2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 – 1Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
5Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
The man of lawless is the antichrist or beast out of the sea.
He makes a covenant with God’s people for one seven year period. This is also known has Daniel’s 70th week.
Daniel 9:27 – 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.
So we know that the antichrist is the man of lawlessness. The next question is who is the one who is holding him back?
Whoever it is, He has to be taken out of the way before the lawless one can even be revealed. I don’t know anyone else this could be except the Holy Spirit through the church. The individual has to be present now to be taken out of the way. Also it has to be a character that is strong enough that the antichrist can’t even be revealed until He is removed.
Since the antichrist will easily be revealed when he makes a peace treaty for seven years with Israel, the Holy Spirit and church should be taken out of the way.
Does this mean that since the Holy Spirit is gone no one else will be saved? Not at all. As a matter of fact I believe one of the biggest harvests for the Lord is during the tribulation. However, the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity and has been around. During Pentecost He was presented as a gift that indwelled those in the church age.
Those rejecting Christ as this time who even may become saved after the rapture are missing out on a special time known the Church age. It’s a chance to belong to His Church and be part of His Bride. In writing I can’t even explain how big of an honor or blessing that is.
The lawless one can’t be revealed until He is taken out of the way. More support for the pre-trib position.