The Rapture?: Daily Thoughts from Revelation (Revelation 14:14-20)

I believe in a rapture that occurs before the 70th week of Daniel, before the last seven years of earth history before Jesus returns to establish his kingdom on earth. Does the book of Revelation describe that rapture? I don’t think so. I think it is described as a revealed mystery elsewhere (see these three articles, one, two, and three).

But there are some who think it is mentioned here in Revelation 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. 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.” So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.

   Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 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.” 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. 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.  (Revelation 14:14-20 ESV)

Two reapings are anticipated.  The first is by one like a son of man who wears a golden crown.  The other is by one designated as an angel.  This suggests that Jesus is the first reaper and a created angel the second.  The thing being reaped in each case is different also.  The Son of Man reaps grain, the angel reaps grapes.

It is likely then that the first reaping of the grain is Jesus safely bringing in to his “barns” those who have believed.  The harvest will be fully ripe, that is, all who were going to believe have done so. The great question is when does this harvesting occur. Is this the rapture prior to the last three and a half years of great tribulation, or is this a harvesting that occurs during or at the end of the three and a half years? The latter seems more likely since the judgment about to be poured out makes life nearly impossible on earth, and surely God will spare His children the consequences of His direct wrath on unbelievers.  Plus, the earth’s believers will not be fully ripe at the time of the rapture prior to the great tribulation.

The second reaping is for judgment of unbelievers, who, like grapes, are not stored but are crushed to make wine.  The “wine” is blood that flows 184 miles and very deep outside the city of Jerusalem and therefore pictured as impure.

The comfort God gives His saints is unsurpassed.  His wrath toward unbelievers will be terrible.  We have a God who loves us deeply and who will not allow us to suffer needlessly.