By what point in the Tribulation is the temple operating?
By the time the Tribulation reaches its midpoint, the temple is operating. Its construction may occur before or after the Antichrist signs the treaty, but the exact timing is unknown. The key point is that the temple will be functioning at the midpoint of the Tribulation.
Les teaches that the timing of the temple's construction is uncertain: it could be built before the Antichrist signs the treaty, immediately after, or whenever. But the certain point is that by the time the Tribulation reaches its midpoint, the temple is going to be operating. He then returns to Daniel chapter 9, where the seventy weeks, or 490 years, are determined upon Israel and the holy city, including the seven years Daniel prophesies concerning the nation of Israel.