"And I looked"(Gr. kai eidon) signals a new scene in John's vision. John next saw, on earth, an eagle interrupt the angels by flying through the sky and warning those living on the earth to beware of the last three trumpet judgments. This could be a literal eagle (Gr. aetou, also translated "vulture,"Luke 17:37). God has given animals the ability to communicate with people in the past (cf. Gen. 3:1-5; Num. 22:28-30). Eagles (or vultures) are birds of prey that approach rapidly and are a sign of disaster (Matt. 24:28). Thus this eagle is a fitting herald of God's judgments to come. Another possibility is that this eagle is an angel (cf. 12:14). Mid-heaven is the position of the sun at noon, where everyone can see this bird.319Its loud voice further guarantees that everyone on the earth will hear its message. The eagle announces the last three trumpet judgments, which are also "woes"(9:12; 10:14). They are specially bad because they have people rather than the objects of nature as their targets. There are several examples of double woes in Scripture (18:10, 16, 19; Ezek. 16:23), but a triple woe announces an even worse calamity. The objects of these judgments are earth-dwellers, and their judgment is partially in response to the prayers of the Tribulation martyrs (cf. 6:10).
