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For more information about our
teaching and preaching ministry, you can find us online at cornerstoneorlando.org. The following sermon has been
brought to you by Cornerstone Orlando, making disciples for
the glory of God. The title of our sermon this
afternoon is The Time of the Harvest, Revelation 14, verses 14 through
20. And in our text today, as we consider or continue to work
through Revelation, We're gonna be discussing the return of Christ
and judgment. Christ comes on the clouds of heaven, as it were,
to execute judgment, to harvest the earth. And we're going to,
in looking at that subject through this text, we're gonna tie together
several chapters, several passages in the Bible that deal with judgment
and deal with the work of Jesus Christ and his return. As you
know, by way of reminder, we're in the fourth now, the fourth
of seven parallel literary cycles in the book of Revelation, parallel
literary progressive cycles in the book of Revelation. The fourth
is one of seven recapitulating cycles, a cycle that portrays
a perspective of these last days, the days in which we currently
live. And it's a cycle that runs from chapter 12 to the beginning
of chapter 15. This fourth cycle in the book is comprised of seven
visions or seven scenes now that depict, in particular during
this fourth cycle, they depict the activity and operation of
Satan during this age in his persecution of the church. In
other words, these scenes, these visions, depict the outworking
of that enmity that originated in the curse of Genesis chapter
3 at the fall of Adam in the garden. An enmity that was placed
between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman, and
an enmity that is still profoundly experienced by the Church in
our own day. So this afternoon, we're going
to consider the sixth vision, the sixth scene in this fourth
cycle of the book. And it's a vision that takes
us to the very end of the age and gives us a description of
a complex of events involving the return of Jesus Christ, the
in-gathering of God's elect, and the final judgment upon the
wicked. If you remember, in the first
of these visions or scenes, The first of these visions depicted
Satan in chapter 12, waiting to devour the male child as soon
as he was born. And then when he was cast to
the earth, he was cast down with great wrath, knowing that he
has but a short time. And there he pursues and persecutes the
woman. In the second and third scenes
of this fourth literary cycle, we saw, or we were introduced
to Satan's earthly agents, the beast that arises from the sea
and the beast that arises from the earth, respectively. One
representing corrupt civil authority, the other representing corrupt
false religion. And then in the fourth scene,
we were given a depiction of the church in her victory, standing
on Mount Zion with the lamb and singing victory songs. Then in
the fifth scene, we heard the judicial proclamation of God's
angelic messengers to those who dwell on the earth. The hour
of their judgment has finally come. As we move through each
one of these, parallel recapitulating literary cycles in the book of
Revelation, as we progress through the book, we find that Revelation
increasingly emphasizes the time of the end. Revelation increasingly,
as we work through those cycles, it increasingly emphasizes the
culmination of redemptive history and the end of the age. And that's
exactly what we see in this fourth cycle and in its component scenes.
There is an increasing weight given or an increasing attention
given to those, to describing those events or emphasizing those
events that are associated with the very end of the age. And
we see that clearly in these final scenes, the fifth scene
proclaiming judgment to those who dwell upon the earth. Now
that we come to the sixth scene, we see that judgment actually
carried out. Now, again, As these cycles and visions are presented
to us, they're also presented to us in symbolic terms that
are going to be found familiar to those who read and study their
Bibles. They're communicated in symbolic terms that are derived
from the text of Scripture. The symbolism that we find in
Revelation is used to convey spiritual realities, In particular
here, it communicates to a spiritual realities that are associated
with these last days. And these symbols, these word
pictures, these images are drawn from types and shadows that have
been introduced to us before. And if a picture is worth a thousand
words, then these word pictures speak volumes. They're worth
thousands of books. These word pictures are very
helpful in understanding what God is communicating through
this letter to his church. They represent a culmination,
if you will, by relying on images or pictures from the Old Testament,
types and shadows from the Old Testament revelation that in
using those images to communicate spiritual realities to us, these
images, these pictures represent a culmination, if you will, of
thousands of years of redemptive history, thousands of years of
redemptive revelation. those types and shadows, thousands
of years of redemptive revelation, finding their apex, their culmination
or consummation in this book. And it's why many refer to Revelation
as the capstone of the canon. It's the apex, the climax of
the canon, if you will. So now in this sixth scene, in
this cycle that includes seven scenes, this sixth scene describes,
again, those events that characterize the very end of the age, the
return of Jesus Christ, the gathering together of his elect, and the
judgment of the wicked. As we continue through the book,
we're gonna find that much of our time is spent on that complex
of events that characterizes the end, including the return
of Christ, the ingathering of his elect, and the judgment of
the wicked. Now he communicates these things to us, again, using
rich biblical symbolism, wherein in our text, John draws upon
the imagery of the harvest, the metaphor of the harvest. In the
last scene, God's angelic messengers announce the impending judgment
of God. In this sixth scene, that final judgment is now executed.
