In the heart of the Apostle John’s apocalypse, the Lord Jesus makes a profound promise to the faithful church: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:10, KJV). This is not a distant, abstract prophecy; it is a living reality unfolding before our eyes. A great and final test is coming—indeed, it has already begun—designed by God Himself to sift, purge, and purify His people, separating the steadfast from the fearful, the true from the treacherous. The signs are no longer on the horizon; they are upon us, and we are called to be a people who understand the times.
The Prophetic Timetable
For two millennia, we have lived within the mystery of the Church Age, a period inaugurated by the Holy Ghost after our Lord’s ascension. This age, a mystery unforeseen by the prophets of old, is drawing to its prophesied conclusion. As the fullness of the Gentiles comes in (Romans 11:25, KJV), the divine focus prepares to return to Israel, initiating the final seven years spoken of by the prophet Daniel—the 70th week. This period, though centered on the Jewish people, is preceded by seismic shifts in the spiritual landscape that every believer must discern. The Apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, illuminates the two critical events that must occur before our gathering together unto Christ: a great defection from the faith, and the revelation of the man of sin.
The Great Defection from the Faith
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first...” (2 Thessalonians 2:3, KJV). The first sign is apostasia—a great falling away. This is a deliberate defection from the truth, a turning away rooted not in ignorance, but in a lack of courage and conviction. We see a powerful illustration of this in the days of Gideon, when God’s army of 32,000 men was first tested. The initial command was simple: “Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return” (Judges 7:3, KJV). In an instant, 22,000 departed, their fear overriding their call. Today, we see this same spirit at work, as fear—of sickness, of persecution, of worldly opinion—has caused many to abandon the fellowship of the saints and retreat from their post. This falling away is the first great sifting.
The Unveiling of a False Peace
The second sign is the revelation of “that man of sin... the son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3, KJV). Crucially, the scripture repeats that he will be revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:6, 8), implying he will be unknown to the world at first. He will not appear as a tyrant, but as a savior. His revelation is tied to a specific political act: “he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week” (Daniel 9:27, KJV). He will be the great guarantor of a peace treaty with Israel, a man of flatteries who corrupts with a voice of pseudo-peace. For the first three and a half years, he will seem to solve the world’s problems, bringing a false unity that many will welcome. Only those who know the Word of God will recognize the signs, for his methods are of gradualism and deception, moving smoothly until the time is right to strike.
The Refiner’s Fire
Why must these trials come? Because faith must be tested. God has always purified His people through fire. Through the prophet Jeremiah, He declared, “Behold, I will melt them, and try them” (Jeremiah 9:7, KJV). Through Zechariah, He promised, “I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried” (Zechariah 13:9, KJV). Even in Daniel’s prophecy, it is written, “And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white” (Daniel 11:35, KJV). This hour of temptation is a divine process to prove what is genuine. It is designed to separate those who serve God from those who serve their own belly; to distinguish the sheep from the goats; to reveal those who are valiant for the truth from those who bend their tongues for lies.
The Counterfeit Communion: A Global Religion
The final and most insidious preparation is the mongrelization of the church, paving the way for the one-world religion spoken of in Scripture. Let no man be deceived: this is not a movement toward a beautiful, unified family of faiths. It is a satanic orchestration that will be headed by the one the Bible calls the false prophet—the second beast of Revelation 13. This entity, who has “two horns like a lamb” but speaks “as a dragon” (Revelation 13:11, KJV), will exercise all the power of the Antichrist and cause the world to worship him. This is the ultimate apostasy, and any minister or believer championing this cause is working on the wrong project—a terrible project that must be repented of and abandoned immediately.
A Call to Stand in Truth and Prayer
In these final moments of the Church Age, we are not called to fear, but to faith. We are not called to hide, but to exercise our authority in Christ. The enemy is setting the stage, but his preparations only serve as signs for us that our redemption draws nigh. The Church is not given into his hands. Our duty is to stand our ground, to pray without ceasing, and to be “valiant for the truth upon the earth” (Jeremiah 9:3, KJV). The great test is here, the sifting has begun, but for those who have kept the word of His patience, the promise remains: we shall be kept from that final, terrible hour. Let us therefore stand, having our loins girt about with truth, and occupy until He comes.