Revelation 14:14-20 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

Reader Related Verse
Bible Comments

The Harvest and the Vintage of the World. The scene culminates in a vision of the Parousia, and an ingathering of the spiritual harvest.

Revelation 14:14. The coming of the Son of Man on the clouds, which was first suggested by a misinterpretation of Daniel 7:13, is one of the most familiar ideas in Christian eschatology (cf. Mark 14:62; Matthew 24:30). like unto a son of man: Daniel 7:13 *. The phrase originally denoted the advent of a new kingdom with human qualities and characteristics in contrast to earlier empires, which could only be described under the figure of beasts. Later on, however, especially in the Book of Enoch, the term Son of Man was used to denote the Messiah, and this later usage of the phrase led to a misinterpretation of the passage in Daniel.

Revelation 14:15. send forth thy sickle: for the metaphor, cf. the parable of the harvest in Mark 4:29. Many scholars think that the harvest represents the ingathering of the saints, the vintage the ingathering of the wicked for their doom.

Revelation 14:19. winepress: the metaphor comes from Isaiah 63:1-6.

Revelation 14:20. without the city: winepresses were generally erected outside the walls of a city, but the phrase no doubt suggests the further meaning that capital punishment was inflicted on criminals without the city (cf. Hebrews 13:12).

Related Commentaries of Revelation 14:14

Revelation 14:14-20

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.

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.c

16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

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.

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.

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.