What is the only thing holding back evil in the world today?
According to the transcript, the only deterrent to wickedness in the world today is the believer, the Church. Believers in the Church are the restraining influence against evil, and society without religion is doomed. The world's wickedness is held back through that believing presence, not through any other institution or power.
Les explains that during the Tribulation false prophets will have a heyday as calamities fall and people grasp for something. He then points to verse 12, “because iniquity shall abound,” and says the only deterrent to wickedness in the world today is the believer, the Church. Believers are the only deterrent. He notes that sociologists and some powers now recognize that a society without religion is doomed.