Blood, Wine, and Cup - Execution

     At this point the harlot has been destroyed, and geographic Babylon has been warned.  The physical city would subsequently be destroyed by a massive earthquake as part of the seventh and final bowl judgment.

     “…and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth…And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.”  Revelation 16:18b-19

     Inasmuch as the mighty city of Babylon focused on trade and materialism, it is logical who would miss her the most.

     “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning.”  Revelation 18:9

     It is interesting to consider America’s priorities today and the emphasis presently being given to trade agreements with other nations around the globe.

     Now let’s turn our attention to the fate of the multitudes who accepted the mark of the beast, the leader of the final world empire.  Everyone alive during the tribulation will need to make a choice whether to remain loyal to Christ and experience immeasurable suffering, or take the easier way and accept the leadership of the beast.

     An angel provided the very succinct answer for those who chose allegiance to the beast.

     “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation.  He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone…and the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever…”  Revelation 14:9-11

     ‘Wine’ in this passage metaphorically means the dreadful judgment of God while ‘wrath’ likewise represents divine judgment to be inflicted on the wicked. 

     ‘Cup’ in the above definitely means the ‘lot’ or ‘portion’ of the ungodly.

     And it is beyond the finite mind to fully comprehend torture without end.

     Recall that the prophets foretold of the winepress of the wrath of God.  And so it will be.

     An announcement is then confirmed by an angel from the heavenly temple, describing the harvest of those deceived by the beast.

     “‘Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.’ 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…and blood came out of the winepress up to the horses’ bridles, for (approximately 184 miles)” Revelation 14:19-20

     The ‘vine of the earth’ represents those who have been deceived by the beast.  ‘Fully ripe’ applies to one who is in their prime at what they do.

     The ‘winepress of the wrath of God’ describes His righteous indignation as He metes vengeance on those who reject Him, and instead choose the beast and idolatry.

     The fate of the beast is described when the King of Kings returns to earth.

     “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse.  And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war…Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations…He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”  Revelation 19:11, 19

     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!

     Glory! Glory!  Hallelujah!

     The beast and the remainder of his followers will be killed by the returning victorious Christ to end the great tribulation.

     “And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him…Then the beast was captured…and cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.  And the rest were killed with the sword…”  Revelation 19:19-21

     The Bible very clearly defines the correct priorities America should be taking.  Are we preparing for the inevitable, or being complacent as in the time of Noah?

Blood, Wine, and Cup - Warning

     Many Hebrew words relating to blood, wine, and cup in the Old Testament have nearly identical meanings as their Greek counterparts in the New Testament.  When there are differences, such differences will be noted.

     We’ve seen that the wrath of God and His treading of the winepress in the latter days were spoken of by Old Testament prophets, particularly Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Joel.

     The word ‘cup’ in the Bible can mean a vessel that can contain either blood or wine.  However, in the current context cup will mean one’s ‘lot or portion.’

     For example:

     “He (Jesus) went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’”  Matthew 26:39

     As we approach the Book of Revelation, the cup is predominately filled with abominations, such as idolatry, or God’s wrath in dealing with such.

     Just prior to the seven last bowl judgments, several angels make profound proclamations, either appealing to the called or describing devastation for the rejecters.

     After an angel announced the everlasting gospel, a second angel announced the judgment of idolatrous Babylon.

     “...Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”  Revelation 14:8

     ‘Wrath’ in the above means violent passion.  ‘Wrath’ in the Greek is also synonymous with ‘anger,’ ‘vengeance,’ and ‘indignation.’

     Babylon is the center of idolatrous worship and has made all nations drunk with spiritual adultery (fornication).  Fornication can also be expressed as infidelity to one’s marriage partner.  And recall, in the Book of Hosea, Israel is said to be betrothed to God; while in the New Testament, the church is the bride of Christ.

     Then one of the seven angels who had the last bowls told John that he would explain the judgment of the great whore.

