Revelation 14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

‘And I looked, and behold a white cloud‘

John looked and saw a white cloud.

‘upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man‘

Jesus Christ called Himself the Son of man many times. Notice the capitalization of “Son.”

‘having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle‘

He is wearing a crown and holding a sharp sickle, for Him to reap the harvest.

Revelation 14:16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

‘And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth‘

Jesus is ready to reap or rapture the tribulation saints.

‘the earth was reaped.‘

The tribulation saints are reaped up and redeemed from the earth.

As we can also see in Ephesians 1:13-14 and Romans 8, redemption does not just refer to the salvation of Jesus Christ, but also the rapture.

This is interesting because in Revelation 14:1, weren’t the 144,000 tribulation saints already raptured up to Heaven? Why does Revelation 14:14 talk about another rapture of tribulation saints?

It’s important to note that the book of Revelation cannot be read sequentially. John is seeing different visions in Revelation 14. They’re all mashed up together. God gives revelations in many viewpoints, not according to time sequences in an orderly fashion. When there are teachers who teach the book of Revelation to read it chronologically, it is a wrong way to read a book of Revelation.

Revelation 14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

Revelation 14:17-18 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

This angel in verse 18 is different from the one in Revelation 14:15 although they are both holding sharp sickles. The angel in verse 15 releases a cry so that the tribulation saints can be raptured into the temple in heaven.

‘And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him’

Whereas in verse 18, another angel has power over fire at the altar releases a particularly loud cry, so God would cast His wrath and judgment upon the bad guys at the tribulation. It is a particularly loud cry because it is to avenge the blood of the tribulation saints.

‘him that had the sharp sickle‘

There are two different angels. One from the temple and one from the altar. The angel at the temple allows the tribulation saints to enter the temple. When God judges, His judgment comes from the altar.

Revelation 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

‘gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.‘

All the “bad guys” that God has ‘reaped’ from the earth, He would throw them right into the winepress, taking their blood in vengeance, which is why we consider God a grim reaper at that time. The winepress is where people put huge clusters of grape (a couple of inches of wall) and they start stomping on these grapes. It’s like a dance and that’s how you get wine. The wine will reach the edges of the garments of their clothes.

In Matthew 26, Jesus says that the grape juice represents His blood which is salvation at His first coming. At His second coming, the grape juice represents the blood of the unbelievers. Did you know all these when you were taking all these at the Lord’s Supper? It is not just to remind us of the blood of Jesus Christ and salvation, but also the blood of the unbelievers at His future coming.

1 Corinthians 11: 29 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.