Revelation 14:14-20 – Sour Grapes
When people become members at our church, I emphasize one truth above every other Christian belief or principle: God loves us. Our entire relationship with God, and our entire existence, develops from this essential truth. God loves us. He always has. He always will. And nothing we can do can stop him from loving us. So what are we supposed to make of this passage? God dispatches an angel to slaughter the people of the earth as an expression of his wrath against them. Even Hollywood horror flicks and shoot ‘em up action movies don’t convey the level of carnage that we find in this passage: the blood flows deep and wide for miles and miles, like juice from a massive winepress. How can the God of love be the source of such angry vengeance?
This question would be impossible to answer if we looked at this particular passage completely on its own, without taking into account what’s brought us to this point. Taken out of context, this passage is a wonderfully gruesome example for people to use if they want to “put the fear of God” into you. Do what God wants, or you’ll have your own Nightmare on Elm Street! But, when we keep in mind the images that came earlier in John’s vision, it all makes sense. So let’s review briefly. Ever since Chapter 6, we’ve seen the devastation and calamity that is pervasive in our world. All of this suffering comes from many sources. At times it’s the result of our sinfully motivated actions. Our greed, pride, selfishness, willfulness, and ignorance damage creation, other people, and even ourselves. At other times, we suffer because of God’s discipline. If the “carrot” of his love doesn’t move us in the direction that he desires, sometimes he uses the “stick.” And the more we resist God’s discipline, the tougher it gets. As Hebrews tells us, no one likes to be disciplined, and while it’s happening it seems awful. But it’s for our own good, even when we can’t understand that it is. At still other times, however, we suffer because of the demonic forces at work on the earth, twisting and corrupting God’s good intentions toward their own ends. As Satan rails against God, he frequently directs his nastiness upon the people of God.
So what should a loving God do in a situation like this? Just sit back and wish the best for his people? That doesn’t sound like a God we can trust and rely upon. Good wishes will only get you so far. As Revelation portrays it, God does everything he can to save people from the suffering we endure. When we engage in activities that harm ourselves, releases us from their power through the redeeming work of Christ, and he sends his Holy Spirit to transform us. Do we stupidly resist his goodness to be at work in us? He coaxes us along, at first gently and then with more urgency and insistence. Are we under attack by his enemies? He wages war against them and he marks us with his seal of protection. What more could we ask a loving God to do for us than that? I suppose we could ask him to change the rules of logic or the way the world operates, so that we all have no choice but to do what is good for us and each other. Even if that were possible (and some philosophers of religion argue that it isn’t), I don’t feel like being turned into a robot who has not choice but to do God’s bidding. God doesn’t want Stepford wives in heaven.
By this time in Revelation, the people of the earth have all been identified as belonging to two different groups. The first group are the people of God, who have received his seal of protection. Chapter 7 gives us the best description of this, but we saw it again at the beginning of this chapter. The other group of people are the ones who follow the “beast,” a demonic presence at work on the world to oppose God. They also have the mark of the one they follow; we read about it first in Chapter 13 and again in the middle part of this chapter. Certain privileges come with the different marks, according to the power of the one who gives it. God’s seal opens the way to eternal blessedness, and the beast’s mark gives you the ability to buy and sell. This isn’t to say that economic activity is inherently demonic. But we’re all bracing ourselves for the swarms of people who will descend upon the G20 summit in Pittsburgh to protest the injustices and evils of world finance. Even if we abhor their practices, some of them will have a point. Every form of financial or economic system causes hardship and suffering for at least some people, even when the system operates with the best of intentions. But unfortunately, economics are often used as a way to push down some people while elevating others. If you don’t believe me, listen to the political arguments about taxes and entitlement programs. But I digress….
Eventually the time will come when God has to act definitively, once and for all. In his time and according to his infinite wisdom, he will recognize that there is no longer any point to hope for repentance and for more people to turn to him. Everyone will have picked their sides. God’s love for those who call upon him is utter and complete and without any qualification. And for those who have rejected him and refuse to change their ways? God takes no delight in attacking or destroying them. He has demonstrated his love by seeking for them to accept his blessings. But if he would just let them keep going along in their destructive patterns, he would watch them undermine and ruin all the good that he has planned. The European leaders of the 1930’s have been castigated for “appeasement:” be nice to the evil guy and maybe we can all get along. It just doesn’t work. So God rouses his powers to destroy evil and all associated with it.
And yes, God gets angry about it. That anger isn’t a contradiction of his loving nature, but flows directly from it. If you love someone, and you find out that someone is hurting the one you love, you’re going to furious with them. If you abuse one of my family members, I’m going to want to take a baseball bat to you. If your family, like mine, has fallen under the scourge of cancer, your reaction to that cancer will be fury. It’s an anger that comes from directly from your love. What kind of love would God have for us if, when he sees us under attack, he just smiles and says, “Here. Let me give you a hug.” His anger stirs him up to act to save and protect the ones he loves.
