Revelation 14:16 kjv
And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
Revelation 14:16 nkjv
So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
Revelation 14:16 niv
So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
Revelation 14:16 esv
So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.
Revelation 14:16 nlt
So the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the whole earth was harvested.
Revelation 14 verses
(h2) Meaning
Revelation 14:16 portrays Christ, identified as "one like a son of man," seated on a cloud, wielding a sharp sickle. At the divine signal, He acts, initiating the final, universal harvest of the earth. This pivotal act marks the climax of God's patience, signaling the definitive gathering, primarily understood as the redemption of the saints at the culmination of the age, executed with sovereign authority and speed. It precedes and stands distinct from the subsequent harvest of judgment upon the wicked.
(h2) Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Dan 7:13-14 | "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man... an everlasting dominion..." | The Son of Man figure on clouds, kingship. |
| Matt 24:30 | "Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven..." | Christ's return on clouds, for judgment. |
| Matt 26:64 | "...you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." | Christ's divine authority and future coming. |
| Acts 1:9-11 | "...He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight... This Jesus... will come in the same way..." | Christ's ascension and promised return. |
| Rev 1:7 | "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him..." | Christ's visible return for all to see. |
| Joel 3:13 | "Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full..." | Sickle and harvest for judgment. |
| Matt 13:30 | "Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘Gather the weeds first... then gather the wheat into my barn.’" | Harvest as end-time separation/gathering. |
| Matt 13:39 | "...the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels." | Interpretation of harvest in parables. |
| Mark 4:29 | "But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." | Agricultural imagery for completion. |
| Jer 51:33 | "For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time when it is trodden; yet a little while, and the time of her harvest will come.'" | Harvest for Babylon's judgment. |
| Isa 17:5 | "And it shall be as when the reaper gathers the standing grain and his arm harvests the ears..." | Imagery of harvesting. |
| Hos 6:11 | "For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed, when I restore the fortunes of my people." | Harvest signifying restoration/consummation. |
| Amos 9:9 | "For behold, I will command, and shake the house of Israel among all the nations as grain is shaken in a sieve..." | Shaking and sifting of people. |
| Deut 23:25 | "When you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain." | Sickle as tool for harvesting grain. |
| Rev 6:17 | "For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" | Inevitability of divine judgment. |
| Rev 11:18 | "...and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and saints..." | Time of judgment and recompense. |
| Rev 19:15 | "From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations... He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty." | Christ's decisive action in judgment. |
| John 5:22 | "For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son..." | Christ as ultimate judge. |
| Rom 2:5-6 | "...store up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works..." | God's just retribution. |
| 1 Thes 4:16-17 | "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command... and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive... will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air..." | Gathering of saints to meet Christ on clouds. |
| 2 Pet 3:9-10 | "The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you... But the day of the Lord will come like a thief..." | Divine patience leading to decisive end. |
| Rev 14:14-15 | "And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, 'Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.'" | Immediate context for the action, identify of reaper, and reason. |
| Rev 14:17-20 | (Subsequent description of the winepress harvest.) | Delineates this first harvest from the wrath harvest. |
(h2) Context
Revelation chapter 14 presents a series of visions following the persecution and deception depicted in chapters 13. It opens with the victorious 144,000 on Mount Zion with the Lamb (vv. 1-5), standing in stark contrast to the worshipers of the beast. This is followed by three angelic messages of the everlasting Gospel, the fall of Babylon, and warning against beast worship (vv. 6-12), preparing the earth for ultimate judgment. The blessedness of those who die in the Lord (v. 13) immediately precedes the two harvest visions in Revelation 14:14-20. Verse 16 describes the completion of the first harvest, initiated by a figure "like a son of man." This action by Christ stands in direct divine authority over the entire earth and culminates the process alluded to in the prior angelic declarations, setting the stage for God's final consummation.
(h2) Word analysis
- (ul)
- So (Καὶ - Kai): A conjunction, serving as a connector. Here, it indicates a sequential consequence, signaling that the action described is the immediate fulfillment or execution of the command given in the preceding verse. It introduces the climactic action.
