The Man of Sin - Part 6

Who is Keeping the Antichrist from Being Revealed?

In defining the restrainer, it is important to understand a few principles beforehand. First, the Bible calls this restrainer a “he” in II Thessalonians 2:7. Second, it makes logical sense that He who restrains the Antichrist must be stronger than both the Antichrist and the dragon (Satan) that gives him his power.

Greater is He that is in You

Do we have an individual in scripture who is stronger than the coming Antichrist and the devil who is already in the world? Yes we do!

I John 4:4 – “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

John said, “Greater is he that is in you!” This provokes the question, “Who is in us?” To answer this, let us begin with John’s gospel:

John 1:12 – “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

According to the above verse, John 1:12, who becomes a son of God? Those who RECEIVE HIM by BELIEVING on His name. You do not become a child of God by baptism; you do not become a child of God by speaking in tongues; you do not become a child of God by submitting to a dress code; you do not become a child of God by faithful church attendance. It is solely and completely by trusting Jesus Christ, believing on Him alone for salvation. At that moment, the sinner becomes a child of God!

The very moment one believes on Jesus Christ for salvation, not only does he become a child of God, but something else happens.

Galatians 4:6 – “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”

Because a person is a son of God, God sends the Spirit of His Son, the Holy Ghost into his heart. Let’s get this straight! A person does not receive the Holy Ghost because he tarried; a person does not receive the Holy Ghost because he has been faithful; a person does not receive the Holy Ghost because he spoke in tongues. The Holy Ghost lives within a person because that person is a child of God!

The Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God, lives within you and me who are saved by the grace of God. John was speaking of the Holy Ghost when he said “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.” This definitely qualifies the Holy Ghost to be the restrainer. He is greater than the devil, and is therefore greater than the Antichrist who receives his authority from the devil.

Another Look at Judas

In part 3 of this series, I discussed Judas Iscariot – the Antichrist in Christ’s day. It would benefit the reader to read part 3 of this series if you have not already. Judas hanged himself at the time that Christ was on trial. Judas was gone before the Holy Ghost descended on the day of Pentecost. It had to be that way! The Holy Ghost’s arrival itself would hinder the Antichrist from remaining on the scene.

Didn’t the Holy Ghost Exist Before Pentecost?

Critics of my opinion may point out that the Holy Ghost existed before Pentecost. True! David declares the Holy Spirit’s omnipresence:

Psalm 139:7-8 – “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.”

Yes, the Holy Ghost most certainly existed before Pentecost. In addition to this, the Holy Ghost also worked prior to Pentecost. The Holy Ghost came upon men so that they prophesied in the Old Testament. The Holy Ghost departed from men in the Old Testament.

But still yet, Jesus Himself promised TO SEND the Holy Ghost after He ascended to heaven. I did not say that; Christ said that!

John 16:7 – “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

What was special about the Spirit’s descent on the day of Pentecost? If the Holy Ghost was already omnipresent, then what is so exceptional about the day that Christ sent Him on the day of Pentecost?

The answer is simple. Just as the Son received a body in a little town called Bethlehem, the Holy Ghost received a body on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. The body in which the Holy Ghost lives is called the church. In this manner, the Comforter CAME. I hear preachers say, “We need another Pentecost.” Nothing could be further from the truth. We do not need another Pentecost any more than we need another Bethlehem. We do not need another Pentecost any more than we need another Calvary. The Holy Ghost descended on the day of Pentecost to dwell in a body called the church, and He will never depart from the church.

John 14:16 – “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you FOR EVER.”

It is true that Jesus Christ came to this earth as a babe in Bethlehem. After His death, burial, and resurrection, He ascended into heaven, departing from this earth. In the same manner, the Holy Ghost descended from heaven on the day of Pentecost to live in a body called the church. And, just as sure as Jesus departed, ascending to heaven, the Holy Ghost will one day depart from this earth. You say, “I thought the Holy Ghost would never leave the church.” I say, “You’re right. The church is going with Him.” When the Holy Ghost leaves this world, taking the church with Him, then and only then can the man of sin be revealed.

How Can People be Saved after the Holy Ghost is Gone?

