30 Harvest

1. Harvest

Rev.14:14 I looked, and behold, a white cloud; and on the cloud one sitting like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

Rev.14:15 Another angel came out from the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Send forth your sickle, and reap; for the hour to reap has come; for the harvest of the earth is ripe!"

Rev.14:16 He who sat on the cloud thrust his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

Rev.14:17 Another angel came out from the temple which is in heaven. He also had a sharp sickle.

Rev.14:18 Another angel came out from the altar, he who has power over fire, and he called with a great voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Send forth your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for the earth's grapes are fully ripe!"

Rev.14:19 The angel thrust his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

Rev.14:20 The winepress was trodden outside of the city, and blood came out from the winepress, even to the bridles of the horses, as far as one thousand six hundred stadia.

†   When the 7th trumpet, the last trumpet, sounds, the resurrection and the transformation occurs.[1] After the resurrection and the transformation take place, the LORD Jesus who descended into the air, catches up the saints into the air.[2] This is the grain harvest.[3] (More precisely, it is the firstfruits harvest. Saints who are not martyred will be raised at the great white throne judgment. There may be an opinion that both here are expressed the same.) When the saints are caught up into the air, 7 plagues are poured out on the earth.[4] This is the grapes harvest. (Some view the grapes harvest as the LORD Jesus coming down to the earth to judge the beasts.[5] Because if there are wicked people who survive the 7 plagues, they will become the army of beasts. Whether we see only the 7 plagues as the harvest of grapes or the judgment on the beast army is included in the harvest of grapes, the grapes will surely suffer the 7 plagues.)

①   Offering of the firstfruits

Ex.23:16 And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labors, which you sow in the field: and the feast of harvest, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field.

†   The firstfruits are all martyr witnesses who loved God with all their lives, whether in life or death.[6] The harvest begins only after the firstfruits have been harvested.[7] When the LORD Jesus comes again, only the martyr witnesses will be resurrected and transformed.[8] The rest of the dead saints will be raised with evildoers at the great white throne judgment after the 1000-year kingdom.[9] If we divide the harvested grain into firstfruits and ordinary grain, we can see the martyr witnesses as the firstfruits and the saints who will be raised by the resurrection of life 1000 years later, as the ordinary grain. After the reward period is over, the martyr witnesses[10] changed like[11] angels[12] and the ordinary saints changed like angels, will probably all be equal.[13]

②   Harvest of the grain

John5:28 Don't marvel at this, for the hour comes, in which all that are in the tombs will hear his voice,

John5:29 and will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.

†   I see the grain as ordinary revivers of life. I see them as those who kept their faith even though they were not martyred.

③   Gleaning

Luke23:42 He said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Luke23:43 Jesus said to him, "Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

†   I believe that there are believers who must go through the verification of their faith. If someone dies immediately after receiving the LORD Jesus and receiving the forgiveness of sins, when God publicly judges the actions of creatures[14], there may be some neighbor creatures who do not understand the salvation of the unverified creatures.[15] How many people profess to believe with their mouths and do evil by their deeds![16] How would the creatures know that the person who believed and died right away, was not such a hypocrite? If God saves such a person right away, how can the creatures be sure of God's justice? What does it have any meaning for God to publicly judge the revealed deeds of creatures in order to convince His creatures of His justice?[17]

†   The reason God judges on the basis of his/her revealed deeds is for the sake of creatures, not for God.[18] Since God knows everything anyway, He would be righteous if He killed those who would sin in the future, as soon as He created them.[19] But God does not do that for His creatures.[20] (If God did that in the creation world as it is now, the free will of creatures would never be perfected.) This is because neighbor creatures cannot ascertain whether his/her faith is true or not, whether he/she truly loves God or not.[21] Therefore, those whose faith is to be verified must show their faith in public before their neighbors. And God will wake them up in paradise and set them up before Satan's final deception.[22] (There may be conflicting views as to when God will awaken them in the 1000-year kingdom.) I will describe the salvation of them as gleaning. (It is not an official expression based on the sure meaning of the bible.)

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[1] 1Cor.15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

[2] 1Thess.4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God's trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.

[3] Matt.24:30 and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

[4] Rev.16:1 I heard a loud voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God on the earth!"

[5] Rev.19:19 I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse, and against his army. The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. They two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came forth out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh.

[6] Heb.11:35 Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn apart. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. They went around in sheepskins, in goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and the holes of the earth.

[7] Lev.23:10 Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, When you are come into the land which I give to you, and shall reap the harvest of it, then you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest:

[8] Rev.20:4 I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as didn't worship the beast nor his image, and didn't receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived, and reigned with Christ for the thousand years. The rest of the dead didn't live until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

[9] Rev.20:12 I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. They were judged, each one according to his works.

[10] Matt.22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like God's angels in heaven.

[11] Mark16:5 Entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were amazed. He said to them, "Don't be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen. He is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him!

[12] Luke20:35 But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage. For neither can they die any more, for they are like the angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

[13] 1John3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.

[14] 1Cor.4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each man will get his praise from God.

[15] 2Thess.1:4 so that we ourselves boast about you in the assemblies of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you endure. This is an obvious sign of the righteous judgment of God, to the end that you may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you also suffer.

[16] Titus1:16 They profess that they know God, but by their works they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

[17] 1Tim.5:25 In the same way also there are good works that are obvious, and those that are otherwise can't be hidden.

[18] Rev.20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. They were judged, each one according to his works.

[19] Acts1:24 They prayed, and said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place."

[20] Ezek.7:8 Now will I shortly pour out my wrath on you, and accomplish my anger against you, and will judge you according to your ways; and I will bring on you all your abominations. My eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will bring on you according to your ways; and your abominations shall be in the midst of you; and you shall know that I, Yahweh, do strike.

[21] James2:18 Yes, a man will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.

[22] Rev.20:7 And after the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison, and he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.https://youtu.be/AupisuARmgQ?feature=shared