Some pretribulation rapture dispensationalists believe in a total of seven years of tribulation, divided into three and a half years of tribulation and three and a half years of great tribulation. Others believe in a single period of three and a half years of tribulation. But do they not question why the rapture didn’t occur before events like the Thirty Years' War, which killed 1.5% of the world’s population (30% of Europe)? And why was there no rapture before the devastation caused by the Conquistadors and smallpox, which wiped out 20% of the world’s population? Is a 3.5-year reign of terror by the ‘antichrist’ beast the only event that warrants a pretribulation rapture? Furthermore, Revelation suggests that its events will result in the death of around half the world’s population. Do they really believe that such a massive death toll could occur within just three and a half years? It took the Conquistadors and smallpox nearly a century to cause similar devastation. The idea that the 50% death toll foretold in Revelation could happen in just 3.5 or even 7 years is utterly unreasonable; it would clearly take longer. Even thirty years might be the minimum time required. Yes, during that period, there would be a three and a half year reign of terror by the ‘antichrist’ beast, but that would only be one part of the overall devastation.
