Step still to come (one reading among others)
Authority of the Beast for 42 months
? Not yet happened, no date
See the full entry: sources, objections, answersIn short
The announcement. John, in the book of Revelation, toward the end of the 1st century, announces that a “Beast” coming up out of the sea receives its power from the dragon, speaks insults against God, makes war on believers and rules over all peoples for 42 months, about three and a half years. The prophet Daniel had already described a similar power.
What happened. This has not happened yet. The text gives the length but neither the start nor the end, and nothing requires these 42 months to be over before the great upheaval in the sky described at the sixth seal.
What is still debated. we do not know when these 42 months begin and end in relation to the other events, nor whether everything the chapter describes appears from the very first day.
Main objection (in French for now)
RÈGLE DU MODÈLE : ne jamais figer une relation qui ferait finir ces 42 mois AVANT le 6e sceau. Ap 11 situe la fin des 1260 jours des deux témoins juste avant la 7e trompette, donc une fenêtre de 3½ ans peut couvrir une part importante de la séquence des jugements.
The text (World English Bible)
Then I stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads, blasphemous names. The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. One of his heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. His fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled at the beast. They worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” A mouth speaking great things and bla…
Rev 13:1-7