Seven Seals 3.2: War, Famine, Plague

As soon as the Lamb has taken his place at the side of God, he starts breaking the seals on the title deed to God’s creation, revealing the course of history. As he does this, the apocalyptic fireworks begin in earnest. Sword, famine, pestilence, rain, hail, thunder, lightning, fire – you name it - people get seriously hurt and die in huge numbers. No warm, fuzzy, pain-free redemption going on here.

This is the real atonement. Martyrs to their faith cry out, “how long, how long?”
And then the armies intent on destroying Israel gather in the Valley of Armageddon before proceeding to surround Jerusalem. Revelation 16:16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. It seems that these hordes move on from there and ascend the mountainous country of Israel until they arrive at Jerusalem. When all seems lost, there will be some great deliverance of Jerusalem, possibly involving an earthquake, and the blood stained Messiah, will come with his armies and oversee a destruction of the marauding hordes.
The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath (Revelation 16:17) But if you think about the things that the breaking of the seven seals reveal – they are all pretty familiar.
Wars and their associated calamities – famine and pestilence – shortage of food and outbreak of various diseases - have been around ever since men have lived together.
People have been martyred – persecuted and killed for saying things that embarrass their rulers – ever since people gained power over their fellow human beings and realised that to hold on to that power, they had to maintain the illusion that they were doing a pretty good job.

So it is really only when the sixth seal is broken that the really apocalyptic stuff happens....

4 Horsemen of Apocalypse or Just Same As Ever?

Sword and famine, pestilence and woe In the Dark Lord’s wake all grow The martyr’s tears, atoning, flow Mountains fall and kings are brought down low