Revelation 14:14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.
Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.
“Warnings and judgments have not turned the hearts of those who reject Jesus Christ, the sins of the nations are filled up, and they become ripe for judgments, represented by a harvest (ripe for heaven or ripe for eternal damnation), an emblem which is used to signify the gathering of the righteous, when ripe for heaven, by the mercy of God. The harvest time is when the corn is ripe; when the believers are ripe for heaven, then the wheat of the earth shall be gathered into Christ’s garner. The enemies of Christ and his church are not destroyed, till by their sin they are ripe for ruin, and then he will spare them no longer. The wine-press is the wrath of God, some terrible calamity, shedding the blood of the wicked. The patience of God towards sinners is the greatest miracle in the world; but, though it appears to be lasting, it will not be everlasting; and ripeness in sin is a sure proof of judgment at hand.”
Do you ever wonder if any part of your heart is “Ripe” with sin? Is there someplace within your being that you have rejected listening to the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart, mind, and soul to repent and turn away from a sin that is ripening to the point of a harvest of the calamity and trouble in your life? Have you rejected spending time in God’s Word and by doing so, shut your ears to hearing the whispers of the Holy Spirit? Complacency and neglect will yield fruit, and given time, will ripen. This fruit will come with consequences just like the apple that Adam and Eve ate. Now is the time to search your heart, mind, and soul for that which is not pleasing, honoring, following, trusting, relying, and obeying God. Stay in His Word, desire to hear Him lead you, and seek to honor Jesus Christ in all you think, say, and do.
