Taken Literally

Revelation 14:20

This verse came up in Adult Sunday School yesterday and properly scared everybody to death. Well maybe not “to death” but at least shocked everybody by the immensity of the image. During the harvest of the world, the angel “gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great wine press of the wrath of God (verse 19.)”

Verse 20: "And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horses’ bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.”

This is a scary proposition. How much blood would that be to occupy that space? To make the concept easier to embrace, herein is rendered the number crunching to establish a more visible view.

To make this more reliable we have to establish definitions. The reference work “World Almanac” is the source book for the descriptions. The Inspired Version of the Bible is the source of the quotations.

A cubit is 21.8 inches
A furlong is 1/8th of a mile
1 gallon equals 231 cubic inches
The body’s blood content is normally 1/11th of body weight
Average weight for humans is roughly 150 lbs.
A horse’s bridle is generally about 60 inches (5 ft.)
The generally accepted population of the earth is 6,000,000,000 (and growing.)

An assumption (possibly not reasonable) is made that this blood letting in the wine press is applicable only to those non-believing persons currently living on earth. It was amazing that the processing of the numbers resulted in some very “even” conclusions. Since the furlong is a lineal measurement, I choose to see it as “square furlongs” rather than the more difficult to envision, linear furlong. The result, assuming the complete exsanguinations of every sinning soul comes down to a lake of blood five miles by five miles and five feet deep. I’m not sure what to extract from the numbers. It came to 5-5-5, and not 6-6-6.

When all was said and done, the conclusion was, like much of Revelation, not entirely clear. However,one would be well served to conduct his life in such a manner, in concert with God, to avoid this fate. This is, after all the final harvest of the souls of men and the residue would be free to ascend and join their Father in Heaven being freed of their earthly existence. Still, it is more likely that this is reserved for those who, in total, have achieved the maximum level of sin which God finds intolerable. Here, it would appear, the sickle is the tool used to separate the wheat from the chaff. Fifty years ago I would have no doubt. I knew everything then. Today I have time for consideration and the conviction to dispel nagging doubt with prayer. We all also have access to the omnipotent knowledge of the Almighty for direction.

The Book of Revelation has probably inspired more scholars and the learned to write more lengthy tomes than any other book of the Bible. Do you find it interesting that they require 10, 50 or 100 times more words to describe the Revelation than the book itself contains? I am guilty as well. I have just used well over five hundred words, so far, to discuss the forty nine words in the previous quotes. Perhaps we should just keep it simple. God is! Love Him, work for Him, pray to Him for everything, keep the covenant and expect a glorious result.

May God bless you all.

Cecil Moon