Thrust in the Sickle

What is meant by thrusting in the sickle? Who will thrust in this sickle?

To thrust in the sickle means that the time of the harvest has come, and the context dictates if this is a good thing or a bad thing.  What does God have on his mind to do?

Joel 3:9-17… Proclaim this, YOU people, among the nations, Sanctify war! Arouse the powerful men! Let them draw near! Let them come up, all the men of war! 10 Beat YOUR plowshares into swords and YOUR pruning shears into lances. As for the weak one, let him say: “I am a powerful man.” 11 Lend YOUR aid and come, all YOU nations round about, and collect yourselves together. To that place, O Jehovah, bring your powerful ones down. 12 Let the nations be aroused and come up to the low plain of Jehoshaphat; for there I shall sit in order to judge all the nations round about. 13 THRUST in a sickle, for harvest has grown ripe. Come, descend, for [the] winepress has become full. The press vats actually overflow; for their badness has become abundant. 14 Crowds, crowds are in the low plain of the decision, for the day of Jehovah is near in the low plain of the decision. 15 Sun and moon themselves will certainly become dark, and the very stars will actually withdraw their brightness. 16 And out of Zion Jehovah himself will roar, and out of Jerusalem he will give forth his voice. And heaven and earth certainly will rock; but Jehovah will be a refuge for his people, and a fortress for the sons of Israel.

God has called for a war and a judgment of all nations.  The prophecy is scary and yet comforting for those who know their God.  God will roar forth, all the earth will know it, God intends to make himself known.  What is meant by using the expression treading the winepress?

Jeremiah 25:30-33… And as for you, you will prophesy to them all these words, and you must say to them, From on high Jehovah himself will roar, and from his holy dwelling he will give forth his voice. Without fail he will roar upon his abiding place. A shout like that of those treading [the winepress] he will sing out against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31 A noise will certainly come clear to the farthest part of the earth, for there is a controversy that Jehovah has with the nations. He must personally put himself in judgment with all flesh. As regards the wicked ones, he must give them to the sword, is the utterance of Jehovah. 32 This is what Jehovah of armies has said, Look! A calamity is going forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest itself will be roused up from the remotest parts of the earth. 33 And those slain by Jehovah will certainly come to be in that day from one end of the earth clear to the other end of the earth. They will not be bewailed, neither will they be gathered up or be buried. As manure on the surface of the ground they will become.

To tread the winepress is an old expression used with respect to the making of wine.  This is a word picture and carries a great amount of meaning, if you can picture someone in a vault stomping around to squish all the grapes. So, to God intends to stomp wicked mankind, they are to be cleared away from the earth, no more will wickedness be allowed to run amok. Who is this that will execute God’s judgment upon the earth?

Revelation 14:14-20… And I saw, and look! a white cloud, and upon the cloud someone seated like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel emerged from the temple [sanctuary], crying with a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud: Put your sickle in and reap, because the hour has come to reap, for the harvest of the earth is thoroughly ripe. 16 And the one seated on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17 And still another angel emerged from the temple [sanctuary] that is in heaven, he, too, having a sharp sickle. 18 And still another angel emerged from the altar, and he had authority over the fire. And he called out with a loud voice to the one that had the sharp sickle, saying: Put your sharp sickle in and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, because its grapes have become ripe. 19 And the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and he hurled it into the great winepress of the anger of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress as high up as the bridles of the horses, for a distance of a thousand six hundred furlongs.

This is a violent and bloodied execution of the wicked, but did you notice the Scriptures reveal that the Son of Man is involved?  Do you know who the Son of Man is?

Revelation 19:11-16… And I saw the heaven opened, and look! a white horse. And the one seated upon it is called Faithful and True, and he judges and carries on war in righteousness. 12 His eyes are a fiery flame, and upon his head are many diadems. He has a name written that no one knows but he himself, 13 and he is arrayed with an outer garment sprinkled with blood, and the name he is called is The Word of God. 14 Also, the armies that were in heaven were following him on white horses, and they were clothed in white, clean, fine linen. 15 And out of his mouth there protrudes a sharp long sword, that he may strike the nations with it, and he will shepherd them with a rod of iron. He treads too the winepress of the anger of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 And upon his outer garment, even upon his thigh, he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

The Scripture is very clear as it identifies the Son of Man as the faithful and true witness, the word of God, King of kings and Lord of lords and he treads the winepress of God’s anger, this is a righteous war.  Most people do not even realize Jesus Christ plays a role in this future conflict.  But God had it prophesied that this would happen as we read:

Isaiah 63:1-6…Who is this one coming from Edom, the one with garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, this one who is honorable in his clothing, marching in the abundance of his power? I, the One speaking in righteousness, the One abounding [in power] to save. 2 Why is it that your clothing is red, and your garments are like those of one treading in the winepress? 3 “The wine trough I have trodden by myself, while there was no man with me from the peoples. And I kept treading them in my anger, and I kept trampling them down in my rage. And their spurting blood kept spattering upon my garments, and all my clothing I have polluted. 4 For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the very year of my repurchased ones has come. 5 And I kept looking, but there was no helper; and I began to show myself astonished, but there was no one offering support. So, my arm furnished me salvation, and my rage was what supported me. 6 And I kept stamping down peoples in my anger, and I proceeded to make them drunk with my rage and to bring down to the earth their spurting blood.

This is a righteous war, and it has a purpose and a goal, wickedness must be done away with so that the year of the repurchased ones can come.  The Apocrypha of Ezra even speaks of the day that the Son of Man stands up for this judgment as found in second Ezra chapter 13.

2 Ezra 13:25-38… this is the interpretation of your vision. The man coming up from the heart of the sea is 26 he whom the most high has kept from the beginning, through whom he would deliver his creation, he will bring through those who are left. 27 The fire and the storm that came from the breath of his mouth, 28 and that he did not have a spear or any weapon in his hand, but stills destroy the masses coming to wage war with him means that 29 in the future, when the Most High is about to deliver those who dwell on the earth. 30 Great horror will come upon the inhabitants of the earth. 31 They will plan to fight with each other, city with city people with people, and kingdom with kingdom. 32 After all the signs I previously told you about to come to pass, then will my son be revealed (Mark 9:2-8) whom you saw is a man coming up. 33 When all the peoples to hear his voice, they will have to leave that battle they were fighting. 34 Those men without number will gather to come in wage war with that man, 35 but he will stand on top of Mount Zion, 36 and Zion will come to be revealed to all, prepared and built, as he saw the mountain that was cut out without hands. My son will reprove those ungodly people, like a storm, 37 then will judge their wicked deeds and sentence them to torment wherewith they are destined. (Daniel 2:34,45) 38 As to him being like a flame he will destroy them without effort by the law of him has been likened unto fire. (Habakkuk 3:3-6)

So, the war must come, let them sanctify themselves for the war.  God intends to deliver the repurchased ones from the earth, they will receive relief when the wicked are done away with, when Christ comes and brings forth the judgment from God.

Come Lord Jesus! Amen

Writingwithlogos.com – Last Updated 12/18/22