“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.”
My Notes
What Does Revelation 14:15 Mean?
"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." An angel from God's temple cries out to the Son of Man: the time has come. The harvest is ripe. The word "ripe" (exēranthē) can also mean dried, overripe, withered — suggesting that the earth has reached a state where delay is no longer possible. The harvest must happen now or the crop is lost.
The angel doesn't command the Son of Man but announces the Father's timing. The harvest originates in the temple — God's dwelling — and the announcement reflects divine patience that has finally reached its fullness. God waited until the harvest was truly ripe. Not premature. Not vindictive. Perfectly timed.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What situation in your life feels 'overripe' — like it's past time for God to act?
- 2.How does knowing God's default is patience change your interpretation of delays?
- 3.What does it mean that the harvest order comes from the temple — the place of worship, not the place of wrath?
- 4.How do you trust God's timing when the world feels like it's been ripe for judgment for a long time?
Devotional
The time is come. The angel shouts it from the temple — not from the battlefield, not from the courtroom, from the temple. The place of God's presence. The harvest order originates in worship, not in wrath. It comes from the holy place, timed by the Holy One.
The earth is ripe. Overripe, actually. The Greek word suggests something that's dried out — past its prime, ready to crumble. God didn't rush to judgment. He waited. And waited. And waited until the harvest reached the point where waiting any longer would mean losing everything. The patience is the story. God's default posture is patience, and the harvest comes only when patience has done everything it can.
But when it comes, it's decisive. "Thrust in thy sickle." Not ease it in. Thrust. The harvest that's been delayed by centuries of divine patience arrives with urgency when the time is right. The long patience makes the sudden harvest feel jarring — but that's always how God works. Years of quiet, then a moment of action. Decades of preparation, then a day of resolution.
If you've been waiting for God to act — in justice, in deliverance, in resolution of something that's been wrong for far too long — this verse says the harvest is coming. Not early. Not late. When the time is ripe. And when it comes, it won't be tentative. It'll be a thrust of the sickle from the one who waited long and then acted decisively.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And another angel came out of the temple,.... Not the Holy Spirit, who, being God omniscient, knows the day and hour of…
And another angel - The fourth in order, Rev 14:6, Rev 14:8-9. Came out of the temple - See the notes on Rev 11:19.…
Thrust in thy sickle - Execute the judgments which God has decreed.
For the harvest of the earth is ripe - The cup of…
Here we have the vision of the harvest and vintage, introduced with a solemn preface. Observe,
I. The preface, Rev…
another angel It is probably not relevant to argue that in classical Greek this would not necessarily imply that the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture