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Rev 14:13  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed [are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
Rev 14:14  And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud [one] sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
Rev 14:15  And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
Rev 14:16  And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
Rev 14:17  And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
Rev 14:18  And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
Rev 14:19  And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast [it] into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 14:20  And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand [and] six hundred furlongs.

Introduction

Here we are in the verses before us today, right after being told that “the hour of God’s judgment is come” (Rev 14:7), we are now being told that those who die in the Lord are blessed. Then the very next verse tells us that the Son of Man has come with a crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. So it is quite clear that “the hour of God’s judgment” is integrally connected with our death and “the harvest of the earth”.

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

According to this verse death must precede judgment, not follow judgment. So let us remember that this is all leading up to the revelation of what comprises the seventh trumpet, and let us never forget that these are all words which are proceeding out of the mouth of God, which we are all to “read, hear and keep” (Rev 1:1, Mat 4:4 and Rev 1:3). In these verses before us today, because we know that these are words that we are to “read, hear and keep” (Rev 1:3), we will see that both Christ, and we as His Christ, are the agency for the reaping of the harvest of the earth.

Now let’s look at what we are to keep as we are brought to see the revelation of this seventh trumpet that is “beginning to sound.”

Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

There are two forms of death mentioned in scripture. The one is physical, and the other is spiritual death to the things of this world. Physical death, from Christ’s perspective, is not death at all. It is merely taking a nap, and it is referred to in scripture as “sleeping” or being “asleep”. Spiritual death, on the other hand, has two applications of its own. One is positive, as when we “die in the Lord”, and one is negative, as when we are given part in “the second death”.

What are we told of those who “die in the Lord”?

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

So physical death is being “asleep in Christ” and is the same as being “dead in Christ”. To God physical death is not an issue, except as the loss of God’s saints is a loss to those in this world involved in grieving that death.

Php 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Php 1:22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
Php 1:23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
Php 1:24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

Here are the scriptures which demonstrate that from God’s perspective, physical death amounts to nothing more than a temporary nap.

Mat 9:24  He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

Joh 11:11  These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
Joh 11:12  Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
Joh 11:13  Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
Joh 11:14  Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
Joh 11:15  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

Then who is really dead in our Lord? Here again is Christ’s perspective, on who is really dead:

Mat 8:22  But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

So then, those who our natural man considers to be alive are really dead, and those who our natural man considers to be dead, are really alive to Christ. Here is how He frames His perspective towards what is and what is not ‘life’.

Mat 10:39  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

How do we go about “losing our life for Christ’s sake? Does “losing our life for Christ’s sake have anything to do with physical death? Well, if we “endure to the end” the answer is yes. But Christ considers Himself and us to have been crucified and dying while we are yet living, and He considers us to be living only if we are in Him. Here is what we are told:

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; y et not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

1Th 3:8  For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.

So while physical death is certainly included as the subject of Rev 14: 13, so is spiritual death to the things of this world. “The hour of His judgment” of Rev 14:7 follows the death, crucifixion and losing of life spoken of in all of these verses. All the saints who have “endured to the end” in all the generations since Christ, considered themselves to have died with Christ long before the end of their physical life, and now they are simply “sleeping” and waiting for Christ to raise them up from that temporary condition. So we are told:

Ecc 7:1  A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

Psa 116:15  Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints

Ecc 7:15  All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.

Joh 12:23  And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

Who is Jesus answering, and what is the request He is answering?

Joh 12:20  And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:
Joh 12:21  The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
Joh 12:22  Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.

It is not for the benefit of those “certain Greeks”, but for our benefit that Christ tells Andrew and Philip:

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

In other words, no man can see Christ at any time but those who have first died to “life in this world”. Only then does the true revelation of Jesus Christ begin to come into our spiritual vision.

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Our death to “life in this world” must precede our judgment. That is what the scriptures teach, and those are words which we must keep. Here is a very healthy spiritual view of this whole subject of life and death:

Php 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
Php 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

When that becomes our true perspective on the subject of life and death, then we are ready and prepared to be reaped and judged and to “see Christ”. Then after we have been reaped, we can and will be used by God to reap others with and for our Lord.

Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

“Now… by the church” is what Christ in His Christ is “now” in this life doing within those whom the holy spirit drags to the Christ, revealing to them “the manifold wisdom of God”.

Here in the “Son of Man with a sharp sickle”, and “another angel with a sharp sickle” is part of this manifold wisdom of God, which is being “now… being made known by the church… to all men”. Here is how those who are “crucified with Christ” are reaped by Christ:

Rev 14:14  And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
Rev 14:15  And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
Rev 14:16  And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

This obviously is Christ. It is Christ who will “return with the cloud of witnesses”.

