There is a series of
events that take place after Jesus is crowned and when the wrath of God is
poured out. This time is called the “drinking of the wrath of God” and “the
winepress of the wrath of God”. There are two events during the second half of
the tribulation where blood is squeezed out, like in a wine press. The first
time is the fall of Babylon. The second time is the Day of the Lord. Isaiah
tells us about this time, the Day of the Lord, and corroborates nicely with
Revelation. The punishments are different for these two events as well. One is
to the reaping of the harvests, while the other is eternal damnation.
When God uses the
word winepress, we are to get the
picture in our minds of crushing grapes. When a grape is crushed, its flesh is
flattened and all its juice is separated from the skin and flesh. This crushing
is not a light matter, especially when used on humans. This is the picture we
should have of the winepress of his wrath. Every bit of blood is squeezed out
of those God’s wrath is poured out on. However, this fate is not poured out on
everyone as we shall see. We must keep in mind some of our previous studies.
The Church is not on the earth at this time. Neither are the 144,000. There are
two main religious groups vying for supremacy at the midpoint of the
tribulation. There are also those people who are martyred for Jesus. Isaiah’s
prophecy is that the Lord is the one who will tread the winepress at the end of
the tribulation.
Isa
63:1-6 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this
that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I
that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wherefore
art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the
winefat? I have trodden the winepress [6331] alone; and of the people there was
none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger [639], and trample them in my
fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all
my raiment.4 For the
day of vengeance [5359] is in mine heart, and the year [8141] of my redeemed is
come.5 And I looked, and there was none
to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm
brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.6 And I will tread down the people
in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their
strength to the earth.KJV
OT:6333 puwrah (poo-raw'); from OT:6331; a
wine-press (as crushing the grapes): KJV -
winepress. (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:6331 puwr (poor); a
primitive root; to crush: KJV - break, bring to nought, utterly take. (Biblesoft's New
Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:639 'aph (af); from OT:599;
properly, the nose or nostril; hence, the face, and occasionally a person; also
(from the rapid breathing in passion) ire: KJV - anger
(-gry), + before,
countenance, face, + forebearing,
forehead, + [long-]
suffering, nose, nostril, snout, X worthy,
wrath.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:5359 naqam (naw-kawm'); from OT:5358;
revenge: KJV - + avenged,
quarrel, vengeance.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance
with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft,
Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:5358 naqam (naw-kam');
a primitive root; to grudge, i.e. avenge or punish: KJV - avenge
(-rself,), punish, revenge (self), surely, take
vengeance.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:8141 shaneh (in plural only), (shaw-neh');
or (feminine) shanah (shaw-naw');
from OT:8138; a year (as a revolution of time):KJV - whole
age, long, old, year (X -ly).(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and
Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
We see
here that the wine press is for crushing. The Lord is angry, but not just mad,
but breathing heavy. That is how angry the Lord is. This is the day of revenge,
the day to avenge and punish. And this is the age of His redeemed. Let’s read
the Amplified to round out the context.
Isa
63:1-6 WHO IS this Who comes from Edom, with crimson-stained garments from
Bozrah [in Edom]? This One Who is glorious in His apparel, striding triumphantly
in the greatness of His might? It is I, [the One] Who
speaks in righteousness [proclaiming vindication], mighty to save! 2 Why is Your apparel splashed with
red, and Your garments like the one who treads in the winepress? 3 I have trodden the winepress
alone, and of the peoples there was no one with Me. I trod them in My anger and
trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled upon My garments,
and I stained all My raiment. 4 For the
day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of redemption [the
year of My redeemed] has come. 5 And I
looked, but there was no one to help; I was amazed and appalled that there was no one to uphold [truth
and right]. So My own arm brought Me victory, and My wrath upheld Me. 6 I trod down the peoples in My
anger and made them drink of the cup of My wrath until they were intoxicated,
and I spilled their lifeblood upon the earth. AMP
We see
that this Lord who comes, who is mighty to save, also proclaims vindication.
Compare this with Jesus, who is faithful and true, coming on a white horse with
his armies.
Rev
19:11-14 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.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.13 And he
was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of
God.14 And the armies which were in
heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and
clean.KJV
His
clothes are dipped in blood; he comes as the Word of God. By this time Jesus is
wearing many crowns, but what happens before this. At first, after Jesus
rescues the 144,000, Jesus is crowned with one crown. We should look at the
details very closely because in these details we will learn something very
interesting.
Rev
14:6-7 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,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.KJV
As soon
as the 144,000 are redeemed, the angel witnesses to the whole earth, saying, in
essence, worship the Creator. The hour of judgment is come. It is time for
Babylon’s judgment.
Rev 14:8
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that
great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication.KJV
The
announcement of Babylon having fallen by the angel, is because the beast went
out and killed all those who did not worship his image.
