Sermon: It's Almost Harvest Time

Welcome to God First with Brian C. Thomas, a program committed to encouraging you to put God first while viewing life through the window of the Bible. Now, in honor of the one and only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, let's join Brian C. Thomas for today's message. I want to thank Pastor Thomas for giving me the opportunity to bring a word from the Lord to you this morning. We had a conversation by phone earlier in the week, and we were discussing Bible prophecy and the fact that many churches refused to touch the book of Revelation.

And we've all heard the excuses. Do not read that book. It will drive you crazy.

You will lose your mind. And it amazes me how people can get duped so easily by the devil. For the first chapter of Revelation, verse three, tells us, blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it.

Did you hear that? There is a special blessing for reading this book. Do you want a blessing? Then read Revelation. But the devil does not want us to know that this book foretells of his future demise and the victory of Jesus Christ. And I tell people, what sense does it make that God, God the son, will leave a perfect heaven, come to this fallen earth to be beaten, tormented and killed so that we could have the opportunity for eternal life only to turn around and say, Now, let me give them a book that will cause them to lose their minds. It makes no sense at all. And the reason it makes no sense is because it is a deception of the great deceiver, the father of lies, who is Satan. So I commend Pastor Thomas and this church for preaching from this great book of Revelation. A little over a month ago, I was outside working in my yard one day, which is hobby for me.

I can easily spend two to three hours at a time out doing yard work. And the next morning when I woke up and stepped out of bed, I felt excruciating pain when I planted my right foot. I thought maybe my foot went to sleep or something due to lying in the awkward position during the night and things would clear up soon.

So I continued walking, but I could barely put any weight on that foot. The pain continued throughout the day and by bedtime, I noticed my entire foot was swollen. I asked my wife to check to see if she could see any bite marks. I wondered if maybe a spider or something bit me during my sleep.

And she did not see anything. And by the next morning, the swelling was even worse. So I called up a podiatrist and scheduled an appointment for later that afternoon. The podiatrist had my foot X-rayed and much to my surprise, diagnosed a fracture.

He stated there was a hairline fracture that likely developed due to overuse, a stress fracture. He emphasized that as we age, parts of our bodies begin to break down simply from wear and tear. And I thought to myself, my body is winding down. As a matter of fact, all of our bodies are winding down. And it caused my mind to go to this earth and this age.

The Bible tells us that things are winding down and we can see the evidence of that all around us. There was an elderly man once who decided to plant a garden. He could not do it himself due to health and physical limitations, so he asked his sons to do so. So his sons went out and found the best seeds in town. They tilled the ground and sowed the seeds. After about a week, the elderly man saw seedlings coming up and felt good that the garden was coming along as planned. But after a couple of more weeks, he noticed that some of the seedlings were beginning to look differently than the others.

You see, his sons had only planted one type of vegetable. And after another week, he was able to confirm that weeds had germinated and were growing up alongside his crop. His sons asked, shall we pull up the weeds? The elderly man explained to them that the roots of the vegetables were not strong enough to hold on to the soil and that pulling the weeds would also uproot the good crop.

So he said, let them grow up together. And when it is time for harvest, we will first pull up the vegetables and store them in the barn for winter. But the weeds are to be gathered into bundles and burned. If this story sounds familiar, Jesus gave a similar parable in the book of Matthew. Jesus explained that he who sows good seed is the son of man. The field is the world and the good seeds are the sons of his kingdom. On the other hand, the weeds or tares are sowed by the devil.

He has sown bad seed even within the church that first appear to be good seed. There will be a great harvest at the end of this age. The sons of the kingdom will be gathered unto the Lord, but the sons of the devil will be gathered and cast into the fire where they would be willing and gnashing of teeth. Jesus said that children of the light will be able to discern the signs of the times. In other words, his followers will recognize the season of his return. And as I look around the world today, there is no doubt in my mind that we are in that season. As we enter the fall season, as the temperatures change, the crops begin to change colors, we know that the time of reaping is near. To put it another way, it is almost harvest time. That is the title of my message this morning.

It is almost harvest time. I will be preaching today from Revelation chapter four, verses 14 through 20. Heavenly Father, what an honor and privilege it is to bring a word from you to your people on today. It is my prayer that all things that are spoken that it be nothing but sound doctrine and may you be honored and glorified in all things in the name of Jesus. Amen. I must say I'm not one to preach fluffy feel good sermons.

I think we have enough of those out there. You know those sermons in which we are told how great we are and how we should pat ourselves on the backs. And I'm not trying to put us all down, but the Bible says that there is none that is good.

