Do Not be among the Vine of the Earth When Gathered!

A study of Revelation 14:14-20.

By Nab B. 

September 26, 2022

Updated Mar 2026

Verse By Verse Series©

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Revelation 14:14

“Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.” NKJV

"I looked, a white cloud and on the cloud sat one like the Son of Man."

Every word is a symbol of a spiritual reality described vividly. "White" represents righteousness as in "white clothes," "white throne," and "white stone."

"Clouds" represent coming in power and glory far above the earthly realm. Jesus spoke of his coming with the clouds, obviously not riding literal clouds (as some naively think), but appearing in power and glory in full bright light. “They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:30) “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven.” (Dan 7:13)

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"Having on his head a golden crown and a sharp sickle." 

The ‘golden crown’ is Christ's high authority. A sickle is used for harvesting, representing Christ's judgment! A sharp sickle indicates harvest is at hand. “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.” (Joel 3:13)

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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.”

The harvest symbolizes the completion of the age to bring in the chosen (or the harvest), as noted below:

“The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels (messengers)” (Matt 13:39)

“The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:2)

“Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” (John 4:35)

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Revelation 14:16

“So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.”

While a final Day of Judgment is coming, Jesus is also judging the Church continually based on these verses below:

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begins at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Pet 4:17) KJV

“Watch ye therefore . . . that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luk 21:36) KJV

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Revelation 14:17

“Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.”

The angel represents human messengers at Christ’s disposal. The sharp sickle isn't about destroying people, but rather cleansing and removing the marred effects of sin (that which offends and stumbles) in people. This is done through the blood of Christ.

“The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt 13: 41-42)

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Revelation 14:18

“And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, 'Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.” NKJV

Now the clusters of the vine of the earth are ready to be gathered. Who is the vine? And who are the clusters? Jesus had already revealed them here: 

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:5-7) 

Jesus Christ is the True Vine. True believers are the good branches or the good clusters. False believers are the bad branches or the bad “CLUSTERS” to be gathered and judged.

Matthew 13:39-42 shows that the wheat is the “Sons of the kingdom”, while the tares are the “Sons of the evil one” who make up the “clusters” to be gathered for judgment.

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Revelation 14:19

“So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.” NKJV

"The vine of the earth."

If Jesus is the true vine, who is then the vine of the earth? They are a false vine with false clusters that need to be removed. It's the false church system pretending to be the "true vine". 

Note the similarities between Judah and the unfaithful church: 

“Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?” (Jer 2:21-22) 

God’s expectation of the vine turned sour: 

“And he fenced it...and planted it with the choicest vine...and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. ” (Isa 5:2) KJV

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"Threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God." 

God's judgment against the fallen church was shown earlier as drinking His cup of wrath. Here, it is shown by casting her into the great winepress of His wrath. 

Many interpret this to be God’s judgment on the world in general. While this will happen, the description fits the false church system that it worships. They commit spiritual fornication with Babylon the Great. 

This symbolic winepress of judgment was mentioned by Jesus: 

“The Son of man shall send his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”  (Matt 13:4-42) 

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Revelation 14:20

“And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.” NKJV

"And the winepress was trampled."

Judgment begins with trampling. We read earlier about trampling in Revelation 11:1-2,

“But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread (or trampled) under foot forty and two months.” 

Here, God permits the fallen church to be judged and punished by ravenous wolves who will devour her from within. As to God's elect, the virgin church of Christ is protected from such a fate.

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"Outside the city."

The fallen church is judged "Outside the city," or the kingdom of God. His judgments do not touch the spiritual peaceful condition among true believers residing "in the city of God." 

It helps to know that there are only two cities: the city of God (for the saints) and the city of Babylon (for the unfaithful).

“The one who overcomes . . . I will write the name of My God and the name of the city of My God and My new name.” (Rev 3:12)

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"And blood came out of the winepress." 

Is this a literal or a symbolic description? Surely, symbolic. Revelation deals with spiritual realities. It uses the language of blood, winepress, and judgment to point out something glorious. 

God's wrath is against sin that resides in our old nature. To kill sin, the old nature must be killed. Hence, the language of "blood (life) coming out of the winepress (judgment)" represents  God's judgment against man's old nature and anyone who stays in such a state of impurity.

Babylon the Great is a great city, a system of great deception. Its doctrines kept many believers in bondage to sin and death despite the saving work of God through His Son. This is why "Babylon the Great" is said to be heavily blood-guilty that “God has remembered her iniquities,” and “In her was found the blood of prophets, saints, and all slain on the earth.” (Rev 18:5,24)

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"Up to the horses' bridles."

What is meant by horses’ bridles? The following scriptures will reveal the meaning:

“We put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.” (James 3:3) 

“I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and bring you out with all your army--your horses, your horsemen in full armour.” (Eze 38:4)

These warhorses were on a racecourse; they were muzzled to be steered in a specific direction. God is the One steering this apostate church system by putting "hooks and bridles" in their figurative mouths, steering them toward His winepress or "judgments!" 

The point is this: There is no escape from God's cleansing judgment on all things offensive or abominable in His kingdom. This isn't a picture of a bloody vengeance, as much as a depiction of God's severe judgment to cleanse His people lest they perish.

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"One thousand six hundred furlongs (stadia)."

The word furlong is stadion in Greek. It’s a measure of length, implying a racecourse. "Stadia" denotes either a measurement (an eighth of a mile ) or a racecourse for a public game. The meaning lies in the symbolic number 1,600, and the specific word "stadia," and not furlongs.

"Stadia" (we get the word stadium) denotes a spiritual race. Unlike true believers of the pure church who are in a spiritual race for eternal life, the fallen believers of the unfaithful church enter a dangerous race by colliding with God and Christ, who are trying to destroy their impurities.

Here is what 1,600 furlongs (properly, stadia) represent using some biblical clues:

1. 1. 1. 1. The root number of 1,600 is 4. Four is a number of completions (e.g. 4 winds, 4 creatures, 4 corners, 4 judgments). 1,600 is made up of (4 x 4 x 100)  squared and multiplied by 100. This method is similar to the number 144,000, which is squared and multiplied by 1,000 (12 x 12 x 1000)

1. 1. 1. 2. 1,600 is also made up of (40 x 40). Forty is a number that signifies trial, testing, and judgment. 

1. 1. 1. 3. The number 1,600 symbolizes the totality and scope of God's test and wrathful judgment on the whole false church system of "earth dwellers." The double multiplication (40 x 40), or triple multiplication (4 x 4 x 100) are used to signify and confirm and completion of God's judgment.

Because the false church system has caused tremendous spiritual apathy and death to many believers, through her cup of spiritual fornication, God makes her drink the cup of His wrath in "full measure" by exposing Babylon, and  by cleansing those who will respond to the call to "Come out of her." (Rev 18:4)

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A Final Thought!

Although other deceiving systems keep many in spiritual bondage, it is our sinful nature that is most deceiving of all. This is because sin and death still reside within the heart of man, even among believers who are deceived, either knowingly or unknowingly!

There's no sense talking only of outside forces when the real enemy is our old nature. In a way, Revelations' symbolic beasts, dragon, hosers and locusts are unleashed to deceive us, to enslave us to our old sinful nature, to keep us earthly and soulish, rather than becoming "heaven dwellers" and "overcomers" by the "Blood of the Lamb!" 

"They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." 

(Rev 12:11)

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