Harvest time
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 ripe.” Revelation 14:15
If you know anything about harvest time, you understand that it is an exciting time, but it is also a time for a lot of work. Depending on how big the harvest is, it can take days and even weeks at times. In recent years, my husband has taken up gardening. It is something that he really enjoys. In the spring, he spends a lot of time planting, nurturing and caring for the new little seedlings that he starts in the house and when they grow up strong enough, then he transplants them into the garden area that has already been prepared for them to take root. Then all through the summer, he watches over these plants to make sure they are getting enough water and nutrients and also that no pests are feeding on them and damaging the leaves and even the roots. By the time the harvest comes in and the fruit is fully grown, he knows every detail about each of the plants. When the vegetation is fully matured, he begins to bring in the produce, there may be just a little bit at first, but after only a few short days, there is abundance. That’s when the work really begins. If we don’t keep up with the harvest, the crop will become overgrown and spoiled.
Planting and reaping is such a vivid picture that parallels life and also what happens when people turn their lives over to the Lord Jesus. Someone plants a seed in the ground of a person’s heart about God’s love and provision of salvation and if that seed is prayed over and nurtured it will grow up until that person decides to receive that gift of salvation the Father in heaven wants every person to know. If the person never makes that decision or if the seeds were never planted, there can be no harvest of that life into God’s kingdom.
Matthew 9:37-38 – “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Jesus said that the harvest of the world right now is plentiful, but we need more laborers. He commanded that we pray to the Lord of the harvest, to send out more laborers into the harvest. Laborers come in many different ways. Some are seasoned Christians that have been called to foreign lands to reap that harvest. Others are called to do the work of the ministry right here in their own neighborhoods. Some are called to be financial laborers and support the work of ministry and still others are new laborers that are growing up under the training of the seasoned workers. The point is that we are all called to bring in the harvest of new believers to disciple them up and equip them to go back into the fields to bring more in. We all have a part to do and a place that we have been designed to fill. Evidently this is not an automatic thing or Jesus would not have said that we need to pray that the harvesters will get into their place and bring the people in before it is too late and that crop is lost for all eternity.
In today’s reading, it is talking about a different harvest time. John wrote about One sitting on a cloud with a sharp sickle in His hand and then some angels with sickles also. At that time, it is the season for the earth to be reaped, but the harvest is to bring in the great winepress of the wrath of God. This is a great battle that results in blood flowing up to the horse’s bridle for 200 miles. I cannot even comprehend it.
Today I want to encourage you while we are still on this side of that great harvest of the wrath of God to get into your place as a harvester of souls. Begin to plant and water seeds with God’s Word and your prayers. We live in the time that was prophesied by the prophet Amos when the grain and grapes will grow faster than they can be harvested. This truly is the time when the harvest is plenteous so we need to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers and also pray that you would step into your laboring position. If you do not know where that is, begin to take the next steps and opportunities that open up in front of you and determine that you will take your place along side all the other harvesters in the world and bring in your section of the field.
Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 14:14-20
14 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.
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 ripe.”
16 So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 Then 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, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.”
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.
20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.
The Daily Dose 