(Matthew 24:14; Revelation 8:13)
Jesus said, “The gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”1Matt 24:14
The fourth trumpet completed the cleansing of the Kingdom of Heaven. The grapes of the earth were ripe, the fullness of the Gentiles had come in, and the rider on the white horse treaded the great winepress of God’s wrath.
After these things, John “heard an eagle flying in mid-heaven, saying with a loud voice, ‘Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound.’”2Rev 8:13
Those who “dwell on the earth” are those who worship the beast and his image and receive his mark in Revelation 11, 13, and 17. This tells us that even though the kingdom of heaven has been cleansed, there may still be other so-called churches in the world. But all of God’s elect will be in the Sanctified Church of the last days. They are known by the seal of God on their foreheads, the mark of the holy spirit. They are the eagles who fly in mid-heaven. They are not affected by the plagues of the seven trumpets. Like the ten plagues in Egypt, the seven plagues of the seven trumpets do not harm the children of God.
The last three trumpets are three great woes for the people dwelling on the earth. The first woe is the release of Satan and his final deception of the world. The second woe is the great battle that ends mankind’s existence, but Christ will come for the saints. The third woe is the last trumpet, which calls up the saints to Christ, and calls the world to judgment.
These three woes describe the punishment of those who refuse to repent when the sanctuary of God’s house has been fully cleansed—when the prayer of Jesus has been fulfilled. These are the three woes on the people of the world who continue to worship the beast and his image and receive his mark even when the truth has been firmly established.
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