Preface
The book of Revelation unveils the mysteries of Yahuah’s final judgments through visions marked by seals, trumpets, and bowls. Among these, the transition between the fourth and fifth trumpets introduces the vision of an eagle flying in mid-heaven, crying out with threefold warning: “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth.” This eagle represents the kerubic face of judgment that announces the last three trumpet blasts, also called the “three woes.” The imagery draws deeply from the Hebrew Scriptures, including the abyss (tahum), locusts, scorpions, and prophetic cycles of appointed times. By comparing Revelation with Ezekiel, Isaiah, the Torah, Psalms, and prophetic visions, the symbolic language unfolds as a pattern of deception, torment, rebellion, and judgment, while also showing the security of those who are sealed by Yahuah. This study seeks to uncover the meaning of the eagle’s cry, the three woes, and the prophetic alignment of the trumpets, offering clarity into how the last days’ judgments mirror past scriptural patterns and culminate in the victory of Yahusha at the seventh trumpet.
Rev 8:13 And I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in mid-heaven, crying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those dwelling upon the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three messengers who are about to sound!”
We begin by understanding who the eagle warning is and the warning is of the last three blasts of the trumpets from the 7.
The eagle appears between the 4th and 5th trumpets
The “three woes” correspond exactly to the 5th, 6th, and 7th trumpets (Rev 9–11).
Eagle as the Face of the Kerub
Ezekiel and Revelation both describe the four living creatures:
• Lion 🦁
• Ox 🐂
• Man 👤
• Eagle 🦅
The eagle is the fourth face, the “back face” when the kerubim are pictured as a four-sided chariot.
In Hebrew thought, the eagle is the heavenly judge (sharp-eyed, high-soaring)
The eagle’s cry is judicial — a decree of woe/judgment.
Connection to the Abyss (תהום / tahum)
Rev 9:1 And the fifth messenger sounded, and I saw a star from the heaven which had fallen to the earth. And the key to the pit of the deep was given to him.
Rev 9:2 And he opened the pit of the deep, and smoke went up out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun was darkened, also the air, because of the smoke of the pit.
The Greek ἄβυσσος (abyssos) is the same idea as Hebrew תהום (tahum, the deep).
Genesis 1:2 — “darkness was upon the face of the tahum.”
Psalm 106:9 — “He rebuked the Sea of Reeds, and it dried up, and He led them through the tahum as through a wilderness.”
So when Revelation says the “pit of the abyss” is opened, it is like the primordial deep being unsealed — chaos powers released.
The eagle (face of the kerub, symbol of judgment) cries out before the three woes.
The first woe (5th trumpet) is the opening of the tahum, releasing tormenting powers (locusts with scorpion tails = false prophecy).
The tail is the false prophet
Isa 9:15 Elder and highly respected, he is the head; the prophet who teaches falsehood, he is the tail.
The locusts have stings in their tails as scorpions.
Rev 9:5 And it was given to them that they should not kill them, but to torture them for five months. And their torture was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings a man
This is symbolically the loosing of Satan (compare Rev 20:1–3, where Satan is confined in the abyss/tahum and later released ie. Given authority to harm).
The Hebrew word for scorpion is עקרב ahqrab
It comes from the root עקב (“to follow at the heel, overreach, circumvent”), which is interesting because a scorpion’s sting comes from behind (its tail striking the “heel”).
In Revelation 9, the locusts are given power “like the power of scorpions of the earth” (καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἐξουσία καθὼς ἔχουσιν ἐξουσίαν οἱ σκορπίοι τῆς γῆς).
So in Hebrew imagery:
ארבה (arbah) = locust
עקרב (ahqrab ) = scorpion
This ties back to Luke 10:19, where Yahusha says:
Luk 10:19 “See, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and none at all shall hurt you.
1. Scorpions in the Wilderness
Deu 8:15 who led you through that great and awesome wilderness – fiery serpents and scorpions and thirst – where there was no water, who brought water for you out of the flinty rock,
Here, עקרב ahqrab appears. The scorpions are part of the desert trial of YasharEL.