There is in our scene, those who reap and those who gather. One, we see Jesus Christ the
righteous. Jesus Christ comes again in the
clouds of heaven to judge the living and the dead at his appearing
and reaps the earth. Also, we see with him angels,
one in particular who has power over fire. We see angels as the
reapers as well, executing judgment on the last day. This judgment
day harvest involves a separation and a sentence. In one sense,
the judgment day harvest involves a separation of the sheep from
the goats, the righteous from the unrighteous, the good fish
from the bad fish to borrow from the parable of the dragnet, the
wheat from the chaff, those who bear good fruit from those who
bear bad fruit, where final eschatological consummative judgment is described
in terms of a harvest. Look at verse 14. Then I looked,
and behold, a white cloud. And on the cloud sat one like
the Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his
hand a sharp sickle. A sickle was, if you remember
that picture of a sickle, long curved blade with a short wooden
handle used for cutting grain crops, used for cutting away
grain. It was an agricultural tool used
to cut vines from branches or branches from vines, used to
harvest grain like wheat. So the long curved blade on a
short wooden handle. This one, the son of man came
having a sharp sickle in his hand, verse 15. And another angel
came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who
sat on the cloud, thrust in your sickle and reap, therizo, it's
to glean or to harvest. For the time has come for you
to reap because the harvest of the earth is ripe. So in verse
16, he who sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth and
the earth was reaped. Again, in all of these terms,
we see the metaphor, the imagery of a harvest. agricultural terms
associated with the harvest. And again, the word for reap
there literally refers to reaping a harvest from what has been
sown. And here we see in verse 14 through 16, the son of man
is reaping what has been sown and like wheat, that which is
reaped is gathered to him. And the language of harvest then
continues in verse 17, but rather than wheat that is harvested,
an angel gathers grapes that are thrown into a wine press
of God's wrath and crushed. And you see, rather than that
grape juice, you know, pouring out from beneath the wine pressed,
those crushed grapes pour forth blood from beneath the wine press
of God's wrath. Verse 17, Then another angel
came out of the temple, which is in heaven, he also having
a sharp sickle, it's an instrument of judgment. And another angel
came out from the altar who had power over fire and he cried
with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle saying, thrust
in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the
earth for her grapes are fully ripe. There are some who said
that the word sickle used seven times in this passage and may
refer to the completion of God's judgment here at the end of the
age, right? And number seven, again, being
symbolic. Verse 19, so the angel thrust his sickle into the earth
and gathered the vine of the earth and threw it into the great
winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trampled
outside the city and blood came out of the winepress up to the
horse's bridles for 1,600 furlongs. So those who belong to Jesus
Christ are gathered as wheat, verses 14 to 16, and the wicked
are harvested to judgment in verses 17 through 20. Once again,
John is relying upon symbols, images, or word pictures that
we find all over the Bible, but particularly word pictures that
we often find in the Old Testament. For that, turn with me to Joel
chapter three. Joel chapter three. In Joel chapter three, Hosea
Joel, Joel chapter three is a text wherein God declares his impending
judgment upon the nations. Look at Joel chapter three, beginning
in verse nine. The Lord says, proclaim this
among the nations, prepare for war, wake up the mighty men,
let the men of war draw near, let them come up, beat your plowshares
into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak
say, I'm strong. Assemble and come, all you nations.
Gather together all around. Cause your mighty ones to go
down there, O Lord. Let the nations be wakened and
come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Valley of Jehoshaphat, later
in the text, will be referred to as the Valley of Decision.
It's the Valley of Judgment. It's often used unbiblically
by those who would say that it's a time for God's time for someone,
a person to make a decision about whether to follow Jesus Christ
or not. So if you're familiar with easy beliefs in churches
or churches that teach a, you know, that unbiblical methodology
of Jesus in your heart, the time has come for you to make a decision.