     “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”  Revelation 17:1b-2

     The angel explained that the waters on which the harlot sits are peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues, i.e. people groups from all the earth.

     Then there is the physical Babylon which will also be judged.

     Another angel descending from heaven had a similar warning.

     “…Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons…for all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”  Revelation 18:2b-3

     This passage describes the predominant activities of the harlot’s fornication, or spiritual adultery.  It is materialism; it is placing the economy as a nation’s first priority; it is pursuing wealth above all things; it is choosing the material and transitory over God.

     Babylon, the harlot, is the system and place; the beast (anti-Christ) is the ruler of the final earthly gentile kingdom before the return of Christ.  John explains the relationship between the harlot and the beast.

   “…And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”  Revelation 17:3

     It is extremely interesting that the ten horns (the ten nations comprising the seventh and final kingdom) will destroy the great harlot.

     “And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.  For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.”  Revelation 17:16-17

     Thus, the harlot will be destroyed by the ten nations of the final world kingdom.

     Just prior to Babylon’s judgment another voice from heaven proclaimed:

     “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.”  Revelation 18:4b

     The warning stands today.

    

    

Blood, Wine, and Vengeance

     Recall, when God’s vineyard brought forth wild grapes, He pronounced His righteous response.

     “I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; and break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.  I will lay it waste…” Isaiah 5:5b-5a

       The Hebrew word for ‘hedge’ has several meanings including fence, wall, and protection.  God would withdraw His hand of protection and let the gentiles have their way.  And so it was.

     “You have broken down all his hedges; You have brought his strongholds (fences for protection) to ruin.  All who pass by the way plunder him…”  Psalm 89:40-41a

     Northern Samaria fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC, and Southern Judah and Jerusalem was besieged and overrun by Babylon beginning in 605 BC.

     “Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions.” 

2 Chronicles 36:19

     God’s choice vineyard will, however, be restored in due time.  Those who plundered Israel will suffer the same consequences that He allowed those to do to His vineyard.

     “In that day sing to her, a vineyard of red wine!  I, the LORD, keep it, I water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I keep it night and day…Who would set briers and thorns against Me in battle?  I would go through them, I would burn them together.”  Isaiah 27:2-4

     ‘Red wine’ in the above has many synonyms including ‘delight,’ ‘goodly,’ ‘pleasant,’ ‘delectable,’ ‘precious,’ and ‘beauty.’

     Referring back to Jacob’s prophecy for Judah:

     “His eyes shall be red with wine…”  Genesis 49:12a KJ

     Now let’s focus on blood, wine, and vengeance as it applies to Israel’s enemies.

     The judgment of Edom, and one of its cities Bozrah, is described by the prophet Isaiah.  The following passage describes their judgment in terms of wine and vengeance.  The judgment will be administered by the ‘colt’ first mentioned in Jacob’s prophecy about Judah.

     Recall the ‘colt’ was tied to the choice vine.

     “…and his donkey’s colt (was tied) to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.”  Genesis 49:11

     Now consider Jacob’s words fulfilled.

     “Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?  ‘I have trodden the winepress alone…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.  For the day of vengeance is in My heart…’”  Isaiah 63:2-4

     ‘Winepress’ in the above means ‘to crush,’ ‘break,’ or ‘bring to naught.’

     ‘Tread, trodden, and trample’ means to crush under foot.

      ‘Blood’ in the present context means the brilliant juice of grapes while depicting a scene of grapes being trampled in the winepress.  Interestingly, it comes from a base word meaning splendor, glory, and power eternally.

     ‘Vengeance’ means ‘revenge,’ ‘retaliation,’ and/or ‘punishment.’  As such, vengeance belongs solely to God.

     Approximately a century prior to Isaiah’s prophecy, Joel spoke of God’s judgment of the nations using the analogy of the full winepress.

     “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.. for the harvest is ripe…the winepress is full, the vats overflow – for their wickedness is great.” Joel 3:12-13

     ‘The winepress is full’ means the completion of something, or the termination of a set period of time.

