Revelation Chapter 14
Once again before we continue, a brief review of the last three angels of Chapter 14:
ANGEL # 4 comes out of the temple. Verse 15
ANGEL # 5 comes out of the temple in heaven Verses 17 & 19.
ANGEL # 6 comes out from the altar Verse 18.
ANGEL # 4 has a message for the Lord.
ANGEL # 5 has no message, but does have a sickle.
ANGEL # 6 has a message for Angel # 5.”
VERSE 17 “Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.”
“This is Angel # 5 the angel without a message. Note where he comes from: THE TEMPLE WHICH IS IN HEAVEN. Temple has not changed; we are yet dealing with a part of God’s plan, the Divine Plan.
But which part?
A part which is not yet glorified. A part which is still associated with “heaven” (NOT the physical heavens where God resides, but the ecclesiastical heavens) — the religious world here on earth. He also has what the Lord had — a sickle, a device to harvest.
But why? If the Church is complete (Verse 16), what is left to harvest?
This verse proves Brother Russell’s point that the Harvest is NOT merely the collecting of the saints, but also the burning of the tares.
This “burning” is not the physical destruction of the tares as individuals although many will perish even as non-believers perish during that time, no this burning of the tares is the burning (the destruction) of the false SYSTEMS themselves, which as a consequence will results in the burning (destruction, death) of the tares, nominal professors. All such will cease being imitation wheat, cease any and all professions of being Christians, true followers of Christ as they come to realize the truth, that they were never the Church. Thus, the tares are burned, destroyed. It is not a physical burning as some imagine, but a symbolic burning.
But if the 144,000 (the Church) is gone, who participates in this final harvest work?
The Great Multitude. This angel IS THE GREAT MULTITUDE. We will leave him now and rejoin him later.
VERSE 18 “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 (the Great Multitude), saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.”
Our final angel (Anger # 6) has power over fire and comes out from the altar. This identifies him completely. The true Church spent its life on the altar in sacrifice and fell below it as ashes as their individual sacrifices were completed. (See Rev 6:9, 10). For their faithfulness they were granted the power to destroy the nations which had been their persecutors (See Rev 2:26, 27). They, therefore, have power, once glorified, to destroy (power over fire). This angel is clearly THE CHURCH GLORIFIED.
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.”
Back to Angel # 5:
Angel # 6 calls down to the Great Multitude, (Angel # 5) yet on earth, with a loud voice (as yet unidentified.) He tells them to gather the fruitage (unholy) of the vine of the earth. When Jesus said he was the TRUE vine, he thus prophesied that there would be a false vine — an apostate Christ. Here it is at its maturity.
Relatively little is told us about the closing hours of the Great Multitude here on earth. It is clear from this passage, however, that they will help in bringing down Babylon in the final hours of the Harvest period. This angel does not TREAD the winepress, but he DOES throw the grapes in to be trodden — the final act of the Harvest.”
We will take a look at Verse 20 in our next post.