They'll refer to the valley of decision or the valley of Jehoshaphat
for that. This is a valley of God's decision. This is a valley
where we're in. God executes judgment. It's often
associated with the Kidron Valley to the Eastern side of the city
of Jerusalem. where God decides against the
nations, where God decides against the wicked or against the unrighteous,
and God sits in judgment. Because it says, verse 12, for
there, God says, I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. And it's a picture, if you will,
for example, of Matthew 25, a text we'll look at in a few moments,
where the Lord sits in judgment, separating the sheep from the
goats. All the nations are seen as coming before him, and he
separates them as one who would separate the sheep from the goats.
It says in verse 13, here's where we get the language in our text,
put in the sickle for the harvest is ripe. The time has come for
harvest. Come go down for the wine press
is full. The vats overflow for their wickedness
is great. It was said of Israel that she
spent 430 years in the fiery furnace of Egypt because the
wickedness of the Amorites had not yet reached its full measure. Now there is a sense in which
at the given time, at an appropriate time, at a time determined by
God, sin among the wicked will reach its full measure and the
time will come for harvest. And we find the same language,
that same language of judgment all over the New Testament. For
example, turn with me to Matthew 13. Matthew 13, we're gonna look
at several texts this afternoon. In Matthew 13, you'll find the
Lord's parable of the wheat and the tares are just tremendous,
wonderful parables throughout the gospels, dealing with the
kingdom, dealing with the return of Jesus Christ, dealing with
judgment. Here we find the parable of the wheat and the tares in
Matthew 13, look at verse 24. Here, another parable, he put forth
to them saying, the kingdom of heaven, is like a man who sowed
good seed in his field. Notice the agricultural metaphors,
we're gonna see the language of the harvest. But while men
slept, verse 25, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat
and went his way. At the end of the age of the
harvest, there's going to be a reaping of what has been sown. Here, there's an enemy in the
field, which is God's creation, An enemy has sown tares. But,
verse 26, when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop,
produced fruit, then the tares also appeared. Two different
types of plants, two different types of fruits. Verse 27, so
the servants of the owner came to him and said, sir, did you
not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?
And he said to them, an enemy has done this. The servant said
to him, do you want us then to go and gather them up? But he
said, no, lest while you gather up the tares, you also uproot
the wheat with them. Let both grow together until
the harvest. And at the time of the harvest,
I will say to the reapers, first gather together the tares and
bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into
my barn. He dropped down to verse 36.
The Lord gives then an explanation of this parable. Verse 36, And
Jesus sent the multitude away, went into the house, and his
disciples came to him, saying, Explain to us the parable of
the tares of the field. He answered and said to them,
He who sows the good seed is the son of man. The field is
the world. The good seeds are the sons of
the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one."
We see the two different types of people, the two different
types of seed, if you will, two different types of fruit. The
enemy who sowed those wicked seeds is the devil. The harvest
is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels." When
we get to Revelation chapter 14, we see this harvest that
takes place at the end of the age at the return of Jesus Christ. Also
in our text, you see accompanying the Lord Jesus Christ, these
angels or reapers. Therefore, verse 40, as the tares
are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end
of this age. The Son of Man will send out
his angels. They will gather out of his kingdom all things
that offend and those who practice lawlessness. There will be a
separation followed by a sentence. And the sentence, verse 42, he
will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing
and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine
forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears
to hear, let him hear. So there will be a harvest at
the end of the age, not a literal harvest of wheat or grapes, but
a harvest of men. harvest of souls, if you will,
to the judgment of that great day. That judgment is symbolized
by the sharp sickle in the hands of the reapers. That judgment
is determined by what is produced, whether it produces wheat or
whether it produces tares. That judgment is determined by
whether it produces good fruit or bad fruit, whether they are
good or bad, righteous or unrighteous. The Lord says, and speaking of
this very fact from Scripture, the Lord says, by their fruits
you will know them. He asks in Matthew 7, do men
gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so,
every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not
bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Notice
again, a separation in a sentence. In this great harvest at the
end of the age, there is a distinction made between them. And what is
true of the tree is clearly manifest by its fruit. And good is separated
from bad. Righteous is separated from unrighteous.
Good fruit separated from bad fruit. That separation then,
that differentiation, that distinction is followed by a sentence. The
wheat, those bearing good fruit, are gathered into the barn. The
tares, those bearing bad fruit, are gathered into the fire. So
the Bible then is replete with images of this harvest. And it's
harvest, this metaphor being used in reference to a singular
and final day of judgment, wherein fruit is expected by the Lord.
