The valley of Megiddo is situated at the foot of Israel’s Mount Megiddo the valley is believed to be the site prophesied in the Bible of the Battle of Armageddon. This we know as the final battle of the End Times before the Second Coming of Jesus. The location of the valley is crucial to understanding the American evangelical’s hardline support for Israel. The Battle of Armageddon will culminate with all of the world’s armies descending on this plain for an epic battle against Israel; when the battle ends, the valley will be filled with “blood up to the bridles of the horses,”, we will review that this morning. However, God will restore the land to Israel under Christ’s rule, fulfilling God’s covenant with Abraham.

We have to admit that some of what we are learning will not come to full understanding until that time of those Tribulation saints.

Revelation chapter 14 is a description of the imagery related to God’s final wrath. It is the worst time in the world’s history. The image of wrath, the image of vengeance, and the image of the stamping out of grapes in a winepress symbolic of God crushing out the life of the ungodly. We will see the details of God’s wrath in this period known as the tribulation.

I. Angel Number Four – 14:13-15

1. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord: “These are the only glorious dead… they die in the cause of God, they die under the commendation and beam of Almighty God. They die to live and reign with the Lord for ever and ever.” You and I can only imagine what courage and comfort this passage will bring to these embattled, persecuted saints during the Great Tribulation. Clearly, God wants to encourage His people to be steadfast in times of trial to lie the doctrine of perseverance of His saints and to focused on what blessed rest and reward awaits them. — I Cor. 15:58

2. The reaper is identified very clearly here in verse 14, “one like a Son of Man.” That phrase is directly, from Daniel 7:13-14 and there it refers to none other than the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is liken to the Son of man because he is now glorified. “How different it will be to see Jesus with a crown of gold upon his head from that terrible crown of thorns that was thrust upon his brow!

The Greek word used “stef’-an-os” refers to the crown won in conflict; and it is also the crown of royalty. When the Lord Jesus comes to judge the world, he will wear the garland of victory. This is the crown which he has won in the great battle which he has fought for the souls of men.

3. Now Angel # 4 shows up in verse 15 after the presence of Christ on a cloud which is indicative of His Shinkida glory. We saw this on the mount of Transfiguration, at the ascension of Christ and at the Rapture of the church. Now as Christ comes to reap the souls of the saints who have been true and followers of the lamb. He comes with a sharp sickle. This is the first harvest. Notice Matthew 24:29-31. “Put in Your sickle and reap because the hour to reap has come.” No more delay, no more grace, it is time for the harvest. The swift sharp sickle (these were as sharp as a razor) shows the completeness of this judgment and its speed, and its severity.

You see the word “ripe.” It’s time to reap because the harvest of the earth is ripe. The word actually means to be overripe, to have passed the point of any usefulness, to become actually dry, withered, overripe, or rotten. In other words, the grain, the earth has passed the point of any use at all. No purpose for it at all, it’s overripe. It’s very late.

II. Angel Number Five & Six – 14:17-18

1. Angel # 5 and # 6 work together in verse 17, 18 to reap the souls of the damned after the final battle that is yet to be describes. In verse 17 we read, “And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also had a sharp sickle.” This is the fifth angel in the visions of chapter 14 and he also is an agent for God’s judgment. And he has a sharp sickle. Both the Lord Jesus Christ in the first vision and this angel in the second vision have instruments of judgment.

2. Angels, as we know from our many studies have played very prominent roles in carrying out God will and the same is true at the end in Revelation. The four horsemen that we saw in chapter 6 were called by angels, the seven trumpets were blown by angels, Satan and demons were defeated by angels, the seven bowls will be poured out by angels, Armageddon is announced by an angel, Satan and demons are bound by an angel. And here is another angel. This angel comes out of the temple in heaven and he also has a sharp sickle.

3. In verse 18, “And another angel, number six. This one is identified. “The one who has power over fire, came out from the altar.” Now this is interesting and somewhat unique. It’s as if he pours out the fire of God’s wrath and the angel with the sickle reaps the results. The picture here is that this angel is not so much coming from the throne of God as the first angel did, representing the will of God, but this is an angel coming from the altar because he is coming to see that the prayers of the saints are answered…

He comes from a place where the saints have been praying and praying and praying. And it’s now time to answer their prayers. It’s time for the harvest, just as it was time for the grain harvest.

Back in chapter 14 we began to get a glimpse of Armageddon and this idea of thrusting in the sickle in verse 15, is the reaping and the harvest that speaks of Gods’ judgment. This entire holocaust will comes to a final focus in Armageddon.

III. The Aftermath of Judgement- Verse 20

1. Verse 20 sums it up. The Lord will judge the earth with fire and purge it with his fiery word, both literally and figuratively. The bible mentions the judgment of fire to come many times such as in Psalms 97:3 – fire; Is. 66:15, 16- fire and Joel 2:30, 31 pillars or columns of fire and smoke.
2. The battle of Armageddon will unleash the full fury of God’s wrath against the nations of the world gathered together against Israel. The winepress is trodden outside the city and the blood came out of the winepress even to the horse’s bridle, that’s four or five feet high by the space of a thousand six hundred furlongs. That’s 200 miles, that’s the length of Israel…five feet deep the length of Israel is used to symbolize the blood bath. And grapes have no strength against the smiting feet of Almighty God, and so you see God tramping out His judgment.

Conclusion:

Revelation 14 shows who is really triumphant, powerful, and in control: God. This will come to pass regardless of what are eschatology is; the Lord has it all figured out,” Christians need not be divided over eschatology let’s all be Pro-Pan Mill… We find the church is as divided over eschatology as this nation has become divided. “To argue over this while our nation crumbles is like fighting for deck chairs on the Titanic. Let’s get the ship fixed and forget about the chairs. The drug addict can’t even spell eschatology and the single mother raising her kids doesn’t need a lesson on the topic as much as she needs a church to help her with her intense challenges. We need to quit dividing and start uniting in order to change our culture.”