Overview of the Tribulation
Hard times for planet Earth
Revelation 6:1–17 shows that planet Earth is headed for some hard times.
- Ecological disaster on a scale never known to man.
- Unprecedented famine, disease, and possibly nuclear war will sweep the planet, culminating in the war to end all wars—Armageddon.
- More than one billion people will lose their lives as Satan wreaks havoc on this planet.
- Those who would have us cast off our moral restraints, those who do not live by the standards God has set down in His Word for our protection, will finally have their way.
Were it not for the intervention of God Himself as He returns to reign, no one would survive! The tribulation, as this period is called, is well named. Jesus, knowing the severity of the coming tribulation period, described it as
“There will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved” (Matthew 24:21–22).
Revelation 6 is an overview of the seven-year period beginning with the Antichrist and ending with the second coming of Jesus Christ. This period is God’s final countdown for humanity, culminating in the personal, visible return of Jesus Christ to this earth.
