The Grapes of Wrath
by the Watchman
Dana G Smith
The Study we covered this week is called the ‘Grapes of Wrath’. It is found in Revelation chapter 14. The angel of God who has a sickle is told to ‘thrust in thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe’. It is here we get a picture of the harvesting of the earth and the winepress into which the grape go into. It is the ‘great winepress of the wrath of God.’ The Apostle Paul spoke that he knew the ‘terror of the LORD, therefore he persuaded men.’ He persuaded them to repent, seek God, believe in Jesus Christ, follow him, and keep his commandments.
Revelation 14:17 And 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, 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.
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.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
Revelation 15:1 ¶And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
But no mention of the Grapes of Wrath would be complete here without a reflection of the movie directed by John Ford. It starred Henry Fonda as Tom Joad and a great character actress Jane Darwell as his mother, Ma Joad. This is a black and white picture that was directed by John Ford and in his style, it reflected the hard times of the depression era 30’s. This is about one of many who were poor, lived in the midwest and farmed. Because of the poverty, drought, and shifting sands, they cannot farm, make money, pay bills, or live. So this family depicted is one of many who were forced off family farms and went west to California to get a job. Along the way you see the utter deprivation and depression of the times. The homeless, hopelessness, yet the love of the family and the knowing that in all this suffering there was a Great God who was in charge of all things. Even though you may not understand it, the suffering was part and partial of the whole of the depression era times. It is here that when a nation faces the horrors of bad and evil times that society believes that the ‘wrath of God’ is revealing itself against all men everywhere. It was this thought during the ‘grapes of wrath’ depicted in the movie. Today, though, would we understand this as the ‘wrath of God’ or are we fully and totally oblivious to the God of heaven and his commandments! Are we totally and fully, completely ignorant of Him! Is society today in America the one who looks back on the times of the 30’s and does not see the ‘grapes of wrath’ but a time of conspiracies and bankers who brought tough times? Where is God in today’s troubles? Where is the society that used to believe in the God of the bible, his son, and feared his commandments, thus they strove to keep them! I tell you where it is, dead and buried long ago in unbelief and modernism that brings a society to selfishness and pride before God! Pride goes before a fall, and America is headed right towards it!
Moreover, according to some sources John Steinbeck who wrote the book had a tough time finding a name. He finally came up with ‘The Grapes of Wrath’, adapting the title from the line of the ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic’. The lines go as follows:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.
The line in this hymn of the republic is also found in the scripture above, verses 19-20 of Revelation 14.
One worthy reviewer of the movie wrote that in Chapter 25 of ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ the situation was such that there was a “purposeful destruction of food to keep the price high”.
Thus you find the phrase the ‘grapes of wrath’. Here is the lines from the book that depicts this:
…and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.
There is no doubt that this movie has been one of my favorites, even though it is black and white. A poignant story, but one that reflects, I believe a future America. The times we have been living in ease, comfort, and luxury are coming to an end. There will always be rich, even to the last day! But today we are seeing the plots of the rich and powerful as they manipulate the markets, the money, the economy, the nations, the justice system, and bring their will upon all people.
I believe that a depression era is coming yet again. This time it will be far worse than ever thought. It will occur not only in America, but worldwide. But living in America, it is hard to imagine the picture of the 30’s that we see in the movie, “grapes of wrath.” My family lived in Catalina Island off the coast of California. They were not wealthy, but they had food, shelter, and a livelihood. My grandfather worked for the government, and many of our relatives lived in California itself. They too, lived fairly well. My other grandparents did not live as well. They knew hardship, scarce food, and tough times on the farm. Times were tough, very tough, and people had to scrape to survive. Yet in all this, there is a hope for us today!
This is where we must today listen to the Word of God, obey it, keep it, and walk in what the LORD Jesus has commanded us to do. We must also keep the faith of Jesus and his testimony! The closeness that obedience to the Word of God brings to the life of the believer is real. When we obey the Word, we obey God, when we obey God, the relationship with him is in the light. For we walk in the light, as he ‘YSHUA or Jesus’ did! Jesus did what the Father asked of him! It is through that obedience of walking in the light as he Yshua is the light, that fellowship truly begins and continues to every avenue of our lives.
Ephesians 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Jesus revealed the Father unto the people and had followers who later became the Apostles. These were in the world, but when they found the LORD, or he really found them, the True living God was revealed to them through Y’SHUA. He gave them the ‘Words of life’, testifying of the Father, his love, and redemptive purposes for all men. It was those Words they received and Jesus whom they loved and followed.
John 17:6 ¶I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
I am convinced that those things coming cannot separate us at all from the LOVE of God which is in Christ Jesus. I am fully persuaded that the LORD God can and will take care of those who call upon him, walk in his ways, and are obedient to his will for them. This is one of the greatest times coming, even amidst suffering and despair. Even among those who see death, destruction, plagues, famines, and even the rise of the beast, this will be a time of provision by the LORD God for his own. We will learn to walk the coals of fire, the valley of the shadow of death will be visited, and for some, that valley will be death for them as they face martyrship for the LORD. But in all this the believe who will stand by faith, trusting in the LORD, will find a presence, a comfort, and a voice leading them through all the dangers and toils of the day.
As the elect of God, keeping his commands, doing as the LORD says too do, and walking in his faith, while keeping his testimony on our lips, the world will see the light of the LORD in us. I tell you this, not one soul, not even the devil can lay a charge against Gods Elect who fulfills his command to ‘live by faith’. There is no time, not even another ‘Grapes of wrath’ scenario that will separate us from the LOVE of God in Christ. No time of suffering, killing, or even martyrship can stop Gods LOVE from reaching and keeping us! Nothing, Nothing at all! God is faithful, he cannot lie, he cannot fail, he will not let anyone who trusts in him down! The Apostle Paul says it best in Romans below!
Romans 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Further it is time folks for us to rise to the occasion today! Put off procrastination and let your faith become yea and amen in Him who has delivered us into his heavenly kingdom through Christ. Let us rise, walk, and be healed. Let us rise, walk, and be full of faith! Let us greet the morrow with the Son of God alive in our hearts and the Spirit of God empowering us for his service. For whether we live, or whether we die, we are the LORD’S. Not one soul, not one devil, not even the beast himself can touch us if we are fully in HIM who has called us, saved us, and is currently keeping us in Him through Jesus Christ our LORD!
Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
15 ¶Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
17 ¶Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
May the LORD bless you and keep you my friends,
Source: http://watchman-news.warn-usa.com/zao-mirror/?p=1114
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