Blood to the Horses' Bridles Revelation 14:20

After writing about the “beast or the antichrist” and “the dragon – the devil or Satan” being worshiped by people upon the earth, John the apostle wrote, “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. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in your sickle, and reap: for the time is come for you to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 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 your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great wine-press of the wrath of God”, and in chapter fourteen and verse twenty of Revelation John saw how, “blood came out of the wine-press, even unto the horse bridles” where we read:

And the wine-press was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the wine-press, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

The verse reads, “And the wine-press was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the wine-press, ...” John began with the words, “and the wine-press” which means “the large, massive and abundant vat, tub or a shaped receptacle in which grapes are trodden” “was trodden” or “was trampled and crushed as with feet” “without the city” which means “outside of the town”, “and blood” or “bloodshed by violence” “came out of the wine-press” which means “proceeded forth out of the large, massive and abundant vat, tub or a shaped receptacle in which grapes are trodden”. John watched as the “blood” of the people thrown into the “large wine-press” flowed.

The verse goes on to say “... even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.” John continued with the words, “even unto” which means “until it reached” “the the horse bridles” or “the height of the curbing or head-stalling devise or bit used upon a horse”, “by the space” or “for the distance” “of a thousand and six hundred furlongs” which refers to “sixteen hundred furlongs or about two hundred miles”. John saw the “blood” flowing out of God's wrath-filled “wine-press” that flowed for two hundred miles.

When we meditate upon John's words in this verse, we can imagine the horror of seeing this “bloodshed” flowing from God's “wine-press”. There comes a time when people have gone too far in their resistance of God's offer of “salvation” through His Son Jesus. As God said to Noah, “My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh” (Genesis 6:3), and the people upon the earth during this time of “tribulation” shall be among those whom God has at last rejected. They refused to receive His Son Jesus as their “Savior and Lord”, and now they shall suffer God's wrath. Let all who read these words know the “fierceness” of the “wrath” of God Almighty and “receive” His offer of “grace” through Jesus Christ before they are thrown in His “wine-press of wrath”.

Next time we begin a new chapter and see John share about, “seven angels having the seven last plagues”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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