Believers, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, are the restraining force that holds back the Antichrist until the church is removed.
Les Feldick teaches from 2 Thessalonians 2 that the Holy Spirit is the hinderer, and because the Holy Spirit dwells in every believer, believers together with the indwelling Spirit are God's brake on the world's coming evil. The Antichrist cannot be revealed before that restraining presence is taken out of the way. This gives believers a practical responsibility to pray without ceasing as the age draws to a close.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 — This verse directly mentions the mystery of iniquity already at work and the restrainer who must be taken out of the way before the Antichrist is revealed.
2 Thessalonians 2:8 — This verse shows the revealing of the lawless one immediately after the restrainer is removed.
Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians reveals that the coming of the man of sin is restrained by a "he" who must be removed first. In 2 Thessalonians 2:7 Paul writes, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." The next verse continues, "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." Paul also warns in verse 3 that no one should be deceived, because that day will not come until there is a falling away first and the man of sin is revealed. The Scripture does not name the restrainer in this passage, but it clearly ties the Antichrist's revealing to the removal of the one who currently hinders.
Les identifies the restraining "he" of 2 Thessalonians 2:7 as the Holy Spirit. He points out that the Holy Spirit dwells in the heart and life of every believer today, so the only brake God has on the earth against the influx of evil is the believer and the indwelling Holy Spirit. He compares this restraining work to a dam in a river holding back a flood of iniquity; when the dam is lifted, the Antichrist will be revealed. Les says God has left the responsibility of keeping the timing aspect on track with born-again believers, so that the man of sin does not come on the scene before it is time. For this reason, he calls believers to pray without ceasing and to bring their supplications, desires, praise, and thanksgiving to God as the final days approach. Les also clarifies that when the church is removed, the Holy Spirit's role as the indweller of believers ends, but the Holy Spirit remains the omnipresent God on earth even during the Tribulation. He further contrasts the Holy Spirit's genuine work of pointing people to Christ with the false prophet's counterfeit work of making people worship the Antichrist.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:7, Paul writes, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." The following verse says, "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." The passage indicates that the mystery of lawlessness is already active in Paul's day, but it is being held in check until the restrainer is removed.
Les teaches that the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2 is the Holy Spirit. He asks, "What person has the power today to hold back like a dam on a river the forces of Satan?" and answers that it is the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit dwells in believers, Les says the only brake God has on the earth against the influx of all this evil work is the believer and the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Les says God has left to believers the responsibility to keep the timing aspect on track, so the man of sin does not come on the scene before it is time. He connects this to the command to pray without ceasing and to bring supplications, desires, praise, and thanksgiving to God. As the world system gets ready for the Antichrist, he tells believers to pray extra hard.
Les says the Holy Spirit's role as the indweller of the believer ends when the church is removed in the departure. He emphasizes that the Holy Spirit will still be on the earth as the omnipresent God, just as He was present in Genesis 1:2, but His indwelling role is finished. Then, as 2 Thessalonians 2:8 says, the wicked one, the Antichrist, will be revealed.
Les describes an unholy trinity in the Tribulation: Satan counterfeits God the Father, the Antichrist counterfeits God the Son, and the false prophet counterfeits the Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit today points lost people to Christ, the false prophet will cause people to worship the Antichrist. Les notes that this counterfeit will work miracles, even making fire come down from heaven, and will deceive those who dwell on the earth—something the true Holy Spirit never does.
Prayer Keeps the Antichrist Back Until God's Time
Les teaches that believers share in God's restraining work by praying without ceasing, because the world is set for the man of sin and God has left timing responsibility with believers.
The Holy Spirit in Believers Is the Hinderer
Les says the Holy Spirit is the one who holds back Satan's forces like a dam, and because the Spirit lives in believers, believers and the indwelling Spirit are God's only brake on evil.
The White Horse Rider: Antichrist or Jesus? Revelation 6
So they're going to have a time of rebuttal, but not these two men. The false prophet and the Antichrist, these two humans who are part of this unholy trinity, they're men, and they of course will go to their doom. Now Satan is going to go there as well, but he will join them sometime later.
Believers Are a Dam Against the Flood of Iniquity
Les compares the Holy Spirit in believers to a dam holding back a flood of iniquity; when that dam is lifted, the Antichrist is revealed.
The Restrainer Removed at the Church's Departure
Les identifies the hindering force as the Holy Spirit in the believer, and says this role ends when the church is removed in the departure, after which the wicked one is revealed.
The Holy Spirit Remains Omnipresent After the Church Is Gone
Les clarifies that the Holy Spirit's indwelling role ends with the church's removal, but the Holy Spirit remains on earth as the omnipresent God throughout the Tribulation.
The Unholy Trinity Counterfeits the True Trinity
Les shows the false prophet counterfeits the Holy Spirit's work by causing people to worship the Antichrist, just as the Holy Spirit leads believers to worship Christ.
The False Prophet Performs Deceiving Miracles
Les teaches that the religious leader of the Tribulation is a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit, performing miracles like fire from heaven to deceive the world into worshiping the Antichrist.
2 Thessalonians 2:7: For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
This verse names the restrainer that must be taken out of the way before the Antichrist can be revealed.
2 Thessalonians 2:8: And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
This verse shows the lawless one being revealed after the restrainer is removed and then destroyed at Christ's coming.
2 Thessalonians 2:3: Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Paul warns that the day of the Lord will not come until the man of sin is revealed.
No. Les teaches that the restraining power is the Holy Spirit dwelling in every believer. The believer and the indwelling Holy Spirit together are God's brake on the world's evil; the believer's part is prayer and faithfulness while the Spirit does the restraining.
According to Les, the Antichrist cannot be revealed until the Holy Spirit's indwelling role in the church is removed. After the church is taken out in the departure, "then shall that wicked one be revealed" (2 Thessalonians 2:8).
Because God has left the timing responsibility with believers. Les says as the world gets ready for the man of sin, believers should pray extra hard, bringing supplications and praise to God according to Paul's instruction to pray without ceasing.
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