2. Punishment Imagery
1 Kings 12:11, 14 (Rehoboam’s harsh answer)
1Ki 12:11 And now, my father laid a heavy yoke on you, but I add to your yoke; my father flogged you with whips, but I, I flog you with scourges/ahqrab עקרב !’ ”
1Ki 12:14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I add to your yoke; my father flogged you with whips, but I, I flog you with scourges/ahqrab עקרב !”
Here ahqrab עקרב is translated as scourge.This isn’t literal scorpions, but a metaphor of harsher discipline.
3. Judgment Vision
Ezk 2:6 “And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or discouraged by their looks, for they are a rebellious house.
The rebellious house of YasharEL is likened to scorpions — poisonous, stinging.
4. Authority over Scorpions
As we read in Luke 10:19, only the elect are given authority to tread scorpions and serpents and no harm will be caused to them.
In Revelation 9 the locusts are told to not harm any green and the green are denoted by the elect who are marked by Yahusha. The harm is done only to the non elect.
Rev 9:4 And it was said to them that they shall not harm the grass of the earth, or any green matter, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of Elohim upon their foreheads.
Rev 9:5 And it was given to them that they should not kill them, but to torture them for five months. And their torture was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings a man
From these passages:
עקרב (ahqrab) = desert trial, judgment, rebellion, demonic sting.
Yahusha gives authority to overcome them (Luke 10:19).
Revelation 9 reuses that imagery — the locusts sting like scorpions, symbolizing torment without death.
Comparing the sting from the tail where the tail in Isaiah 9:15 is the false prophet, means the “sting” of the scorpion in Revelation can be understood as the lies/false prophecy that torments but does not give life — just as Yahusha warned in Matthew 24:24 about false prophets deceiving many.
5th Trumpet – 1st Woe
The abyss (tahum) is opened.
Smoke rises and locusts come out.
The locusts torment like scorpions for five months.
They are not allowed to kill, only to torment those without Yahuah’s seal.
Revelation 9:12 concludes: “The first woe is past; behold, after these things two woes are still coming.”
6th Trumpet – 2nd Woe
Four messengers bound at the Euphrates are released.
An army of two hundred million horsemen is unleashed.
A third of mankind is killed by fire, smoke, and sulfur.
The survivors still do not repent of their sins.
Revelation 11:14 says: “The second woe is past; behold, the third woe comes quickly.”
7th Trumpet – 3rd Woe
Loud voices in heaven proclaim: “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Master and of His Messiah.”
The temple of Yahuah in heaven is opened, and the Ark of the Covenant is seen.
Lightnings, voices, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail follow.
This trumpet introduces the final cycle of judgment (chapters 12–14 expansion and the bowls of wrath in chapter 16).
The 7th trumpet is the last trumpet synonymous with the 7th seal and 7th and last plague, denoting events into second death to those harmed and align with the demonic forces through carnal Torah.
The second woe speaks of four messengers bound at Euphrates for an hour, a day, a month and a year
Rev 9:14 saying to the sixth messenger who had the trumpet, “Release the four messengers, those having been bound at the great river Euphrates.”
Rev 9:15 And the four messengers, those having been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.
Stacking hour, day, month, year is not just about arithmetic — it’s emphasizing precision and completeness:
The messengers were “bound” until the precise appointed moment in Yahuah’s plan.
1. Hour – שעה (shaʿah)
Root: שעה = to look, gaze, regard, turn toward.
First use: “And Yahuah had respect (shaʿah) unto Abel and to his offering” (Genesis 4:4).
Symbolic: an “hour” is not just 60 minutes — it is a moment of regard / turning of attention.
In prophecy: “the hour” = the decisive moment Yahuah turns His face toward judgment or redemption (cf. John 2:4, 7:30, 12:23).
2. Day – יום (yom)
Root meaning: a period of light, or a full cycle of evening–morning.
Used in Torah as creation cycles (Genesis 1).
Symbolic uses:
“Day of Yahuah” = time of judgment (Isaiah 13:6, Joel 2:1).
“One day = one year” principle in prophecy (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6).