Rev
13:15-18 And he had power to give life
unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and
cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be
killed.16 And he
causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a
mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:17 And that
no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast,
or the number of his name.18 Here is
wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it
is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.KJV
If we
remember, the Angel gives John the back story in chapter 17 of Revelation. The
announcement is that Babylon is fallen. This means that the beast made war with
Babylon and overtook her. Here is the back story.
Rev
17:16-18 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate
the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and
burn her with fire.17 For God
hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their
kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.18 And the woman which thou sawest
is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.KJV
The ten horns are ten kings who receive
power, but then give their power back to the beast. They are religious people
who hate the woman. As we have studied this before, the woman is a predominant
religion that exalts a woman over Jesus. The beast is another religion that exalts
a man, and does not believe God has a Son. The beast’s religion hates Babylon. If
we remember, we looked at the predominant religions left on the earth after the
church leaves earth. They are Catholicism and Islam. http://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2013/03/benchmarks-for-end-two-witnesses.html
There are
individuals from all walks of life still left on earth who will change and
believe in Jesus, who will be martyred by both the woman and the beast. The
beast is created and financed by Babylon, the mother of all harlots, even
today. This is how Babylon owns, buys, and sells men’s souls. Babylon, the
harlot, supports other opposing religions as long as they bow to her. This is
our world today, but it won’t last because the beast rises up to kill off
Babylon. With that in mind, the next part of this series of events is
fascinating.
Rev 14:9-11 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If
any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead,
or in his hand,10 The same
shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without
mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire
and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the
Lamb:11 And the smoke of their torment
ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who
worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his
name.KJV
The wrath of God will
be poured out full strength on anyone who takes the mark of the beast. “Without
mixture” means there is nothing to dilute that wine. Wait, the full strength of
the wrath of God is poured out on those who take the mark of the beast? The
winepress is the crushing of the beast, and the crushing of Babylon. Babylon is
already desolate and naked; her flesh was eaten, burned, and crushed by the
beast. Not only is the second winepress for the beast, but also the fire and
brimstone. This is not a light matter. Isaiah told us that the Lord was
breathing heavy in His anger. Here is what we have, some people will be of the woman, and many will be killed
for not worshipping the beast. Some people will choose Jesus as Lord and
Savior, and they will be killed by the beast. Some people will join the beast
and take his mark, probably an arm band or head band declaring allegiance to
him. The beast and his army will be those the wine of the wrath of God is
poured out on, on the Day of the Lord.
The Angel then
announces that those who die in the Lord from now on are blessed. Those
martyred for taking a stand for Jesus are blessed. Therefore the winepress is
not for them. They are not going to be crushed by the Lord’s anger because they
make Jesus Lord. If we jump ahead to chapter 15 we see a sea of glass and those
who had the victory over the beast by being martyred. Getting back to chapter
14, the next thing we see is Jesus, with one crown, and a sickle.
Rev
14:14-16 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.16 And he
that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was
reaped.KJV
This is
the first time we see Jesus Crowned. Other beings have crowns, but Jesus, was
just crowned at His coronation ceremony in Chapter 11. In Chapter 9,
Appollyon/Abaddon/Gog the Locust King was loosed. Then in chapter 13, the beast
from the sea and the beast from the earth are loosed. Now in Chapter 14 the
reaper is coming on the earth, it is the judgment of Babylon for all she has
done against the prophets and saints. As the beast has been given authority for
the second half of the tribulation, Babylon is destroyed. Jesus is seated on a cloud;
he is not participating in this event. He has participated from afar, thrusting
in His sickle, because the beast is the one to fulfill the harlot’s destiny. After
the harlot’s destruction, the bowl judgments come on the earth. The earth is
ripe for harvest, meaning it is now time to see who stands for Jesus. This is
the beginning of the second half of the tribulation. This is the wrath of God.
Rev
14:19-20 And the
angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth,
and cast it into the great winepress [3025] 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.KJV
NT:3025 lenos (lay-nos'); apparently a primary
word; a trough, i.e. wine-vat: KJV - winepress. (Biblesoft's
New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:3025 leenou, hee Gen 30:38,41 1.a
tub or trough-shaped receptacle, a vat, in which grapes are trodden Rev
14:20 2.the lower vat, dug in the ground, into which the must or new wine
flowed from the press: Matt 21:33 (from
Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2006 by
Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
The
winepress is a vat, a holding tank for all the grapes. This takes place outside
the city, outside Jerusalem. The first half of the tribulation is called the wrath of the Lamb; the second half is called the wrath of God. The first half
is “controlled” by Babylon; the second half is “controlled” by the beast. Let’s
look at this in the Amplified.
