“I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe for those who dwell on the earth, because of the other voices of the trumpets of the three angels, who are yet to sound!”

Revelation 8:13

“I saw an angel flying in mid heaven, having an eternal Good News to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people.”

Revelation 14:6

There are three more trumpets to sound and the fearful woes from God to be faced. The eagle cries three “woes” as these three trumpets must now be faced and they are terrible. An eagle appears in the vision, the king of birds and full of majesty. It is flying in the mid heaven, not the high heaven of God, but the heavens above to earth. It is warning and commiserating with the people on the earth, for what they have yet to face. It is the warning voice of the gospel of Jesus Christ and it cries out with a loud voice. It is warning about the final three trumpets, which will take place soon.

In the fifth trumpet the abyss of hell will be opened and let loose with wars and terrible conflicts that will affect humankind. The sixth trumpet sees the loosing of great plagues from the angels bound at the great river Euphrates. They have the power to sting and kill one third of humankind. The seventh trumpet sees the end of all things and the Great judgment day. 

These events will be terrible for the people who inhabit the planet and will be the birth-pains of the end of all things and the coming of the Antichrist. The kindness of God is displayed in the message of the gospel, to repent and turn from all wickedness and believe in the only Saviour of the world. God has provided a way of escape for those who turn away from their sin and hate it and seek forgiveness from the holy God. The Son of God has humbled Himself and died on a cruel cross at the hands of His enemies to pay the price of sin for His people. The work of salvation is complete and the offer of mercy still stands. 

“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

Romans 10:8-11

This message of the gospel is the king of all messages and is the only salvation from the woes that are to come. It soars as a majestic eagle with great power and glory. We must be wise and humble ourselves and seek the Lord, for only He is able to save to the uttermost, those who come to Him. The heart of humankind is full of folly, and even after the terrible wars and plagues are unleashed, the heart of people, is seen to be what it really is, unrepentant and against God. 

“The rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, didn’t repent of the works of their hands, that they wouldn’t worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood; which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk. They didn’t repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their sexual immorality, nor of their thefts.”

Revelation 9:20-21

The eagle still calls to us to warn and offer the only message of hope for the human society. The offer of mercy still stands for those who will be wise and humble themselves and repent of their sin and out their trust in the Lord.