To understand this passage in Revelation, it’s good to recall the parable of the weeds (sometimes called the parable of the wheat and tares) of Matthew 13. Jesus tells the story of a farmer who plants his crop, but one night his enemy scatters weed seed across the field. As the plants start to grow, everyone sees that there are thistles among the corn. The field hands go up to the farmer and ask him if he wants them to pull out the weeds. The farmer tells them not to, because they might damage some of the corn in the process. He tells them to wait until harvest time, and they can sort out the good crop from the bad weeds then. The disciples asked Jesus to explain the story, so he told them that the corn stood for the people of God, and the weeds were the people who followed Satan. We’re all on this earth together. God allows the nasty folks to continue in their lives untouched because any attempt to get rid of them would also hurt the people he loves. Wait until the end, he says. That’s when good and evil will be sorted out from each other.
This passage tells the story of what happens when its finally time for the harvest. It begins with John seeing “one like a son of man” coming out with a sharp sickle to harvest the earth. There’s no doubt that the “son of man” is Jesus Christ. It’s time for harvest, so Jesus brings in the good crop. It’s like Mark 13:27, telling us how he will send the angels out to gather in the elect from the ends of the earth. Jesus begins by bringing his beloved people into his home. If you believe in the rapture, this the point where the believers are taken up in to heaven and the only ones left on the earth are the unrepentant: the thistles ready to be burned (as the parable puts it). I hate to break it to Kirk Cameron and the whole “Left Behind” trademark, but this only happens after the time for repentance has passed. God won’t take in the harvest until he’s sure that every last ear of corn is ready. I don’t get the sense that a lot of time passes until the weeds are also harvested for their own miserable doom.
A second harvest takes place as an angel is dispatched from heaven with a terrible sickle of his own. The popular image of the “Grim Reaper” comes from this angel. By the way, this passage is also the inspiration for the first verse of the Battle Hymn of the Republic. It’s a nice piece of Northern propaganda to associate themselves with the harvest of the redeemed, while those horrid Southerners embody the evil of this second harvest. The Union army is an agent of God, bringing about the bloody harvest of God’s enemies. That’s an easy error for us to slip into: assuming that we are the holy people of God and our enemies are God’s enemies. History is full of people who acted in this self-deceptive attitude of righteousness. We can avoid the error if we remember the words of the farmer in the parable: don’t start pulling out the weeds until the very end. There may be some good corn in the midst of it. Don’t assume that you know better than God who is “weed” and who is “wheat.” Appearances deceive.
In John’s vision, the wicked are represented as grapes instead of the weeds of the parable. We shouldn’t let that switch derail us too easily. First, the harvest of grapes can appear much more like bloodshed than cutting down weeds; think of the dark red juice. Second, it helps us to associate this passage with ones like Isaiah 63 and Joel 3, which describe God crushing his enemies like grapes.
So does this mean that God is not loving? Not at all. In fact, the most loving thing God can do is eliminate the danger facing his beloved.
This question would be impossible to answer if we looked at this particular passage completely on its own, without taking into account what’s brought us to this point. Taken out of context, this passage is a wonderfully gruesome example for people to use if they want to “put the fear of God” into you. Do what God wants, or you’ll have your own Nightmare on Elm Street! But, when we keep in mind the images that came earlier in John’s vision, it all makes sense. So let’s review briefly. Ever since Chapter 6, we’ve seen the devastation and calamity that is pervasive in our world. All of this suffering comes from many sources. At times it’s the result of our sinfully motivated actions. Our greed, pride, selfishness, willfulness, and ignorance damage creation, other people, and even ourselves. At other times, we suffer because of God’s discipline. If the “carrot” of his love doesn’t move us in the direction that he desires, sometimes he uses the “stick.” And the more we resist God’s discipline, the tougher it gets. As Hebrews tells us, no one likes to be disciplined, and while it’s happening it seems awful. But it’s for our own good, even when we can’t understand that it is. At still other times, however, we suffer because of the demonic forces at work on the earth, twisting and corrupting God’s good intentions toward their own ends. As Satan rails against God, he frequently directs his nastiness upon the people of God.
So what should a loving God do in a situation like this? Just sit back and wish the best for his people? That doesn’t sound like a God we can trust and rely upon. Good wishes will only get you so far. As Revelation portrays it, God does everything he can to save people from the suffering we endure. When we engage in activities that harm ourselves, releases us from their power through the redeeming work of Christ, and he sends his Holy Spirit to transform us. Do we stupidly resist his goodness to be at work in us? He coaxes us along, at first gently and then with more urgency and insistence. Are we under attack by his enemies? He wages war against them and he marks us with his seal of protection. What more could we ask a loving God to do for us than that? I suppose we could ask him to change the rules of logic or the way the world operates, so that we all have no choice but to do what is good for us and each other. Even if that were possible (and some philosophers of religion argue that it isn’t), I don’t feel like being turned into a robot who has not choice but to do God’s bidding. God doesn’t want Stepford wives in heaven.
