13th October 2025

13th October 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Revelation 14:14-20 focus v14)


Message (Alan Burke) 


“I like to think of Jesus as…”, “To me Jesus is…”. I’m not asking you to tell me what you think of Jesus as or what Jesus is to you, but the comments that I’ve heard that begin like this more often than not have no foundations in the scriptures. What they have come up with themselves, the Jesus that they believe in is not based on scripture rather their own imagination. The Apostles Creed says; “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.” That last statement is something that people choose to ignore, how Jesus will come to judge the living and the dead. 


This coming Lord’s day we are giving thanks to the LORD for how he has once more shown that he keeps his promises, for he has promised,“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” (Ge 8:22). As we do so we focus on what is to come with the harvest of the earth and it is one where we are confronted with the reality of how Jesus will come to judge the living and the dead. While the imagery within Revelation 14 it is horrifying, gruesome it is one that demands a response, for just as the harvest has taken place in fields across this land, the harvest of the earth will come it God’s perfect timing, when the harvest is ready. This harvest of the earth is one that had been told by the prophets throughout the history of God’s people, Isaiah and Joel spoke of the coming harvest, Jesus also spoke of the coming harvest and here in Revelation we learn of the coming of that harvest. 


What we are told here is that one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand is coming. This son of man is Jesus Christ we can conclude that from the teaching of scripture in Daniel 7:13-14 and Matthew 24:30. Jesus speaks of the son of man coming just as he had left, for after the resurrection as he ascended into heaven right before the eyes of those there and he was taken up in a cloud and here we are told of how he will return on a cloud (Acts 1:9). This is the son of man, Jesus Christ crowed as he comes, showing his royalty, how he is sovereign over all with a sharp sickle in his hand. We do not know when this day will come, when Jesus will appear in the white cloud, seated on the cloud with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. But it is coming, his coming may be tomorrow or in a thousand years time or more, none of us know when it will come but the Lord has ordained it and until then our task as the church is to proclaim the gospel of grace to a world that is perishing until then. Jesus is coming, he will return. Until the day that he comes it is the day of salvation, a day of grace for anyone who will repent and believe and on that day when he appears we need not fear for instead of receiving what we deserve on that great and glorious day, instead of receiving justice we will know his mercy and the riches of his glory prepared in advance for us (Rom 9:23). If you have repented and believed know the great and glorious hope that you have, you have nothing to fear in the harvest of the earth as Jesus comes but if you have not then repent and believe, know his mercy before you know his just judgement and his eternal wrath.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q98 What is prayer?
A. Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.
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