No, not one. And our Lord also stated that human beings doing their best is as filthy rags unto him. The truth of the matter is, we are all fallen sinners and are nothing without Jesus Christ.

The only good that is found in us is that which comes from Jesus Christ because his spirit dwells in us. That is why we praise our Lord for his saving grace, for it is by his shed blood we can be found worthy to stand in the presence of Almighty God. And so I thank you, Lord Jesus, for dying for my sins. I praise you on today. I honor you for your great sacrifice.

We give glory and honor to our great King. As we come to Revelation, chapter 14, verse 14, we find, Then I looked and behold a white cloud and on the cloud sat one like the Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp circle. As we come to this last portion of Revelation 14, like the passages before it, we find a prophetic foreglimpse of what is to come at the end of the tribulation. This one on the cloud is Jesus Christ, the Son of Man.

We find the same description from other passages. Matthew 24 30. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. And then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Revelation 1 7, behold, he is coming with clouds and every eye will see him, even they who pierced him and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him.

Even so, amen. One of these days, and I think it will be very soon, all the world will look up and see King Jesus coming to the earth on the clouds. He is coming in power and great glory to claim his earthly kingdom. He's coming in judgment. None of the unrighteous of the earth will be able to enter his earthly kingdom. So are you right with Jesus Christ today? Do you get excited about the thought of his return? Or do you become afraid if the latter repent and accept him into your heart today? We see that the Son of Man is wearing a golden crown on his head.

This golden crown symbolizes the authority of Christ, the king of all kings. You know, I had someone ask me once. That they notice I did not mention the president much when I preach and wondered why that is. My answer was simple. You see, I did not look to the White House for my help.

Instead, I looked to the hills from where my help comes from, and my help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. Do not get me wrong, the president has a very important role. I encourage people to vote, and I vote myself. As believers in Christ, we have a duty to vote, because if we do not, that leaves the unrighteous to control things, which brings about immoral legislation.

We are to vote, and I have a candidate that I hope wins. But regardless of who wins, Jesus Christ is the final authority, and no president or any other politician can do anything unless Jesus Christ allows them to. So let me give a warning to all the preachers out there. If you mention the name of the president more than you mentioned the name of Jesus Christ within the pulpit, your priorities are out of order.

You do not have the right focus. Yes, we are to speak on political issues of the day as we are not to separate any part of our lives from our walk with our Lord. But Jesus Christ is the creator of all things and is the one with all power and all authority.

Therefore, he should always be our focus. Notice that our Lord has a sharp sickle in his hand. This is because he's about to reap a harvest. This sickle, a tool with a semicircular blade attached to a short handle used for reaping grain or tall grass is symbolic of the way in which our Lord will reap his followers and to him at the end of this age. And as we come to verse 15 and another angel came out of the temple crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud thrust in your sickle and reap for the time has come for you to reap for the harvest of the earth is right. This fourth angel of Revelation 14 tells Christ to reap with his sickle for the time of reaping has come. Are you ready for the harvest? Can you say with 100% certainty today that you will be reaped into the kingdom of our Lord when that day comes?

If not, I urge you today to turn to him, flee from fornication, flee from drunkenness, flee from lying, flee from unforgiveness, flee from all sin and turn to the Lord. Verse 16, so he sat, he who sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth and the earth was reaped. Jesus Christ, he's to the voice of the angel and reaps the earth. Remember, this is for telling what will take place at his coming. Jesus spoke of this same event in the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13 30. Let both grow together until the harvest and at the time of the harvest, I will say to the Reapers first, gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn. The righteous followers of Jesus Christ, the wheat will be gathered together into his barn where there will be peace, where there would be comfort, where there would be safety, where there will be eternal life. But the rejecters of Jesus Christ, the tares will be gathered into bundles and burned in the fire. It's not a fairy tale.

This will happen. If you are not on the Lord's side, you will be cast into the fire where you be eternally separated from God. So why don't you come to him today? Do you want eternal life? For it is almost harvest time. And then Revelation 14 17 says, then another angel came out of the temple, which is in heaven. He also having a sharp circle. The fifth angel of Revelation 14 now exits the temple in heaven. Notice that the fifth angel has a sharp circle himself. Note the contrast with the previous reaping in that it was Christ who held the sickle for the gathering of the righteous. This reaping entails the rejecters of Christ who are represented as grapes, as we find in verse 18. And another angel came out from the altar.

Who had power over fire? And he cried with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle say, thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vines of the earth for her grapes are fully ripe. You are listening to Brian C. Thomas on God First. For more of Brian's teachings, please visit Godfirst.org to browse our extensive library of material. There you will find devotionals, blogs, articles, and audio messages available as MP3 downloads on various topics such as salvation, Bible prophecy, marriage, and the significance of Lesson Israel, just to name a few.

