Connect Revelation 11:14 with other prophetic warnings in the Book of Revelation. Hearing the Second Woe Pass “The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.” (Revelation 11:14) Where We Are in the Flow of Judgment • Seven seals have been opened (Revelation 6–8:1). • Six trumpets have sounded (Revelation 8–9). • Revelation 11:14 stands on the brink of the seventh trumpet, announcing the third and final “woe.” Tracing the Three “Woes” 1. Revelation 8:13 — An eagle cries, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth,” foretelling the last three trumpet blasts. 2. Revelation 9:12 — After the demonic locust plague of the fifth trumpet: “The first woe has passed.” 3. Revelation 11:14 — After the devastating armies of the sixth trumpet: “The second woe has passed.” The seventh trumpet will unleash the climactic, third woe. Why the Woes Matter • “Woe” signals God’s intensified judgment on unrepentant humanity. • Each woe grows in severity, underscoring the literal, escalating nature of the Tribulation period. • The brevity clause “coming quickly” stresses how little time remains for repentance (cf. Revelation 10:6). Echoes of Warning Elsewhere in Revelation • Revelation 12:12 — “Woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.” • Revelation 14:6-10 — Angels proclaim the eternal gospel and warn, “Fear God… the hour of His judgment has come,” then announce doom on those who receive the beast’s mark. • Revelation 15:1 — Seven bowl angels appear; “in them the wrath of God is completed.” These bowls broaden the scope of the third woe. • Revelation 16:15 — In the midst of the bowls, Christ breaks in: “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake.” • Revelation 18:10, 19 — The merchants of the earth cry “Woe, woe, O great city,” as Babylon falls, fulfilling earlier trumpet and bowl warnings. From Sixth to Seventh Trumpet: A Snapshot • Sixth trumpet (Revelation 9:13-21): A 200-million-strong cavalry slaughters a third of mankind. • Interlude (Revelation 10–11:13): Mighty angel, little scroll, measuring the temple, two witnesses. • Revelation 11:14 — Curtain rises for the third woe. • Seventh trumpet (Revelation 11:15-19): Heaven declares Christ’s kingdom; lightning, voices, thunder, earthquake, and hail preview the bowl judgments that fill out this final woe. Living in the Light of These Warnings • God’s judgments are deliberate, measured, and righteous; none are random. • Rejection of grace escalates the severity of judgment—seen in the steady climb from first to third woe. • The “quickly” of Revelation 11:14 emphasizes urgency; procrastination toward God’s call is spiritually deadly (cf. Revelation 22:12). • While the earth faces intensifying wrath, believers can rest in the certainty that “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ” (Revelation 11:15). |
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