     What nations will be judged for their wickedness?

     “Come near, you nations, to hear…let the earth hear, and all that is in it…for the indignation of the LORD is against all nations…The sword of the LORD is filled with blood…”  Isaiah 34:1-2, 6a

     And remember, ‘blood’ in the above is also used to describe the juice of grapes.

     “For thus says the LORD God of Israel to me (Jeremiah): ‘Take this wine cup of fury (wrath) from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it.’”  Jeremiah 25:15

     No nation will be exempt from the righteous judgment of Almighty God.

     The final installments of this series will be taken predominantly from the Book of Revelation.

    

The Linkage Between Blood and Wine

     The linkage of blood and wine is found throughout the Bible and crescendos in the Book of Revelation.

     An early example of that relationship is noted when Jacob offered a prophecy for each of his sons just prior to his death in Egypt.

     Jacob’s prophecy for Judah is well known and appears to focus on Judah’s role as an ancestor of the future Messiah.

     Let’s, however, examine the verse immediately following.

     “Binding his donkey (foal per KJ) to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.”  Genesis 49:11 NKJV

     ‘Foal’ does in fact mean ‘colt’ or ‘young.’  Thus the offspring is the subject.  Judah would tie the colt to the choice vine of the vineyard. 

     However, the Hebrew for ‘colt’ in the above verse is Ben which means a young male child.  It is the same word used to describe the two ‘children’ within Rebekah, i.e. Jacob and Esau.

     Consider the following:

     “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder….”  Isaiah 9:6a

     ‘Son’ in the above is also from the Hebrew Ben, while ‘child’ is synonymous with ‘Son.’  Isaiah further describes the Son as Prince which is a masculine noun.  Several times in the referenced verse the pronoun ‘his’ is used to describe the future reign of the ‘Son.’

     Now note from Genesis 49:11 that the colt (Ben) will be tied to the ‘choice vine.’

     Isaiah described the nation of Israel as a vineyard planted by God.

     “He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and planted it with the ‘choicest vine.’ He built a tower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it; so He expected it to bring forth good grapes…” Isaiah 5:2a (emphasis mine)

     Therefore, Judah tied the ‘colt’ to the ‘choicest vine,’ which is the same term used to describe God’s vineyard.

     God also made a winepress in His vineyard.  ‘Winepress’ is a vat consisting of two chambers; the upper chamber where the grapes are crushed and the lower chamber into which the juice is drained.

     Much more will be said of the ‘winepress’ as we progress.

     Back to our subject Scripture passage describing Judah’s offspring.

     “He washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.”  Genesis 49:11b

     ‘Washed’ has several meanings including ‘trample,’ ‘tread,’ ‘to be purified.’

     In Hebrew, garments and clothes are synonymous.  ‘Wine’ in this verse is used interchangeably with ‘banqueting,’ while ‘blood’ means ‘slaughter’ and is also used to describe the juice of grapes.

     Before we pursue more, relative to blood and wine, let’s consider another aspect of Jacob’s prophecy for his son Judah.  Recall the donkey and her foal, or male offspring, which was tied to the choicest vine.

     Consider the following written over 1,300 years after Jacob’s words:

     “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  Zechariah 9:9

     ‘Foal’ in this passage is likewise from the Hebrew ‘Ben’ meaning a young male child.  It appears that the foal is a male offspring of Judah carrying the King.

     Zechariah’s prophecy was perfectly fulfilled when Jesus rode into Jerusalem at the beginning of the last week of His life before the cross.

     We saw previously that God prepared with great care a vineyard for Himself, which was the nation Israel.

     “So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.”  Isaiah 5:2b

     God asked those of Judah and Jerusalem to respond.

     “What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it?  Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?” Isaiah 5:4

     Then God announced what action He would take.

     “I will lay it waste…” Isaiah 5:5b-6a

     The meaning of the vineyard is confirmed.

     “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel…”  Isaiah 5:7a

     The stage has been set for ‘blood and wine.’