14-16. The followers of Antichrist have been warned of defeat and eternal punishment; the faithful have been encouraged by promise of victory here and eternal happiness hereafter. The time of judgment is at hand; the final conflict now begins. The separation of the good from the bad will be still further accomplished. As on the last day, Christ sends forth His angels to gather the wheat into the barns while the cockle is being bound into bundles for the fire. [1] The gathering in of the good through martyrdom is represented as a harvest. The destruction of the wicked is depicted as the vintage of God's wrath. The realization of this judgment will be found in the complete destruction of the kingdom of Antichrist as described in subsequent chapters (xv-xix).
The reaper sitting upon a bright cloud, is an angel who comes in the name of Christ to execute His orders. Hence he bears the resemblance of Christ and is surrounded by a cloud of glory. He also wears a crown of gold, the emblem of royalty, because as representative of Christ he exercises dominion over all peoples.
The cloud of glory and the crown of royalty might lead one to accept the reaper as Christ Himself. Yet the context makes it plain that the reaper cannot be identified with Christ since he is commanded by an angel to thrust in his sickle. Furthermore, Christ has told us in the Gospel that angels shall be commissioned to separate the wheat from the cockle. [2]
