When God's witnesses, His saints, have "finished their testimony," the power of the extraordinary last-day anointing will be lifted. This marks the end of the Christian witness of the Church Age.

Then God will give Antichrist authority over all the nations of the earth. The numerous Christian believers on the earth, having been converted during the revival, and also the saints who have borne the end-time witnesses but who now do not have the enduement of power from on high to inspire and protect them, will be required to stand by faith in the written Word.

The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, will remain resident in them, but they will not be anointed for ministry as had been true during the first half of the "week." The spiritual oppression during that season will be greater than at any other time of earth's history.

The remaining three and one-half years, the second half of the prophetic "week," is the period of the apostasy. This will be the "hour of temptation" of which Christ spoke (Revelation 3:10) and of very great tribulation for God's true people (Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:21; Revelation 7:14). Antichrist will rule during this time.

During the second half of the week the love of the majority of Christians will grow cold. They will retain a form of godliness but possess no power of the Spirit. Some of the stronger saints will be deceived and fall. The true Church, the Wife of the Lamb, will be driven into hiding. The elect Jews have been warned by Christ to flee from Judea in that day (Matthew 24:16).

We think that during this time the Christian saints will receive the elect Jews and introduce them to Christ, fulfilling the type of Joseph and his brothers. Jacob was forced into the arms of Joseph by the famine in Canaan, and Jacob again will be forced into the arms of the heavenly "Joseph" by the tribulation that will result from the reign of Antichrist.

The saints in hiding, including the elect Jews who now have received Christ, will constitute a godly remnant. We believe that God will put His Throne in them. The Divine salvation will be available through them. It no longer will be possible to receive Christ or the Holy Spirit in the major cities of the earth. The power of the Spirit, which today restrains the revealing of the man of sin, will have been scattered as to its worldwide witness; but the Spirit will remain in the remnant as a "covert from storm and from rain" for the true Israel of God (Isaiah 4:6).

What means will Antichrist use to overcome the saints? How will he make war against them and overcome them? (Revelation 13:7).

Antichrist will employ three means to overcome the saints: Sodom, Egypt, and Jerusalem.

And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (Revelation 11:8)

To be continued.