The seven judgments or plagues of the seventh seal¹ will cleanse the earth before the Second Coming.² These plagues³ are eschatological judgments from God‒meaning they pertain to the end time of the world.⁴ The plagues of Egypt in the time of Moses were types and foreshadows for the seven judgments of the seventh seal.⁵ God's judgments then as now are literal.⁶ They will come from natural disasters⁷ such as volcanoes⁸ and earthquakes,⁹ as well as man-made weapons of mass destruction.¹⁰ Zechariah may have seen the effects of nuclear radiation when he described an eschatological plague that caused the flesh of men to "consume away while they stand upon their feet" in Zechariah 14:12.¹¹

The first four plagues of the seventh seal are distinct in type and severity from the last three plagues called Woes.¹² The first four trumpet plagues will be limited in their scope and will only partially destroy the earth's natural resources, but on a worldwide scale.¹³ These disasters will happen sequentially, but also very quickly (probably within months of each other)¹⁴ as described in Revelation 8:7-12.¹⁵

The last three plagues of the seventh seal are called the Three Woes¹⁶ because they will inflict great suffering on humanity.¹⁷ Unlike the first four trumpet plagues that are focused on the earth's resources, the Three Woes will focus on wicked people with increasing intensity until the Second Coming.¹⁸ They are described in Revelation 9-20:3,¹⁹ and are summarized as follows:

The First Woe begins when the fifth trumpet angel sounds in Revelation chapter 9.²⁰ Revelation 9:1-12 describes the fifth trumpet plague (First Woe) as a horrifying period of spiritual darkness that will continue for five (5) months until the physical battle of Armageddon begins.²¹

Revelation 9:11-13:13 describes the sixth trumpet plague (Second Woe),²² which is the seven-year physical battle of Armageddon.²³ John's description of the Second Woe includes the Little Book chapter found in Revelation chapter 10. This chapter describes the gathering of saints at Adam-ondi-Ahman at the midpoint of Armageddon and John's ministry among the Lost Ten Tribes to prepare them for that gathering and for their return at the Second Coming.²⁴

The seventh trumpet plague (Third Woe) begins in Revelation 11:14-19.²⁵ However, these verses are merely an introduction to the Third Woe that coincides in time with the Second Coming.²⁶ After this brief introduction, an explosion of images explain Christ's victory over Satan at the Second Coming.²⁷ These images begin with a flashback to the premortal existence to give a historical perspective of Christ's future victory against Satan based on the pattern of Christ's past victory against Lucifer in premortality, as described in Revelation 12:1-12.²⁸ After John's flashback to the premortal existence, he describes Satan's war against Christ's ancient church on earth in Revelation 12:12-17,²⁹ and the Great Apostasy in Revelation 13:1-8.³⁰ John recorded Satan's continuing power in the last days in Revelation 13:11-18,³¹ which leads directly to John's description of Christ's Second Coming victory in Revelation chapter 14 at the end of the Second Woe and start of the Third Woe.³²

After John completed his historical overview from the premortal existence to the Second Coming in Revelation chapters 12 to 14, his description of the Third Woe picks up right where his introduction left off in Revelation 11:14-19. Thus, in Revelation chapters 15 and 16, John describes the Third Woe in great detail, including a description of the seven last plagues called vials or bowls.³³ During these last seven Vial Plagues of the Third Woe the Great Whore of all the earth is destroyed, as explained to John by an angel in Revelation chapter 17.³⁴ Revelation chapter 18 then explains how Modern Babylon falls spiritually after the gathering at Adam-ondi-Ahman, and then falls physically in a single day at the Second Coming.³⁵

After the final judgments and Vial Plagues of the Three Woes are poured out,³⁶ Revelation chapter 19 celebrates Christ's victory.³⁷ This chapter also describes the marriage of the Lamb in heaven,³⁸ and the marriage supper of the Lamb on earth at the New Jerusalem in Independence, Missouri.³⁹ After Christ's first earthly appearance of the Second Coming at the marriage supper in New Jerusalem, he will descend on earth again with his bride‒a heavenly host of exalted saints‒to physically cleanse and take possession of the whole earth.⁴⁰ Finally, the spiritual cleansing of the earth will be complete and ready for the millennium when Satan and his unembodied spirit sons of perdition are bound in the bottomless pit in Revelation 20:1-3.⁴¹ This is John's last recorded event that pertains to Christ's Second Coming.