“Now you know what is restraining him, to the end, and he may be revealed in his own season. For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until He is taken out of the way. Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of His mouth, and destroy by the manifestation of his coming” -2 Thessalonians 2:6-8
If Satan has been waiting to introduce the antichrist to the world, what is stopping him from allowing this evil leader to step onto the platform of the world stage right now? Why is it taking so long for the devil to finally bring this man to public attention?
The apostle Paul answered this question when he wrote 2 Thessalonians 6-8. The one who now restrained will be taken away, and then all the wicked will be revealed.
The apostle Paul only spent a few months with the Thessalonian Church, we can therefore see from this passage of scripture, the importance he attached to their ability to understand and time events.
If Paul used this part of his brief to the Thessalonian church to teach them about the events that will occur in the last days, doesn’t this tell us about our understanding on the subject It should be a high priority?
We just can’t shut our eyes to the truth of scripture. If Paul considered this so important that he would introduce it to a group of believers, how much more do seasoned believers need to grasp what the Bible teaches about the last days.
Paul told the Thessalonian believers that are force with holds the anti-garage from being revealed. The grease does not specifically say the identify id of the restraining force, but it seems to suggest that Paul is referring to the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.
Think of it, what if the power of the Spirit of God was suddenly withdrawn and removed from the Earth? It will only be a brief matter of time before Satan consummated his dream of world domination. The Holy Spirit is a great restrainer, and He is holding back this evil from coming to pass in the world today.
It is clear that this is an evil so horrendous that it must be held down, held back, or suppressed let it be loose to release a wide range of wicked effects. The supernatural force that Paul refers to is stalling, delaying, and postponing the evil that is craving to be fully released and set into operation.
In 2 Peter 3:9, Paul says that God is,
“ the Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
God is holding back to ultimate day of evil to give unbeliever more time to come to Him in repentance. But a day is soon coming when the greatest restrainer will “be taken out of the way it” (2 Thessalonians 2:7)
When this day comes, the hindering Power that has continuously delayed, the worldwide domination of evil and lawlessness will be removed. It will be as though He suddenly lifted out in the middle of everything. At that moment, the evil forces that have been long been suppressed will suddenly be freed, and their wicked plans, purposes, and desires will be abruptly energized. When a supernatural hindering force is removed, these events will quickly come to pass with no hesitation, for the restrainer will be out of the picture.
Once the Restrainer is gone, the antichrist will be revealed. When the Holy Spirit restraining power has been withdrawn, there will no longer be any force president to holdback the evil forces. Therefore, this evil leader who has been concealed and hidden from public view, will suddenly appear in a moment, it will seem as if a stage curtain is being pulled out of the way so that he can make his grand appearance to the world.
From Pity to Praise 