Revelation 9:12 is a transition line. It tells you that the first of three terrible “woes” has ended, and that two more are still to come. The verse is not describing a new event so much as marking a pause and warning what follows, so that John’s readers know the story is building toward something heavier. It is spoken within John’s visions in the book of Revelation, as the sequence of trumpet judgments unfolds.
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” tells you that a distinct judgment has run its course. The word “woe” means a cry of grief or a pronounced judgment, and in this vision it is attached to the sounding of trumpets by angels. The first of these woes, described just before this verse, involved a plague of locust-like creatures that tormented people for a set period without killing them.
The second half, “behold, there are still two woes coming after this,” does two things at once. It alerts the reader to what is ahead, and it sets a clear pattern: judgment comes in stages, with each stage giving way to the next. The verse does not promise comfort or explain every detail. What it does give is structure, a sense that the unfolding events are ordered and not random.
Notice what the verse leaves out. It does not tell you exactly what the next two woes will be, and it does not offer a timeline or a method for predicting them. Readers who look for a specific calendar in these lines usually go beyond what the text itself supports. The safer and more fruitful reading is to see the verse as a reminder that God’s purposes are moving forward step by step.
The Context of Revelation 9:12
The book of Revelation was written by John, traditionally identified as the apostle, while he was exiled on the island of Patmos. It was addressed to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia, Christians facing pressure, persecution, and the temptation to compromise with the surrounding culture. The book uses dramatic symbols drawn from the Old Testament prophets, and its visions are meant to encourage faithfulness by showing that history is under God’s control.
Just before this verse, the sixth angel sounds his trumpet, and the vision describes the fearsome creatures that torment humanity. Just after it, the sixth trumpet’s judgment is released, and a large army is described as killing a third of mankind. Read in that setting, the verse sits in the middle of an escalating sequence. It is less a standalone statement and more a hinge, separating one wave of judgment from the ones still building behind it.
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 follows the long sequence of judgments with a promise of final restoration. Where Revelation 9:12 marks the stages of trouble, this passage shows where all the stages are leading, a world where God wipes away tears and death is no more.
Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us.
(WEB)
Paul writes here that present suffering is not to be compared with the glory that will be revealed. It offers a pastoral counterpart to the vision of woes, helping you hold present hardship in the light of God’s larger purpose.
A Short Prayer From Revelation 9:12
Lord, you see the stages of my life and the stages of this world more clearly than I ever could. When I hear of trouble ending and more trouble still ahead, help me not to lose heart. Teach me to trust that you are ordering each season with wisdom, even when I cannot see the whole plan. Give me steady faith for the difficulties in front of me, and keep my eyes on you rather than on fear. Let my life be faithful and patient while I wait for your final work to be finished. Amen.