- he who sat (ὁ καθήμενος - ho kathēmenos): A participle literally meaning "the one sitting." This explicitly refers back to "one like a son of man" in verse 14, unambiguously identified as Jesus Christ. Sitting on a cloud denotes ultimate authority, sovereignty, and readiness for judgment or action. This imagery evokes kingly or judicial posture.
- on the cloud (ἐπὶ τὴν νεφέλην - epi tēn nephelēn): Clouds in biblical typology are strongly associated with God's presence, glory (Shekinah), and particularly with the return of Christ in power and judgment. His position "on the cloud" signifies His divine, celestial authority and His descent to interact directly with the earthly realm.
- swung (ἔβαλεν - ebalen): From the verb ballo, meaning "to cast," "throw," "hurl," or "thrust." In this context, it implies a decisive, forceful, and intentional act. He did not gently place it, but wielded it with power, indicating the authority and efficacy of His action.
- his sickle (τὸ δρέπανον αὐτοῦ - to drepanon autou): The drepanon is an agricultural implement, specifically a scythe or sickle, used for harvesting grain. In prophetic literature (e.g., Joel 3:13), it becomes a potent symbol of judgment, separation, and the reaping of lives at the end of an age. The "sharp sickle" (from Rev 14:14) implies the immediacy, precision, and finality of the harvest.
- on the earth (ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν - epi tēn gēn): Specifies the global scope of this harvest. The entirety of humanity and the earthly realm are subjected to this definitive action.
- and (καὶ - kai): Another connective, introducing the direct outcome of the previous action.
- the earth (ἡ γῆ - hē gē): Again, emphasizes the global reach, the inhabited world.
- was reaped (ἐθερίσθη - etheristhē): A passive verb form (therizo, to reap, harvest), indicating that the action was performed upon the earth. It confirms the immediate and complete fulfillment of the harvest initiated by Christ. The "earth" here can signify its inhabitants, the 'crop' of humanity.
- (ul)
- He who sat on the cloud swung his sickle on the earth: This phrase underscores the active, decisive, and divinely authorized role of Christ (the "Son of Man") in bringing about the end-time events. His appearance on the cloud with a sickle fulfills long-standing Old Testament prophetic imagery of God's final judgment and harvest. It speaks of power and dominion over all things.
- And the earth was reaped: The immediate and completed action, signifying that the harvest, once commanded and initiated by Christ, is thoroughly executed across the entire earth. This phrase succinctly summarizes the successful execution of His will, leading to the outcome of the age.
(h2) Commentary
Revelation 14:16 represents the execution of the first of two pivotal end-time harvests. Following the urgent call from an angel to reap because "the harvest of the earth is ripe," Christ, depicted as the authoritative "Son of Man" crowned in glory and seated on a cloud, casts His sharp sickle. This act symbolizes the culmination of the earthly age and the definitive gathering, widely interpreted by scholars as the ingathering of God's elect—the righteous who are now "ripe" for His presence. Unlike the second harvest described immediately afterward, which explicitly details the treading of the winepress of God's wrath upon the wicked, this initial harvest by Christ typically refers to the blessed destiny of those who are faithful to Him. It marks a moment of both finality and triumph for God's people, establishing Christ's sovereign rule as both King and Judge.
(h2) Bonus section
- The dual harvest imagery in Revelation 14 (one by the Son of Man, another by angels leading to the winepress) distinctly portrays the dual aspects of the eschatological gathering: the blessing and preservation of the righteous versus the judgment and destruction of the wicked. This provides clarity, emphasizing that Rev 14:16, performed by Christ, is not primarily a wrathful act on its own, but the definitive collection of all.
- The ripeness mentioned in Rev 14:15 ("harvest of the earth is ripe") implies that creation and human history have reached a decisive stage where all is ready for God's conclusive action. This "ripeness" can be understood as both the maturity of the righteous for their redemption and the fullness of iniquity for the wicked for their judgment, leading to this culminating harvest event.
- The divine command ("Put in your sickle...") given by an angel to Christ, the Son of Man, indicates a precise timing within God's decreed plan. Christ does not act prematurely or without divine commission; He operates perfectly within the Father's established timeline for the ages.