The Earth is "Harvested"

"Then I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of Man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came from the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, 'Swing the sickle, for the time of harvest has come; the crop on earth is ripe.' So the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the whole earth was harvested." (Revelation 14:14-16 -New Living Translation)

There is great disagreement on whether the person sitting on the cloud in verse fourteen is Jesus or an angel. There are strong arguments for both views. However, it is most likely an angel. Because if this was Jesus, then in verse fifteen, we have an angel giving a command to Christ. This is unlikely. As well there is no definite article before “son of man” in the original. This person was like a son of man. He is not the Son of Man, Jesus.

This angel is of high rank since he wears a crown. In his hand, he holds a sickle. He is waiting to harvest the wicked, that is, cut off their lives. An angel comes from the heavenly temple and commands the harvest to begin.

The word the angel uses for ripe means to dry up or wither. The picture is of a rotten crop which needs to be cleared from the field. It is not a good harvest. God has held back his wrath until the wickedness of man has become overwhelming. It is time to bring it to an end.

The angel puts his sickle to the earth, and the clearing of the wicked from the fields begins. When God's wrath is finished and the events of the Tribulation come to an end, there will be no unsaved people alive.