a command from a messenger

angel to harvest the earth “for the harvest of the earth is

ripe.”71 Scholars conclude that the angels acting as messengers

and reapers in this passage play a significant role in the

fulfillment of the reaping in this Last Hour. Yet, one should

not believe that any of the angels, especially the messenger

angel to the son of man, be considered greater than the son of

man because of the descriptions of His title, being seated upon

the white cloud and wearing the golden wreath/crown.72 Beale

notes that it is possible but unlikely that Christ is utilizing a

stand-in like the archangel Michael.73 Though the angel comes

from the temple74 and has loud voice, and it is giving the son of

man a command, it does not elevate the angel’s status beyond

69 Contra: Morris, 184-185.70 Hendriksen, 155.71 Rev. 14:1672 Mounce, 277; Beale, 770-771.73 Beale, 771, says this because he interprets the person in Rev.12:7-10 to be the archangel Michael.74 Hendriksen, 155, offers that the temple description helps characterize the message as coming from God’s holy presence.

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messenger in relation to the reaper role of the son of man,75 nor

does the son of man’s status lower.76 To John these angels have

certain roles to play but none are as elevated as the son of

man;77 John describes them as “another angel” (ἄλλος ἄγγελος).78

This angel is simply delivering the message from the Father about

the final hour being spoken of in Mark 13:32. And thus, the son

of man harvests the earth with a single swing of His sharp sickle

with no description of that harvest beyond it being gathered.79

VI. The Vintage and Wrath (Vs. 17-20)

In this next section, the image of the vintage is used to

further describe80 the Last Day. The son of man has completed

the harvest and the angels are left to do their own harvesting.

In a parallel fashion, John describes another angel getting

instruction from a different angel to gather the vintage, or “the

75 Mounce, 277; Beale, 771. 76 Beale, 771-772.77 Beale, 772.78 Rev. 14:6, 15, 17,18; Beale, 772, notes that there is no precedent of an angel coming up with its own message to deliver throughout all of Revelation; contra: 1 Thes. 4:16 states that it is an archangel that will be shouting to initiate the End, which means that these may not be just “another angel.”79 Morris, 185; Mounce, 278-279.80 Beale and Carson, 1133.

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cluster of grapes from the earth’s vine,” for they are now “ripe”

as well.81 The new reaper angel holds his own sharp sickle like

the son of man and comes from the temple; Hendriksen notes that

the messenger angel that tells the reaper angel to harvest the

vintage comes from the altar, which takes the reader back to

Revelation 6:9-10 and 8:3-5.82 The harvesting of grapes and

smashing them in a winepress to make wine and other goods is an

ancient practice found in many cultures. It is almost always a

picture of judgment throughout the Scriptures.83 Furthermore,

Hendriksen notes that the angel from the altar is connected to

the angel dealing with the “incense prayers of all the saints.”84

Most scholars agree that in vv. 17-18, these angels accomplish

their task of implementing the gathering/judgment of the

unfaithful85 in similar fashion as the son of man in vs. 16.

The next section breaks from the pattern in verse 19 by

showing where the grapes that are collected end up; they end up

81 Rev. 14:17-1882 Hendriksen, 155.83 Ryken, et. al., 954.84 Hendriksen, 155.85 Beale, 774-776; Mounce, 279-281; Poythress, 152; Blount, 281; Beale and Carson, 1133; Morris, 186;

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in God’s winepress (ληνὸς)86 of wrath.87 Scholars note that the

manuscript evidence tells of scribal corrections in the copying

of this portion of Scripture concerning the winepress and God’s

wrath. Various manuscript evidences shows scribal “emendation”

to the gender discrepancy found in the phrase “τὸν μέγαν” in this

verse.88 The more gender-consistent reading would be “τὴν ληνόν”

because the direct object would be feminine like the noun,

instead of masculine.89 Beale notes, after discerning through

the various scholarly works in interpreting the reasons for this

reading of the text, that this reading is likely a purposeful

connection to a similar reading of Isaiah 63:3 description of

God’s vengeance through treading a winepress in the Septuagint.90

It could furthermore be considered an intensifying adjective

causing effect in the reader’s mind when thinking of the

winepress, God’s wrath, or both.91

86 Strong, 53.87 Blount, 281, defines God’s wrath as His “passionate fury.”88 Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on The Greek New Testament: A Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament, Third Ed. (Stuttgart: United Bible Societies, 1971), 752-753.89 Ibid., 753; Beale, 779.90 Beale, 779.91 Ibid., 779-780; Metzger Textual, 753, adds that a small set of manuscripts leave out the adjective completely.

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Nonetheless, the destruction by the reaper angel and,

subsequently, God Himself is thoroughly souring to the stomach

when considered in any light. The breadth of the devastation is

understood by many scholars to not communicate a literal

understanding, but rather a figurative description of the coming

outpouring of God’s wrath. Beale offers that the picture is meant

to be “hyperbolic” concerning the nature of blood that will be

shed of the unfaithful/wicked. Hendriksen follows suit in saying

that John is seeing “a lake of blood…so deep that horses can swim

in it.”92 The river of blood that flows out from the Lord’s

winepress is described as “rising as high as the horses’ bridles

for a distance of 1,600 stadia.”93 This reference to a horse’s

bridle being used as a form of measurement is not used elsewhere

in Scripture leading many scholars to give their best explanation

for the measurement in the image.94 It is this author’s opinion

that the deep river of blood of the wicked is a truthful literary92 Hendriksen, 156.93 Rev. 14:20; Beale, 782, calculates “approximately 184 miles,” or the “approximate length of Palestine measured from Tyre to theborder of Egypt.”; Hendriksen, 156, offers that 1600 is calculated by 4 times 4 and 10 times 10, with 4 symbolizing the “number of the universe” and 10 symbolizing “completeness.”94 Beale, 781; Beale, 781-782, notes that John could have been using an image from 1 Enoch 100:3-4.

