Crushed in the Winepress of Wrath: Revelation 14:14-20 | The Great Harvest: Mercy and Wrath Revealed
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In this sermon on Revelation 14:14-20, we explore John’s vivid vision of two distinct harvests—the gathering of the righteous and the crushing of the wicked in the great winepress of God’s wrath. This passage offers a sobering look at God’s coming judgment, the certainty of His justice, and the hope for those who are in Christ.
You’ll discover how the imagery of the harvest connects deeply with Old Testament prophecy and how it challenges us today to examine our hearts, live in light of Christ’s return, and rest in God’s ultimate justice. This is a call to consider where we stand: are we part of the wheat gathered into God’s barn, or are we destined for the winepress of His wrath?
📢 “Want to reflect deeper on this message? Read the devotions for this sermon: 5 Devotions on Living in Light of God’s Wrath and Grace
📖 Scripture Reference: Revelation 14:14-20
✝️Sermon Points:
📌 The Certainty of Judgment – Christ comes with authority to bring the final harvest.
📌 The Gathering of the Righteous – A harvest of hope for those found in Christ.
📌 The Justice of God Upon the Wicked – The winepress of God’s wrath poured out in judgment.
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📖 Click to Show the Transcript of this Sermon
In ancient times, before we had machines invented for making wine, grapes were harvested by hand and brought to a large stone or a wooden press. Workers would step into the press and with their feet, they would crush the grapes underfoot. The juice from the grapes would flow out in thin streams and it would pool together and it would stain everything that it touched. Now, it's unlikely that you've ever seen this process in the way it was done in the past, but it's something that we can pretty easily imagine being done. And we know what the purpose of the process was. What begins as a cluster of grapes, grapes that are full and ripe, they are soon reduced to nothing more than pulp as this crushing continues and the juice is extracted.
Well, this is the image that John delivers to us at the close of Revelation chapter 14. It is a vision of judgment where the wicked are cast into the great winepress of God's wrath. The destruction is total. The justice is complete. And the blood flows like the juice from crushed grapes. But what is this judgment? Who is being crushed? And this passage, in its immediate context, speaks of the impending destruction of Jerusalem that was going to come in the year 70. That city that rejected Christ and persecuted His people. That city that the book of Revelation has referred to as Sodom and Babylon. While this is the context of the book of Revelation, that's the reason it was written, our passage today also serves as a sobering reminder for all of history. There are none who stand against God and prevail.
And so the question before us today is this: Are we the wheat gathered by Christ in the harvest of the righteous? Or are we part of the vine of the earth destined for the winepress of His wrath? So as we turn to the conclusion of the 14th chapter of Revelation today, we're going to consider the certainty of this coming judgment, the gathering of the righteous, and the justice of God upon the wicked.
So as we come to this 14th verse of Revelation chapter 14, we're going to consider the certainty of judgment. It's important that we first quickly remind ourselves of what we saw in the first part of this chapter. So as we explored Revelation 14, 1 through 13 last week, we saw a powerful contrast between those who stand with the Lamb, who are on Mount Zion and secure, and those who aligned with Babylon, the doomed city. And we focused last week on the call for endurance for God's people, the certainty of the judgment on the wicked and the promised rest that would come to the faithful. And so the passage highlighted the fall of worldly powers and the ultimate victory of Christ. And it urged us to remain faithful amid a world that is destined to collapse.
Well, now as we arrive in verse 14, we shift our focus from the call to endure to the final harvest where Christ's judgment is realized. So verse 13 was good news for the redeemed. We were told that the dead in the Lord are blessed and they rest from their labors. And from those words of comfort, we now change our focus to judgment. Last week at the end of our passage, we saw comfort. Well, now there's judgment. And what we see is that John looks and there is one like a Son of Man seated on the clouds.
Now on the face, the phrase "like a Son of Man" is a simple phrase, right? We are looking to heaven in John's vision. And we have had the images of the Lamb, the beasts, the dragon, and the angels. Well, this phrase here is telling us that this one seated on the cloud is human in appearance. That's helpful. Like I said, we've had beasts, a lamb, a dragon. Well, now we have one like a son of man. But there is so much more to that phrase than just the shape of this one seated on the cloud. The one being described here is Jesus. The term Son of Man is the most used title of Jesus in the New Testament. In fact, it is used more than 80 times in the four Gospels. Think about that. Those four Gospels are not long documents. And we see this phrase used for Jesus, Son of Man, 80 times.
Well, the reason for this is that it is a messianic term. It's telling us something about who Jesus is. It's making the claim that he is the Messiah. And it comes from different parts of the Old Testament. But primarily, Daniel 7 says, is where we read that one like a son of man comes up to the Ancient of Days. It's describing Jesus in this way, and it not only identifies him with his role as the Messiah, but also helps us to understand that we understand that the Messiah is fully human. And while I've focused on the phrase "son of man" here, we should also step back a few words and take note of other words in John's vision. He is on the clouds. So remember back to the beginning of the book of Revelation, a long time ago. In verse 7 of chapter 1, we were told that he was coming soon, that he was coming on the clouds.
