Understanding Revelation Commentary 24

Rev. 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

² And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

³ And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Satan cast into the bottomless pit

The beast and the false prophet have been cast into the lake of fire. Rev. 19:20. The false prophet being the second beast from the land. Rev. 13:11. We will never hear from these two again. But the dragon, the serpent of old is bound in the bottomless pit for the entire thousand year rule and reign of Christ on the earth. After which he will be loosed for a little season to test those upon the earth.

⁴ And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Tribulation saints will be living and reigning with Christ during the millennial age. They are part of the first resurrection.

⁵ But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

The First Resurrection

⁶ Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

All those who take part in the first resurrection shall rule and reign with Christ during the millennial age. This would include all those caught up to meet Him in the air. 1 Thess. 4:15.

⁷ And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

⁸ And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

It's hard to believe that people who number as the sand of the sea will be deceived and rebel against the Lord. After a glorious time of His ruling and reigning on the earth!

⁹ And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

The Lake of Fire

¹⁰ And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Now the devil joins the beast and the false prophet in the lake of fire. All three will never be heard from again!

¹¹ And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

The Great White Throne Judgement

¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Now comes judgement for all people from all the ages. This is the second death. VS 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power!

¹³ And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Understanding Revelation Commentary 23

 Rev. 19:1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

Much people in heaven who have come out of the great tribulation. And all who have been caught up to be with the lord, raptured.

² For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

³ And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

⁴ And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

⁵ And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

The Lord Reigns

⁶ And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

The marriage of the Lamb being the fulfillment of the hope and expectation of the saints of the ages.

⁸ And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

⁹ And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

The marriage ceremony being the rapture and the supper being the feast of booths or Jewish Sukkot. Referring to the thousand year millennium where the Lord will provide all that we need via "His" economic system.

The Seven Jewish Feasts

The seven feasts describe God's plan for mankind. Passover (Pesach) pictures Christ's blood which brings salvation. Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMotzi) represents holiness and separation from sin. First Fruits points to Christ's resurrection as the first fruits of those who will be raised. Feast of Weeks (Shavuot or Pentecost) celebrates the wheat harvest and pictures the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits have been fulfilled by the Lord. The Feast of Weeks is in the process of being fulfilled. The Church age began with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It will end 2 Thess. 2:7 when Holy Spirit is taken out of the way. This will start the final week of years tribulation period of Daniel 9:24. Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) will be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation period when Christ's return is announced. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) pictures the final judgment and reconciliation through Christ. The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) points to God dwelling with His people, symbolizing ultimate fellowship and joy during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.

The Spirit of Prophecy

¹⁰ And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus! If anyone rejects the spirit of prophecy, they are in fact rejecting the testimony of Jesus.

¹¹ And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

¹² 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.

¹³ And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

Armies in Heaven

¹⁴ And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Verse 8 fine linen white and clean. The wife of the Lamb being part of the armies which are in heaven.

¹⁵ 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.

¹⁶ And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.

¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

¹⁸ That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

¹⁹ And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

The Beast and the False Prophet

²⁰ And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

The beast and the false prophet now go into the lake of fire. They are finished. Never to be heard from again.

²¹ And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Understanding Revelation Commentary 22

 Rev. 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

² And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

Babylon, the man made worldwide religious/economic system is fallen.

³ For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Come Out of Her

⁴ And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

⁵ For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

⁶ Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

⁷ How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Burned With Fire

⁸ Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

The man made worldwide economic/religious system will come to an end in one day!

⁹ And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

¹⁰ Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

Collapse of the worldwide economic system

¹¹ And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

The complete collapse of the worldwide economic system.

¹² The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

¹³ And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

¹⁴ And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

¹⁵ The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,

¹⁶ And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

¹⁷ For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

This Great City

¹⁸ And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

This great city could be referring to a city or a country, the destruction of which would decimate the worldwide economic system.

¹⁹ And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

²⁰ Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

A Great Millstone

²¹ And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

In verse 8, Babylon is destroyed with fire. Now here in verse 21 possibly a great tsunami will finish the job.

²² And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

²³ And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

²⁴ And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Understanding Revelation Commentary 21

 Rev. 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

² With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

³ So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

⁴ And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

⁵ And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.

⁶ And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

Mystery, Babylon. Babylon is symbolic of the man made religious, economic system of the world. Responsible for the blood of the saints, martyrs of Jesus.

Mystery of the Woman and the Beast revealed

⁷ And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

⁸ The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

The beast that was; received a head wound via Christ's work at the cross. Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. The beast is not; because of Christ's work at the cross. Luke 10:18 Jesus said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. His headship being crushed with Christ’s work at the cross. The beast that yet is; Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And again in Rev. 13:14-18 an image of the beast that had the wound by a sword and did live.