You can also sign up for our monthly newsletter and visit our Web store. So please visit us at Godfirst.org. Now let's return to the conclusion of today's message. Now the sixth angel comes out from the altar. Remember that these actions are taking place in heaven, which directly trigger another action which will take place on the earth.

The sixth angel has power over fire. And he tells the angel that is holding the sharp sickle to thrust and reap for the earth is fully ripe. What makes the earth fully ripe? It is ripe with sin, meaning that sin has reached its maximum fulfillment. If we remember in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was not allowed by God to go in and conquer the land of Canaan until the iniquity of the Amorites was complete. The earth's ripeness with sin will bring about the fullness of the cup of God's wrath. We cannot continue to murder babies by the millions in their mother's womb and think that God will continue to hold back his wrath. We cannot continue to violate God's commands on sexual morality and think that God will continue to hold back his wrath. A day is coming soon when God's wrath for all of mankind's unrepentant sin will be poured out. And we find in Revelation 16, a series of judgments that are detailed, known as the bold judgments. When God pours out these judgments, loathsome souls will break out on the bodies of all who took the mark of the beast and worship his image.

Reservoirs of fresh water and saltwater will turn to blood throughout the earth. Look at how people reacted to the news of COVID-19. People made runs on the grocery stores and hoarded toilet paper. I still do not get the hoarding of toilet paper. If we are facing lockdowns, why is toilet paper the top priority?

I understand the need for it, but one would think that food would be the primary concern. But for some reason, toilet paper was the first thing to fly off the shelves. Look at how people panicked over not having toilet paper. So imagine the chaos that will ensue when the world finds that there is no longer any suitable water to drink because it has turned into blood. Mass hysteria will sweep the earth. And as I think about the fact that God will turn waters into blood, I can't help but think about all the innocent blood that has been shared from babies through through abortion. God will avenge. And when God pours his fourth bowl judgment out, heat from the sun will scorch those on the earth.

Now, we have some intense summers here in North Carolina. The heat and humidity can be downright oppressive at times, but it does not compare to the heat that will be poured out upon the earth during the tribulation to judge the unbelieving world. And rather than inhabitants of the earth repenting and giving glory to the one who has power over the heat, they will instead blaspheme him and not repent of their sins. And then a darkness will be poured out upon the earth, a darkness so intense that people will actually feel pain as a result of it.

It's quite mind blowing. They will gnaw their tongues because the pain will be so great, but rather than repent, they will curse the name of God of heaven. I tell you again, it is almost harvest time. Which harvest will you be a part of? Will you be harvested to Jesus Christ or harvested to judgment? Verse 19. So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. The great winepress of God's wrath will occur in the last three and a half years of the tribulation. Mankind's rejection of Christ will reach its climax at this time.

It will culminate with the Battle of Armageddon when Christ will return to defeat the Antichrist. We will see this in more detail in the six bowl judgment of Revelation 16. And now is a good time to remind ourselves the study of Revelation and Bible prophecy is to change hearts. It is not for the purpose of simply gaining head knowledge. Head knowledge is important because God said his people perish for lack of knowledge.

We need to make sure that gaining this knowledge brings about a change in our hearts so that we therefore do not perish. Let me take a moment to take a closer look at the parable of the wheat and the tares as it parallels the reaping of the great winepress of the wrath of God. The same rejecters of Christ, who are depicted as grapes destroyed in the great winepress, also depicted as tares, which are weeds that will be burned in the fire. Matthew 13, 39 through 43.

The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age and the reapers are the angels. Therefore, as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as a son in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Verse 20 of Revelation 14.

And the winepress was trampled outside the city and blood came out of the winepress up to the horses bridles for 1600 furlongs. The judgment of Christ upon the earth will come after three angelic warnings. Number one, preach the everlasting gospel.

Number two, warning that the Babylonian religion will be destroyed. And number three, warning that the worshippers of the Antichrist will be judged in this life and for eternity. We must stay steadfast in preaching the gospel in these lasting evil days. The growing push to silence the Christian will continue, but we must not grow weary. Many churches today are falling away. Many preachers have turned to social justice gospel and soft sermons rather than standing on the truth of God's word. They have instead turned to messages of unsound doctrine that is spoken of in Second Timothy four, verse three.