It's a day again, that involves both a separation and a sentence,
a distinction, and then a final destination. And that destination
is appropriate to the distinction. If bad fruit is produced, it's
gathered up, they're thrown into the fire. Good fruit is gathered
into the barn. Wheat gathered into the barn,
tears to the fire. Branches that produce good grapes,
gathered up to the Lord. Branches that are barren, tangled
up, bundled up and cast into the fire. In other words, there
is reward to the righteous and retributive wrath to the wicked. And again, in this metaphor of
the harvest, fruit is described as the distinguishing factor.
And again, this uses images drawn from agriculture. The only way
to produce good fruit is by being a branch vitally connected to
the vine. Turn with me to John 15. Let's
look at that briefly. John 15. The only way to produce good
fruit is by being a branch vitally connected to the vine. The Lord
explains this in John 15, beginning in verse one. Jesus says, I am
the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch
in me, every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes
away, and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes that it may
bear more fruit. You are already clean because
of the word which I have spoken to you, saying this to his disciples
on their way to Gethsemane. The Lord says in verse four,
abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit
of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you bear
fruit of yourself unless you abide in me. The Lord says in
verse five, I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides
in me and I in him bears much fruit for without me, you can
do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me,
he is cast out as a branch and is withered and they gather them
and throw them into the fire and they are burned. Now, why
is that? It's because those branches are fruitless. Those are fruitless
branches. Again, it points to the Lord's
words. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot
bear good fruit. The Lord says in verse seven,
if you abide in me, if you are vitally, if you are in a vital
union with me, you abide in me, you abide in my words, and my
words abide in you, verse seven, you will ask what you desire
and it shall be done for you. By this, my Father is glorified,
that you bear much fruit, and so you will prove to be my disciples. The Lord is not, in these statements,
in this context, the Lord is not referring to fruit as the
basis on which someone is justified. Fruit is not the basis on which
someone is eternally saved. You're not saved because you
produced good fruit. You're not saved because you
have performed good works, so to speak. You are saved on another
basis altogether. The Bible is exceedingly clear.
that we are justified, declared righteous in His sight, we are
saved, so to speak, by grace alone, through faith alone, apart
from works of our own, faith alone in Christ alone. However,
Fruit in the Bible, this metaphor of fruit, this metaphor of the
harvest, is a beautiful way of expressing the outward manifestation
of a true, healthy, thriving, living, connected branch. Good
fruit is the inevitable result of the Spirit's work in someone
who has been united to Jesus Christ divine through faith.
James says, I'll show you my faith by my works or by my fruit. James would say that faith without
works or faith without fruit is dead. In other words, the
fruit says something about the root, right? The fruit says something
about the essential nature of the tree, the essential nature
of the branch. A branch that produces no fruit,
that fruitlessness says something about the branch, right? The
fruit says something about the essential nature of the tree.
In the metaphor, it's a good tree that bears good fruit. It's a bad tree that bears bad
fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit
and a bad tree cannot bear bad fruit or cannot bear good fruit.
You will know them by their fruits. Every tree, the Lord says, which
does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
So we asked the question then, what makes one tree to differ
from another? And what makes one tree to differ from another?
Who causes the essential nature of the wheat to differ from the
essential nature of a tare? The answer to that question is
God is the one who causes one to differ from another. God himself,
by a work of his spirit through the gospel of his son, causes
one tree to differ from another tree. Is it the fruit that determines
the root? Or is it the other way around?
Is it the fruit that bears evidence of a good root? The tree is good
because God has made it so. The person is righteous because
God has provided a righteousness. The tree is good because God
has determined that it would be so and has provided for that
tree to become good, so to speak. God imparts a new nature when
he causes us to be born again. God is the one who gives a new
heart. God is the one who establishes a new principle within us. He
is the one who indwells us with his spirit. He is the author
and the finisher of our faith. And it's through the means of
faith and trust alone in Jesus Christ alone that we are forgiven
of our sin. It's through faith that we receive
as a gift from God, an imputed or accredited righteousness,
a righteousness that is not inherent to us. It's a righteousness that
is not our own. It's a righteousness that we
received by the grace of God from another, from the Lord Jesus
Christ himself. We receive as a gift of grace, the imputed
righteousness of Jesus Christ, whereby we become a good tree.
