A Closer Look at Section 2 (Chapters 14-19)

“Men’s hearts failing them for fear” – Luke 21:26

Chapters 14 through 19 focus on events at the close of the Gospel Age — THE HARVEST. This is a complex period. In it the world is experiencing troubles it cannot handle, and Christianity is faced with the kind of scrutiny that destroys everything that can be shaken. (Heb 12:26-29)

Perhaps we can summarize the events of this harvest as three works progressing at the same time:

1. The unseen presence of Jesus is actively maneuvering the affairs of the Church and the world in preparation for the peaceable Kingdom. (2 Pet 3:10; Rev 16:15; Rev 14:15)

2. All of what has called itself Christianity is being judged by God and by man based on both doctrine and conduct. (Rev 14:8; Rev 18:1-9)

3. A great increase of understanding of Scripture is being fed to sincere, hungering, Christians. (Rev 14:6; 17:1; 18:4; Dan 12:4, 9, 10)

Five Times through the Harvest Period

(1) Judgment & Harvesting (Rev 14:6-20) this presentation is the first in the series of harvest over-views. Its primary purpose is to show the relationship between Babylon’s judgment and the work of harvesting.

(2) Historical Events to Weaken Babylon (Rev 15:1- Rev 16:21) these chapters we usually call The Seven Last Plagues. This account is to show the world’s history during the harvest. It is a list of 20th Century events, which successively and cumulatively weaken Babylon until its final collapse. It is written to help us understand the events of our century and to let us know “things” which must shortly come to pass.” Chapter 15 specifies the parts played in this plaguing by the saints on both sides of the veil.

(3) Political-Social Developments (Rev 17:1-18) this narrative is to show how events will culminate when both leaders and people turn against the apostate church. It shows the sequence of political turnovers since Brother Russell’s day, thus letting us know where we are on the stream of time and what we can next expect.

(4) The Economic Viewpoint (Rev 18 – Rev 19:10) this is the “4th Volume” of Revelation. This chapter shows the reactions of various groups to Babylon’s post-1914 inability to provide the kinds of political and economic stability of the past. It concludes with Babylon’s total destruction and the ensuing rejoicing throughout heaven and earth.

(5) The Spirit-Begotten Viewpoint (Rev 19:11-21) this picture shows the judgment and destructive power and authority of the returned Lord who, with his saints — both in the flesh and glorified (beyond the vail), and with the remaining Great Multitude, is victorious in destroying the old order.

A careful examination of Jesus’ parable of the Wheat and Tares (Matt 13:24-30, 36-43) will help the reader understand this harvest time and Chapters 14-19 of Revelation which prophesy its details.

The parable first summarizes the Gospel Age by stating that Jesus gave a message which created real Christians (Wheat). Once the Apostles died — (Verse 25: “while men slept“) – – Satan gave a false message which created false Christians (Tares). The tendency toward this mixed-up Christianity was already active in the Apostles’ day. (2 Thess 2:7) Paul calls it the “mystery of iniquity” and the “man of sin.” John calls it “The Antichrist” (1 John 4:3)

Revelation calls it “Babylon” (Rev 14:8). Jesus (Matt 13:30) shows that this combination of true and false Christianity would exist together until the harvest. Jeremiah 51:7-9 explains that God used Christendom (Babylon) and would have healed her, but she would not be healed. Hence Jesus prophesied the harvest separation, the work of destroying the faith and the organization of false Christianity, along with the work of gathering true Christians. These true Christians would FIRST be gathered to the TRUTH as Luke 17:34-37 suggests; SECONDLY, they would be gathered to heaven itself as Matt 13:43 suggests.

Chapters 14-19 deal with the work pictured in this parable. (For a more in-depth look at the parable of the Wheat and the Tares click here.)

Poor Chapter Division (A Parenthetical, but important, Thought)

Chapter 14 should begin with its sixth verse. The first five verses really are an end to Chapter 13. Note that Chapter 13:16, 17 speaks of some who have the mark of the beast on their hands or foreheads. These are false Christians. Note that 14:1 contrasts this with true Christians. The true Christians have “His (the Lamb’s) name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.” (NAS Translation) This is one of those places the King James Version omits some words which actually are a part of the Bible).