This image of the beast has the number of a man, 666. Rev 13:18. The image of the beast is a creation of man. AI is the perfect match for the image of the beast. All of man’s knowledge and work turned over to Satan and darkness. Brought forth, restored headship, in a physical entity; the beast, an AI man, with complete power over mankind! See Understanding Revelation Commentary 16.

Seven Mountains

⁹ And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

Rome is noted as the city built on seven hills. The seven mountain reference connotates complete world power and authority.

¹⁰ And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

Seven kings. Five have past. One is, during John's experience, but has been spiritually defeated by Christ's work at the cross. Head wounded. One is yet to come, Antichrist, the seventh. And the beast that was, and is not, and yet is, being the eighth. His wounded head will be supernaturally healed with the appearance of Antichrist 2 Thess. 2:8. The beast, the eighth, being mans creation, 666, the image of the beast. Rev 13:14.

¹¹ And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

The beast and all those that have his mark, will go into perdition.

The 10 Kings

¹² And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

The beast will be in league with these 10 earthly leaders for a short period of time.

¹³ These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

¹⁴ These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

The beast and the armies of the world, the ten kings, will make war with the Lamb. The Lamb will defeat them!

The Waters

¹⁵ And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

The waters, people, give power to the beast and the whore. The waters referring to the sea of humanity. Rev. 13:1. Isaiah 17:12-13

¹⁶ And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

The ten horns are not happy with the world religious, economic system being in charge. They think that she should not be sitting on the beast but visa versa.

¹⁷ For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

¹⁸ And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Understanding Revelation Commentary 20

 Rev. 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

² And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

³ And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

⁴ And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.

⁵ And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.

The blood of saints and prophets

⁶ For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

⁷ And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

The blood of the saints and prophets now being avenged.

⁸ And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

⁹ And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

¹⁰ And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,

Scorched with great heat and now darkness.

¹¹ And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

People understand the source of these plagues but don't repent which would give Him glory.

The way of the kings of the east

¹² And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

¹³ And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

¹⁴ For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

Demonic spirits like frogs from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. Assembling the kings of the earth to battle against God Almighty.

¹⁵ Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

Encouragement here to the reader. Watch and overcome because Jesus will come for His bride as a thief before this great Day of the Lord begins. Daniel's 70th week of years. The church will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air just before this great and terrible tribulation time that will come upon the earth.

¹⁶ And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

This is where the blood will be about 6' deep for six hundred furlongs. Rev. 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. 75 miles.

¹⁷ And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

¹⁸ And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

¹⁹ And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

The great city of commerce and religious influence. This could reference a city, country, or the manmade world religious/economic system.

²⁰ And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

²¹ And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

A talent is about 75 pounds.

Understanding Revelation Commentary 19

 Rev. 15:1 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. ² And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God  and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:

Old and New Testament works of deliverance. The song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb. Now as the entire earth is delivered into the Millennium Kingdom.

The song of God's servant Moses and of the Lamb

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
    Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
    King of the nations.
⁴ Who will not fear you, Lord,
    and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
    and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God

⁵ After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened. ⁶ Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. ⁷ Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. ⁸ And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

Verse 1, With them God’s wrath is completed. Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. These bowl judgements will bring about the completion of Daniel's final week of years, tribulation period, Jacob's trouble, Day of the Lord!

Understanding Revelation Commentary 18

 Rev. 14:1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. ² And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. ³ And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴ These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. ⁵ No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

These are the 144,000 who were sealed back in Rev. 7:3. Having finished their testimony on earth, are now standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion and before the throne.

The Three Angels

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. ⁷ He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

The eternal gospel. Fear, respect God. May His Name be high and lifted up in our heart, mind and soul. High and above any other name, glorified, worshipped. The beast, antichrist will demand the same type of worship. This final preaching of the Gospel to every nation, tribe, language and people could be what Jesus was referring to in Matt. 24:14. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The Second Angel

⁸ A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”

Babylon, the great world system as we know it will be destroyed.

⁹ A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, ¹⁰ they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” ¹² This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

Many believers will die at the hand of the beast, antichrist, and false prophet.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress

¹⁴ I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵ Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶ So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

The verse 14-16 harvest could be those who die in the Lord from now on of verse 13. While the verse 17 harvest is the winepress of God's wrath which is for the godless darkened followers of the beast.

The Winepress of God's Wrath

¹⁷ Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸ Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. ²⁰ They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.

Jesus is in charge of this winepress. Rev. 19:15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.