Yes — the Holy Spirit is the restrainer who uses indwelling believers to hold back evil and the Antichrist until God's appointed time.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:7, "he who now letteth" is the restrainer holding back the man of sin. Les Feldick identifies this restrainer as the Holy Spirit working through the indwelling believer. He teaches that the Antichrist cannot be revealed until the Holy Spirit's indwelling role is taken out of the way at the removal of the church.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 — The key prophecy of the restrainer and its removal directly before the revelation of the Antichrist.
Second Thessalonians 2:7 states: "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." Verse 8 immediately connects the removal of this restrainer with the revealing of the Wicked one. Genesis 1:2 records the Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters, showing His presence on earth. First Corinthians 3:16 declares that believers are God's temple because the Spirit of God dwells in them.
Les Feldick teaches that the "he" in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 is the Holy Spirit, who is dwelling in believers and thereby restraining the flood of iniquity that would introduce the Antichrist. He emphasizes that the Holy Spirit is the hindering force "in the person of the believer" and that believers themselves therefore stand in the gap, beginning in prayer. He also clarifies that when the church is removed, only that indwelling role ends—the Spirit remains omnipresent on earth, so people can still be saved during the Tribulation. Additionally, Les teaches that the Holy Spirit replaces the Law as the believer's internal guide, never leading a believer to sin but giving them the desire to live pleasing to God.
Les Feldick teaches that the pronoun "he" refers to the Holy Spirit. He says the restrainer must be a personality who puts the brakes on the Antichrist so that he is not revealed before God's appointed time. Paul's phrase "only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way" is understood by Les as the Holy Spirit (through the indwelling believer) holding back the man of sin until the removal of the church. God's prophetic clock is stopped now, but it will resume as soon as the church is taken out.
No, Les explains that it is only the Holy Spirit's role as the indweller of believers that ends at the departure of the church. He points to Genesis 1:2 where the Spirit moved on the deep, and says the Spirit is still the omnipresent God and will be active on earth during the Tribulation; otherwise no one could be saved then. So the removal of the restrainer is the ending of His indwelling role, not His presence.
Les teaches that when the Holy Spirit indwells a believer, He becomes the believer's law—a warm, loving guide rather than cold stone commandments. The Spirit never tells anyone to kill, steal, commit adultery, gossip, or destroy another person. Instead, He takes away the desire to rebel and gives the believer the desire to live pleasing in God's sight. In this way the indwelling Spirit is the practical day-to-day restraint of evil in and through the believer.
Paul says "the mystery of iniquity doth already work" in 2 Thessalonians 2:7. Les traces this working of iniquity back to the Tower of Babel and says it has been on the scene from day one. It is the rising flood of evil that, if not restrained, would bring in the man of sin, the Antichrist, ahead of God's schedule.
The Restrainer and God's Timetable
Les teaches that the "he who withholdeth" is a person who must restrain the Antichrist until God's appointed time, and that God's prophetic clock resumes when the church is removed.
Believers as the Restraining Power
Les identifies the Holy Spirit as the indwelling restrainer in believers, and says believers hold back the flood of iniquity through the Holy Spirit's power, beginning with prayer.
The Holy Spirit Remains Omnipresent
Les explains that while the Holy Spirit's role of indwelling believers ends at the rapture, He remains the omnipresent Spirit of God on earth during the Tribulation.
The Holy Spirit as the Believer's Law
Les teaches that the indwelling Holy Spirit becomes the believer's law and never instructs a believer to kill, steal, commit adultery, or gossip.
The Holy Spirit Hinders Through Believers
Les says the Holy Spirit is the hindering force in the person of the believer until the departure of the church, and this is what restrains the Antichrist's revelation.
The Spirit's Work in Past and Tribulation Ages
Les points to the Spirit moving in Genesis and in the Tribulation to show He is omnipresent and can save people then; believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit today.
Crucified With Christ: What It Means to Be a New Creation (Romans 6 & Galatians 2)
Others, it may not take as long, but the Holy Spirit has to somehow precipitate an activity within the heart, the soul of the individual. Now turn back with me, if you will, to Romans chapter 8. Now I don't know if the Lord will tarry long enough, and I don't know whether we'll be staying on the air long enough to ever get to the book of Romans, but if we were to teach the book of Romans verse by …
The Holy Spirit's Inner Restraint
Les teaches that the indwelling Holy Spirit becomes our warm, loving guide for living, removing the desire to rebel and enabling us to live pleasing to God.
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.
The verse that directly describes the restrainer who holds back the mystery of iniquity until he is removed.
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:
Shows that the removal of the restrainer immediately precedes the revelation of the Antichrist.
Genesis 1:2: And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Demonstrates the Holy Spirit's omnipresent work on earth, which Les uses to show He remains active after the church is removed.
1 Corinthians 3:16: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Confirms that believers today are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, the basis for the restraining work in and through them.
Les Feldick identifies the restrainer as the Holy Spirit working through the indwelling believer. He bases this on 2 Thessalonians 2:7 where the KJV says "only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way."
No. Les teaches that the Holy Spirit never instructs a believer to kill, steal, commit adultery, or destroy someone's character. The Spirit always operates in line with God's basic laws and instead gives believers the desire to please God.
Les teaches that the Spirit's role as indweller of believers ends at the departure of the church, but His omnipresence remains. He continues to work on earth during the Tribulation so people can be saved.
Paul states that the mystery of iniquity already works, and Les points to the Tower of Babel as an early example of humanity's rebellion. This evil is now spreading and must be restrained until God's appointed time for Antichrist to be revealed.
Watch the Teaching: Who Holds Back the Antichrist? The Restrainer Removed.