Here is a question often brought up by the critics. In their mind, the Holy Ghost cannot be the restrainer because salvation would not be possible if the Holy Ghost is absent. The Holy Ghost, though He will ascend from this earth with the church, will not cease to exist after the church is gone. I am not teaching that, when the Holy Ghost is taken out of the way, that He will be non-existent. Just as the Holy Ghost existed and worked BEFORE his DESCENSION on the day of Pentecost, He will exist and work AFTER his ASCENSION with the church in the rapture. Just as Abraham believed God and was counted righteous before the Holy Ghost DESCENDED, others will believe God and be counted righteous after the Holy Ghost ASCENDS with the church. There was salvation BEFORE the Holy Ghost came in Acts 2, and there will be salvation AFTER the Holy Ghost leaves in the rapture.

The Job Description of the Holy Ghost

Another reason I believe the restrainer is the Holy Ghost is found in His very job description:

John 16:8 – “And when he [the Comforter] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”

The One who is restraining the MAN OF SIN is the same One who was sent to reprove the WORLD OF SIN.

The Holy Ghost will one day be removed from the scene, taking the church with Him. But until then, His voice is still crying out:

Revelation 22:17 – “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

The Man of Sin - Part 5

Who is Keeping the Antichrist from Being Revealed?

II Thessalonians 2:6-8 – “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed…”

We have before us a most debated passage of scripture. Paul writes to the Thessalonian church regarding this man of sin. Paul teaches plainly two truths regarding the “restrainer”: first, that there is a restrainer, defined as someone who is withholding the Antichrist’s power, keeping him from being revealed; and second, that the Thessalonians, at the time of Paul’s writing, already knew the identity of this restrainer. “Ye know what withholdeth that he [the man of sin] might be revealed in his time,” Paul said. Since the Thessalonians already knew the personage of whom Paul was speaking, Paul did not take the time to state it in this passage. I have often wished that Paul would have just written a few more words to clearly identify this restrainer again for the Thessalonians, and thereby end the debate once for all. The Holy Ghost, however, with divine wisdom and purpose, withheld this information from us. The fact of the matter is this: the Bible does not state expressly who the restrainer is. I am very dogmatic when the Bible states something explicitly. But when the Bible does not clearly identify the restrainer, it would not be wise for Christians to break fellowship because of differences on the subject. I will therefore give briefly some theories I have heard, then I will give my own opinion.

Some Say the Restrainer is Human Government and Law*

Perhaps among the oldest of opinions regarding the restrainer is that it is identified by human government and law. Some state that the human government that hindered the Antichrist from being revealed was the Roman Empire. Paul stated in II Thessalonians 2 that the restrainer would be taken out of the way, and then the man of sin would be revealed. The Roman Empire WAS taken out of the way, but the Antichrist still has not been revealed.

As for the restrainer being human government in general, a simple study in Revelation will show that even after the Antichrist is revealed, there will still be human government. In Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the world empires, human government DOES come crashing down, but not until after the reign of the Antichrist. So it cannot be human government that is taken away so that the Antichrist can be revealed.

Some Say the Restrainer is Satan

I have heard this by some, especially by some who promote a post-tribulation rapture of the church. Revelation 13:4 states that it is the dragon (the devil) that gives power to the beast. Since Satan has refrained from giving the Antichrist this power as of yet, he cannot come on the scene. This sounds feasible until we hear Paul’s words stating that the restrainer “will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed…” The Antichrist will not be revealed until whoever is restraining him is removed. If Satan is keeping the Antichrist from being revealed, then Satan must be removed prior to the Antichrist’s arrival. However, Revelation 20 shows us the removal of Satan into the lake of fire, but not until AFTER the reign of the Antichrist, and after the Millennium.

Some Say the Restrainer is the Church

While this opinion is, I believe, closer to the truth, I cannot embrace the idea that the church of Jesus Christ is the restrainer. There are two verses that are commonly used to prove this, being Matthew 5:13, in which Jesus tells his disciples “ye are the salt of the earth”; and Matthew 5:14, in which Jesus tells his disciples “ye are the light of the world.” Salt preserves against corruption, and light repels darkness. In the same way, the church keeps the man of sin from being revealed, they say.

Suppose I spoke to one who believes the church is the restrainer. I would ask him one question. When did the church begin? Did the church of Jesus Christ begin at the cross? At Pentecost? Or perhaps some time before either of these events?

