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...And The Winepress of the Wrath of God

he gathering of the wicked for destruction under the figure of a Harvest was a familiar Old Testament theme (Joel 3:11-14).  Those familiar with the Old Testament prophecies which heard Jesus preach about the "harvest" and the gathering of the wicked which was to take place at the end of the age, knew what he was referring to.  Almost all prophetic descriptions of events which are to take place in the end of the age upon the establishment of the Kingdom contain the same unique features.  These are:

1. The Gathering of the wicked to a certain place.
2. The wrath of God poured out upon them.
3. Their ultimate destruction.

In this harvest, Jesus foretold that the wicked would be "cast into a furnace of fire", and that they would  experience "weeping and gnashing of teeth". It is very sad that in our day many fail to see the proper application of these prophecies only because they are all to eager to apply them to the doctrine of eternal torment. One such case is in Matthew 13:

He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this age. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matt 13:37-42)

It can be demonstrated that in every case, the "fire" and the "weeping and gnashing of teeth" represents the anguish of those wicked on the earth at the close of the age as a result of the wrath of God poured out at that time. These will suffer horribly, but their suffering must ultimately come to an end when they are killed in the battle of Armageddon.

This is the plain and unified testimony of scripture. The doctrine of eternal torment can only be extracted from these texts by reading in assumptions which are simply not there. I invite the reader to examine carefully the prophecies listed below.  

 

 
The Gathering of The Wicked For Destruction At the End of The Age
A Common Prophetic Theme

Matt 13:30
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them:		 Zeph 3:8
Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
 Rev 14:18-19
Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. 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.		 Rev 16:16
And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Matt 13:41
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity.
 Joel 3:2
I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
 Rev 16:14
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.		 Rev 19:19
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.

 

 
H A R V E S T
 
THE HARVEST IS THE
END OF THE AGE
(MATT13:39)
 
According to Jesus himself, the events which are designated as "The Harvest" are those events which take place at the end of the age; that is, the age in which we currently live.  Therefore, proper interpretation of the events of "the harvest" can only be achieved by comparing Jesus' account in the parable of the wheat and the tares, with other prophecies which speak of the close of the current age. The parallels in these prophecies are easily identified once we drop preconceived ideas and assumptions.
 


Furnace of Fire (Six Bowl Judgments)
 


Battle of Armageddon 
(Seventh Bowl Judgment) 
 

Prophets on the "Furnace of Fire"
 
Isa 24:5-6
The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
 
Mal 4:1
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Prophets on "Armageddon"

Joel 3:11-14
Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. 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. 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. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Isa 63:3-4
I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.

 
Parallel Themes
 
Two views of the Harvest  described from Matthew 13, and Revelation 14-16. Please note that the events described, including the "fire" and the "weeping and gnashing of teeth" take place on earth and have nothing to do with immortal souls burning in hell		 Parallel Themes
 
Two views of the gathering of the wicked to Armageddon as seen in the Gospels, and Revelation. The "One taken, one left" passages are clearly not the rapture for two reasons. 1) These are taken as the wicked were taken in the flood which is given as an illustration.  2) They are taken to a place of vultures and carcasses; an image which was familiar in the Old Testament and described again in the book of Revelation.  These last events of the Harvest, which follow those described as a "furnace of fire" result in the unimaginable carnage when the wicked are destroyed. Again, all prophesied events take place on earth at the end of the age.
 
Matthew Revelation Gospels Revelation

The harvest is the end of the age
 
So shall it be at the end of the age

 Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. Matt 24:37-39
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Matt 24:40-41
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Luke 17:34-36
I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

 Rev 16:16
And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Rev 19:19
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.

The reapers are the angels

The angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just

 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle
 
And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire;
 
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.		 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the carcass is, thither will the vultures be gathered together.
 Rev 19:17-18
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

Rev 19:21
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.

Rev 14:20
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.

And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

 And cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

And power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

And they gnawed their tongues for pain		    

 
Zech 14:12
And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
 
 
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