Tim, I have no idea of what you are talking about regarding you saying "only John lived the 42 months".
And "Satan needing to be a dictator".
Satan is the great adversary to God because he opposes God, and is the father of lies and sin.
John is one of the two witnesses. John is the witness to the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The two witnesses were a thorn in Satan's side for 42 months. I realize you do not concur with the timing, but those 42 months are the only concrete time established. That is if Satan even gets 42 months. The field being left as empty is not impossible for the church? Matthew 21:33-40
33 “Now listen to another parable. There was a farmer who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower; then he rented it to tenants and left.
34 When harvest-time came, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the crop.
35 But the tenants seized his servants — this one they beat up, that one they killed, another they stoned.
36 So he sent some other servants, more than the first group, and they did the same to them.
37 Finally, he sent them his son, saying, ‘My son they will respect.’
38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance!’
39 So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
This is an open ended question and parable. The 6th seal is God, the one who planted the vineyard returning. This time is about what is God going to do with the church who has had the vineyard for 1990 years. How many times has the church failed? How many men or women sent by God has the church killed?
Most importantly why is the harvest not full and gathered? Why are any souls left for Satan to sift as wheat. Why are the tares allowed to flourish? Why does Satan even need 42 months? The 144k are on the earth with Jesus during the trumpets and thunders that have been left a mystery to the church. Jesus Christ and the 144k leave Jerusalem. The only ones left during that time are the two witnesses, and one of them wrote about it and sent 7 copies of the account to 7 churches in the 1st century. The 42 months of witness, the 1260 days of the woman hidden, and the 3.5 years of the trodding of the Gentiles are the same period of Satan's Revelation 13 exploits. It happens in the middle of the sounding of the 7th Trumpet. The end of the covenant is broken some how. The church failed would be my guess, just like the Jews failed at the first advent and the Cross. This time Satan literally may get 42 months. That it should happen is a tragedy, not a prophecy.
Of course there is the issue of time travel. But it will not matter. Only John went back. If it does not happen, not reading about it, will be a mute point at the moment it can not happen. Of course my physical logic compared to John's symbolic Revelation will be touted as not biblical and man made and what not. It is a warning nonetheless. The 4 seals of Revelation 6 are to prepare the church, not send it into panic mode. Remember the 10 virgins? This election may leave all 10 not prepared, but again I digress. Those living in the reality of martyredom are certainly prepared. Would to God it would be a healing of the nation event, and not a getting martyred event, but only the church has the keys to loose and bind God’s will on earth. If she only had faith and courage as well. The courage to crucify the flesh and turn from wickedness. Not the courage to start WW3. We are to win the lost to Christ. Not kill them and send them to sheol.