And see, there's also a connection of the clouds with the passage I just mentioned previously from Daniel 7. In Daniel 7, it says that this One who is like a Son of Man is coming on the clouds of heaven and comes up to the Ancient of Days. So this is not an accidental allusion. The vision here that John is describing is deliberate. This is reminding us that Jesus is the Messiah and that He is coming in judgment. And John's vision lets us know that he has a crown on his head. He is the king. And he has authority. But there's also something interesting here. In his hand, he has a sharp sickle.
Now this is not what we would normally envision a king carrying, right? If I were to ask you to describe a king on a throne, how many of you would have said, "Oh, he's got a sickle in his hand for reaping?" That's not normal, but what is it doing here? It's preparing us for this idea of judgment and the harvest of the earth. So this image of Christ seated on the cloud, crowned with glory and holding the sharp sickle, it leaves no doubt for us. Judgment is not just a possibility, it's a certainty. He has the authority, he has the power, and he has the right to bring about this harvest. And if judgment is certain, then the call for us is clear as well. That we need to examine our hearts and ensure we are found among the redeemed, those who will be gathered by the hand of this righteous judge.
But this vision that we see here isn't just about judgment in general. It reveals two distinct harvests, right? One is the gathering of the righteous. This harvest reveals is one of hope, one of safety, one of security and peace. So let's turn now to the next few verses and consider this harvest, the gathering of the faithful, the harvest of the righteous. And as we move on to these two verses, we hear that yet another angel is being described to us. Now, this messenger, this angel, comes from the heavenly temple that was described a few chapters back.
Now this isn't telling us that the angel has the authority to tell Jesus what to do. The idea here is that this is the decree of God coming forth from the temple, and this angel is a messenger of that pronouncement from God. And that pronouncement is, "It's time for the harvest." The language couldn't be any clearer. "Take the sickle and reap, for the hour has come. The harvest of the earth is fully ripe." And once again, the book of Revelation is calling upon Old Testament imagery. The prophet Joel calls upon this same type of imagery to describe judgment. And it isn't just in the book of Revelation that we see this idea as well. Jesus quotes the Old Testament or uses the same imagery when he says in Mark 4:29, "But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." You can see the connections here. The people of God grow and as they grow it becomes time for the harvest.
And I think we often only see this idea expressed in the negative, the idea of harvest that judgment comes only in the form of wrath. But there is a positive side of judgment as well. We see that here. These are being judged, but there is reward. Think about it this way. When a farmer goes out into the fields at harvest time, the goal isn't destruction. It's gathering. Yes, some plants are discarded. Weeds are pulled and spoiled crops, they are left behind. Yes. But what's the primary focus? Gathering the good grain or the ripe fruit into the barn. And Jesus uses that exact imagery in Matthew 13:30 when he speaks of the wheat and the tares. He says, "Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."
And in our passage from Revelation today, we see that positive side of judgment. The call goes out for the harvest because the earth is fully ripe. This isn't a harvest of destruction. It's a gathering of the faithful. It's the fulfillment of God's promises to His people that they will not be forgotten. This is a harvest of hope. But as we move to the end of this chapter, we see that for the wicked there is no hope. The harvest has come, and they are being brought not into the barn, but into the winepress.
And we'll see the all-consuming nature of the wrath of God as we finish up this passage with verses 17 through 20. So here in John's vision, there's another angel coming from this temple in heaven. The first one comes out of the temple with a sharp sickle and is followed by another angel coming from the altar. And he calls out for that sharp sickle to be swung. And again, these angels are not the ultimate authority. They're not the ones deciding that these judgments take place. The idea is that this is coming from the authority of God. And this is expressed to us in the idea that the angels are coming out of the temple.
These directions for judgment are coming from God. They are but the messengers. They are the servants in the judgment. As we read the words from this second angel, notice the statement that "the grapes are ripe." It is time for judgment. God has been patient. God has waited until the appointed time for this to take place. The grapes are ripe. And reading this passage provides very vivid imagery for us because there's a great contrast in the harvest of the grain and the harvest of the grapes. And we can easily understand why grapes are being used here. Last week, I mentioned the strong language used in Psalm 75, verse 8, and how wine was used as an image for God's wrath.
Particularly with this last idea that this wine is in the cup and it's the judgment of God and it should be drained all the way down to the dregs. And here we get this imagery of wine again, the image of drinking the cup of wrath. But the image being painted here for us is one of the shedding of blood. The judgment of God on the wicked idolaters has finally come and blood is being shed. Death is coming to those who have opposed the things of God. And the picture painted for us here is a gruesome one. Because the wicked are represented as grapes, but they're not just disconnected from the vine in the judgment.