and whereby we produce the fruit that abounds in the glory of
God. God makes of us a new creation. So then, 2 Corinthians 5, verse 10, Paul
says, Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 10, that we will all
appear, phanareo, the word means we'll all be exposed. We will
all be revealed before the judgment seat of Christ. We will all be
revealed at the great harvest of the earth, and you'll be revealed
as a sheep or as a goat. You'll be revealed there as a
good tree or as a bad tree. You'll be revealed there, exposed
there as a good fish or as a bad fish. You'll be revealed there
as the head of wheat or as a tear sown by the enemy, as a fruit
bearing branch, vitally connected to the vine or as a barren branch,
good for nothing, but to be burned in the fire. There, Paul says
at that great revealing, Each one will receive the things done
in the body. It's another way, or another
way in which fruit depicts our works. Fruit depicts, manifests
the root. Each one will receive the things
done in the body according to what he has done. Our judgment
is according to works. according to fruit, whether good
or bad, Paul says. So what Paul describes in 2 Corinthians
chapter five, verse 10, 11 following is retributive justice, reward
or punishment. Turn with me to Romans chapter
two. This is a text that we studied in our exposition Romans on Sunday
mornings. Paul makes the same point in Romans chapter two,
beginning there in verse five, where Paul says in verse five,
But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart, you
are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous judgment of God." Now, how are they doing
that? They're doing that by their unrighteous works. In accordance
with their hard and impenitent hearts, they continue in their
sin. They continue unrepentantly,
stubbornly, obstinately in their sin. And by continuing in their
sin with a hard and impenitent heart, they are treasuring up
for themselves wrath. And that wrath will come at the revelation
of the righteous judgment of God. It will come at the last
day at the harvest of the earth, at the day of judgment. And God
there in verse six, will render to each one according to his
deeds. Eternal life to those who by
patient continuance in doing good. You see how works play
into this assessment at the end of the age. Eternal life to those
who by patient continuance in doing good, seek for glory, honor,
and immortality, but to those who are self-seeking and do not
obey the truth, but rather obey unrighteousness to them, indignation
and wrath, tribulation and anguish on every soul of man who does
evil. Who does evil, do you see? of the Jew first and also of
the Greek. But glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works
what is good to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for there
is no partiality with God. Those who have been born again
by the Spirit of God, who put their faith and trust in Jesus
Christ, manifest a healthy, thriving, living faith through good works,
by good fruit. And it's that good fruit that
will bear evidence in the last day that they belong to Him.
Those who are not born again, those who continue with a hard
and impenitent heart, also bear evidence of a corrupt root. They bear evidence of a corrupt
tree, if you will. They bear bad fruit, and it's
on the basis of that fruit. Again, that fruit will bear evidence
of them in the last day when they are revealed or exposed
at the seat of Jesus Christ. That will expose a bad tree.
They'll receive retributive justice in return. Therefore, Paul says,
back in 2 Corinthians 5, we make it our aim to be well-pleasing
to Him. In other words, we make it our
aim to pursue good fruit. Therefore, knowing the terror
of the Lord, we persuade men. So again, with this metaphor
of the harvest, This agricultural images being pulled from the
New Testament for the Old Testament, we see in Revelation 14, one
harvest at the end of the age, one judgment, two types of trees
bearing two types of fruit, two types of people, two ways to
live, two eternal destinations. There is at the harvest of the
earth, a separation, that separation is followed by a sentence. And
it begs the question, where will you go? Where will you go? What will be said of you when
you stand before the judgment seat of Christ at the end of
the age? What will be said of you when you are revealed or
exposed where the tree, the essential nature of the tree, the root
is exposed? What will it be said of you?
Will it be determined? that you have a good principle
placed there by God himself at work within you. Born again,
a new creation in Jesus Christ, indwelt by God's spirit, producing
fruit for the glory of God, or will that day reveal that you
are a tear sown by the enemy? How do you know? How do you know? Lord Jesus Christ says, you'll
know them by their fruit. the people of God and dwelt by the
Spirit, those whom God, Ezekiel 36, causes to walk into statutes
and judgments and to keep them, those who are born again of His
Spirit will inevitably produce good fruit. A bad tree cannot
produce good fruit and a good tree cannot produce bad fruit.
