Herami
1 Thessalonians 5:9
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
I get what you are saying about the 3 1/2 years peace, but once again this is nothing to do with the Church. This is to do with Israel. If the Church was to be present during the first half of tribulation when the man of sin will be revealed, the Church would thwart his plans, for we are a particular bunch I think you would agree
, I mean when we see someone propagate heresy we get all riled up, you think when the man of sin is revealed we, the Church wont mess up his plans ?. Peace will not be brought to this world without war, without lives lost, without the disappearance of The Church through what I believe the explanation will be are a series of worldwide disasters / wars that bring about the effort for peace.
As for the "seven years" we have to look to Daniel as Biblestudent said
the seventy weeks that have been declared against "thy people", the Jews
Daniel 9:24
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
The above verse speaks of the time God has given to finish the transgression, to end sin, to bring in everlasting righteousness, God says that "70 weeks" will fulfill all this.
The Hebrew word (heptad)
(apologies for using the hebrew, but its only to help with the translation, not change it)translated as week in Daniel 9:24-27 literally means "7" and 70 weeks literally means 70 sevens ,70 times 7
The time period that God speaks of is really 70 sevens of years, or 490 years.
Daniel 9:25
Know therefore and understand, that
from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Daniel 9:26
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
The Messiah will be "cut off" 7 weeks and 62 weeks (69 weeks or 483 days )
after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem 483 years passed from this decree until the time that Christ was crucified.
Leaving 7 years to fulfill
Daniel 9:24 and for God to finally Judge Israel for their sins.
The Great Tribulation
As for that Tribulation.
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 the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Christ spoke about the abomination of desolation prophesied in Daniel
Matthew 24:15
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand )
Daniel 9:27
says that the beast will make a covenant for (one week)
seven years. In the middle of the week (3 1/2 years) he will break the covenant. Revelation 13 describes how the beast will make an image of himself and Revelation 13:5 gives the Timeline
Revelation 13:5
And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue
forty and two months. (3 1/2 years)
Like George wonderfully demonstrated in his post, the Church will not be present in time of Jacob's trouble.