A covenant exists for 1 week of years (7 years) .  After 3 1/2 years the covenant is broken with the stoppage of the sacrifices.<p>What sacrifices?  Many believe that it will be the yearly sacrifices in the Hebrew temple in Jerusalem.<p>But there are two problems with this understanding: -> there is no Hebrew temple in Jerusalem -> In the NewCovenant the HolySpirit dwells in human bodies, not a building.<p>The beast will come against Christianity to destroy it because it has resisted his policies.<p>The beast will make it illegal -> to name the name of Christ Jesus, -> to quote the Bible as authority -> to speak against immorality -> to congregate.<p>He does this to increase the intensity of abominations and to increase the number of people involved in abominations for the end result of the destruction of humanity.<p>It is the concentrated, determined effort by this satanically inspired man and his regime that will precipitate the return of the LordJesusChrist.