THE APOSTLE PAUL ON THE RESTRAINING FORCE

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THE APOSTLE PAUL ON THE RESTRAINING FORCE

Greetings Watchers!

I received this question from a Watcher yesterday and thought many of you might be asking the same question.

Dear Brother Sal,

Thank you so much for the email updates. The one sent on Jan 26 was especially appreciated as it explained so much. I have forwarded it to as many people as I could to try to help get the word out. It was a rather long article so I hope that does not discourage some of the people I sent it to, but it was very uplifting for me.

I do have one question. I have read some of the articles on your website and know that you teach that the church is the "restrainer". As I recall, your argument for this is that Paul refers to the "restrainer" when he is talking to the church. Is there any other evidence to confirm this? Thanks again. David

Hi David!

Thank you for your note. I appreciate hearing your comments. Be sure to use our web site to your full advantage. In addition to all the teachings at the watchers study page, we have the live chat line and the search engine at the main site to help you find info on the 3,000 pages of teaching and archives that we have there.

The "restrainer". That passage is in verse 7 of chapter 2 of 2 Thessalonians. The proof of it is in the text and how Paul delivers it. He is just going over things that he had taught them before, because people had been coming around telling them that the Church was in the Tribulation period, and they were to take that on the authority of the spirit and letters from Paul, which scared them out of their wits. So the theme is all about the Rapture, which the Thessalonians were completely aware of from Paul's previous teaching in his first letter and when he was with them.

Now, these folks were very scared by the word from the false teachers, so they looked to Paul for the message to be clarified. And Paul addresses their concerns with this letter - the second on the Rapture.

Because this letter is to relieve the pressure created by the false teachers, Paul is being very specific and precise in his message. And there is one word in 2:3 that plainly doesn't fit the context and the precision of his words. The word is Aposticia in the Greek, and is translated as a "falling away" before the time of the man of sin to be revealed.

The word Aposticia also means "departure". Now, lets begin at the first verse, and then insert the word "departure" instead of "falling away". Now it may be so that a great falling away from God will be happening, but every age has it's peaks and valleys, and what Paul is addressing is more precise than that. Just like wars and rumors of wars, and earthquakes in diverse places (from Matt. 24). Those are signs, but not The sign - that stuff never stops on the earth. But Jesus is very precise in that because He says that when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of in Daniel's prophecy, then run! A precise thing for the Jews to watch for. This is very important stuff here, and God makes it precise and clear.

Paraphrasing: Now we have Paul "beseeching" them - a very strong urging - by the coming of the Lord and our gathering together unto him - the rapture. Precise and clear as to exactly what he is addressing.

Then, the warning: let no man deceive you by ANY MEANS: for that day shall not come (which day?) - the day of Christ - what does that mean? The second coming is only the beginning of the day of Christ. If a day is as a thousand years to the Lord, then the day of Christ is a thousand years long. The millennium!

So, don't let anyone fool you that the millennium begins before our gathering together because we have to ‘depart’ so that man of sin can be revealed. The man of sin is described, and then Paul reminds them that he told them all of this before, and now you know what's holding him back so he can be revealed in his time.

Now, he says, the mystery of iniquity is already at work. What's a mystery? According to Paul to the Ephesians, a mystery is something hidden in the mind of God, and can't be known until He reveals it. You can guess all you want, but you will never get it right. But, he says that spirit is already working in the land. But this guy, who will sit in the temple of God and say that he is god, he can't be revealed until after this gathering together.

Then: only he who now restrains, will continue to restrain; until when? Until he is taken out of the way. The gathering together, departure that is the subject of this entire chapter.

Now: And then shall that Wicked be revealed. Wicked with a capital W (the false deliverer)! Not till after the departure will the Antichrist (false deliverer - earthly deliverer of the Jews) be revealed as to his true nature. And then the Lord will consume him with the brightness of his coming. The Church is part of that brightness when Christ returns. So, it had to be gone to come back. The gathering together, departure, taking out of the way.

Now many argue that the "he" that is taken out of the way is the Holy Spirit. It that were true, then who are the last two witnesses and the 144,000 anointed by? The Holy Spirit is not off the earth during the first half of the Tribulation. And the devil is not on the earth in person until the second half of the tribulation.

And some say that it's Michael the archangel. But Michael is the protector of the Jews. He's the one in Daniel 11 that Gabriel enlists the help of to hold off the Prince of Persia while Gabriel delivered his message to Daniel. And it's Michael that tosses Satan out of the air to the earth where there are no new creature "Christians" anymore. Only Jews and Gentiles. And what would he be taken out of the way of? What is he restraining? Can't be the devil coming to earth, because he tosses him there.

Then Paul goes on to talk about what happens to those who believe a lie. Then in verse 13, He thanks God always for the beloved brethren (the Church) of the Lord, because God has chosen us from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth.

So, stand fast brethren and hold to the word that we taught you in our last letter and comfort yourselves in that.

I hope that is enough evidence. It's all that Paul taught on it, but combined with all of the other teachings on the Rapture, you get the total picture that the "he" has to be the Church.

God bless.
Brother Sal

I hope this helped all of you to better understand that the Rapture is not a figment of anyone’s imagination, and that it really is in store for the Church. The evidence in Paul’s teaching for it and it’s timing is unmistakable and should be shared by all Christians.

Let me remind you that I am here and accessible to you. I answer every question that is put to me in as much detail as I can to make the answer clear. I have a live chat line direct to all Watchers, and I never find any question to be a “dumb” question. I don’t believe there is such a thing.

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Thank you and God bless.

Humbly,
Your Brother in Christ
Brother Sal