The Bible warns us of a coming seven-year tribulation, a time when God’s wrath will be poured out on a world that has rejected Jesus Christ. For many, it’s easy to pass over that phrase quickly, “seven years of tribulation,” without truly grasping the weight of what it means. But when you stop and think about the length of that time, and the suffering described in Scripture, it becomes clear why the Bible says it will be unlike any other period in human history.
On a recent episode of the Watchman River podcast, host Tom Cote shared how the reality of this hit him powerfully. “Last night, I was really thinking about this and something hit me like a freight train,” Cote said. “I’ve never literally thought about how long that seven years is for the people that are here. I don’t know why. I just kind of always say seven-year tribulation, seven-year tribulation. Yesterday, I think the Lord gave me a glimpse where He put it in my heart to realize how long that seven years is.”
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Cote explained that while Christians often focus on the rapture and the marriage supper of the Lamb, it’s easy to forget what those left behind will endure. “We talk about the shock that will happen to the world a day or two after the rapture,” he said. “But what about a month after the rapture? What about two months after the rapture? What about a year or two after the rapture?… It’s terrifying. It’s a long time.”
He went on to describe what life may look like in those years. “Probably no toilet paper during the seven-year tribulation. Probably no clean running water. It’s a different world. God is showing his wrath to a Christ-rejecting world,” he said. “It’s a nightmare. You don’t want to be here for the seven-year tribulation. War, famine, pestilence, death, inflation.”
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Turning to Revelation 6, Cote highlighted the third seal, where a black horse rider brings food scarcity so severe that a full day’s wages would only buy a small amount of bread. “I just think, ‘Oh, that day would be really bad. You got to work a whole day for a loaf of bread.’ It’s every day. It’s a seven-year tribulation,” he said.
Cote added that for those who come to faith in Jesus during the tribulation, persecution will be brutal. “People who believe in Jesus during the seven-year tribulation will be hunted down and basically beheaded for their faith,” he warned. In his view, martyrdom may even seem merciful compared to trying to survive the full seven years.
Ultimately, he reminded listeners that Jesus Himself said if He did not return at the end of the tribulation, “there’d be no flesh living. Nobody would be alive. It’s a horrible time.”
A Call to Repentance
The sobering reality of the Great Tribulation gave Cote a renewed sense of urgency to call people to Christ. “When you start understanding how long that seven-year tribulation is, you just want to tell everyone about Jesus today,” he said. “It gave me an urgency last night thinking about this of just sharing the gospel with everyone and just trying to get as many people on that ark, trying to get as many people to repent, meaning turning from unbelief to belief in the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. I don’t want anyone to be left behind.”
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“Seven years is a long time. Please keep listening and believe in Jesus today because what’s coming to this world, and it’s coming soon, that seven-year tribulation is speeding toward us right now.”
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
