Revelation 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 the winepress was trodden without the city‘

The winepress is outside the city. The city is referring to the Holy City; Jerusalem. Outside the city, Jesus will stamp out the blood of the unbelievers, all the action will take place in Israel.

‘and blood came out of the winepress‘

When you stomp on the grapes, juice will come out.

‘even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs‘

Jesus Christ is riding on a horse when He is trampling the unbelievers. We can see that Jesus will be trampling on the unbelievers in such great wrath that their blood will reach the height of the horse bridles, and reach out to as far as 200 miles (1,600 furlongs). That is great wrath. This is not the meek Jesus that came down at the first coming. His second coming is as a roaring lion. Jesus has tolerated all the sins and wrong doctrines for long.

Jesus’ second coming

From this passage above, we can see that Jesus’s second coming will be different from His first. This time around, He will take vengeance on the unbelievers, and cast His judgment and wrath upon them.

From verses 15 and 18, we can also see that there will be two different events going on. The first one talks about the reaping or rapture of the tribulation saints, which is about His mercy towards them and taking them up into Heaven. We can also see that Jesus Christ is sitting down when this happens ‘upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown‘ (Revelation 14:14). The angels are the ones who use the sickle. Jesus Christ is also wearing one crown.

In verse 18, it is the complete opposite – it’s vengeance and great wrath. Here Jesus is not sitting down. He is also wearing many crowns, not one. He will use his sickle to harvest the ‘grapes’ which is referring to the sinners or unbelievers.

Some anti-dispensationalists would argue how could Jesus’s second coming involve so many different events and raptures? Well, it is supported by Scripture that these events should be distinguished from one another. When Jesus Christ raptures the church or the tribulation saints, He has not landed on earth yet. Only during His second coming does He land on earth.

Deuteronomy 32:31-33 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.

‘For their rock is not as our Rock‘

Which religion will say that their rock is our rock? Their rock is the Pope. We do not believe in the pope.

‘For their vine is of the vine of Sodom‘

Christians see the wine at the Lord’s supper as something symbolic. The Catholics see it as literal blood of Jesus Christ.

‘Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.‘

The poison of dragons – the dragon is coming down during tribulation.

Revelation 19 has some verses to support.

Revelation 19:12-13,15 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

‘his head were many crowns‘

He has many crowns, not one.

‘the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God‘

Bible believers should not be singing the “Battle Republic” hymn because it’s taking this winepress of the fierceness of God on the people in the South when it’s supposed to be on unbelievers. These Southern people are the ones who memorize Bible and try to live their lives right by God. Why sing that as part of a church hymn? It should not be a good thing for Bible believers to sing this song against their own fellow brethren, even at times of war.

‘Mine eyes have seen the glory
Of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage
Where the grapes of wrath are stored;’

There are many references in the Bible about the winepress of fierceness and wrath of Almighty God:

  • Joel 1:15
  • Nahum 1:2-6
  • Psalm 68:23
  • Judges 5:21
  • Joel 3:13
  • Genesis 49:11
  • Isaiah 34:5
  • Habakkuk 3:15
  • Jeremiah 25:30
  • Jeremiah 24:2

There are also references in the Bible about the rapture of the tribulation saints, where it talks about the harvest being ripe.

  • Isaiah 17:6
  • Isaiah 26:20-21
  • Jeremiah 6:9
  • James 5:7
  • Matthew 13:39