So “day” in apocalyptic vision = a measured unit of covenant dealings.
3. Month – חדש (chodesh)
Root: חדש = new, renew, make fresh.
First use: “This month (chodesh) shall be unto you the beginning of months” (Exodus 12:2).
Connected to the new moon — marking covenant times (moedim, appointed feasts).
Symbolic: a “month” = covenantal cycle of renewal, tied to worship and appointed feasts still observed when they are fulfilled in Yahusha.
4. Year – שנה (shanah)
Root: שנה = to repeat, to change.
Meaning: a repeating cycle of time, a revolution of seasons.
Genesis 1:14 — lights in the heavens were for signs, seasons, days, and years (shanah).
Symbolic: a “year” = completion of a full cycle of change or repetition of carnal Torah.
5. How This Ties to Rev 9:15
When Revelation says the four messengers were prepared for “an hour, a day, a month, and a year”, in Hebrew thought this would carry layered meaning:
Hour (shaʿah) = the precise moment Yahuah turns His gaze away.
Day (yom) = a measured portion of old covenant dealings.
Month (chodesh) = a new cycle, often tied to appointed times (moedim) repeated
Year (shanah) = a full revolution, a completed cycle of change in a repetitive cycle
All this happens after Satan is released and given authority to bring in the Levitical order even after Yahusha the Malchitsedeq priest has fulfilled everything in Himself.
This also means : these messengers are bound until the exact appointed turning point of Yahuah’s gaze, within His covenant calendar, at the completion of His cycle because the voice to release them came from the four horns of the golden altar which was heavenly and not typology
Rev 9:13 And the sixth messenger sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden slaughter-place which is before Elohim,
1. Arbah (ארבה) – Locusts / Ambush
The Hebrew ארבה (arbeh) = locusts.
Root רבה (rabah) = to multiply, increase.
Locusts symbolize devouring swarms (Exodus 10:4, Joel 1:4).
But in Hebrew thought “locust” imagery also stretches into ambush — swarms that come suddenly, devouring everything.
Judges 7:12 — the Midianites are “like locusts in multitude.”
Jdg 7:12 And Miḏyan and Amalěq, and all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as many as locusts. And their camels were as numerous as the sand by the seashore.
Jeremiah 51:14 — “They shall lift up a shout against you like caterpillars
Caterpillar is a pre form of locusts.
In Revelation 9, these “locusts” are more than insects — they are ambushers, multiplied destroyers.
H698 – ארבה (arbah)
Root: from ארב (ʾarab) = to lie in wait, ambush.
Meaning: lattice, ambush, trick, artifice, deceit.
Appears e.g. in Judges 16:9 — Samson snapped the cords “as a thread of tow is broken when it touches the fire. So his strength was not known” — the word arbah here is used in connection with “ambush/lurk” as they lie in wait for him.
Revelation’s text (in Greek) uses ἀκρίδες (akrides) = locusts.
But when we read it through a Hebrew lens, arbeh/arbah carries a double meaning:
Locust swarm (plague, devouring multitude).
Ambush, deceit, trick (hidden, lying in wait).
So these “locusts” are not just swarming destroyers — they are ambushers cloaked in deceit, coming with artifice and trickery.
2. Faces of Men
“Their faces were like the faces of men” (Rev 9:7).
Human-like countenance = rational, intelligent appearance — not brute beasts.
Suggests deceptive humanity: they look “like men” but are not truly aligned with Elohim.
3. Hair Like Women’s Hair
“They had hair like women’s hair” (Rev 9:8).
1 Corinthians 11:15 — “If a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.”
Hair = covering / glory / submission order.
If these “ambushers” have women’s hair in the imagery, then they are taking on a covering that is not theirs — a form of disguise or false covering.
In 1 Peter 3:3–4: Kepha says a woman’s true adornment is not plaited hair or gold ornaments but the hidden man of the heart, meek and quiet spirit.
These locusts/ambushers invert that: they take outward covering of a woman (as Hagar) but inside are predatory and that is revealed through the hidden man of their heart.
