More people are looking for the Antichrist today. No one is even looking for the Second Coming. I think they would rather reject a false prophet, than accept a message from John the Baptist.
I think its more like "when you are not looking for Jesus, to a certain extent, you are (already) looking for the anti-Christ" - you should be searching for the One, rather than hoping to escape the 'other'.
It is because of the cloud of witness, that people will consider John's message; while you are right that there are false prophets, history teaches us that John's message was powerful even despite that. There is reason to believe that the Holy Spirit will use that power, for good (being prophesied to come after Christ, presumably with a messenger of His own, in John).
People no longer fear the Sanhedrin, the way they did in Jesus time, this factor taken together with the coming of the Holy Spirit and John's message, we could see a totally different result, to what we saw in Jesus - not that we won't suffer, but that our suffering will have a power that Jesus did not enjoy in His time. I suppose it is down to us, to surrender to God, in that power and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit to empower us to another degree?
I don't doubt that the world would have destroyed itself several times over, if it had not been for Christ, but we had Christ - let's not waste the time, with the next challenge as it presents itself: we are overcomers, victors and conquerors - the enemy has nothing on us and his conceit will soon be known for what it is. Take heart. Take heart, in Christ. Jesus said He would "not leave us orphans" - I trust that, for tribulation or rapture, whatever comes.
Thanks for the opportunity to think about these things.
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