Revelation 9:12 tells John’s readers that the first terrible judgment in a series of trumpet plagues is over, but two more are still coming. The verse works as a signpost in the middle of a vision: it marks the end of one stage and warns that the worst of the sequence has not yet arrived. It is spoken by the risen Christ in the vision given to John, and it is addressed to the seven churches of Asia Minor that the book is written to encourage and warn.
The first woe is past. Behold, there are still two woes coming after this.
Revelation 9:12 (WEB)
What Revelation 9:12 Means
The phrase “the first woe is past” refers to the plague of locust-like creatures in the verses just before it. “Woe” is a prophetic word for a heavy judgment, and John uses the word to count the disasters in order. The verse announces that this first one has run its course, so the reader knows the sequence is moving forward rather than repeating.
The second half, “there are still two woes coming after this,” shows that God’s judgment is patient and ordered. Nothing in the verse says the reader is safe now, and nothing says the reader is doomed. It simply tells the church that more is coming, and that what has happened so far is part of a plan that God is directing.
The Context of Revelation 9:12
Revelation was written by John, traditionally identified as the apostle, during a period of pressure on Christians in the Roman province of Asia. The book is written in the form of apocalyptic prophecy, a style that uses vivid images of war, creatures, and cosmic upheaval to show the spiritual reality behind history. Its first readers would have recognized many of its symbols from the prophets of the Old Testament, especially Daniel and Ezekiel.
In the verses before verse 12, John describes a swarm of terrifying creatures released from the abyss, with the power to torment people but not to kill them, followed by a king named Abaddon or Apollyon. Verse 12 comes after that scene and before the sixth trumpet, which releases four angels to bring death to a third of humanity. Read in that setting, the verse is less a statement of comfort than a structural marker, signaling that the vision will intensify before it resolves.
Key Phrases in Revelation 9:12
Revelation 21:4
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”
(WEB)
This verse describes the end of the sequence of suffering, when God wipes away every tear and death is no more. Reading it alongside Revelation 9:12 shows that the woes are not the final word, because the book ends with the restoration of all things.
Daniel 2:21
He changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings, and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding.
(WEB)
Daniel affirms that God changes times and seasons and sets up kings and removes them. The verse reflects the same conviction found in Revelation 9:12 that history moves according to God’s ordering rather than by chance.
A Short Prayer From Revelation 9:12
Lord, you see the whole story from beginning to end, and you know which seasons of trouble are behind us and which are still ahead. When the hard days feel endless, help us remember that you are ordering each stage with purpose. Give us steady hearts for whatever comes next, and keep us close to you as the story unfolds. We trust that the one who is faithful through every woe is also faithful to bring us home. Amen.
