The Coming Wrath of G-d

The Harvest of the Earth

As the birth pangs of the L-rd’s return grow in strength, we should take the time ponder what lies ahead, especially for those in the world who have fallen away, those who have rejected Yeshua and those who have never heard the Gospel.

“The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth.” (Rev. 11:18)

“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 sickle… So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth and the earth was reaped.” (Rev. 14:14, 16)

At the end of His Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24), Yeshua recites four parables that describe The Harvest of the Earth that will take place after the seventh and final trumpet is blown (Rev. 11:15). The seventh trumpet is blown at the end of the seventh year of the ‘Seventieth Week of Daniel’. The number seven represents ‘divine completeness in the world’ and the number four represents ‘the earth’. The Harvest of the Earth is the completion of four things in the world.

G-d’s faithful servants are rewarded: The Parable of the Faithful and Wise Servant (Matt. 24:45-51)

The Church is taken to a place of protection with the L-rd: The Parable of the 10 Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)

Faithful Jews are ‘gathered’ to Israel: The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-28)

The world is judged: The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46)

In Jewish teaching, there are four judgments by G-d of the people of the world. These judgments correspond to the four “Harvest” parables that Jesus taught (Matt. 24 & 25) and are above noted. Each judgment symbolizes the penalty or reward given to the people who are alive at the time of the Messiah’s return: the judgment of the grain at Passover, the judgment of the fruit trees at Shavuot, the judgment of the Jews at Rosh HaShanah, and the judgment of the waters (world) at Sukkot.

The Judgment of the Grain

Peter tells us that judgment begins with the house of G-d (1 Peter 4:17). The judgment of the grain at Passover (the beginning of the Hebrew religious calendar) can be likened to the first parable of the Faithful and Wise Servant. The “grain” is symbolic of those who have given over their lives to the service of others for the sake of the Kingdom of G-d. These are the leaders in the Body of Christ. The true leaders will rule and reign with the L-rd during the Millennium. They are G-d’s witnesses (martyrs) who will give up their lives to bring about G-d’s purposes in the world (John 12:24-26). Among those who are in positions of leadership, though, there will be hypocrites and those who assumed positions of leadership without the anointing of the L-rd. They will be cast out (Matthew 24:50, 51).

The Judgment of the Fruit Trees

The second judgment is that of the fruit trees at Shavuot (Pentecost). It can be likened to the Parable of the Ten Virgins who are mostly Gentile believers. They will be judged according to the fruit of the Spirit in their lives at the time of the L-rd’s appearing (Matthew 7:17-23). Only half of the ‘virgins’ were prepared for the coming of the L-rd.

The Judgment of the Jews

The third judgment at Rosh Hashanah can be likened to The Parable of the Talents. In this parable, a man (G-d) goes on a journey leaving his servants (the Jews) entrusted with his property (the Word of G-d). Each was given an amount according to his ability. When the master returned, he rewarded each servant according to what he did with the master’s property. Those who were given much and were faithful received a reward. Those who were entrusted with less but were faithful also received a reward. But those who did nothing with what was entrusted to them were thrown out, “where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

G-d gave His property, the Law and the Prophets to His people the Jews. He also gave them the New Covenant of the Holy Spirit, which was made available only through the Messiah. Because many rejected the Messiah, they could not enter into the New Covenant. Therefore, G-d will hold them fully accountable for the Covenant of the Law and the blood of the Prophets whose words they rejected: “For as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law” (Romans 2:12b).

The Judgment of the Waters

The judgment of the waters at Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) can be likened to the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. The waters symbolize ‘the world’ (Psalm 144:7; Isaiah 17:12-13). While the first three parables reflect judgment on three types of believers in the One true G-d, this last parable reflects the fate of the rest of the world.

In this parable, both the ‘sheep’ who are judged to be righteous and the ‘goats’ who are the unrighteous, seem surprised at their reward or penalty. They represent those who have little or no understanding of the Gospel. The ‘righteous’ acknowledge G-d by the way they have lived their lives (Romans 2:14-16). The reward or punishment of both the ‘sheep’ and the ‘goats’ is based upon how they treated Yeshua's brethren, the Jews:

“Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Concerning the coming judgments, I recall an illustration by C. S. Lewis of that fateful day.

"When the author walks on the stage the play is over. G-d is going to invade, all right...something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left. For this time it will be G-d without disguise...it will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up."