What kind of fruit are you producing? The only hope you have apart
from Jesus Christ in that day is that you are living a life
of absolute moral perfection, which is to say the only hope
you have is Jesus Christ. The next in Revelation 14, regarding
this harvest metaphor then, there are two aspects of this harvest. There is the harvest of the good,
there is a reaping or a harvest of the bad. There is the harvest
of the righteous. There is the gathering up of
the unrighteous. And we see the harvest of the righteous by the
son of man in verses 14 to 16. We see the harvest of the unrighteous
by the reapers in verses 17 through 20. Look with me at the harvest
of the righteous by the son of man in verses 14 through 16.
Verse 14, John says, then I looked and behold a white cloud and
on the cloud sat one like the son of man having on his head
a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel
came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who
sat on the cloud, thrust in your sickle and reap for the time
has come for you to reap for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
So he who sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth and
the earth was reaped. Now first notice with me, the
one who is involved in the reaping, the one who is reaping. John
looks in verse 14 and sees one like the son of man. That is
a Danielic reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's a reference
from Daniel, the coming Messiah, right? The promised Messiah.
He has, in verse 14, on his head, a golden crown. That crown is
emblematic of his reign, of his rule as king over his kingdom. It's a reference to his rule.
Incidentally, brothers and sisters, The saints are said to rule and
reign with him, and the saints themselves will be given golden
crowns. He is seen here wearing a golden
crown that is indicative of his rule and reign as king. As king,
he has in his hand a sharp sickle, which is the instrument of his
judgment. So as he comes, he comes with a sickle in his hand.
When Jesus Christ returns, Jesus Christ will return in judgment.
Jesus Christ returns, verse 14, on the clouds, just as he ascended.
If you remember from Acts chapter one, you can turn there with
me if you like, I'm gonna read it to you briefly. Acts chapter
one in verse, in verse 11, Or verse 9, Now when he had spoken
these things, and they watched, he was taken up, and a cloud
received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly
toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them
in white apparel, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand
gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken
up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you
saw him go into heaven. As Jesus Christ was taken up
into heaven upon the clouds, so to speak, the Lord Jesus Christ
will return from heaven on the clouds. Lord said as much to
Pilate, didn't he? You'll see the son of man or
to Caiaphas, the high priest in his trial, you'll see the
son of man coming on the clouds of heaven. And that imagery of
the Lord Jesus Christ coming on the clouds is also drawn from
the Old Testament. The Old Testament prophecy of
Daniel. Look back at Daniel with me. Daniel chapter seven. These prophecies in Daniel, very
instructive for our understanding of revelation. Revelation in
many ways is interpreting Daniel's prophecy. In Daniel 7, verse
13, Daniel says, Again, that's a reference to the Lord Jesus
Christ. One like the son of man coming
with the clouds of heaven. And notice in Daniel seven, he's
coming into heaven. He's coming into heaven on the clouds. The
ancient of days has been seated and the Lord Jesus Christ now
is coming in the clouds of heaven into heaven. And he came, verse
13, to the ancient of days and they brought him near before
him. Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that
all people's nations and languages should serve him. His dominion
is an everlasting dominion. It's a global dominion. In other
words, all authority in heaven and on earth is given to him.
When did this take place? This took place at the ascension,
at the exaltation, and at the enthronement of the Lord Jesus
Christ. So in Acts 1, verse 11, when the disciples are standing
there and they're watching Jesus Christ ascend on the clouds, he's ascending
into heaven on the clouds. Presenting himself before the
ancient of days as the acceptable victor the lamb who was slain
and he's there to be enthroned He's there to receive the kingdom
He came to the ancient of days They brought him near before
him verse 14 then to him was given this dominion a global
dominion all authority in heaven on earth and it's a dominion
verse 14 which shall not pass away and his kingdom the one
which shall not be destroyed and This is the inauguration
of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in the New Testament,
remember Daniel chapter seven, we find similar imagery in Matthew
24, the Olivet Discourse. Turn to Matthew 24 with me. These images are being drawn
from all over the Old Testament, the New Testament. They're being
brought to culminating revelation, if you will, in the book of Revelation,
the capstone of the canon. Again, in Matthew 24, the Olivet
Discourse, this is regarding the Lord's return to the earth. As those in, the angel said in
Acts 1.11, that as you saw him go, he will come again in like
manner. We see him here come again in
like manner. Matthew 24, verse 29. Immediately after the tribulation
of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give
its light, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of
the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the son of man
will appear in heaven. Then all the tribes of the earth
will mourn. They will see the son of man
coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And
he will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet. They
will gather together his elect from the four winds from one
end of heaven to the other. Notice again, those picture of
the Lord Jesus Christ coming in the clouds with the angels,
with the reapers to execute judgment, gathering together his elect
at the sound of the trumpet. Revelation chapter 1 verse 7, John says, and all the tribes of the earth
will mourn because of him, even so, amen. You see this mourning
in the text in Matthew 24, even they who pierced him, right?