By this time in Revelation, the people of the earth have all been identified as belonging to two different groups. The first group are the people of God, who have received his seal of protection. Chapter 7 gives us the best description of this, but we saw it again at the beginning of this chapter. The other group of people are the ones who follow the “beast,” a demonic presence at work on the world to oppose God. They also have the mark of the one they follow; we read about it first in Chapter 13 and again in the middle part of this chapter. Certain privileges come with the different marks, according to the power of the one who gives it. God’s seal opens the way to eternal blessedness, and the beast’s mark gives you the ability to buy and sell. This isn’t to say that economic activity is inherently demonic. But we’re all bracing ourselves for the swarms of people who will descend upon the G20 summit in Pittsburgh to protest the injustices and evils of world finance. Even if we abhor their practices, some of them will have a point. Every form of financial or economic system causes hardship and suffering for at least some people, even when the system operates with the best of intentions. But unfortunately, economics are often used as a way to push down some people while elevating others. If you don’t believe me, listen to the political arguments about taxes and entitlement programs. But I digress….
Eventually the time will come when God has to act definitively, once and for all. In his time and according to his infinite wisdom, he will recognize that there is no longer any point to hope for repentance and for more people to turn to him. Everyone will have picked their sides. God’s love for those who call upon him is utter and complete and without any qualification. And for those who have rejected him and refuse to change their ways? God takes no delight in attacking or destroying them. He has demonstrated his love by seeking for them to accept his blessings. But if he would just let them keep going along in their destructive patterns, he would watch them undermine and ruin all the good that he has planned. The European leaders of the 1930’s have been castigated for “appeasement:” be nice to the evil guy and maybe we can all get along. It just doesn’t work. So God rouses his powers to destroy evil and all associated with it.
And yes, God gets angry about it. That anger isn’t a contradiction of his loving nature, but flows directly from it. If you love someone, and you find out that someone is hurting the one you love, you’re going to furious with them. If you abuse one of my family members, I’m going to want to take a baseball bat to you. If your family, like mine, has fallen under the scourge of cancer, your reaction to that cancer will be fury. It’s an anger that comes from directly from your love. What kind of love would God have for us if, when he sees us under attack, he just smiles and says, “Here. Let me give you a hug.” His anger stirs him up to act to save and protect the ones he loves.
To understand this passage in Revelation, it’s good to recall the parable of the weeds (sometimes called the parable of the wheat and tares) of Matthew 13. Jesus tells the story of a farmer who plants his crop, but one night his enemy scatters weed seed across the field. As the plants start to grow, everyone sees that there are thistles among the corn. The field hands go up to the farmer and ask him if he wants them to pull out the weeds. The farmer tells them not to, because they might damage some of the corn in the process. He tells them to wait until harvest time, and they can sort out the good crop from the bad weeds then. The disciples asked Jesus to explain the story, so he told them that the corn stood for the people of God, and the weeds were the people who followed Satan. We’re all on this earth together. God allows the nasty folks to continue in their lives untouched because any attempt to get rid of them would also hurt the people he loves. Wait until the end, he says. That’s when good and evil will be sorted out from each other.
This passage tells the story of what happens when its finally time for the harvest. It begins with John seeing “one like a son of man” coming out with a sharp sickle to harvest the earth. There’s no doubt that the “son of man” is Jesus Christ. It’s time for harvest, so Jesus brings in the good crop. It’s like Mark 13:27, telling us how he will send the angels out to gather in the elect from the ends of the earth. Jesus begins by bringing his beloved people into his home. If you believe in the rapture, this the point where the believers are taken up in to heaven and the only ones left on the earth are the unrepentant: the thistles ready to be burned (as the parable puts it). I hate to break it to Kirk Cameron and the whole “Left Behind” trademark, but this only happens after the time for repentance has passed. God won’t take in the harvest until he’s sure that every last ear of corn is ready. I don’t get the sense that a lot of time passes until the weeds are also harvested for their own miserable doom.
A second harvest takes place as an angel is dispatched from heaven with a terrible sickle of his own. The popular image of the “Grim Reaper” comes from this angel. By the way, this passage is also the inspiration for the first verse of the Battle Hymn of the Republic. It’s a nice piece of Northern propaganda to associate themselves with the harvest of the redeemed, while those horrid Southerners embody the evil of this second harvest. The Union army is an agent of God, bringing about the bloody harvest of God’s enemies. That’s an easy error for us to slip into: assuming that we are the holy people of God and our enemies are God’s enemies. History is full of people who acted in this self-deceptive attitude of righteousness. We can avoid the error if we remember the words of the farmer in the parable: don’t start pulling out the weeds until the very end. There may be some good corn in the midst of it. Don’t assume that you know better than God who is “weed” and who is “wheat.” Appearances deceive.
In John’s vision, the wicked are represented as grapes instead of the weeds of the parable. We shouldn’t let that switch derail us too easily. First, the harvest of grapes can appear much more like bloodshed than cutting down weeds; think of the dark red juice. Second, it helps us to associate this passage with ones like Isaiah 63 and Joel 3, which describe God crushing his enemies like grapes.
So does this mean that God is not loving? Not at all. In fact, the most loving thing God can do is eliminate the danger facing his beloved.
posted by Rev. Peter de Vries, Old Union Presbyterian Church @ 5:13 PM
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