¹² This calls for patient endurance^(A) on the part of the people of God^(B) who keep his commands^(C) and remain faithful to Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord^(D) from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit,^(E) “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress

¹⁴ I looked, and there before me was a white cloud,^(F) and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man^[a](G) with a crown^(H) of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵ Then another angel came out of the temple^(I) and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle^(J) and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest^(K) of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶ So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.^{(L) 18} Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar^(M) and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle^(N) and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.^{(O) 20} They were trampled in the winepress^(P) outside the city,^(Q) and blood^(R) flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.^[b]