October 31: YOU DECIDE
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. Revelation 14:18
The angel’s loud cry is lifted directly from Joel 3:13: Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow—For their wickedness is great. Joel records a disaster that fell upon the southern kingdom of Judah without warning. They had seen the northern kingdom (Israel’s ten tribes) disintegrate, being absorbed into pagan nations because of disobedience. That should have been warning enough, seeing the self-inflicted consequences of deliberately moving out of the realm of God’s protection. But, sadly, Judah followed the same pattern.
For those who disregard the word of the Lord, the swing of the sharp sickle will seem to be without warning. But the sincere seeker desiring to understand the divine requirements, will appreciate the longsuffering patience of God Almighty. The passage in Joel continues: Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. (v.14)
The window of time to make a right decision is still open. But the closing of that window is fast approaching. The concept of the harvest is a well-known Biblical metaphor for the eschatological judgment (Jeremiah 51:33). The threshing floor represents the “where” of judgment that the wheat is separated from the chaff. Remember that there is a positive sense in the gathering of God’s people as the pre-advent judgment progresses (see Daniel 7:22 & 27).
In today’s opening verse, the metaphor shifts to a grape harvest. This, in a very personal sense, is a painful metaphor for the Lord. Yet He inspired John to use it. He shed His precious blood for the forgiveness of the world’s sin; all of it. The blood of the Covenant is symbolized by fresh, pure wine (we call it grape juice). Jesus even refers to His followers as part of Himself: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 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. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:1,2,4) Because of corruption in the world, the Lord’s heart is filled with pain. “What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?” (Isaiah 5:4) Because of the unfathomable love expressed in the sacrifice of the Son of God, the guidance of His Holy Spirit, the longsuffering mercy of the Father, the written Word, the ready availability of grace, and the aid of angels, the expectation of the Lord is perfectly reasonable. The repentant sinner who humbles himself has all these advantages and more…
Let us examine the identity of the angel from the altar, who had power over fire. This description links him to Revelation 5:8, 6:9, & 8:3-5. Throughout history, God’s people have cried out to Him in prayer, many of them under intense oppression and/or persecution. Their faithful plea for justice is matched by their confidence in the righteous Judge. These prayers are precious to Him and we can look back (8:5) and see today’s angel filling his censor with fire from the altar and throwing it to the earth. This action, accompanied by noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake announces the approaching divine judgment: the seven plagues of chapter 16. There will be justice for all of the saints of God, including the martyred saints and His saints still living in the last days.
Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble! Psalm 31:9a