(Continued from Part 3.)
In Part 3 of this series, we reviewed the Antichrist, the False Prophet, the Mark of the Beast, and the One-World Money System. In this installment, we will look at the Merchants of the Earth, the Persecution of the Saints, and the Harvests of the Righteous and the Unrighteous.
The Merchants of the Earth
One of the most overlooked topics from the Book of Revelation is that of the “merchants of the Earth.” (Revelation 18:11) This term appears repeatedly in Revelation, which shows the importance of certain types of commerce, especially during the Tribulation:
“And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:”
“The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.” (Revelation 18:9-13 KJV)
There is a long list of products here, but at the end is this mention of “souls of men.” Some versions translate that final verse (v. 13) as “bodies and souls of men” or as “slaves.” We know that human trafficking nowadays is on the increase, so this could be related to selling bodies or “souls of men.” Earlier during the Trumpet judgments, we see a list of the various sins that have become commonplace among the unbelievers:
“And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.” (Revelation 9:20-21 KJV)
We see that occult practices have included worshipping devils, along with murders, sorceries (different forms of witchcraft) and fornication. Some versions say “sexual immorality.” When we put all the parts of the puzzle together, to include the occult, murders, sexual immorality and selling bodies and souls of people, we can conclude that it sounds like human slavery. This is already happening in the world today, and will no doubt increase in the future. Some of the victims of human trafficking are also used for Satanic ritual abuse and/or murder.
Also note that Revelation 9:20-21 and Revelation 18:11-13 have many points of similarity. Both passages refer to gold and silver. The former verses refer to sexual immorality, and as mentioned, Chapter 18 refers to “(bodies and) souls of men.” So, once again, we see a possible overlap, this time between the trumpets and the seals.
LIFE APPLICATION 1: Be very careful about how you share information about your family on social media or anywhere else. Photos and descriptions of your children can attract the interest of child predators or traffickers. There are many kidnappings and missing children in the world nowadays. The film “Sound of Freedom” tells the true story a U.S. government agent who rescued kidnapped children in Colombia. In the future, according to Scripture, we will unfortunately see an increase in this type of activity and more.
LIFE APPLICATION 2: Occult practices are on the rise. We are seeing much content in movies, television shows with themes including different forms of witchcraft and sorcery. Be careful what you watch on television or the Internet. Monitor what your children are watching, whether on television or on their cell phones. There is at least one company, Gabb [1], which sells cell phones with no Internet! Keep your children (and yourself) safe!
Persecution of the Saints
As we just saw, “murders” will be practiced by the unbelievers. The true Christians will refuse to accept the Mark of the Beast and worship the Antichrist. Persecution of the Saints will become so intense that many will be killed by beheading:
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4 KJV)
Again, here is one of those details which makes me hope the pre-Tribulation Rapture believers are right. But what if we don’t get raptured up before this persecution happens? Are you emotionally ready to die for your faith? Look at it this way: If you lose your life as a true Christian, not taking the Mark of the Beast, you will go instantly to heaven!
LIFE APPLICATION: How ready are you to die for Jesus? What would you do if someone threatens to kill your own children unless you renounce your faith? Yes, these are hard questions, but it’s better to be emotionally prepared ahead of time, than to waver in your faith when it is truly put to the test.
The Saints with harps in heaven, and a sea of glass (Adobe Express author-generated image
The harvest of the righteous
Now we see how the saints who have obeyed the Lord are commended:
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. 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 thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee 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.” (Revelation 14:12-16 KJV)
[Avalanche Lily Adds: This is more of the Hebrew parallelism. It is another way in which to say the saints are Raptured during the Sixth Seal: The first Sickle is the Rapture at the Sixth Seal, and the Second Sickle is the Seventh Seal, which is God’s Wrath.]
It will require an enormous amount of patience and longsuffering to endure up to this point. Many will die for their faith, but many will also survive.
For those who believe in the pre-wrath rapture, (with the rapture just before the Bowl judgements) this is a key passage. Remember that the verse commending the “patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”(Revelation 14:12) has just occurred a few verses before. The saints are also told they will now “rest from their labors” (Revelation 14:13). When the earth is reaped (v. 16) many believe this is the harvest of the Christians, also known as the Rapture. When we jump ahead just a few more verses, we now see that the Saints who have been raptured, or harvested, are now up in heaven:
“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. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.” (Revelation 15:1-2 KJV)
The saints who “had gotten the victory over the beast” (v. 2) now are holding harps in heaven! This is a very specific description of the true Christians who have resisted the pressure to take the Mark of the Beast, and have been rewarded for overcoming!
The harvest of the unrighteous
The harvest of the righteous Saints is now complete. They are in heaven. And now there is a second harvest:
“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 thy 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 winepress of the wrath of God. 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 14:17- 20 KJV)
Two harvests—one for the righteous, one for the unrighteous. This is the end result of those who took the Mark of the Beast and worshipped the Antichrist. Here is also mention of “the wrath of God” (v. 19). This wrath will soon begin with the release of the bowl judgments, and continue until the second coming of Jesus. The imagery of a winepress is symbolic of God crushing the unbelievers until their blood flows as high as a horse’s bridle, or approximately five feet deep. The blood also flows as far as 1,600 furlongs, or about 184 miles. Some say it is symbolic; others say it’s a literal event.
LIFE APPLICATION: Notice the mention of the “patience of the saints” and the importance of keeping the commandments of God (Revelation 14:12). God is telling us through His Word that He wants us to be patient in all trials that may come our way in the future. There are many Christians nowadays worldwide who are enduring hunger, thirst and persecution for their faith. I sincerely hope not to have to go through a similar fate. But in case we do, let us all be prepared emotionally that we may be strong in the face of difficult times. Whatever the future may bring, keep the faith and you shall receive your heavenly reward!
In the concluding Part 5 of this series, we will discuss the Bowl Judgments, Earthquakes on the Rise, and the Second Coming of Jesus.
(To be concluded tomorrow, in Part 5.)
About The Author: Peter Cannon is an author and jail/prison chaplain in California. He is a former newspaper reporter and editor, filmmaker and currently a preacher and teacher.