John prophesies the final judgment of God's enemies and the rescue of his chosen. John’s primary influences are Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Joel, each of which compares divine judgment to a harvest of grain and/or grapes, but several other common eschatological images are used as well. This text, more than any other, assumes the reader’s knowledge of John’s previous tracts: the second messenger names ‘the great city Babylon’ (Tracts 5 and 6), accuses her of ‘whoredom’ (Tract 5), and reiterates her punishments (Tract 6). John provides an outline of the eternal torture which awaits sinners (Tracts 4 and 9), returns to the ‘harvest’ of Israel (Tract 2), and alludes to the cavalry which battles evildoers (Tract 9). This tract also contains a very loose seven-part structure, anticipating the three sets of seven which John will create and use as the primary framework in the second stage of composition.

And I saw another messenger flying in the mid-sky, having eternal good news to well-announce over the ones who dwell on the earth, and over every nation and tribe and language and people, saying in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship the one who made the sky and the earth and sea and streams of waters.’

And another, second messenger followed, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is the great Babylon, who gave all the nations a drink from the wine of her whoredom’s passion.’

And another, third messenger followed them, saying in a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the wild animal and its image, and receives the mark on his forehead or on his hand, he will also drink from the wine of God’s wrath, which is mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured in fire and sulfur in front of the holy messengers and in front of the lamb. And the smoke of their torture rises for ever and ever. And those who worship the wild animal and its image, and receive the mark of its name, will have no rest day and night.’

And I saw, and see, a white cloud, and one like a son of man was sitting on the cloud. He had a golden laurel on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand.

And another messenger came from the temple, yelling in a loud voice at the one sitting on the cloud, ‘Swing your sickle and reap, because the hour to reap has come, because the earth’s harvest is ripe.’ And the one sitting on the cloud thrust his sickle over the earth and the earth was harvested.

And another messenger came from the temple in the sky. He also had a sharp sickle.

And another messenger came from the altar. He had authority over the fire, and he called in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, saying, ‘Swing your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.’ And the messenger swung his sickle on the earth and gathered from the earth’s vine and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. And the winepress was stomped outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress as high as horses’ bridles for one thousand six hundred stadia.