"Seven"

The mere mention of the phrases "Anti-Christ," and "Tribulation" seems to bring a dark, brooding cloud over any conversation in which they are alluded to.

What can we know about this 7-year time period?
Not everything, but you may be surprised at what we can know about it.

Let's begin after terrible apostasy spreads and "he who letteth" (2 Thessalonians 2:7) is removed from the situation.

That would be me.

Any supposed treaty meant to bring peace between Israel and her Arab and Muslim neighbors will not transpire until I am called home to meet my maker. This smooth-talking deal-maker will not arrive on the scene publicly until this does happen.

Halfway through this 7-year time period, something goes terribly awry.
Seemingly out of nowhere, The Abomination of Desolation, or the prophecied incident that will take place at the Hebrew temple in Jerusalem, takes place. The Anti-Christ will will declare himself God, and demand to be worshiped as such.

His brainwasher and propagandist-in-chief?

He will be commissioned to initiate a mass public declaration of loyalty, servitude, and devotion to the Anti-Christ through terror and brutality.

Anyone in any area under the Anti-Christ's control who does not agree with this spiritual proposal will be persecuted or killed.

I know personally how unpleasant living with an active cybernetic implant can be.

(Not only will these persons suffer from the same neuropsychiatric tics that I do, but in addition, they receive the added bonus of specific plagues meant just for them. The Bowl Judgments of the Day of the Lord. We'll get to that later.)

The next waypoint in the story is World War 3, or the most destructive and deadly war in human history, erasing 1/3 of the world's population.

It will be a war of conquest, in pursuit of land and riches.
Against recalcitrant regimes in the Middle East, Africa, and (possibly) the Indian subcontinent like Jordan, Egypt, and Ethiopia.

There aren't too many ways to kill several billions of people.

Nuclear weaponry (a flying, cylindrical object with writing on it, 30 ft. x 15 ft.) is an obvious choice, but my research turned up other possibilities like VX gas. 

The inhumanity and foolishness of man can be astounding at times, which is precisely why the United States will gladly be sitting this conflict out.

After much thought and consideration of American foreign policy following the national tragedy on 9/11, something didn't sit quite right with me.

Criticism of the Iraq war is nothing new, and much speculation has persisted about why we actually went in in the first place. The entire case was based upon a foundation of falsehoods and hysteria generated by the likes of Neo-Conservatives associated with the likes of Project for a New American Century (As quickly as possible, Iraq was reverted back to USD.)

One may understand this from the standpoint of a pure profit motive, but I posit that something even more sinister (somewhere, someplace) might have been at play here.

Contempt for the Ba'ath Party seems to have no end.

President Obama hankered for a war in Syria like no other, nevermind the disastrous potential of chemical weapons falling into the hands of radicals.

What could this really all be about?

My theory is to clear the pathway for World War 3 (troops will cross the Euphrates River).
I simply believe that Saddam, his sons, and the Ba'ath Party stood in the way of that goal, and they had to go.

Hopefully, this comes off as legitimate institutional analysis, and not a conspiracy theory or just outright cynicism concerning the human race.

2 1/2 years following the Abomination of Desolation, (at the last trumpet) the Rapture will take place, with Christ receiving his bride unto himself for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

This is the last year (the Biblical "Day-for-a-Year" principle is at work here) of human rule on planet Earth.

All believers who have accepted Christ as their personal savior and have not accepted the mark or worshiped the Beast (persons who will have been waiting faithfully for Christ's return instead of allowing themselves to become consumed with foolishness or pleasure) will not be subjected to God's terrible wrath on the Day of the Lord. Once the rapture takes place, God feels no need to hold back.

The Vatican itself ends up one of the targets of destruction during this year, as well.

Unfortunately, due to lust for power, greed, and outright heresy, we human beings seem to prove more and more each day that we are incapable of governing ourselves.

Mercifully, Christ comes to clean it up.
Then, how about a pickup game of Baseball?

Love, peace, and grace unto you all.