They are gathered, just as the grain was gathered previously, but they are gathered into a winepress. The great winepress of the wrath of God. Take in those words and that idea for just a moment. You know what's coming just by reading these words. You know what is going to follow. When it says that it is going into the winepress of God's wrath, you know what's coming. The wicked are removed from the vine like grapes, and then they are trampled down. Absolute judgment has come. The idea being conveyed is the greatness of this judgment.
And we know why wine is being used. We know why this is the imagery here. It is connected to blood because of its color. And we know this not only from the external appearance of wine, but also from language from Scripture. Think about the Lord's Supper. Jesus instituted the wine to be the blood of the covenant. And in His death, He took on the wrath of God for our sins. His blood flowed. But now for those who are not covered by the blood of the Lamb, we read that they experience the wrath of God. In His death, Jesus took on the wrath for us, but for these, their blood is shed.
Those harvested in the first wave of judgment that we read about, they were spared from the wrath of God. They were gathered into the barn because of the grace that was given to them in Christ. But those on whom the sickle is slung, they are put into the winepress of wrath and they experience the fullness of God's wrath. They have not found shelter in the Lamb. They say, "Well, drink the wrath of God down to the dregs." And we see the severity and scope of this as we read that the winepress was trodden down outside the city and blood flowed to a depth of a horse's bridle for 1600 stadia, which is roughly the distance of 200 miles. And the idea here is to express to us the overwhelming nature of the judgment of God. It gets us to understand that the wrath of God is severe and it cannot be escaped.
And with all of these things considered, as we close up, we need to consider the question I put out for us at the outset. Are we the wheat gathered by Christ in the harvest of the righteous? Or are we part of the vine of the earth destined for the winepress of His wrath? This passage presents for us two harvests. One of hope and one of wrath. And it leaves no room for neutrality. Everyone will be gathered. And the question is, which harvest will we be a part of?
As we leave from here today, I want us to do so with three clear applications as we think about this passage. The first one is, examine your heart. The certainty of judgment should lead us to self-examination. Am I truly trusting in Christ? Am I trusting in Him alone for salvation? Or am I still clinging to the things of the world, trying to win salvation on my own by my own works? Am I tied to the vine of the earth instead of resting in the true vine? Jesus said in John 15, "I am the vine and you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." Abiding in Christ is the only way to be gathered in the harvest of the righteous. We need to rest in His salvation. That is the way in which we are sure where we will stand in the judgment. Daily, we turn to Him in repentance and faith.
Secondly, we need to have an eternal perspective and we need to live in light of the coming harvest. For those who are in Christ, this passage is not one of fear. This is a passage of hope. Because the blood of the Lamb was shed for us, we are gathered into the barn. We are the harvest of the righteous because we have the righteousness of Christ. And that harvest means the end of striving, the fulfillment of God's promises, and eternal rest in His presence. But this also calls us to urgency, to live with purpose, and to labor in the fields until that final harvest comes. So as we live this life and as we labor in the fields, we need to ask ourselves, who in our lives needs to hear the message of salvation? Who is still connected to the vine of the earth, unaware that judgment is coming? We are called to be faithful witnesses who point others to the hope that we have found in Christ.
Third, we can trust in and rest in the justice of God after reading this passage. It offers us assurance that God's justice prevails. In a world filled with evil, with corruption, with suffering, we can often wonder, "Will justice ever come?" But this vision assures us that it will. God is patient, but He's not indifferent to suffering. The wicked will not go unpunished forever. And this is both sobering but it is also comforting. As Paul writes in Romans 12:19, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord." This passage reminds us of that truth, and we can rest in that comfort.
As I mentioned, the imagery of the winepress is graphic, and it's unsettling. But it forces us to confront a reality that we often want to avoid. God's wrath is real and His judgment is certain. But here's the beauty of the Gospel. Jesus has already gone into the winepress of God's wrath for you. We will not be slung. If we are in Christ, if we are covered by the blood of the Lamb, we will not be slung into the winepress of God's wrath for that wrath was taken on for us. On the cross, His blood flowed. He bore the wrath of God. He was crushed for our iniquities so that we would not have to face the winepress of wrath ourselves.
So the choice is simple but eternal. Will we trust in the One who was crushed for us? Or will we face the crushing weight of God's wrath on our own? And because we have the assurance of faith, because we have been given that gift of faith, we can know that the wrath of God was taken on for us. We will not experience the winepress of His wrath. We will be gathered into His barn. And why is that? Is it because of anything that we've done? No. No. Our only hope is in the Lamb who was slain. The One whose blood flowed for us. So may we daily trust in Him alone. Turn to Him in repentance and faith. And trust in the mercy and grace that we have in Him. Amen.
Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, we are blessed to be a people who has been given the gift of Your Word. And we pray that You would also build us up in faith. That we would have a confidence in Your Word. To trust in what Christ has done for us. May the blood of the Lamb be in front of us at all times. May we be mindful of it. That we might know that Your wrath has been turned aside. And that when we are in Christ, when we trust in him, we will be harvested and taken into your barn. We pray, O Lord, that the message of this gospel would be on our lips, that others might hear and believe and escape this wrath as well. It's in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen.