Dan 7:13  I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

Act 1:9  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Act 1:10  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

What do these clouds symbolize? They are the symbol of those in whom Christ dwells and who are faithful to the word and witness of the Truths of God’s Words.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Christ is “the Son of man”. It is Christ who has “a golden crown on His head”, and it is Christ who has “a sharp sickle in His hand” and is told by “the angel out of the temple… to reap for the harvest of the earth is ripe”. You and I are that temple (1Co 3:16-17). You and I are that “angel [messenger]” out of that temple.

Rev 21:17  And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

If for one moment we forget that we are to keep these words written in these verses, we will lose our focus on where and when this harvest is taking place, and we will fail to realize that “the hour of God’s judgment is come” within us.

Rev 14:7  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

“The hour of His judgment is come” mentioned in verse 14 is the same as “the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” in 1Pe 4:17. This “hour of His judgment” is the same as this “harvest of the earth” within us here in verse 15. It is all one and the same event, which takes place within each and every believer before he can enter into the temple of God. If we lose this inward focus, we will forget that 2,000 year ago “the time was at hand to keep the things written in this book”, and we, too, will fall into the damning doctrine of placing all of the things written in this book out there in the future, upon the last generation of mankind which happens to be left standing on this earth when our Lord comes to resurrect His firstfruits and to give them the rulership of this earth for a symbolic “one thousand years”.

On the other hand, if it is given to us to maintain this focus, then these following verses which all “proceed out of the mouth” of our Lord will take on a new and wonderful and personal application:

Mat 13:24  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven [within us: Luk 17:20-21] is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field [Our lives in this world, Mat 13:38 “… the field is the world” or damnable false doctrines]:
Mat 13:25  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares [ damnable false doctrines] among the wheat, and went his way.
Mat 13:26  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Mat 13:27  So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Mat 13:28  He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Mat 13:29  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

The “good seed” in this and all parables, are the good words of the kingdom and “the children of the kingdom” who bring that good word:

Mat 13:19  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it] not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

“The wicked one… catches away the good seed” by planting tares [lies] in with the good seed. The lying doctrines are tolerated in our lives “until the harvest” or until the “hour of His judgment is come”. That is why we have “the hour of His judgment” and “the harvest of the earth” in the same few verses here in Revelation 14. Here are these two verses side by side:

Rev 14:7  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Rev 14:15  And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
Rev 14:16  And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

Who keeps all these things? Where is all of this to happen? When is this all to take place? We are not left to guess:

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein [that is who and where these things are all to be kept]: for the time is at hand [ this is when these things are to be kept].

But “the Son of Man” told us that He was sending us “as My Father hath sent me”. For what purpose was Christ sent into this world by His Father?

1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Is that what Christ has sent us to do also? Is it? Here are His own words:

Joh 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Are we really sent into this world to be saviors of sinners? What do the scriptures say?

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

“Mount Zion” is a symbol for God’s elect, and God’s elect are His agents for bringing mercy and life to all men. Let’s read it again:

Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

Remember this verse quoted above:

Rev 21:17  And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

Here in Rev 14:17 is “a man that is… the angel”.

Rev 14:17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
Rev 14:18  And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
Rev 14:19  And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast [ it] into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 14:20  And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand [ and] six hundred furlongs.

This angel “comes out of the temple which is in heaven”. We have demonstrated over and over that “ye are the temple of God”. We have demonstrated that the angels are men who are also reapers:

Mat 13:39  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him [the angel]. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Rev 22:8  And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9  Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

Rev 21:17  And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

It is “the church” who shows these things to “all men”.

Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, [“These things” of Rev 22:8]

We have demonstrated over and over that “God dwells in you”, that He “dwells in the heavens”, and “He dwells in His people”.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Psa 103:19  The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

Psa 115:3  But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

Psa 123:1 <A Song of degrees.> Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.

“God dwells in you… God dwells in the heavens”. God must perform the miracle of blinding our spiritual eyes to keep us from seeing that the heavens are within His people.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

This angel that “gathers the vine of the earth” with the very same sharp sickle that Christ uses is Christ’s Christ. This team is also known as “the Lord and His Christ”,

Act 4:26  The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

One of Christ’s many titles is “the mighty God”.

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

And so once again we see this same team which will harvest the clusters of the earth in this verse:

Rev 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

So “the Son of Man” harvests us and “casts us into the winepress of the the wrath of God”. This is the same wrath of God, which we will later hear of as the seven plagues of the seven angels. ‘The vision is one.’ (Gen 41):

Rev 15:1  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

Gen 41:25  And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

The dragon is that old serpent the devil, and we are his children and his angels who wage war against our Lord, as our inward armies. This is all “war in the heavens” where, as the children of “our father the devil”, we withstand “the Son of Man” when He comes to harvest us and separate the Truths of His Word in us, from all the tares of Babylon within us. This has all been revealed to us earlier in chapter 12:

Rev 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

In the process, our old man is destroyed and the blood and his flesh is fed to “the fowls of heaven”, and blood flows for 1600 furlongs “unto the horse bridles”.

