The Winepress of God’s Wrath
When Will The Winepress of God’s Wrath Happen? After the Antichrist takes power and at Christ’s return…
2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 (TLB)
1 And now, what about the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to meet him? Please don’t be upset and excited, dear brothers,
2 by the rumor that this day of the Lord has already begun. If you hear of people having visions and special messages from God about this, or letters that are supposed to have come from me, don’t believe them.
3 Don’t be carried away and deceived regardless of what they say. For that day will not come until two things happen: first, there will be a time of great rebellion against God, and then the man of rebellion will come—the son of hell.
4 He will defy every god there is and tear down every other object of adoration and worship. He will go in and sit as God in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
5 Don’t you remember that I told you this when I was with you?
6 And you know what is keeping him from being here already; for he can come only when his time is ready.
7 As for the work this man of rebellion and hell will do when he comes, it is already going on, but he himself will not come until the one who is holding him back steps out of the way.
8 Then this wicked one will appear, whom the Lord Jesus will burn up with the breath of his mouth and destroy by his presence when he returns.
Acts 1:9-11 (NLT2)
9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.
10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them.
11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
Matthew 24:27-31 (NLT2)
27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.
28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.
29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
Revelation 6:12-17 (NLT2) Compare to Matthew 24:29-30 The Timeline
12 I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood.
13 Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind.
14 The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.
15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.
17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”
Rev 14:19-20
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. [200 miles]
Rev 19:15b-18
15 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.
16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 14:19-20
“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.
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.” [200 miles]
Revelation 19:15b-18
“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.”
The Beast and His Armies Defeated
“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.'”
Where Will This Happen?
Zechariah 12:2 and 9
2. “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.
Which Direction Does the 200 Mile of Blood Flow?
Zechariah 14:4-8
4. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.
5. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with You.
6. It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish.
7. It shall be one day Which is known to the LORD; Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light.
8. And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.
Joel 3:2-15
2 I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.
3 They have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.
4 “Indeed, what have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia? Will you retaliate against Me? But if you retaliate against Me, Swiftly and speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head;
5 Because you have taken My silver and My gold, And have carried into your temples My prized possessions.
6 Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem You have sold to the Greeks, That you may remove them far from their borders.
7 “Behold, I will raise them Out of the place to which you have sold them, And will return your retaliation upon your own head.
8 I will sell your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the people of Judah, And they will sell them to the Sabeans, To a people far off; For the LORD has spoken.”
9 Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’”
11 Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD.
12 “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow; For their wickedness is great.”
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness.
What Happens in the Valley?
Revelation 6:12-17
12. I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.
13. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
14. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
15. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
16. and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
17. “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
Which Valley Is The Prophet Speaking Of?
Joel 3:2-15
2. I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.
3. They have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.
4. “Indeed, what have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia? Will you retaliate against Me? But if you retaliate against Me, Swiftly and speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head;
5. Because you have taken My silver and My gold, And have carried into your temples My prized possessions.
6. Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem You have sold to the Greeks, That you may remove them far from their borders.
7. “Behold, I will raise them Out of the place to which you have sold them, And will return your retaliation upon your own head.
8. I will sell your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the people of Judah, And they will sell them to the Sabeans, To a people far off; For the LORD has spoken.”
9. Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up.
10. Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.'”
11. Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD.
12. “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
13. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow; For their wickedness is great.”
14. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
15. The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness.
Ezekiel 47:1-5
47:1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar.
2. He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.
3. And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles.
4. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist.
5. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed.
How Far?
“Also their slain shall be thrown out; Their stench shall rise from their corpses, And the mountains shall be melted with their blood.” (Isaiah 34:3 NKJV)
“All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down As the leaf falls from the vine, And as fruit falling from a fig tree.” (Isaiah 34:4 NKJV)
“For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; Indeed it shall come down on Edom, And on the people of My curse, for judgment.” (Isaiah 34:5 NKJV)
Edom, because of her relentless hatred toward Israel, is singled out from the nations as the object of God’s fury. She was to suffer a fate like that of Babylon. Twenty-six centuries of desolation bear witness to the truth of this prophecy (confer Malachi. 1:4). The chapter also has apocalyptic overtones (confer verses 1-4; Revelation 6:12-17).
“The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, It is made overflowing with fatness, With the blood of lambs and goats, With the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.” (Isaiah 34:6 NKJV)
“The wild oxen shall come down with them, And the young bulls with the mighty bulls; Their land shall be soaked with blood, And their dust saturated with fatness.” (Isaiah 34:7 NKJV)
“For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, The year of recompense for the cause of Zion.” (Isaiah 34:8 NKJV)
The LORD in Judgment and Salvation
Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?; “I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” (Isaiah 63:1 NKJV)
“Bozrah” was once a great city of Edom. Edom personifies the unrelenting hostility of the pagan world toward Israel. The Edomite kingdom came to a complete end in the time of the Maccabees, when the Edomites were forced to become Jews. “Dyed garments” may also be translated “red-stained garments.”
“Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?” (Isaiah 63:2 NKJV)
“I have trodden the winepress alone, And from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, And trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes. (Isaiah 63:3 NKJV)
“For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come.” (Isaiah 63:4 NKJV)
“I looked, but there was no one to help, And I wondered That there was no one to uphold; Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; And My own fury, it sustained Me.” (Isaiah 63:5 NKJV)
I have trodden down the peoples in My anger, Made them drunk in My fury, And brought down their strength to the earth.” (Isaiah 63:6 NKJV)
Where Does the Red River Empty?
Judgment on Edom
Against Edom. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?” (Jeremiah 49:7 NKJV)
“Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Dedan! For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, The time that I will punish him.” (Jeremiah 49:8 NKJV)
“If grape-gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some gleaning grapes? If thieves by night, Would they not destroy until they have enough? (Jeremiah 49:9 NKJV)
“But I have made Esau bare; I have uncovered his secret places, And he shall not be able to hide himself. His descendants are plundered, His brethren and his neighbors, And he is no more.” (Jeremiah 49:10 NKJV)
“Leave your fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; And let your widows trust in Me.” (Jeremiah 49:11 NKJV)
“For thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, those whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunk. And are you the one who will altogether go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you shall surely drink of it.'” (Jeremiah 49:12 NKJV)
“For I have sworn by Myself,” says the LORD, “that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse. And all its cities shall be perpetual wastes.” (Jeremiah 49:13 NKJV)
“I have heard a message from the LORD, And an ambassador has been sent to the nations: “Gather together, come against her, And rise up to battle!” (Jeremiah 49:14 NKJV)
“For indeed, I will make you small among nations, Despised among men.” (Jeremiah 49:15 NKJV)
“Your fierceness has deceived you, The pride of your heart, O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Who hold the height of the hill! Though you make your nest as high as the eagle, I will bring you down from there,” says the LORD. (Jeremiah 49:16 NKJV)
“Edom also shall be an astonishment; Everyone who goes by it will be astonished And will hiss at all its plagues.” (Jeremiah 49:17 NKJV)
“As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah And their neighbors,” says the LORD, “No one shall remain there, Nor shall a son of man dwell in it.” (Jeremiah 49:18 NKJV)
“Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the floodplain of the Jordan Against the dwelling place of the strong; But I will suddenly make him run away from her. And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her? For who is like Me? Who will arraign Me? And who is that shepherd Who will withstand Me?” (Jeremiah 49:19 NKJV)
“Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD that He has taken against Edom, And His purposes that He has proposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; Surely He shall make their dwelling places desolate with them.” (Jeremiah 49:20 NKJV)
“The earth shakes at the noise of their fall; At the cry its noise is heard at the Red Sea.” (Jeremiah 49:21 NKJV)
“Behold, He shall come up and fly like the eagle, And spread His wings over Bozrah; The heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.” (Jeremiah 49:22 NKJV)
How Shall Christ Tread the Winepress?
“For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; Indeed it shall come down on Edom, And on the people of My curse, for judgment.” (Isaiah 34:5 NKJV)
Edom, because of her relentless hatred toward Israel, is singled out from the nations as the object of God’s fury. She was to suffer a fate like that of Babylon. Twenty-six centuries of desolation bear witness to the truth of this prophecy (cf. Mal. 1:4). The chapter also has apocalyptic overtones (confer verses 1-4; Rev. 6:12-17).
“The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, It is made overflowing with fatness, With the blood of lambs and goats, With the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.” (Isaiah 34:6 NKJV)
“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him, And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.” (Psalm 50:3 NKJV)
“A fire goes before Him, And burns up His enemies round about.” (Psalm 97:3 NKJV)
“His lightnings light the world; The earth sees and trembles.” (Psalm 97:4 NKJV)
“The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.” (Psalm 97:5 NKJV)
“For behold, the LORD will come with fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire.” (Isaiah 66:15 NKJV)
“For by fire and by His sword The LORD will judge all flesh; And the slain of the LORD shall be many.” (Isaiah 66:16 NKJV)
“Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves, To go to the gardens After an idol in the midst, Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse, Shall be consumed together,” says the LORD. (Isaiah 66:17 NKJV)
Revelation 19:11-21 (NLT2)
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.
12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself.
13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.
14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.
15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.
16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared.
18 Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army.
20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
21 Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.
Ezekiel 47:1-5 and see Zechariah 12:8 After the slaughter God washes the blood away from the new temple
1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar.
2 He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.
3 And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles.
4 Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist.
5 Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed.