The one, that language is from Zechariah chapter 12, the one
whom they pierced, the one whom they pierced will come and they
will stand before him in judgment, you see? What does he do when
he comes? He comes to judge. He comes to separate. and to
sentence. He comes with a sickle in his
hands and they will stare before the one whom they've pierced.
Flip the page and look at Matthew 25. And again, we see a depiction
or an account of this judgment that will take place at the harvest
of the earth. Matthew 25, drop down there to verse 31. Verse 31, when the son of man
comes in his glory, when he comes on the clouds of heaven, and
all the holy angels with him, Then he will sit on the throne
of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him,
and then he will separate them one from another as a shepherd
divides his sheep from the goats. There will be a separation. And
he will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on
the left. Then comes the sentence. And
the king will say to those on his right hand, come, you blessed
of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundations
of the world. On what basis we could say, on what basis is this
judgment being made? It's being made on the basis
of their works. Verse 35, because I was hungry and you gave me
food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and
you took me in. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and
you visited me. I was a prison and you came to me. So specifically
because of these things on the basis of these things were being,
We're being saved, we're being delivered. No, these things bear
evidence of a vital living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who
is your righteousness, right? These works give evidence of
the root. These works bear witness to the
nature, the essential nature of the tree. Verse 37, then the
righteous will answer him saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry
and feed you or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you
a stranger and take you in or naked and clothe you? When did
we see you sick or in prison and come to you? And the king
will answer and say to them, assuredly, I say to you in as much as you
did it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you did it
to me. Then he will also say to those on the left, their sentence,
depart from me. You cursed into the everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, again on the
basis of works. For I was hungry and you gave
me no food. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a
stranger, you did not take me in. Naked, you did not clothe
me. Sick and in prison, you did not visit me. Then they also
will answer him saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or
thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in person and did
not minister to you? Then he will answer to them saying, assuredly,
I say to you, in as much as you did not do it to the one of the
least of these, you did not do it to me. And these will go away
into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal
life." Those words there translated in verse 46, everlasting and
eternal, it's the same Greek word. both convey the sense of
into the ages. You could say as everlasting
as the punishment of the wicked is as everlasting the blessedness
of the saints, or as eternal the blessedness of the saints
is as eternal the punishment of the wicked. Same word, two
different destinations, both forever. There's a separation,
a separation on the basis of works or fruit. There's a sentence,
a reward and a punishment. If you look at Matthew chapter
26, just flip the page, Jesus Christ is standing before the
Sanhedrin on the eve of his crucifixion, this kangaroo court, Matthew
26, verse 62. And a high priest arose and said
to him, do you answer nothing? What is it these men testify
against you? But Jesus kept silent and the high priest answered
and said to him, I put you under oath by the living God. Tell
us if you are the Christ, the son of God. Jesus said to him,
verse 64, it is as you said, nevertheless, I say to you hereafter,
you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of the power
and coming on the clouds of heaven. This one comes on the clouds
of heaven. He comes in glory and he comes
to execute judgment. to separate the past sentence.