The fact that this is all “without the city” tells us that this all takes place within us while we are yet in Babylon, and it tells us that God’s great wrath subsides as we come out of Babylon and begin to enter into the heavenly temple within the kingdom of God, which “is within us” (Luk 17:20-21). This is not to say that God’s wrath will not return as we continue to struggle even as King David who was sitting on the throne of Israel, and as the man at the wedding feast without a wedding garment (2Sa 12:7 and Mat 22:11-14).

The temple of our God is in the kingdom of our God, and that “salvation, strength, and kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ” cannot be entered into until the seven plagues of the seven angels are fulfilled within us. This “hour of the judgment of our God” upon all the sins of our flesh which accompany the lies of Babylon within us, is what “the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he shall begin to sound” are leading us into.

What is the Biblical significance of 1600 furlongs? 16 is two times 8. Two is the number which signifies the witness we bear for our Lord while in these vessels of clay. “The 8th is of the seven” is the beast that “is not”, and even though he is a new man, he is still in a vessel of clay, or flesh, which cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and must “go into perdition”.

Rev 17:11  And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

But our number is 1600, and 1600 is 2 times 8 times 100. 100 is the perfection of the flesh which cannot inherit the kingdom of God, even if it is the flesh of Jesus Christ.

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Here now are these same verses of Rev 14:13-20, repeated in Rev 19:

Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: [this is the angel with the sharp sickle that comes out of the temple of God] for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. [This is the Son of Man with the sharp sickle and a golden crown upon His head]
Rev 19:13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. [ This is the blood that comes to the horses bridle]
Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. [this is the Lord’s Christ, who gathers the clusters of the earth and places them in the Lord’s winpress of His wrath]
Rev 19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations [this is the same thing as “a sharp sickle with which to harvest the earth in “the hour of the Lord’s judgment”]: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God [the exact same “winepress of the wrath of God” of Rev 14:19].
Rev 19:16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Rev 19:17  And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
Rev 19:18  That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. [the same “all men” of Rev 13, who “receive the mark, name, number and imageof the beast”]
Rev 19:19  And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
Rev 19:20  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Rev 19:21  And the remnant were slain with the sword [or “sharp sickle”] of him that sat upon the horse, which sword [or sharp sickle] proceeded out of his mouth [the seed that fell in good ground in Mat 13:23]: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. [Our own flesh as “the wicked” of Mat 13:19]

Mat 13:23  But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

We are not one or the other. Rather we are first the wicked, and unfruitful, and then we are “that which bears fruit”. We “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Mat 4:4).

Summary

We have seen that our end is better than our beginning, and our death is better than our birth. We also saw that being “dead in Christ” is also a spiritual statement concerning dying to “life in this world” and living our new life as a “living sacrifice unto God”.

Rev 14:13  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

We have seen that Christ is the Son of Man upon a white “cloud of witnesses” who harvests His firstfruits.

Rev 14:14  And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud [one] sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
Rev 14:15  And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
Rev 14:16  And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

But we have also seen that the Son of Man, who is Christ, has His own Christ, who, instead of coming on a cloud is said to “come out of the temple in heaven”. It is through this, “our Lord’s Christ”, that Christ will “gather the clusters of the earth” with the same sharp sickle, which is nothing less than the “sharp two edged sword… which is the Word of God”.

Rev 14:17  And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
Rev 14:18  And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

We have seen that the “winepress of the wrath of God” of these verses, is the same “wrath of God” contained in the seven plagues of the seven angels which must be fulfilled in every man who would enter into the temple of God in heaven (Rev 15:1 and 8).

Rev 14:19  And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

Finally we saw that the 1600 furlongs of blood, as 2 times 8 time 100, symbolize the perdition of our flesh. We saw that the number 2, as the symbol of our witness for Christ, is contained within that number 1600 as a multiple of 8, which symbolizes our new man, who, even though “we have Christ in us as earthen vessels” those ‘earthen vessels’ symbolized by the number ten and its multiple of ten times ten or 100, still “cannot inherit the kingdom of God” and must “go into perdition”.

Rev 14:20  And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Next week, Lord willing, we will discover the meaning of the sea of glass mingled with fire, and we will discover what the significance getting the victory over the beast, his image, his mark, and the number of his name is. We will also discover the Biblical significance of “having the harps of God”. Most importantly we will see the connection between the wrath of God, and the “manifesting of His judgments.”

Rev 15:1  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
Rev 15:2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, [and] over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
Rev 15:3  And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous [are] thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true [are] thy ways, thou King of saints.
Rev 15:4  Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for [thou] only [art] holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.