When will the harvest take place?
(Mark 4:26-29; Galatians 6:7-9; Revelation 14:14-20) Blog Apr. 02-08, 2023
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: There was conflict in heaven. Adam allowed it to enter this earth. Jesus came to give us victory in the conflict and the three angels of Revelation 14 tell us how to end on the winning side. Love wins and love is a choice. God is love continually and in the end Satan’s alternative will be seen to be a disaster.
Harvest Principles
View https://youtu.be/P4lJCK3nni8 for our study titled “Earth’s Harvest.”
1. What symbol did Jesus use for earth’s harvest? Jesus compared seed that grows & produces ripened corn as a symbol of earth’s harvest (Mark 4:26-29).
2. When did Jesus say that earth’s harvest would come? Jesus said that earth’s harvest would come at the end of the world (Matt. 13:39).
3. How did Paul describe earth’s harvest? Paul taught that earth’s harvest was sure, that it would produce the same kind of crop as the seed sown, that it would come after the seed was sown, & that it would be more abundant than the seed sown (Hos. 8:7; 2 Cor. 9:10; Gal. 6:7-9).
4. What two kinds of seed can we plant before harvest day? We can plant fleshly seed that will end in death or spiritual seed that will end in eternal life (Gal. 6:8).
Why speak of harvest?
5. What does the harvest of Revelation 14 have to do with the three angel’s messages? The harvest scene immediately follows the three angel’s messages & describes the results of accepting or rejecting those messages (Rev. 14:14-15).
6. What two types of harvest does Revelation 14 describe? Revelation 14 describes a grain harvest for the righteous and a grape harvest for the wicked (Rev. 14:15-19).
7. What should we learn from the harvest story in Revelation 14? We should learn that in earth’s harvest there are only two classes, that there is no intermediate group expecting further purification, & that the rewards of harvest follow quickly (Rev. 14:15, 18; 15:1).
8. What is the first stage of the reward of the wicked after the harvest is complete? The seven last plagues are the first stage of God’s wrath that the wicked receive after the harvest is complete (Rev. 15:1; 16:1).
9. In the last half of Revelation 14, where are the “angels” found that are spoken of? The angels are in heaven for that is where God’s temple & golden altar are found (Rev. 14:17-18).
10. In the light of our answers to the previous questions, when does earth’s harvest take place? Earth’s harvest takes place at the end of the world just before the seven last plagues & the second coming of Jesus (Heb. 12:27; Rev. 14:19).
11. Where in the book of Revelation is the second coming of Jesus introduced? The second coming of Jesus is mentioned in chapters 1, 2, & 3, but only in chapter 19 is it described in detail, showing that it follows the seven last plagues (Rev. 1:7; 2:25; 3:11; 19:11-21).
Separation
12. If the harvest takes place before the second coming of Jesus, where especially does the separation of the righteous and the wicked take place? The separation of the righteous & the wicked takes place in heaven, for the record of their lives is kept there. They are not separated by some secret rapture of physical separation. The enactment of human laws brings their physical separation on earth (Dan. 12:2; Rev. 13:16-17).
13. Where does Daniel say that the separation of the righteous and wicked takes place? Daniel pictures the separation of the righteous & the wicked as taking place at God’s throne in heaven as a result of a heavenly judgment (Dan. 7:9-10; 13-14).
14. In what ways are the scenes of Daniel 7 and Revelation 14 parallel? Both Daniel & John picture Jesus as the Son of Man accompanied by clouds of angels receiving his kingdom (Dan. 7:13-14; Rev. 14:14-16).
15. How will the division between the righteous and wicked be made manifest to all? When Jesus comes in his glory there will be a physical dividing of the righteous & wicked. The righteous will enter the joy of their Lord while the wicked will be destroyed by the sword of his mouth (Matt. 25:31-32; 2 Thes. 1:7-10; Rev. 19:21).
16. When were the righteous separated from the wicked in Noah’s day? After the animals & Noah & his family entered the ark, God closed the door, thus separating the righteous from the wicked 7 days before the flood came (Gen. 7:7-10).
17. What determines whether we are part of the grain harvest or part of the grape harvest? In judgment God determines which harvest we will be part of, for he sees our response to the three angel’s messages which reveals if we give glory to him or to ourselves & the beast (Isa. 26:7).