The Grape Harvest and the Day of Judgment
The Grape Harvest and the Day of Judgment
A reflection on violence, true faith, God’s mercy, and a surprising lesson from this year’s grape harvest.
What I am about to say is not meant to put down the Muslim faith. Every religion has groups who interpret their holy books differently. But to those who believe that God desires you to kill others, I must ask: Are you truly serving the One True God?
Killing people simply because they are Jews, Christians, Muslims, Palestinians, Americans, Black, white—whoever it may be—is not righteousness. You cannot force others to believe what you believe. Fear‑based conversion always leads to suspicion, tests, and eventually violence. History shows this has happened even within Christianity.
I call myself a Christian, and I believe the One True Living God is a God of peace and love. He gave us laws knowing we would break them, and instead of destroying us, He sent His Son to take our punishment willingly. Jesus did not have to do that. Father God could have enforced His laws and wiped us out.
If the killing you do is truly for the One True God, blessings will follow. But if not, curses will follow—in this life, not the next. Are you willing to waste this life believing someone who promises the next one will be better?
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
— Hebrews 10:30–31; Deuteronomy 32:35–36
I look forward to God’s Day of Judgment, because I see no other way for the world to be healed. On that day, everyone will see themselves as God sees them. The Bible speaks of crowns for the good we have done, but when we see ourselves clearly, those crowns will seem very small (Isaiah 64:6).
The Lesson From My Grape Harvest
Something unusual happened with my grape harvest this year. At first, the vines were full of beautiful green clusters. But as they ripened, most shriveled up and produced nothing. Only a few remained, and those few were sweet and good.
This is how I imagine Judgment. Some of us have become good fruit, but many more have become shriveled, empty things.
But here is the hope: even a shriveled grape still contains a seed. And if that seed falls into good soil, it can grow into a new vine. This is not the end.
Malachi 3 (NIV)
Note: I chose the NIV here for clarity and readability. Jewish readers may prefer the Complete Jewish Bible.
Malachi 3:1–5
“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.
But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness.
“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.
Malachi 3:6–12
“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
Malachi 3:13–18
“Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.”
“On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”
Malachi 4:1–6
“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays.”
“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents.”
See Also "The New Covenant of the Heart"