Rev
14:19-20 So the
angel swung his scythe on the earth and stripped the grapes and gathered the vintage from the
vines of the earth and cast it into the huge winepress of God's indignation and wrath. 20 And [the
grapes in] the winepress were trodden outside the city, and blood poured from
the winepress, [reaching] as high as horses' bridles, for a distance of
1,600 stadia (about 200 miles). [Joel 3:13.]
AMP
Joel
3:11-15 Assemble yourselves, and come,
all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy
mighty ones to come down, O Lord .12 Let the heathen be wakened, and
come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen
round about.13 Put ye in
the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full,
the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.14 Multitudes,
multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.15 The sun and the moon shall be
darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.KJV .
The Day of the Lord
is near in the valley of decision. This is the day people are to make a choice
in who they will serve; the beast, or the Lord. The Day of the Lord is very
near from this point in time. After the harlot’s fall is when the beast begins
to gather the world to make war with Jesus. If we go back to Chapter 17, we
will see what the earthlings are doing. Remember we have the perspective of God
and the perspective of people being told to us by John
Rev
17:12-14 And the
ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as
yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.13 These have one mind, and shall
give their power and strength unto the beast.14 These
shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord
of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen,
and faithful.KJV
The ten
kingdoms that emerge and give their kingdoms to the beast are all part of the
group that kills off Babylon, and then tries to make war with the Lamb of God. Really,
how fooled must people be to go along with this?
In
Revelation 14, the Angel announced Babylon is fallen; Revelation 18 is the same
announcement, but interestingly, in verse 4 of Chapter 18, a voice calls the
Jews out of Babylon.
Rev 18:3-4 For all nations have drunk of the
wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed
fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the
abundance of her delicacies.4 And I
heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be
not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.KJV
The Jews
are in Babylon buying and selling, the harlot promotes commerce and trade.
Sadly, this is the same merchandising Lucifer did, the buying and selling of
men’s souls. The beast destroys Babylon and everyone mourns. That is the
purpose of God.
Rev 18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come
in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned
with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.KJV
Very
quickly the harlot is destroyed. The
beast causes a lot of bloodshed, almost 200 miles wide, and as deep as horse’s
bridles. Remember in Revelation Ch.13:5, the beast is given authority for three
and one half years, or 42 months. That means Babylon is not in charge for the
second half of the tribulation.
Rev
18:23-24 And the
light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the
bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy
merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all
nations deceived.24 And in
her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain
upon the earth.KJV
God puts it in the
heart of the beast to fulfill his will because the woman killed the prophets
and saints, but maybe not only directly. but indirectly too. Maybe she killed
people in covert ways, since the woman controlled commerce and trade, as well
as the buying and selling of men’s souls. When men become sold out to the
woman’s system (and not necessarily her religion), the prophets and the saints
who are of Jesus Christ become a hindrance to the system. There is also the
religious aspect of Babylon, who exalts the woman over Jesus Christ. The
harvest is the time to look for whoever stands for Jesus among Babylon.
Rev 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts
to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until
the words of God shall be fulfilled.KJV
Once the
woman is destroyed by the beast, the beast will be destroyed by Jesus. The bowl
judgments are poured out and then Jesus goes out with his armies to tread the
winepress of the wrath of Almighty God.
Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a
sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them
with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath
of Almighty God.KJV
This is the Day of
the Lord. First the Lord directs the heart of the beast to fulfill His will,
eliminating Babylon. This is the first winepress of the wrath of God. This
shake up gives people the opportunity to either stand for Jesus, or stand with
the beast. Once the beast, who has authority for 42 months, takes over the
world system, the winepress is activated a second time, when Jesus comes to
eliminate the beast.
Rev
19:19-21 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.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.21 And the
remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword
proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.KJV
At the
ending of the first half of the tribulation, satan is thrown out of heaven. The
two witnesses are killed by Apollyon/Abaddon/Gog the Locust King. Jesus is
crowned, as the kingdoms of the world have now become the kingdoms of our Lord
and Christ, and he, Jesus, shall reign forever. The saints are given their
rewards. Jesus rescues the 144,000. The wrath of God starts as the beast is
used to tread the winepress of the wrath of God to kill Babylon, the woman, the
harlot. The bowl judgments are poured out. The beast tries to make war with the
Lamb, but the Lamb comes with his armies as this is the Day of the Lord. And
Jesus is the one treading the winepress of the fierceness of Almighty God’s
wrath. The first time in chronological
order, the winepress is tread is on Babylon, by the beast. The second time the
winepress is tread, it is on the beast; and it is Jesus himself treading for
God Almighty. Like grapes, Babylon, and the Beast, will be crushed. But,
whoever takes the mark of the beast will suffer forever, as opposed to Babylon.
The punishment for those who take the mark of the beast is eternal.