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image to be compared against the “river of the water of life…

flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” in Revelation

22:1. Nonetheless, the reader and hearer are left at the end of

this passage with “brutal” and “horrifying” images of the

ultimate expression of God’s wrath.95

VII. Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, the addition of the description of the end

result of the vintage is a powerful indicator of the message that

John was seeking to give to readers and hearers of this prophecy.

The seriousness of sin in the lives of mankind is not taken

lightly by the Lord. This description is a fitting indicator to

understanding, at least in this author’s view, the destiny of the

wicked as opposed to the destiny of the righteous, considering

the harvest and vintage images respectively. These words and

images are a sure warning for faithful and unfaithful alike to

repent and believe. Furthermore, this passage helps one to see

that the one like a son of man will surely come and gather His

harvest on the Final Day. This brings those who trust in Him

great hope to endure through their miserable persecutions and 95 Blount, 281.

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“impossible situations.” This is also true of ourselves today.

The gathering of His harvest and of the vintage will surely come

with the coming of the son of man. Hear these words of prophecy

that John spoke in the beginning of the book, Revelation 1:7 in

relation to this pericope:

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see

him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will

wail on account of Him. Even so. Amen.” (ESV)

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VIII. Bibliography

Beale, G. K. “The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text” in The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1999).

Beale, G. K., and D. A. Carson, Eds. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007).

Blount, Brian K. “Revelation: A Commentary” in The New Testament Library, edited by C. Black, et. al. (Louisville: WestminsterJohn Knox Press, 2009).

Caird, G. B. “A Commentary on The Revelation of St. John the Divine, First Ed.” in Harper New Testament Commentaries (New York: Harper and Row, 1966).

Copeland, Mark A. 2012. "The Book of Revelation" in Executable Outlines. The Blue Letter Bible. http://blueletterbible.org/study/eo/Rev/Rev000.cfm (accessedNovember 5, 2014).

Copeland, Mark A. 2012. "The Book of Revelation: Chapter 14" in Executable Outlines. Christian Classics Ethereal Library. http://executableoutlines.com/rev/rev_14.htm (accessed November 5, 2014).

DeSilva, David Arthur. "Honor Discourse and the Rhetorical Strategy of the Apocalypse of John." Journal For The Study Of The New Testament no. 71 (September 1, 1998): 79-110. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed December 4, 2014).

DeVilliers, Pieter G. R. "The composition of Revelation 14:1-15:8: pastiche or perfect pattern?." Neotestamentica 38, no. 2(January 1, 2004): 209-249. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed November 22, 2014).

Ford, J. Massyngberde. "Shalom in the Johannine corpus." Horizons In Biblical Theology 6, no. 2 (December 1, 1984): 67-89. ATLA

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Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed November 22, 2014).

Hendriksen, William. More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1967).

Henry, Matthew. “Revelation 14” in Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete), http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/revelation/14.html (accessed November 22, 2014).

Johnson, Dennis E. Him We Proclaim: Preaching Christ from All the Scriptures (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2007).

Lasor, W., David A. Hubbard, and Frederic Bush. Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1996).

Metzger, Bruce M. A Textual Commentary on The Greek New Testament: A Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament, Third Ed.(Stuttgart: United Bible Societies, 1971).

Metzger, Bruce M. Breaking the Code: Understanding the Book of Revelation (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993).

Morris, Leon. “The Revelation of St. John: An Introduction and Commentary” in The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, edited by R. V. G. Tasker (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1980).

Mounce, Robert H. “The Book of Revelation, rev. ed.” in The New International Commentary on the New Testament, edited by Ned B. Stonehouse, et. al. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1997).

Nadler, Sam. Messiah in The Feasts of Israel, rev. ed. (Charlotte: Word of Messiah Ministries, 2010).

Poythress, Vern S. The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2000).

Roetzel, Calvin J. The World that Shaped the New Testament, rev. ed. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002).

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Ryken, L., James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III, et. al., eds. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1998).

Stevenson, Gregory M. "Conceptual Background to Golden Crown Imagery in the Apocalypse of John (4:4,10, 14:14)." Journal Of Biblical Literature 114, no. 2 (June 1, 1995): 257-272. ATLA ReligionDatabase with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed December 4, 2014).

Strong, James. The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: New Strong’s Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990).

Svigel, Michael J. "The Apocalypse of John and the rapture of thechurch: a reevaluation." Trinity Journal 22, no. 1 (March 1, 2001): 23-74. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed December 4, 2014).

The New International Version Bible, (NIV). (Nashville: Cornerstone BiblePublishers, 1999).

VanGemeren, Willem. The Progress of Redemption: The Story of Salvation from Creation to the New Jerusalem (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1988).