4. Teeth Like Lions
“Their teeth were like lions’ teeth.”
Lion’s teeth = devouring power.
Babylon is described this way:
Daniel 7:4 — the first beast was like a lion.
Joel 1:6 — locusts described as “a nation strong, with teeth of a lion.”
So here: the locusts are Babylonian-devourers, a spiritual Judaism like empire-beast spirit taking over those claiming to be Messianic.
Rev 9:7 And the locusts looked like horses prepared for battle…
1. Horses as War-Power
Proverbs 21:31 — “The horse is prepared for the day of battle: but victory is of Yahuah.”
Joel 2:4 — the locust army is described: “The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.”
Jeremiah 8:6 — men rush into sin like “a horse charging into battle.”
Horses = martial strength, unstoppable momentum, disciplined advance.
2. Locusts as Horses
In Joel 1–2, the locusts are pictured as war horses because of the sound of their wings and the way they sweep in ranks, devouring everything.
Revelation is echoing Joel: these “locusts” are demonic cavalry — destructive forces in battle array.
3. Prepared for Battle
The Greek word = ἡτοιμασμένοι (hetoimasmenoi) = made ready, fully equipped.
This shows organization and intentionality — not chaos, but an ordered assault.
These aren’t random swarms — they are a prepared army under command (compare Rev 9:11: “they have a king over them, the angel of the abyss”).
4. Prophetic Symbolism
Horse imagery in Tanakh is often tied to foreign armies used as judgment:
Assyria, Babylon, Egypt — their cavalry swept like locusts.
Nahum 3:15–17 — Nineveh’s merchants and soldiers likened to locusts and horsemen.
So in Revelation, the locust-horses = an ambush army (arbah = deceit, ambush) that is well-trained, swift, and prepared, representing demonic powers released from the abyss/tahum.
1. The King of the Locusts – Abaddon / Apollyon
Revelation 9:11 “They had a king over them, the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon (אבדון), but in Greek his name is Apollyon.”
Abaddon (אבדון) = “destruction, ruin, perdition.” From root אבד (abad ) = to perish, be lost, be destroyed.
Apollyon = “destroyer.”
This is the ruling spirit of the abyss — the embodiment of destruction.
2. Judas – Son of Perdition
John 17:12 “Those that You gave Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”
Judas is uniquely called “the son of perdition” (ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας).
“Perdition” = same root idea as Abaddon (destruction, ruin, loss).
Judas, possessed by Satan (John 13:27), becomes the human embodiment of this destructive power.
Jhn 13:27 And after the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. יהושע, therefore, said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
3. The Man of Sin – Son of Perdition
2 Thessalonians 2:3–4 “That day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohim, or that is worshiped, so that he sits in the temple (hekal) of Elohim, showing himself that he is Elohim.”
Shaul repeats the exact phrase “son of perdition” for the man of sin.
This man is seated in the hekal (temple/assembly), imitating divine authority.
Just as Judas was within the Twelve, yet turned traitor, so this figure rises within the assembly, yet embodies Abaddon.
All these faces of the same reality:
The destructive power of Satan, disguised within the covenant community, exalted in false authority, leading to ruin.
In other words:
• Abaddon = the abyssal destroyer (spiritual ruler).
• Judas = the betraying son of perdition (historic figure).
• Man of Sin = the final son of perdition (eschatological figure).
They are layers of the same prophetic pattern — the destroyer ruling through deception and false enthronement.
The 7th trumpet is very special. Shaul calls it the “last trumpet” at which the dead are raised (1 Cor 15:52, 1 Thess 4:16).
1Co 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Th 4:16 Because the Master Himself shall come down from heaven with a shout, with the voice of a chief messenger, and with the trumpet of Elohim, and the dead in Messiah shall rise first.
In Revelation, it is also the climactic moment when:
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Master and of His Messiah” (Rev 11:15).
This trumpet is the coming of Yahusha in victory.
The 7 seals, 7 trumpets and 7 plagues are thematically co-related
First Four (seals, trumpets, bowls) = judgments affecting earth, sea, rivers, heavens.
