Today, many speculate on who or what the restrainer is. The restrainer is called by many names. Some say he’s “the one who holds back”, or “he who is keeping down”, others call him “he who lets”. Whoever the restrainer is, He has tremendous power. The restrainer prevents Satan from taking over the world and producing the antichrist.
In Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonian church, he gave them the comfort they needed. Things were so bad in Thessalonica the congregation was afraid that they had missed the rapture. They thought they were in the Apocalypse. He reassures them that they were not in the end-time judgment. The day of the Lord had not yet come. Paul said there will be 2 signs that must precede the “day of the Lord” he said “Let no one deceive you in any way. The “day of the Lord” will only come after the “falling away” happens first and then the man of lawlessness (antichrist) appears, 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The falling away is the apostasy of the church. More about the man of lawlessness, A.K.A. the antichrist at a later time.
Falling away or Apostasy
First must come is the apostasy of the church. Apostasy is the falling away from the truth of Jesus Christ. Now, we see a multitude of Christian denominations reeking of confusion and backsliding. There is only one God and one faith, but a conflagration of denominations Ephesians 4:5-6. Confusion infused with false teachers has led Christianity into going astray for over 2000 years 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. Today, this has developed into congregations of sin, resulting in church closures at an alarming pace. The Pope, head of the largest Christian denomination, has sanctioned many heretical doctrines. He has said atheists can go to heaven, and hell doesn’t exist, and a multitude of other blasphemies are being taught. When the falling away is complete, the restrainer will be removed and the antichrist will appear. The antichrist will be a worldwide political dictator.
Church apostasy begun 2000 years ago and the one who restrains continues to prevent Satan and his antichrist from taking over the world 2 Corinthians 11:13.
Although the time and day of the Lord’s return is unknown, Jesus will seek those who love his appearance according to Hebrews 9:28 and 2 Timothy 4:8. Jesus’ return will be “as a thief in the night” we must be prepared at all times 1 Thessalonians 5:2.
Restrainer Holds Back the AntiChrist
Pauls informs the Thessalonian church, “You know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. The mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way” 2 Thessalonians 2:6,7. Paul doesn’t specifically say who the restrainer is, he does say they (the Thessalonian congregation) already “know” who he is. Apparently, he told them earlier, but it’s not recorded in scripture.
Bible scholars have speculated about the identity of the restrainer. They have said the restraining force was A: A government; B: gospel preaching; C: the binding of Satan. Others said he was D: the Jewish state; E: the church; F: the Holy Spirit; and G: Michael the Archangel. We believe the restrainer is the Holy Spirit.
Revelation
Years ago the Spirit of God revealed to me that the Holy Spirit is the restrainer. The Holy Spirit is the only force powerful enough to restrain Satan, and his demon army. He has restrained evil since the fall of man in the garden. Some scholars also support my revelation that the Holy Spirit is the restrainer. They note that the restrainer is referenced both as a thing (“what” in 2 Thessalonian 2:6) and as a person (“he” in Thessalonian 2: 7).
The Holy Spirit is God, the 3rd person of the trinity has the supernatural power to restrain the devil and his angels. No earthly government is capable of the task, Satan having already compromised and blinded the world’s government’s 2 Corinthians 4:4. It makes sense that the power delaying Satan’s main plan must be of God. It took the Archangel Michael and his angels to kick Satan and his fallen angels out of heaven Revelations 12:17. The power holding back the antichrist since the fall has to be much greater than Satan and all of his fallen angels.
When the Holy Spirit stops His restraining ministry, simultaneously believers will be raptured. Then God and the antichrist will pour out destruction on earth. As believers we are not recipients of God’s wrath like the disobedient children in the world Colossian 3:6, Ephesians 5:6.
Rapture will occur when the Holy Spirit is taken out of the Way
When the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way of Satan and his antichrist; “believers who remain will be “caught up” to meet the Lord in the air”. This is what’s called the rapture. When we first believed in Jesus with our hearts and mind, we became born again, saved from the second death Romans 10:9. Also, at the same time we were sealed with the “Holy Spirit who is our guarantee of heavenly inheritance” Ephesians 1:13-14. So you see, believers are forever sealed with God the Holy Spirit. When God takes away the Holy Spirit from the earth, believers will also be taken away.
The fact that the Holy spirit lives in believers and believers make up the spiritual church. It can be said that it’s the spiritual church that is holding back lawlessness from running rampant on earth.
Of course, the Holy Spirit works through believers to accomplish this. The church, indwelt by the Spirit of God, has always been part of what holds society back from the ever-increasing lawless living. Paul says, the Spirit will “step aside” from His restraining work, allowing sin to have dominion over humanity.
2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 is clear that the removal of the restrainer’s influence precedes the revealing of the antichrist. Removal of the restrainer will give Satan free rein to rule during the tribulation. The lawless one will use “displays of power through signs and wonders” to deceive the people of the earth (verses 9–10). After the Antichrist’s time is up. The Lord Jesus will return and overthrow the man of sin by, “the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming”( verse 8).