We see that reflected in Revelation 14. Back in Revelation 14, in
verse 15 then, another angel came out of the temple. The word there is naos. And again,
that's the most holy place. In the temple complex, there
were the outer courts, and then there was the most holy place,
that place in which the priest entered once per year, and that
was the sacrifice of blood on the day of atonement. This, that
is the place, if you will, that was said to be God's presence,
where God dwelt between the cherubim. So he comes out of the temple,
the naos, the place of God's presence, crying with a loud
voice to him who sat on the cloud, verse 15, thrust in your sickle
and reap for the time has come for you to reap for the harvest
of the earth is ripe. So he sat on the cloud, thrust in his sickle
on the earth and the earth was reaped. Just as God determines
the time of our earthly harvests when we harvest crops, so too
God has determined the time of his spiritual harvest. God is
the one who's determined that time. Sin at that time will have
reached its full measure. The wicked will have attained
to the full measure of their guilt and the number of God's
elect will be complete. And at that time, when the wicked
have attained to the full measure of their guilt and the number
of God's elect will be complete, the Lord will return to reap
the earth. Wheat will be gathered into his barn. The tares will
be gathered up and thrown into the fire. And as the Lord harvests
the righteous at the end of the age then, so too will come the
reaping of the unrighteous, verse 17. Then another angel came out
of the temple, which is in heaven. He also having a sharp sickle,
And another angel came out from the altar who had power over
fire. And he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp
sickle saying, thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters
of the vine of the earth for her grapes are fully ripe. We
see verses 17 to 20, reaping, the gathering together and the
crushing of the wicked. It's a text we'll look at in
more detail next week at the Lord Wills. Brothers and sisters
from this text, we're to be reminded these, these texts are warnings
to us. As we discussed last week, these texts are a means. There
are means by which a judicial sentence is passed with justice
against the wicked that God may be found righteous when he speaks
blameless when he judges, but the same pronouncements or proclamations
that, uh, that perform a judicial function against those who dwell
on the earth, also perform a preserving function for God's people. Those
same proclamations that warn the wicked, warn the righteous.
And what do they warn the righteous to do? They warn the righteous
to cling to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is their life, to cling to
the Lord Jesus Christ, who is their righteousness, to persevere
in the faith, to endure, to keep going, to press forward, not
to turn back, not to turn away, not to step to the right hand
or to the left. So these texts are meant to us, brothers and
sisters, as a warning to persevere, as a warning to endure. Do not
turn back from following after Christ. We must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ. Therefore, Paul says, we make
it our aim to be well-pleasing to him. We must all be revealed
before the judgment seat of Christ. Therefore, as we walk, this age
together, brothers and sisters, our aim should be to pursue good
fruit for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only because
of the fear of judgment, but for the glory of his name. Paul
also said, it's the love of Christ that compels me. I should no
longer live for myself, but for him who died and rose again.
We should live for the Lord Jesus Christ and produce fruit for
the glory of his name. And we should be praying that the Lord in graciousness
to us. John 15 would prune us that we
might bear more fruit. Amen. Pray with me. Father in
heaven, we thank you. This is a sober reminder, and
it's a helpful reminder, a gracious reminder that we should be all
about abiding in you, your word abiding in us, that we might
produce fruit for the glory of your name. We know, Lord, that
we are not justified on the basis of our works. And we know that
we are justified on the basis of the works of the Lord Jesus
Christ alone. It is by virtue of His person and His life and
His death that we've been forgiven of our sins and imputed with
the righteousness that comes from Him, His perfect righteousness. And it's on the basis of that
righteousness, on the basis of those works, that we've been
declared righteous in your sight. We also know, Lord, that that
principle of righteousness you've established within us is the
basis on which we now walk then in newness of life. It's by virtue
of our union, our vital union with the Lord Jesus Christ that
we produce anything that could be considered good. And we're
grateful, Lord, that we can perform works that are good and acceptable
in your sight, by the power of your spirit, through faith in
Jesus Christ. And we're grateful for that. Grateful that you have
redeemed us. Grateful that through the person
and work of Jesus Christ, the righteous requirements of the
law might be fulfilled in those who walk, not according to the
flesh, but according to the spirit. We're grateful. for these precious
promises and these precious realities. And I pray for the glory of your
own name that we might produce fruit that is in keeping with
that awesome work of redemption that you have effected in us
by your Spirit through the gospel of your Son. And may it bring
glory to your name. May it exalt the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ. May it be done in the power of
your Spirit. We love you and we thank you for these things.
Lord, help us to abide. Help us to pursue good fruit.
Let's plant that principle deep within our hearts, Lord, and
cause us by Your Spirit to remain steadfast, immovable, always
abounding, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Hello, and thanks for listening.
My name is Mark Brashear, and I have the blessed privilege
of serving with the saints at Cornerstone Church near Orlando, Florida.
We're so grateful that you've connected with us through the
sermon that you've just heard. For more information, visit us at
cornerstoneorlando.org, or better yet, come and see us on the Lord's
Day at 3370 Snow Hill Road in Oviedo, Florida. We're just east
of Orlando and about 15 minutes from the campus at UCF. It would
be a joy to have you worship with us.
The Time of the Harvest
Series Studies in Revelation
| Sermon ID | 915241359561503 |
| Duration | 50:14 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday - PM |
| Bible Text | Revelation 14:14-20 |
| Language | English |
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