13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.

Revelation 11:13-14

There are three woes. The three woes parallel the 5th, 6th and 7th trumpets. The first woe is the angel king coming down with the key to the bottomless pit to free all the demonic angels in the 5th trumpet. The second woe is the 6th trumpet, and the third woe is the 7th trumpet. Revelation 8:13; 9:1-12

Rev 8:13; 9:1-12; 11:7-12; 15:1, 5-8; 17:1-6
5th Trumpet = Woe 1
Angel King releases demons from the bottomless pit, slays the prophets

Rev 9:12-20; 11:13-14; 16:1-9; 17:7-11; 18:1-20
6th Trumpet = Woe 2
God's wrath falls because they shed the blood of the prophets

Rev 10:5-7; 11:15-19; 16:10-21; 17:12-18; 18:21-24
7th Trumpet = Woe 3
Jesus comes to destroy the world and rescue the saints

The angel king will eventually kill the prophets of God, but not until they finish testifying and God allows it. The angel king is the antichrist and will be seen all over the world as the supreme god. The people of the world will hate the prophets of God just like they hated the prophets before them and even the Son of God. The appearance of the demons and their angel king is the beginning of the first woe. However, God has a say about the woes. The first woe begins with Satan's reign of terror, but will end with God's display of His mighty power. Satan is a murderer, but God gives life and resurrects the prophets. He silences the merriment of the nations when the prophets ascend into Heaven right before their eyes.

Seeing the prophets ascend into Heaven is to the saints what seeing Elijah was for Elisha. 2 Kings 2:1-14 It was an opportunity to increase Elisha's faith and he received twice as much Spirit as Elijah. The saints will see the resurrection and ascension of the prophets and it will double their faith. The plagues will not touch them nor come nigh their dwelling; however, it will be a test of their faith just to witness the wrath of God poured out on an unrepentant world.

There is a small window of time for the final altar call between the resurrection of the prophets and the plagues. God will with His own voice beckon anyone with ears to hear to "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues." Revelation 18:1-8 You would think everyone would want to heed this call, but the hearts of many will become even harder than the heart of pharaoh and they will resist.

There are those that will hear the voice of God and will stand on the laver as the plagues fall. Their faith is so strong they can walk on water! They have also been made clean and through the power of God, they rise above their sins which have been cast into the depths of the sea (laver).

1And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

2And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

3And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

4Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

Revelation 15:1-4

They stand on the laver because they heard the voice of God crying to them from the wilderness of the world. The offered themselves on the brazen altar and have been washed and made clean at the laver. They patiently stand there waiting for the moment the temple of God will open to them and they, with all the saints from every other era, can enter into the Heavenly temple! In Israel, on the Day of Atonement, the great high priest entered the most holy place to cleanse the temple of God. Before he could enter in, a copious amount of incense was offered on the altar of incense. No man (not even a priest) could enter into the earthly temple until it was cleansed and the smoke cleared. Leviticus 16:11-17

5And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

6And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

7And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

8And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

With the falling of the plagues the saints realize the sins of the world, including their own, are being cleansed from the sanctuary. They are mingled with the wrath of God. God's wrath for the sins of the world are heaped on the heads of unrepentant sinners, except for the sins of the saints. The saints repented of their enmity with God; therefore, their sins are heaped upon The Enemy of God-Satan. The saints know that the temple was opened to release the angels with the seven last plagues, but it is on shut down until the wrath of God is poured out. Then Heaven will open again, and the saints that are alive and remain will enter in. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 11:18-19

The plagues will not begin to fall until all the saints are standing safely on the sea of glass (laver). Then the angels with the seven last plagues begin to fulfill the second woe with the first four plagues. An earthquake opens the time of trouble and a more severe earthquake lets us know that the time of mercy has ended. Probation is over and the door to the kingdom is now closed. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. Revelation 22:11

The first four plagues represent God's wrath in part. They deliver only 10% of God's wrath. However, by the last three plagues Babylon will fall into three parts representing the complete wrath of God. Revelation 16:17-20 The first four plagues are also described in Revelation 9:20 with the 6th trumpet which is also the second woe. These plagues are also described in Revelation 16:1-8. Revelation 17 describes the affects of the plagues on Babylon, the prostitute guilty of shedding innocent blood. Revelation 18 describes the affects of the plagues on earth's inhabitants.

To recap, the first woe (5th trumpet) is the appearing of the demons followed by the appearing of the anti-Christ which is Satan personified. During the first woe Satan and the nations slay the prophets, but God resurrects them and they ascend into Heaven. Between the first and second woe there is one final altar call. The second woe (6th trumpet) is the first four of the seven last plagues that fall only on the ungodly because they shed innocent blood. The third woe (7th trumpet) is the coming of Jesus and is discussed on the next page. Learn more. . .