Fables that are designed to make people feel good and to satisfy their itching ears. Now is the time to turn from the false Babylonian religion. And I'm warning you now that those who worship worship the Antichrist will be judged. God's wrath upon the rejecters of Christ is portrayed as a great winepress. And just as wine pours from the grapes, the blood of those who will be judged will pour out outside the city of Jerusalem, where the Antichrist will try to destroy God's holy city.

We find the account of this event in Revelation 19, verses 11 through 15. Now I saw heaven open and behold, a white horse. 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 was 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 the rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. A horse's bridle is approximately five feet off the ground in height. A furlong is a stadium, a Greek measure of distance, which is equal to about six hundred and six feet and nine inches.

So if we do the calculations, sixteen hundred furlongs is approximately one hundred and eighty four miles. So in Revelation 14, 20 is telling us that the blood will run outside the city at a depth of five feet for a distance of one hundred and eighty four miles. The winepress of God's wrath will bring about great bloodshed. And I mentioned this before, but when looking at the the waters turned to blood that it reminds us of all the blood that society has shared of babies in their mother's womb. We remember the blood of those millions of babies as the blood of the wicked runs from God's winepress. This is called the Great Supper of God in Revelation 19, 17 through 18. An angel will tell the birds to gather to eat the flesh of men and horses as they gather to make war against Christ and his army.

This is indeed a tragic account. One would think that the ungodly will fall down and worship Christ at the warnings of the angels, but they will not. So I'm warning you today that it is almost harvest time. Will you be ready to go be with our Lord on that day? Or will you be trampled under the winepress of his wrath? As I close, Jesus stated over and over throughout the Book of Revelation, he who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says. The Spirit is saying today to come to him in repentance so that you will inherit eternal life. Are you ready for the harvest? And you may ask the question, how do you know that the time of harvest is near?

Well, Jesus gave a long list of indicators to look for in Matthew 24 when his disciples asked him what would be the sign of his coming in the end of the age. He stated that nation will rise against nation. And we tend to think of that in terms of countries against one another. But the original Greek of Matthew 24, seven is written, Ethnos will rise against Ethnos.

That is where we get our English word ethnicity. So our Lord was saying that ethnic group will rise against ethnic group. This has occurred in many parts of the world. And look at what is now happening in the United States of America.

It seems that we are on the brink of a race war because of tensions between whites and blacks. Jesus said this will be one of the signs. He also stated that pestilences would arise in various places. And look at the way COVID-19 has impacted us. For the first time in our lifetimes, a disease, a pestilence has caused the entire world to go into shutdown. Are you paying attention to the signs of the times?

I will leave you with this. Our Lord said the love of many would grow cold just before he returns. Never in my life have I seen love as cold as it is today. There was a time in which we could trust media sources to report facts. But now news outlets produce biased reports to sway people in a particular direction.

This type of reporting has caused political parties to hate one another. The false narratives cause people to believe systemic racism is present when it truly is not. And look at the violence in the streets, the looting, the anarchy, all because the love of many has grown cold. We see it within marriages. We see it within families. Family members that have had close bonds for decades all of a sudden turn against one another for no apparent reason. Jealousy, envy, strife is rising among those who have loved one another for decades. We see brother betraying brother, father against son, sister against sister, and mother against mother. How can the love turn so cold so quickly and so easily?

Why is this happening? Spirits of the kingdom of darkness have been released onto the land and are influencing many. They are preparing the world for the time of the Antichrist. Again, I say it is almost harvest time. Are you ready? Can you say without a doubt that you will go to be with Jesus Christ if the Lord were to come to reap his harvest today? Do you look forward to the return of Jesus Christ? If you have any doubt as to your destination, if you do not get excited over the thought of our Lord's return, I want you to get things right with him today. Even if he delays his coming, tomorrow is promised to no one. We could die at any moment and step into eternity. If you have not already, will you give your heart to him today? Whatever sins you have committed, the blood of Jesus Christ can wash them away and make you a new creation in him. But he's not going to force himself on you. You have to ask him.

You have to receive him into your heart willingly. Just look at everything that is going on in the world. So many people are saying that it just feels like something major is on the verge of happening. And I truly believe what people are sensing is the coming of our Lord. People are sensing that it is almost harvest time. Jesus is coming soon to reap a great harvest into his kingdom.

Get ready for the time of harvest is near. As we depart from here, remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless God's great nation of Israel until the only wise God be glory through Jesus Christ forever.

Amen. You've been listening to the Bible teacher, Brian C. Thomas, founder and president of God First. Brian and God First reserve all copyright protection under applicable law. Our copyright policy is available at our website, Godfirst.org. Until next time, remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, bless God's great nation of Israel and seek first the kingdom of God.