Saturday, September 15, 2012

Two Sickles -Revelation 14:14-20

Revelation 14:14-20 ESV
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.

The time for reaping is at hand. Two sickles are swung. The first is in the hands of Jesus, the Son of Man. He waits until the command is given from the Father to bring His children home. The harvest from the earth is reaped, being fully ripe.
Two different Greek words are both translated as "ripe". For the harvest reaping the word is: ξηραίνω xērainō. This has the meaning of the drying and readiness of wheat for harvest. The sickle swing results in "reaping", a positive and joyful activity that is reward for the endurance of the saints.
The other word, ἀκμάζω akmazō, has the meaning of being in full bloom and in its prime, like a grape whose time has come. This sickle swing results in the gathering rather than a reaping. The grapes are thrown into the "winepress of God's wrath". The wrath of God unfolds before us in the seven plagues that now follow.
The flow of blood is given, which is about 180 miles, or the length of Israel.

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