The Lord of the Harvest
I happened to see the image of a mosque with a crescent symbol atop its spire. But then I was reminded of something written in the Book of Revelation. It describes an event that is very closely related to the wrath of God. There is a figure involved which seems very special and yet mysterious since he is described as, "one like unto the Son of man". This one is never called an angel but in addition to the above we are told that:
(1) he sits upon a cloud
(2) he has a golden crown upon his head
(3) he has a sharp sickle
It is very unusual that he is not called an angel but rather referred to according to his characteristics, above. It is unusual because there are three others also involved in the harvesting activity of the immediate context which are called angels. Why is this figure not called such? It sounds like the Lord in Daniel 7:13, yet can it be since this figure receives instructions from an angel? I can't imagine the Lord, who is One with His Father, being directed by an angel! However, Matthew Henry has given an excellent explanation in his commentary on this passage. He says that although the Lord is resolved to harvest the earth, yet He is also sought unto for this by His people, and thus the angel emerges from the temple in heaven with this cry. The angel is therefore not "instructing" the Lord but bearing the timely cry of His people according to the will of the Lord. So it is possible that this One seated on the cloud with the golden crown and bearing the sickle, is the Lord Himself. This indeed seems to be the preponderance of opinion on this matter. And of course we know that the Lord Jesus is the "Lord of the harvest" (Luke 10:2, but see Matt 13:24-30, esp v.30). The harvesters are angels so the thrusting in of His sickle must represent the despatching of the angels to accomplish the work.
But if it is not the Lord Himself, perhaps the reason this figure is given such a unique description is because of his special role: it is certainly a momentous culmination when he thrusts in his sharp sickle and harvests the earth!!
In any case, here is the passage concerning the harvesting, and note that there are two with sickles and two harvestings that take place, the first of the earth itself and the second of the vine of the earth, by which is meant the clusters of grapes of the vine of the earth. The one like unto the Son of man reaps the harvest of the earth and an angel reaps the vine of the earth.
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
~Rev 14:14-20
And we know that it is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (Rev 19:15).
So you might be asking what is the connection here? I was thinking about the crescent moon shape and then it struck me how much it looks like a sickle. And yet the Lord of glory is the Lord of all. Even the greatest symbol of Islam belongs properly to Jesus Christ rather than to Islam, since the sharp sickle is used first by the Lord, who despatches his angels to harvest the earth, and afterwards another sickle is used by an angel to gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, which Jesus Christ then treads out and which culminates in the manifest judgments of God by the pouring out of the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
(1) he sits upon a cloud
(2) he has a golden crown upon his head
(3) he has a sharp sickle
It is very unusual that he is not called an angel but rather referred to according to his characteristics, above. It is unusual because there are three others also involved in the harvesting activity of the immediate context which are called angels. Why is this figure not called such? It sounds like the Lord in Daniel 7:13, yet can it be since this figure receives instructions from an angel? I can't imagine the Lord, who is One with His Father, being directed by an angel! However, Matthew Henry has given an excellent explanation in his commentary on this passage. He says that although the Lord is resolved to harvest the earth, yet He is also sought unto for this by His people, and thus the angel emerges from the temple in heaven with this cry. The angel is therefore not "instructing" the Lord but bearing the timely cry of His people according to the will of the Lord. So it is possible that this One seated on the cloud with the golden crown and bearing the sickle, is the Lord Himself. This indeed seems to be the preponderance of opinion on this matter. And of course we know that the Lord Jesus is the "Lord of the harvest" (Luke 10:2, but see Matt 13:24-30, esp v.30). The harvesters are angels so the thrusting in of His sickle must represent the despatching of the angels to accomplish the work.
But if it is not the Lord Himself, perhaps the reason this figure is given such a unique description is because of his special role: it is certainly a momentous culmination when he thrusts in his sharp sickle and harvests the earth!!
In any case, here is the passage concerning the harvesting, and note that there are two with sickles and two harvestings that take place, the first of the earth itself and the second of the vine of the earth, by which is meant the clusters of grapes of the vine of the earth. The one like unto the Son of man reaps the harvest of the earth and an angel reaps the vine of the earth.
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
~Rev 14:14-20
And we know that it is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (Rev 19:15).
So you might be asking what is the connection here? I was thinking about the crescent moon shape and then it struck me how much it looks like a sickle. And yet the Lord of glory is the Lord of all. Even the greatest symbol of Islam belongs properly to Jesus Christ rather than to Islam, since the sharp sickle is used first by the Lord, who despatches his angels to harvest the earth, and afterwards another sickle is used by an angel to gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, which Jesus Christ then treads out and which culminates in the manifest judgments of God by the pouring out of the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
