Disciples Digital Library

The New Testament promises that Jesus will return to the earth at the “ end ” of the present age. His glorious “ arrival…on the clouds ” will result in the judgment of the ungodly, the resurrection and vindication of the righteous, the arrival of the New Creation, and the termination of death. Thus, it will be an event of great finality.

Final judgment scenes occur several times in  Revelation . The sevenfold series of “ seals ,” “ trumpets ,” and “ bowls of wrath ” all culminate in the final judgment, and each time it is punctuated by terrestrial and celestial upheaval. And these three “judgments” are in addition to the one that occurs as the “ Great White Throne of Judgement ” when the wicked are cast into the “ lake of fire .”

Revelation moves inexorably from the death of Jesus to the final day when God judges the wicked and vindicates the righteous .  At the conclusion of his ‘Olivet Discourse,’ Jesus taught his parable of the  Sheep and the Goats . On the day when the “ Son of Man arrives in glory ,” his angels will gather  all  the nations before him for judgment, and he will divide them into two groups.  One will receive “ everlasting destruction ,” and the other, “ everlasting life .”

The seventh “ bowl of wrath ” anticipates the fuller description of the destruction of “ Babylon ” in chapters 17 and 18. It echoes the Old Testament story of the plague of hail inflicted on Egypt at the word of Moses. Emptying the bowl “ on the air ” prepares for the “ great hail ” that will conclude this last “ plague ” and seal Babylon’s doom.

The ingathering of the fruit of the vine represents the wrath of God on all men who take the mark of the Beast  – Revelation 14:17-20. Next,  Revelation  presents the ingathering of the “ fruit of the vine , which is then pressed in the “ winepress of God's wrath .” This is the fate of all men who swear fealty to the “ Beast ” and take its “ mark. ” The “ saints ” are gathered to the “ sanctuary of God ,” but the “ inhabitants of the earth ” are “ tread underfoot ” in His winepress.

Two different harvests occur at the end of the age – The reaping of the grain and the ingathering of the fruit of the vine .  Revelation  contrasts two distinct groups: Those who follow the “ Lamb ,” and the men who render homage to the “ Beast ,” the “ inhabitants of the earth .” Two different fates await each group presented here as two harvests: the “ grain ” harvest, and the “ fruit of the vine .” Both occur at the final judgment.

Angels announce the judicial sentence on Babylon and the inhabitants of the earth, but "rest" awaits the followers of the Lamb .  Next, “ another angel ” announces the “ fall of Babylon ,” and he is followed by “ a third angel ” who pronounces the judicial sentence on the men who gave their allegiance to the “ Beast ,” namely, torment by “ fire and brimstone .” God is about to vindicate His “ martyrs .”

Whether one follows the Lamb or the Beast, he will reap everlasting consequences as a result in the coming final harvest  - Revelation 14:6-7.  The preceding sections presented two very different groups - the “ inhabitants of the earth ” that render homage to the “ Beast ,” and the  priests of God , the “ first fruits ” of the earth purchased by the blood of the “ Lamb .” Now, an angelic herald issues the final summons to humanity to repent and pay homage to God while time remains and before the “ final hour ” begins.

When the seventh seal was opened, a half-hour of “silence” ensued before the seven angels began to sound their “trumpets.” During that interlude, the prayers of the “saints” were heard ascending to the throne of God. Now, when the “seventh trumpet” sounds, “loud voices” declare the triumph of the kingdom and the possession of the nations by the “Lamb” as promised in the second Psalm.

In Revelation, wrath refers to the final judicial sentence of God on His enemies. Tribulation is what the church endures .  The “ wrath of God ” is  NOT  synonymous with “ tribulation ,” and it is identical with the “ plagues ” unleashed by the three series of “ seals ,” “ trumpets ,” and “ bowls of fury .” And despite the devastation of these plagues, impenitent men do not repent. “ Wrath ” refers to the sentence of God on His enemies.

Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians was written in the months following his departure from the city. The first epistle expressed joy at the good news that the church remained faithful despite persecution. The second one addresses three main issues: Persecution, believers who refuse to work, and questions about the “ arrival ” of Jesus.