"So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia."
(Revelation 14:19-20)
The blood of judgment is depicting as flowing up to the horse’s bridle (stomach)–a symbol used in Jewish Apocalyptic writings for the complete and utter destruction of an army in battle–and for a distance of 1600 stadia, or about two hundred miles, which would cover the length and breadth of Israel. The entire land will be covered with blood several feet deep–an apocalyptic image of a judgment so horrific no one can fully comprehend it. In addition, John sees an angel who is in charge of fire. This calls to mind the imagery of the tabernacle and the temple throughout the Old Testament in which the blood of sacrificial animals was shed to the point where it visibly flowed down from the altar, before the animal’s remains were consumed by fire.
Throughout this vision, God is reminding his suffering and persecuted church that he will indeed vindicate all those whom he calls to face the dragon who wages war upon God’s people through the sword of the state and through the lies of the false prophet. But those without faith who reject the Savior cannot grasp the true state of affairs. They may indeed put God’s people to death, and by doing so think that they triumphed over Christ and his kingdom. But such is not the case, for God now reminds John that everyone of the martyrs will be avenged. God will shed the blood of all of those who shed the blood of his people. They will die outside the city of God, which, as John will tell us later in (Revelation 21:27) is that place where, “Nothing impure will ever enter [the city of God], nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
(Dr. Kim Riddlebarger)
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