Hello there!
So, there is a simple fact, at the heart of the tribulation: the mark the anti-Christ tries to take, is the mark that was already crucified, by the Lord Jesus. The anti-Christ is the man of sin, but the mark of sin, was already taken by the Lord. This causes the anti-Christ to decry his strength and come to eternal pity, because of which the world will mock his place. Mocked he will fill with contempt, again following after the Lord who showed the utmost contempt (for Himself on the Cross). Lastly, he will surrender to the flesh (as he was going to any way, being a slave of sin) and try to come against the Judgment of God - again following the steps of Christ who already come against the Judgment of God on the Cross. This is a three-fold cord.
The Holy Spirit, will then reveal Himself to the anti-Christ and prophecy will establish the Cross on Earth, in the anti-Christ's place. But the Cross will not be interpreted another way. No! The nations will realise they have heard the Gospel already and have not understood that it overcomes the World, the Flesh and the Devil. This is the power of God: the Gospel will be even more advanced, than it had been (because the faith will have the faith that was revealed in Heaven, available to them on Earth). The gospel does not change, between Heaven and Earth; this was already revealed in Heaven, but now it will be revealed on Earth. The trial of deciding which interpretation of the Gospel you go with, will become a global pre-occupation!
Does God change the Gospel, when Men find their way to Heaven, by it? No! Does God lessen the message of the Gospel when it is found on Earth? No! This is the strength of God, the Gospel is true, wherever it is revealed! The Devil will have no alternative, but to bring the nations together in condemnation, so that he might sow seeds of discord amongst their leadership. But leader will help leader and mate will help mate and the nations will come in to a little resistance to the Devil, as a result. It will not be enough to bring an end to the fear of Armageddon, but it will put it off for centuries beyond a Golden Age Day (as the Lord reckons a Day). The Devil is a slave to his own resources, he will have to keep trying, but even then God will foreshorten the days, so that the flesh not weary over where the Devil is coming from next.
The whole point, is that the mark that Christ took, was not a special mark, it is the mark we all have, when we sin, for which holiness is a hope, beyond the need to keep the mark, once we repent. The thing is there is a big difference between taking the mark and then realizing your mistake and having it removed with repentance; and taking the mark, then defying God and finding the mark causes you to sin (again - let the reader note). This is an example of what the Lord said when he said "there are first who will be last, and last who will be first" - ready to take the mark of sin might make you first spiritually, but you will be last in the flesh; ready to be last to take the mark, might make you last spiritually, but you will be constantly first (to sin, in principle) in the flesh. This takes repentance to understand, I am not saying this doctrine should be explained to people who don't understand that they sin.
The anti-Christ may not be new, but the Lord must still reveal it, for the difference to be known.