Fifth = judgment focused on the abyss or throne of the beast.
Sixth = release of forces for great war (Euphrates imagery).
Seventh = final climax (lightning, thunder, earthquake, hail, consummation).
The 7th seal = silence in heaven (anticipation).
Rev 8:2 “When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”
The entire period of judgment is denoted by the hour/shah which is the gaze.
Habakkuk 2:20 – “But Yahuah is in His Set Apart temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him.”
This silence is like the stillness in court before the Judge pronounces sentence.
Right after the silence is described:
“Another messenger came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the set-apart ones on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the set-apart ones, went up before Elohim out of the messenger’s hand.” (Rev 8:3–4)
This is clearly incense hour imagery — the time of the evening offering (Exod 30:7–8; Luke 1:10).
The half hour silence mirrors the hush of the assembly outside, while the priest entered to offer incense in the Set Apart Place.
Yahusha died at the ninth hour (3 pm), the time of the incense and evening sacrifice.
At that exact moment, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom (Matt 27:45–51; Mark 15:34–38; Luke 23:44–46).
This was the transition: the earthly service was torn open, and the heavenly reality revealed.
So in Revelation 8, we are seeing the heavenly temple service: silence, incense, prayer — which then transitions into the judgments poured out through the trumpets.
Correlation of Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls
They are correlated and often retell the same event in heightened symbolism:
The seals = the opening of the scroll of destiny, exposing the plan.
The trumpets = announcements/judgments released from heaven, often echoing Exodus plagues.
The bowls = the completion of wrath, the same judgments in full and final outpouring.
The 7th trumpet = the announcement of Yahusha’s reign (Rev 11:15).
The 7th bowl = “It is done!” (Rev 16:17), the fall of Babylon and final wrath.
All this is revealed by the eagle 🦅 face of the kerub which is behind, and only elect will see the prophetic picture of the relevance of the Great Tribulation to our times as the last of last days.
Summary
Revelation 8:13 presents the eagle’s cry announcing the last three trumpet judgments as woes upon the earth. This herald marks a transition from preliminary judgments to intensified woes, corresponding to the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets.
The Eagle of Judgment
The eagle represents the kerub’s face of judicial decree, symbolizing the sharp-eyed heavenly judge. Its cry of “woe” introduces the unleashing of abyssal powers.
The Abyss (Tahum) Opened
At the fifth trumpet, the abyss is opened, releasing locusts with the sting of scorpions. This imagery reflects deception, false prophecy, and torment without death. The sting represents lies from false prophets, aligning with Isaiah 9:15. These tormenting powers are limited to those without Yahuah’s seal, sparing the elect.
Scorpion and Locust Imagery
Hebrew roots link scorpions (ahqrab) to trial, rebellion, and punishment, and locusts (arbah) to swarming ambush and deceit. The locust army in Revelation carries deceptive coverings, devouring like lions, appearing disciplined like horses, and led by Abaddon/Apollyon, the angel of destruction.
The Second Woe
The sixth trumpet releases four messengers bound at the Euphrates, unleashing an enormous cavalry that kills a third of mankind. The timing is presented with layered symbolism: hour, day, month, and year, reflecting precise covenantal timing in Yahuah’s plan. Still, survivors refuse to repent.
The Third Woe
At the seventh trumpet, heavenly voices proclaim the reign of Yahusha over the kingdoms of the world. The temple in heaven is revealed, and climactic signs follow — thunderings, earthquake, and hail. This trumpet correlates with the resurrection and transformation of the faithful, the final victory of Messiah, and the culmination of all judgments.
Prophetic Correlation
The cycles of seals, trumpets, and bowls interweave: seals expose the plan, trumpets announce partial judgments, and bowls pour out completed wrath. The seventh in each cycle marks the climax of divine judgment and redemption.
Ultimately, the eagle’s announcement frames the last cycle of intensifying woes: deception loosed from the abyss, massive destruction from the Euphrates, and the final proclamation of Messiah’s reign. For the sealed elect, this vision offers assurance of preservation, while for the unrepentant, it declares the inevitability of divine justice in the last days.
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