Suppose he answers my question regarding the church’s beginning, stating that the church began either at the cross or at Pentecost. If that be the case, then the church was not yet on the earth when Jesus told his disciples “ye are the salt of the earth” and “ye are the light of the world.” If the church began either at the cross or on the day of Pentecost, then Christ was not speaking to the church when He made the above statements. In this case, any believers in Christ, whether before the church was founded or after the church is gone, would be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Even tribulation saints would be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and we know that tribulation saints will not keep the Antichrist from being revealed.

Now, back to my question to the one who believes the church is the restrainer. Suppose that, when I ask him regarding the church’s beginning, he says that the church began BEFORE the cross, and BEFORE Pentecost. Suppose he makes it clear that there WAS a church upon the earth at the time of the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus identified His disciples as the salt of the earth and the light of the world. In that case, I would point out that the Antichrist was present on the earth at that time. Judas Iscariot was the devil incarnated (John 13:27). Jesus identified Judas as being a devil (John 6:70). Judas, like the Antichrist of the end time, was called the son of perdition (John 17:12). I elaborated on this in detail in part 3 of this series, so I will not elaborate here. But these considerations keep me from believing that the restrainer is the church.

*Pentecost, J. Dwight. Things to Come. Dunham Publishing Company. Findlay, OH. ©1953. pp. 259-260.

The Man of Sin - Part 3

The Son of Perdition

II Thessalonians 2:3, 4 – “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; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

In the previous post, I made the following statement: “Although the Bible gives many names for the man of sin, it is worthy to note that the Bible does not provide the name of the man of sin.” The Bible certainly gives many names, or titles, to this coming man of sin. Since I am using II Thessalonians 2 as my main text for this brief study, I have been using the term “man of sin” as the chief reference to him. This phrase “man of sin” shows us that the Antichrist will in fact be a man. While some insist that the Antichrist is merely a spirit, the Bible teaches that a MAN is coming to have dominion over the nations of this world. Others insist that the Antichrist is simply a system. However, the Bible reveals to us the truth that the Antichrist is a man of sin.

In II Thessalonians 2:3, he is called the man of sin, as well as the son of perdition. In addition to these titles, he is called the Wicked One (II Thessalonians 2:8); the Little Horn (Daniel 7:8); the Prince that shall come (Daniel 9:26); the Vile Person (Daniel 11:21); the Wilful King (Daniel 11:36); the Antichrist (I John 2:18); the Beast (Revelation 13:1).

In this post, I will examine closely the phrase “son of perdition,” and its relation to the man of sin. This phrase is only found twice in the entire Bible:

John 17:12 – “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”

II 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.”

In the former passage, the phrase “son of perdition” is used by our Lord to identify Judas Iscariot, the Lord’s apostle who betrayed him. In the latter passage, the phrase is used in reference to the Antichrist, the man of sin. Both Judas Iscariot and the coming Antichrist are referred to as “the son of perdition.” Some Bible scholars insist that there is no connection between these two Bible characters. However, they are the only two characters in the scriptures given this title. In addition to this, there are more similarities between these two characters.

Both Judas Iscariot and the Antichrist were influenced by Satan himself. Some men are possessed with devils; but Judas was influenced, not by a devil, but by Satan himself:

John 6:70 – “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”

Here, Judas is called a devil by our Lord. The reason our Lord made such a statement can be found in Luke’s gospel:

Luke 22:3 – “Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.”

Judas was called a devil by our Lord, not because he was possessed of devils; but rather because he was indwelt by Satan himself. Judas was the only man in the Bible, besides the Antichrist, who was influenced by Satan in this manner. The Antichrist, as Judas was, will be influenced by Satan himself. The Antichrist will not be possessed by devils, but rather by Satan himself:

Revelation 13:4 – “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?”

Here, it is clear that the beast (man of sin) will receive his power from the dragon, who is identified in Revelation 20:2 as Satan. The Antichrist will not be influenced by devils, but rather by the prince of devils – by Satan himself.

It is also noteworthy that Judas came on the scene at the time of Christ’s first coming. The Antichrist will arrive at the time of Christ’s second coming.

It is also noteworthy that when Judas Iscariot hanged himself, the Bible does not say that he went to hell:

Acts 1:25 – “That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go TO HIS OWN PLACE.”

In Revelation 13, John saw the beast coming up out of the sea. The Antichrist comes up from somewhere beneath. I believe he is the same spirit that was in Judas Iscariot. When Judas died, he went beneath, I believe, to the bottomless pit. In Revelation, he will come again from that pit, in the person of the Antichrist.