Do you see that it is the falling away from the faith, the overcoming of the Christian testimony, that leads to the revealing of the man of sin?

The falling away comes first; and it is this falling away, the growing cold of the love of people for God and His Christ and their willingness to cast aside all authority and law, that permits the revealing of the man of sin.

The power to bear witness in the world will be lifted from God's saints for a brief season (portrayed as three and one-half years). There still will be a testimony in the earth (Joel 2:32), as we understand the Scriptures. But there will be no Gospel preaching in the cities of the world. The inhabitants of the wealthy nations, being without the Christian testimony, will give themselves over totally to the lusts of demons.

We notice in the world of today that as the strength of the righteous testimony of the churches is overcome, immorality and lawlessness are increasing throughout the nations. There is an abundance of ministry in many places but little testimony of the righteousness of God and His Christ. Wherever there is unrighteous conduct there is no witness of God. The righteous witness of the churches has been destroyed by the preaching of the Christian fables we have mentioned previously.

The Laodicean churches will abound in the godless cities of the last days, and we see the Laodicean spirit already in many assemblies in the "Christian" nations. The believers will vex themselves with the things they see taking place around them, just as they do today. But, like Lot, they will not be able to bring themselves to move. Those who do not conform to the Antichrist system will suffer.

The true Spirit-filled remnant will be hidden away in the less populated areas of the earth. The remnant will be perfected by fiery trials until their Lord comes and they are joined to Him for eternity.

And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: (II Thessalonians 2:8)

Notice that Paul still is referring to the parousia of the Lord—that which he mentioned in I Thessalonians 4:15 and II Thessalonians 2:1. There are not two comings of the Lord, or two kingdoms of God—one Jewish and one Gentile. There is only one coming of the Lord and one Kingdom of God. There is but one elect of God.

The Lord Jesus will save the saints from persecution by the power of His coming. The Lord's coming is the Day of Redemption, the time of the resurrection of the dead. Antichrist and the nations of the earth will attempt to resist Christ when He returns to establish His Kingdom on the earth. The Battle of Armageddon will be fought and the Lord Jesus will ascend the Throne of David in Jerusalem.

We, the members of His Body, will be with Him then as He reigns from Jerusalem, and with Him forever after that no matter what He does or where He goes.

We comfort one another with these words. (from The Day of Christ)