The 'ripe' harvest means the time has fully come for God to reap the earth, gathering those still living for judgment.
Les Feldick explains that the word 'fully' in 'grapes are fully ripe' means overripe—really past harvest time. The sickle is harvest language, and when the One on the cloud reaps, He is gathering the world's armies into the Middle East. So the ripe harvest marks the moment when God's decisive gathering and judgment are due.
Revelation 14:15 — This verse directly speaks of the harvest of the earth being ripe and the command to reap.
Revelation 14:18 — This verse parallels the grain harvest with the words 'her grapes are fully ripe' before the vine of the earth is gathered.
Revelation 14 speaks of two harvest pictures. In verse 14, John sees '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.' An angel then cries, 'Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe' (Revelation 14:15). The next verse records, 'he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped' (Revelation 14:16). The second picture is of grapes. Another angel with a sharp sickle is told, 'Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe' (Revelation 14:18). Then the angel gathers the vine and 'cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God' (Revelation 14:19). Scripture itself uses ripened grain and fully ripe grapes as the sign that the reaping time has arrived.
Les Feldick explains that the sickle in Revelation 14 is an agricultural symbol. He says that 'the sickle always refers to a harvest' and that in this passage it is used to show Christ reaping the earth (Clip 5). When the angel says 'the harvest of the earth is ripe,' Les applies it to the end-time gathering that God is sovereignly bringing about: the nations' armies being drawn into the Middle East (Clip 4; Clip 7). Regarding the parallel verse about the vine and grapes, Les notes that the Greek word translated 'fully' in 'her grapes are fully ripe' means 'overripe'—really past the normal harvest time (Clip 1). The grapes are then put into a vat to be crushed for their juice, which is the symbolic picture of God bringing the world's peoples to that point of gathering and judgment (Clip 1). Les also says this is 'symbolic language... of God gathering the residue of humanity that is still living, gathering them there in the Middle East, under military auspices' (Clip 3). The gathering place, Les explains, is connected to the ancient city of Megiddo. Armageddon comes from Megiddo, and the nations will gather primarily to get rid of the Jewish nation, only to end up battling against Israel's Christ (Clip 0). So 'ripe' does not simply describe ripe fruit; it describes humanity's condition when God's decisive reaping and judgment have fully arrived.
Les Feldick points to Revelation 14:18, where the angel says 'her grapes are fully ripe.' He explains that the word 'fully' in the Greek means overripe—'really past harvest time' (Clip 1). So the harvest condition is not just normal maturity; the earth has reached the point where the Lord's reaping is due.
According to Les, the angel's command to 'thrust in thy sickle' is directed to Christ, and when Christ does so, 'the earth was reaped' (Revelation 14:16). Les describes this as 'the reaping that the sovereign God is bringing about'—the same gathering that chapter 16 pictures as the call to all nations to bring their armies and air forces to the Middle East (Clip 4; Clip 7). This reaping is the gathering of 'the residue of humanity that is still living' into the Middle East under military auspices (Clip 3).
Les explains the ancient practice: grapes were gathered and 'put into the vat where they could be crushed, and the juice taken out of them' for wine (Clip 1). In Revelation, that imagery fits what happens when the earth is reaped: the vine of the earth is gathered and cast into 'the great winepress of the wrath of God' (Revelation 14:19). So the ripe grapes picture the peoples of the earth being brought to the place where God's wrath is poured out.
Armageddon and Megiddo
Les explains that Armageddon comes from the ancient city of Megiddo, where the nations will gather—even though they intend to deal with Israel, the conflict becomes a battle against Israel's Christ.
Fully Ripe Means Overripe
Les explains that the Greek word behind 'fully ripe' means overripe—really past harvest time—and that the grapes were gathered, put in a vat, and crushed to take out the juice.
Noah’s Ark: How Did All the Animals Fit? (Genesis 6-7)
Now verse 18, "...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 thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth. For her..." What's the next word? "...grapes are fully ripe." Now the word fully in the Greek means overripe. In other words, it's really past harvest time.
Symbolic Gathering of Humanity
Les says the harvest language is symbolic of God gathering the residue of mankind still living into the Middle East under military auspices.
Christ Reaps the Earth
Les shows the angel telling Christ to thrust in the sickle because the time to reap has come, and identifies the result with the gathering of the nations' armies to the Middle East.
Sickle as Harvest Symbol
Les points out that the sickle always refers to a harvest, so the sharp sickle in Revelation 14 symbolizes the harvest that Christ is about to reap.
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Verse 10, "...and thou shalt not glean thy vineyard," in other words they weren't to pick every last grape in their vineyard, "...neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard, thou shalt leave them," you know, a gleaning, "...thou shalt leave them," for whom? The poor, see? That was mandated by God.
Sovereign Reaping of Nations
Les repeats that the reaping of the earth is what the sovereign God is bringing about as armies and air forces are called to the Middle East.
Revelation 14:14: 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.
Introduces the One who holds the sickle and is about to reap.
Revelation 14:15: 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.
Directly gives the meaning of the ripe harvest: the time to reap has come.
Revelation 14:16: And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
Records the result of the ripe harvest—the earth is reaped.
Revelation 14:18: 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.
Parallels the grain harvest with the picture of ripe grapes.
Revelation 14:19: 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.
Shows what happens after the grapes are fully ripe: the vine is gathered and cast into God's winepress.
Les Feldick says the Greek word translated 'fully' means overripe—the grapes are really past harvest time. So when the angel tells Christ to gather the clusters of the vine, the condition of the earth is such that the time for God's harvest has fully come.
In Les's teaching, the reaping is the gathering of the residue of humanity still living into the Middle East under military auspices. The same passage goes on to describe the vine being cast into the great winepress of the wrath of God, so it points directly to God's end-time judgment.
Les points out that Armageddon is from Megiddo, and that the nations of the world bring their armies to the Middle East. The angel's command to reap is exactly that gathering—the sovereign God bringing it about.
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