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Here's your answer: REVELATION 12: "THE DEVIL IS COME DOWN UNTO YOU"
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
At present the devil and his angels occupy the first heaven -- "the air" -- or earth's atmosphere. But they exert tremendous control over the governments of the world. The Great Reset is Satan's agenda, and the COVID conspiracy was a part of that.
But after Michael and his angels cast these evil spirits down to earth, Satan will display his full wrath against the inhabitants of the world. He will ensure that the Antichrist and himself take full control for 3 1/2 years. So this is the key event revealed in Scripture. All the Tribulation saints will be martyred during this time as we see in this passage.
Greetings Omegatime,
"He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. ”
One seven = one seven year period.
So to answer your question, the seven years will begin when that ruler/antichrist establishes his seven year covenant in part with Israel allowing them to rebuild their temple and begin to make sacrifices and offerings according to the law. It is in the middle of the seven years when the antichrist/beast stops the sacrifices and offerings and sets up that abomination within the temple and which coincides with when Satan and his angels are cast to the earth. We know this because as soon as Satan sees that he is cast to the earth he goes after the woman which is figuratively representing Israel. The woman/Israel then flees out into the wilderness where she is cared for 1260 days, which is that last 3 1/2 years of the seven year period. Therefore the seven years does not begin at the 7th trumpet when Satan and his angels are cast to the earth, but when the antichrist/beast establishes it 3 1/2 years earlier.
The seven years will begin with the first seal being opened, which is the rider on the white horse, which is figurately representing the antichrist/beast. Following that will be the rest of the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments. In regards to that ruler, the first 3 1/2 years will be a false peace. In the middle of the seven years is when he will break his covenant and will cause the sacrifices and offerings to cease and will set up that abomination in the temple. It is also at this time when he will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
God's wrath via the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments, will be in affect during the entire seven year period and during the time of the beasts kingdom. And will continue right up until the Lord returns to the earth to end the age.
The construction of a third temple will be a major milestone because it will house the abomination of desolation:
Matthew 24:15
15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand)
It will be the beginning of the great tribulation. It will be brutal and the elect church of Christ will survive just barely by the skin of their teeth through God's protective hand:
Matthew 24:21-22
21For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
From the plethora of opinions and interpretations, obviously no one except God knows. Christians in North Korea would wonder why you think it has yet to start. Jews could be forgiven for wondering if anything could be worse than the holocaust. I've been saved for 50 years and I have no idea. What I do know is that the church in the West has steadily declined spiritually over the last 40 years or so. I do know that nations that once could be described as Christian are turning away from Christian principles and embracing antichrist ways and principles. The decline of morality in nations mirrors the decline of the church.
I am not able to reconcile all that the Bible has to say on these issues. All I know is that the Lord Jesus is building His church. His church (not man's) will march up to the gates of hell and blast them down. When and how, I do not know.
I have a personal view, courtesy of Watchman Nee. He believed that there is a group of believers within the church generally who are the overcomers, as in Revelation 12. I believe that the statement "they did not love their lives even when facing death" refers to more than physical death. The toughest death experience for Christians is death to self. Some never deny themselves and so live a life of defeat. Some go part of the way but refuse to let go of something precious. Some count all things as loss in order to gain Christ. The latter are overcomers.
The overcomers will be raptured prior to the tribulation. These are the people who pray and command and keep Satan in check. Once they are gone, either by normal dying or by being caught up, the Antichrist will be let loose. The great tribulation will be a shock to the Christians who are complacent, self satisfied, too caught up in the world and otherwise dysfunctional as believers. They will have the incentive and opportunity to get real with God.
Is this understanding correct? I don't know for sure. It makes sense to me and Watchman Nee makes a compelling case from scripture. We will all know the truth eventually. In the meantime, it's good to be able to agree to disagree and not allow doctrine to divide us.
Rapture (or being left behind on the Earth).
Yes, the Tribulation will last 7 years. We shall then return to Earth with Jesus to rule and reign 1000 years.
You just gave the answer as to when:
"The overcomers will be raptured prior to the tribulation."
After that a seven year covenant will be made, which will initiate that last seven years.
Therefore, until the church has been gathered and the antichrist follows with his seven year covenant, then we cannot yet be in the tribulation.
The Great Tribulation is 42 months according to Revelation. This is when it begins:
Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath , because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed , which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
This war can be seen in Revelation 11 and 13.