‘Day 261

¹⁷ And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸ Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters ^r]from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” REV. 14:17,18. (NASB)

There is a major structural parallel behind the end time scene of Revelation 13-14  & Joel 2:28-3:21. If you want to understand Revelation you need to know something about Joel.

In Joel chapter 1 the Spirit is poured out and chapter 2 there are heavenly signs. In chapter 3 “The remnant” is attacked by the nations of the world who gather outside Jerusalem. In Chapter 4 God pronounces judgment from Mount Zion and “threshes” those opposed to His people. The story of Joel 3 is about a double worldwide gathering. The remnant gathers together on Mount Zion (Jerusalem) – Joel 2:32; 3:1. The wicked are gathered into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, just outside Jerusalem, where they meet their fate (Joel 3:2, 9-17).

The storyline of Joel is matched in Revelation: (1) The spirit is poured out (Rev 5:6). (2) There are heavenly signs (Revelation 6:12-7:3). (3) The remnant on Mount Zion is attacked by the nations of the world (Rev 13:8-10, 12-18; 14:1-3). (4) The nations are trampled and destroyed. So Revelation 13-14 seems to build on Joel 2-3.

The final battle of earth’s history is pictured in local and literal terms in both texts. Jerusalem stands on a hilltop and is surrounded by valleys on three sides. God’s people are huddled together inside the fortress, surrounded on all sides by enemy forces. In interpreting Revelation, this local picture has become worldwide and spiritual (notice the word “earth” six times in this part of the chapter). Israel huddled in the fortress of Jerusalem becomes the worldwide church in hiding during the final crisis. The double gathering of Joel has been spiritualized into those who follow the three angels’ messages and those who do not.

The images of warfare in Revelation are a spiritual matter for the Christian (see 2 Cor 10:3-5 and Rev 16:15). The weapons of the Christian’s warfare are not fleshly weapons like guns, tanks, and warplanes. Christian warfare is a battle with one’s own thought processes, ideas, and attitudes. It is a battle for the mind. Sin is so attractive and deceptive that God has laid out its consequences graphically in this text to get us to take this battle seriously.