More Details About the Three Stages of the Great Tribulation The First Woe | The Second Woe | The Third Woe Introduction “And I beheld, and heard an eagle flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhibitors of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!” (Rev. 8:13) Revelation chapter 8:1-2, after opening of the seventh seal, describes the sign of seven angels who are given seven trumpets which they are to sound, signaling the beginning of seven plagues upon the earth. After the first four trumpets sound, in verse 13, another angel appears flying through the midst of heaven, urgently warning the inhabitants of the earth with a loud voice of the plagues of the last three trumpets. Revelation chapter 8 warns about the Great Tribulation which shall be soon take place upon the earth. This opens the period of tribulation upon the earth, which all flesh shall experience, such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time. (Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21-22; Rev. 5:6-8; 8:3-4; 7:1-3; Ezek. 9:3-4; Hag. 2:23; Jn. 3:33; 6:27) The core of the message I want to deliver through this book is this very subject of the three stages of the tribulation period. Before I expound this message, I want to summarize the three stages of this tribulation as follows: (1) The first woe is the trumpet plague of the fifth angel, which is the power of scorpions to torment mankind for five months. (Rev. 9:1-11); (2) The second woe is the trumpet plague of the sixth angel, which is the tribulation of death, which is prepared for a designated hour, day, month, and year, to slay a third part of the population of the earth. (Rev. 9:13-19) This tribulation shall be World War III, yet in the future; (3) The third woe shall be poured out at the sounding of the seventh angel. This is the last plague, the wrath of the Lamb and the furious judgment of God upon His enemies. It shall be poured out upon the power of the devil in the world, and the great tribulations will come to an end at last. (Rev. 11:14-15; 15:1; 16: 17- 18) The First Woe: First Stage of the Great Tribulation “1. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2. And he opened the bottomless pit: and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.” (Rev. 9:1-11) 1. A Star Falls on Earth From Heaven (Rev. 9:1) The first woe begins with the trumpet sounded by the fifth angel. The star that falls from heaven is the star of Satan. (Rev. 8:10-11; 12:4, 7-9, 12; Luke 10:18-19; Eph. 6:12) This star of Satan is none other than Lucifer, son of the morning, who appears in Isaiah 14:12. He is the one who tried to exalt his throne above the throne of God, the most High. Because of his arrogance, he was punished by the awesome judgment of God and became a fallen angel--Satan, the devil—who was cast down from heaven to the earth. (Isa. 14:12-13; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 1:6; Rev. 20:1-3; 8:10) Satan appeared as a serpent at the beginning. He was the one who tempted Adam and Eve, the ancestors of all mankind, to take and eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, which caused them to come under the curse and die. Had they eaten of the fruit of life, they would have lived forever under the blessing of God. Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden because they yielded to the temptation of Satan. As a result, all mankind has as an inheritance a sinful nature, due to the “original sin” and disease, suffering and death are common to all. (Gen. 3:1-6) The work of Satan, who shall fall from heaven at the end of the last days, shall be to initiate a general mobilization to tempt, deceive and attack the whole of mankind before the Lord’s return. 2. Locusts With the Power of Scorpions (Rev. 9:2-3) The star of Satan falls to the earth, and Jesus gives him the key of the bottomless pit. When he opens the bottomless pit with this key, the fallen star and the locusts coming up out of the bottomless pit shall join together and turn against the people of God. The smoke coming up from the bottomless pit is spiritual darkness, which shall spread over the whole world. This is the mind-set of anti-Christian atheists, who are set against God and determined to persecute the saints. The locusts coming out of the smoke represent the spiritual and political power of the beast who received authority to give them the power of scorpions and to send them forth to torment the saints. The beast signifies the ruler who is equipped with the ideological weapons of atheism and the physical weapons of armed forces. his power of scorpions will harass the servants of God and His saints through the world rulers and the power of the beast exercised by the wicked. They will persecute and give unspeakable torment to the saints. The first woe is bitter tribulation for five months during which people shall experience this torment of the scorpions. In the text, “In those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them,” it describes the horrible persecution of the saints. Because of this, Jesus said that the saints have a mission of spiritual warfare against the power of serpents and scorpions, to trample them down, and He gave us power over all the power of the enemy. (Luke 10:19; Rev. 2:26-27) Those who receive the seal of God through the Everlasting Gospel and are equipped with the power of the Lord before the first woe shall be protected during these five months of tribulation. They shall be preparing the world for the Second Coming of the Lord and shall give glory to God. (Rev. 19:16) 3. The Sealed of God God prepared a plan to seal His servants who are scattered throughout the world, before this time when Satan’s locusts with the power of a scorpion come to torment to the saints in this way. The servants of God are those who receive the seal of God on their foreheads (Rev. 9:3-4; 7:2-3; 21:17; 14:6-7; 4:5) are the missionary workers of the last days. They shall be equipped with the power of the Lord and proclaim the Everlasting Gospel, and rebuke the power of the scorpion and shall receive the mission of trampling them down them under feet as ashes. (Mal. 4:3; Rev. 7:2-3; 14:6-7; Lk. 10:19) They shall fight against the power of Satan, which turns men’s hearts against God and opposes the Lord’s return. They shall be victorious, proclaiming the Everlasting Gospel to the whole world and helping the saints to prepare for the second coming of the Lord. (Dan. 7:13; Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7; 19:16) 4. The Angel of the Bottomless Pit (Rev. 9:10-11) The angel of the bottomless pit indicates an angel who is submitted to Satan, the king of the bottomless pit. (Luke 8:31; Rev. 11:7; 17:8; 20:1-3) This angel of Satan is the government of the Antichrist. Using the power of the beast, it shall establish an atheist government over the whole world. It shall mobilize the government of the beast-ruler, the armed forces and the evil sorcerers who operate through the power of Satan. These powers shall be judged finally, as objects of the wrath of the Lamb. These are those who turn against God and persecute and kill the servants of God and the saints and bring trials and torments upon the saints. (Eph. 6:12-13; Rev. 12:7-9; 13:5, 10; 12:3-4; Isa. 14:12-15; 27:1) The evangelists of the last days fight against and overcome the authority of the beast who received power from the dragon. (Isa. 27:1; Rev. 13:4) They do not bow before her. They equip the saints with the Everlasting Gospel. Armed with the seal of God and Lord’s might, they turn back the power of the Satan with prayer and fasting, thus preparing the way for the second coming of the Lord. (Josh. 10:12-14; 1 King. 18:7-8; Rev. 8:3-4) Only preparation and prayer are able to guarantee victory during this time of tribulation. (Ex. 17:11-14; Rev. 14:6-7; 7:2-3; 17:14; 2:26-27; 11:6)