The Great Harvest

And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Matthew 24:31).

During the 7-year Tribulation a great, innumerable host of people will come to faith in Jesus Christ as a result of the Gospel ministry of the 144,000 Jewish converts (Revelation 7:1-8), the 2 Great Witnesses (Revelation 11:1-2), and the 3 angels of heaven (Revelation 14:6-13). Many new Christians will be martyred for their faith, but many will survive the last great holocaust. This text speaks of those who survive.

(Revelation 19:11-21) Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great." And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. That’s the great and terrible Day of the Lord.

Jesus will purge the earth of the evil Antichrist, False Prophet, and those who follow them. The only living humans that remain will be those who have been saved during the Tribulation but have not been killed for their faith in Jesus Christ. These individuals will be given entrance into the Millennial Kingdom that Jesus will establish on the earth when He returns. They will be brought together from all over the earth to the Kingdom, just like the animals were gathered together from all over the earth to enter Noah’s Ark. For 1,000 years Jesus Christ will reign over all the earth and the resurrected saints who lived and died prior to the 2nd coming will reign with Him in the coming Kingdom (2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:8-10).

“Holy Spirit, keep us faithful in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that those who have yet to hear will hear and be saved, thereby missing the days of Tribulation and the great and terrible Day of the Lord. To the praise and glory of Jesus Christ I ask, Amen.”

Pastor