Man of Lawlessness (2 Thess. 2:3)

The thought of the anti-Christ coming to power sounds pretty frightening.  This is a man who is doing the work of Satan to challenge the Lord, to challenge God, and to come as a rival to the Lord’s kingdom.  Is this something that should terrify us?  Why would God allow such a thing to happen?  Will the church be able to survive such a horrible assault?  How can we be sure that our Lord is sovereign enough to overcome this power?