Useful Bible Studies > Revelation Commentary > chapter 14
Revelation 14:19-20 might refer to a particular act of judgement before the 7 last judgements in chapters 15 and 16. However, its purpose could be to explain why those last judgements must happen.
In Revelation 14:14-16, the word-picture of the grain harvest shows how God is rescuing his people. Then, there follows this description of the fruit harvest. In ancient Israel, the fruit harvest followed the grain harvest.
The most important crop in the fruit harvest was the grapes. First, people cut the grapes from the plants called vines. Then they put the grapes into a place called a wine-press, where they could press out the juice. They did that with their feet. The purpose was to make wine.
Revelation 14:19 tells us what the wine-press means here. It means the anger of God. God is angry at people’s evil deeds. Especially, he is angry that people have chosen on purpose to oppose Christ’s rule (Psalm 2:1-6). They have given their lives to the devil and to the wicked ruler called the antichrist (Revelation chapter 13). God is the perfect judge. Of course he must oppose such wicked behaviour. He must defeat every evil force so that the rule of Christ upon earth will begin.
There is a similar description in Isaiah 63:1-6. There, God carries out this judgement, so that he can save his people. As in Revelation 14:17-20, it is a judgement against the nations who oppose God’s people.
The ‘blood’ in Revelation 14:20 continues this description. The juice of the grapes was red, like blood, and it would flow out of the wine-press. Here, the quantity of it astonishes us. It expresses the idea that God has completely defeated his enemies. His success is total; their defeat could not be any greater.
Next part: The end of God’s anger (Revelation 15:1)
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© 2016, Keith Simons.