Amy~
I'm not an expert but I've read the book and I like to study prophecy.
I believe that they get the ten regions from the ten toes of the statue in Daniel's first prophecy. I think the 7 year period comes from Daniel 9:27.
"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, and for the overspreadings of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
It's interesting that they choose to use the day-for a year principle here but ignore it elswere. This prophecy actually is talking about the Messiah. The covenant he confirmed is the covenant that he made with the Jewish people when he gave them the sanctuary service and promised that the Messiah would come from among them. When Jesus was 30 He began his minitry to Israel, 3 years later in the middle of the week He was killed and fufilled His role the sacrifice hence the sacrifice and oblation was caused to cease. It was during the rest of the week that the Jews were given a chance to repent but at the close of the seven years their probation was closed and they were doomed to desolation as a nation.
"Left Behind interprets the covenant as the covenant that the antichrist makes with the world after the rapture. That's why in the book and the movie, the 7 year period doesn't begin with the rapture but with the UN's treaty. I think about halfway through the time period the antichrist is suppose to be killed and it has something to do with the sacrifice and oblation ceasing. It's also after the time that the antichrist is killed that disasters get even worse to fulfill the 'consummation, and that determined shall be poured out on the desolate'. I'm not certain about the last part because I could only manage to get through two of the books before it got to be too much for me.
All in all I find it vaguely disturbing that they put the antichrist in the place in prophecy that Christ holds.
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WendyL ~ Maranatha!:)