The word “woe” was apparently one of Jesus’s favorite words as He is quoted in the Gospels using that word 31 times. It’s a Greek word ouai translated as grievous sorrow or distress. Jesus used it mostly to castigate the Jewish lawyers, Scribes, Pharisees, and other hypocrites in general. Sometimes He used it to admonish towns or areas, such as Chorazin and Bethsaida for their non-acceptance of His preaching.
In Revelation the word is used by an angel when describing to the apostle John three specific “woes”. These warnings of coming woes arise when the final three trumpet blasts are sounded announcing the three final bowl judgments poured out on the earth from God. “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!” (Revelation 8:13b). The first woe (fifth trumpet) is detailed in chapter 9 where Satan is seen cast out of heaven, opening the bottomless pit (abyss), and releasing demonic beings including the destroyer (king of the abyss). This results in great torment of mankind and the killing of the two witnesses. “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows his time is short.” (Revelation 12:12). “One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.” (Revelation 9:12). The second woe detailed in chapter 9:13-21 describes a horrific world war starting in the Euphrates River area that kills one third of mankind, nearly three billion people! That’s sixty times the death toll of World War II. “The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.” (Revelation 11:14). The third woe is, of course, the last trumpet announcing the final bowl judgment from God which includes the largest earthquake the world will ever experience, great hailstones upon men, the battle of Armageddon, and ending with the coming of Jesus to establish His Kingdom.
While the first four trumpet/vials will affect primarily nature (created things- vegetation, seas, rivers, the sun, and the heavens) in turn affecting mankind, these last three “woes “are poured out on mankind directly. That is why they are treated separately. Collectively, they partly fulfill the woes pronounced by Jesus during His ministry on earth. Needless to say, this will not be a pleasant time on the earth for the unrepentant. For those of us who belong to our Lord Jesus, it should not be a time of woe but of rejoicing as we see the day of His coming is at hand.
Maranatha, Jim
If I have to experience all these things and live through the trib. will I hear the trumpets and have access to a trustworthy world news outlet to know what is happening? Or will we be hunkered down knowing the return of Jesus is near but not knowing of the specifics of the judgement except from our knowledge of the Bible?
Hi Bob,
No, you, as a Christian, will not experience these things (trumpets/vials) other than as an observer. These judgments are God’s wrath on the ungodly and, of course, we are not subject to God’s wrath. (Though we must deal with Satan’s wrath). Whether or not we will hear the trumpet blasts is a good question. First, they are sounded by spirit beings (angels) in the spirit realm directing other spirits to act. So, from that standpoint, we in the physical realm may not hear them. On the other hand, they are announcing real events carried out in the physical realm, so they may be heard. We just don’t know from scripture. Whether we hear them or not, we will certainly witness their effects.
Accessing a reliable news source will be difficult, especially during the Great Tribulation or the last 3 1/2 years. This is the time when the antichrist will be reigning in his full power. The two witnesses will be dead, and the antichrist will surely shut down any Christian news source. Our news will come from the Holy Spirit, the bible, and Godly men moved by God using whatever resource that is available. Remember, God doesn’t do anything without telling His people first. We’ll need to rely fully on God. You may not know some of the intricate details, but our bibles describe clearly all the major events. It’s hard to find reliable news sources even now, let alone then. The God of this world is the deceiver-in-chief and only our bibles are 100%reliable.
As far as “hunkering down”, Christians will fall into one of three categories. First, you may choose to confront the antichrist system directly, which will be a battle that might result in martyrdom. Second, you may choose to go to a place of safety designated by God, where you will be taken care of for 3 1/2 years. (Chapter 13 in my book talks of the church taken to safety). Third, you may choose to do nothing, with the results uncertain. Either way, it’s a short time and an exciting one as we watch God’s Word being fulfilled.
Jim