Revelation 14:18: And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

The Fourth Harvest Angel in this verse is the seventh angel of seven in Revelation chapter 14.¹ Some scholars believe this final angel came out from the altar of incense located next to the veil inside the temple in heaven where prayers are offered.² However, that interpretation is not consistent with the message of destruction in this verse.

The image of the symbolic altar in Revelation 14:18 corresponds to the brazen altar of sacrifice³ located in the courtyard of the ancient temple in Jerusalem.⁴ At this altar, the ancient Israelites sought forgiveness and remission of their sins through the shedding of blood from animals in the similitude of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ.⁵ Sinful Israelites were symbolically cleansed by the fire of the altar⁶ that was never allowed to burn out.⁷ In John's vision, the Fourth Harvest Angel has power over fire from the altar to signify his power to destroy.⁸ When the Fourth Harvest Angel comes out from the altar at the end of the Second Woe the fire that once had power to save will be the power that destroys.⁹

The power to destroy is reflected in the image of the Fourth Harvest Angel who comes out from the altar bringing with him the fire from the altar. When this angel comes out of the altar with the fire from the altar there will be no fire left on the altar. The fire of the altar will be symbolically extinguished. Without the purifying fire in the altar there is no hope of forgiveness and salvation. This imagery applies specifically to mortal sons of perdition for whom salvation is not possible.¹⁰ They cannot be cleansed or purified at the end of the Second Woe because they are apostate, unrepentant, and rebellious beyond the point of saving.¹¹ The Fourth Harvest Angel will therefore use his power over fire to destroy all mortal sons of perdition physically at the end of the Second Woe. Once they die, their disembodied spirits will be consigned forever to the lake of fire and brimstone during the Third Woe in Revelation 19:20.¹²

The loud cry of the Fourth Harvest Angel calls for all sons of perdition to be destroyed by the shedding of their blood during the battle of Armageddon as depicted by the symbols of a sharp sickle in Revelation 14:18, and the winepress that exudes their blood in Revelation 14:19-20.¹³ Mortal sons of perdition will literally die by the shedding of their own blood without hope of salvation¹⁴ because‒symbolically speaking‒there is no fire in the brazen altar and no blood from a vicarious sacrifice that can save them.¹⁵ This imagery depicts the ultimate truth that mortal sons of perdition cannot be spiritually saved by the vicarious shedding of Christ's blood¹⁶ because they willfully rebel and openly refuse to repent.¹⁷

The brazen altar in this verse corresponds with John's vision in Revelation 6:9-10,¹⁸ where he saw martyred saints of the ancient church during the fifth seal.¹⁹ John saw their dead bodies under the same symbolic altar.²⁰ The martyrs under that altar pled for, and still plead for vengeance.²¹ Vengeance will begin for them and other righteous saints at the end of the Second Woe when the Fourth Harvest Angel cries with a loud cry for Christ to use his sharp sickle to gather the clusters of the vine of the earth and tread them in the winepress of the wrath of God.²²

With the foregoing in mind, it is apparent that the Fourth Harvest Angel represents God the Father.²³ The Father cried with a loud voice for Christ (the Third Harvest Angel),²⁴ to reap the rebellious and unrepentant mortal sons of perdition like grapes with vengeance.²⁵ This parallels the first part of John's vision of the same harvest where the Father (the Second Harvest Angel), cried with a loud voice for Christ (the First Harvest Angel), to reap those worthy of exaltation and gather them to himself in Revelation 14:15.²⁶

After Christ gathers the fully ripe²⁷ sons of perdition with his sharp sickle he will crush these clusters of the vine²⁸ in the winepress of God's wrath.²⁹ Here, at the end of the Second Woe, Christ's raiment shall become red and blood-stained as Physical Armageddon comes nearly to its close.³⁰ Christ will also have power over fire to burn the field (the world),³¹ as described in the parable of the wheat and tares.³² This burning will literally occur³³ during the Seven Vial Plagues of the Third Woe.³⁴ During these Vial Plagues, the dead bodies of the mortal sons of perdition will be like stubble that is burned³⁵ to ashes³⁶ after Christ first gathers them with his sharp sickle and crushes them like grapes in the winepress during the Second Woe. The blood-like juice of crushed grapes in Revelation 14:18-20 symbolizes the death of mortal sons of perdition as Physical Armageddon comes to a close.³⁷