The falling away which Paul writes about in 1 Thes 2:3 is a huge sign of the last days, paving the way for the antichrist. The rapid fall from a relatively ‘decent’ standard of morality is astounding, especially as it has invaded the church. Israel is no stranger to it, either, sadly.
But considering the Islamic Revolution in 1979, which has sparked the rise of the mortally wounded Islamic Empire, I find it interesting that it followed the 1973 Yom Kippur War of the surrounding Arab states against Israel, which saw the Arab oil states use their oil for the first time as a ‘weapon’ to get the dependent Western nations (especially) to begin to fall away from fully supporting Israel. A war of attrition followed for several years, and what followed was the humiliation of the Carter administration in the Iranian hostage fiasco. And we see where Carter is today, and the increasing efforts to nullify Israel’s right to exist as a nation in its land.