It seems clear that this contrast of names in foreheads places Rev 14:1-5 as the true ending of Chapter 13. (There are other, more complicated, reasons also.)

Chapters 14 through 19 in Brief

Chapter 14

Jesus appears on the scene in 14:14. Note why.

Verse 15 clearly states that the time for HARVEST is begun. As he promised in his Matthew 13 parable, there is a harvest of TWO groups:

(1) The harvest of the earth (THE WHEAT) in verses 15 and 16; and

(2) The harvest of the vine of the earth (THE TARES) in verses 18 and 19. This is the central feature of this chapter.

Chapters 15 and 16

 The Plagues on Babylon

These two chapters deal with the WAY God intends to destroy the various component parts of Babylon.

In Chapter 18:4, God warns the WHEAT (“my people“) that if they do not “come out” from Babylon during the harvest, they will be subject to experiencing the “plagues” that He will send on Babylon. It is the position of some excellent students of Scripture that these plagues are spread out over a number of decades and that many of them have already been in the process of fulfillment.

Because it takes a long time to undermine age-old institutions, it is said to show “the patience of the saints” (Rev 14:12) who have to wait for its accomplishment. The experiences and discomforts of the tares during this process and of the wheat that do not come out, are symbolically portrayed in Rev 14:11.

In short, God is undermining Babylon by sending a series of seven events against her which, step by step, force truths to her attention and destroy the false faith and lies upon which Babylon grew — the tare seeds which Satan sowed. Just as God wore down Pharaoh by a series of plagues which ultimately delivered Israel, so here, God wears down apostate Christianity so that the entire world may be delivered from the influence of her religious falsehoods.

Chapter 17

In Scripture, the true Church is always represented by virgins. (Rev 14:4; Matt 25:1-13) In Revelation 17, by contrast, we find Babylon pictured as a harlot. The harlotry of the apostate church is due to her having a relationship with the world. The true saints, on the other hand, strive to keep themselves separate from all entanglements with the world and its ways and aims.

In highly symbolic language, Revelation 17 shows how the apostate church throughout history has virtually ruled the Western world — that part of the earth usually called “Christendom.” This chapter shows the steps by which both the harlot and the “world” she ruled (the “beast“) will meet their ends in the harvest period. This prophecy is closely allied to Paul’s prophecy in 2 Thess 2:8-10 which shows how the increase of truth, when Jesus’ secret presence begins, destroys the tares planted by Satan.

Chapter 18

The Decline of Commerce

It would be good to note here what may not have been obvious. In both sections of Revelation which we have examined, the narrative is not one continuous flow. The Revelator keeps jumping back to a point in time and retelling the story from another point of view. Thus 14:5 begins at the harvest’s beginning; 15:1 jumps back to the same beginning as does 17:1 and, now, 18:1. Thus, it will be noticed, that 14:8 and 18:2 have the same statement.

This jump-back in time is an imperative element in the understanding of Revelation.

Chapter 18 begins when Babylon is “fallen.” The thought is FALLEN FROM FAVOR. Her actual total destruction is later and is detailed in 18:21.

This fall from favor (as we saw in 14:8) happened many years ago when the harvest began. As 14:12 shows, the gradual events leading to her total destruction are long enough to require “the patience of the saints.” Chapter 18 gives much more detail regarding this gradual decline. It focuses on its effects on various parts of society. These are symbolically called by several names:

The kings of the earth (18:9)

The merchants of the earth (18:11)

Every ship-master (18:17)

All the company in ships (18:17)

Sailors (18:17)

As many as trade by sea (18:17)

(Those who read our study of Ezekiel Chapters 26-28, “A Proclamation against Tyre and Sidon”, should already have some idea as to what each of these represent.)

The world, as we know it, functions on a political-commercial basis. The weakening of that international economic system, which is plain to see in current news reports, is the focus of Chapter 18. According to this chapter, the world as we know it (religious, political, and economic) will soon fall apart.

Continued with next post.