The Epistles

The Apostle Paul

The Apostle Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus), a Jewish Pharisee, (Philippians 3, Acts 5, Acts 22) educated under Gamaliel, revealed through the Holy Spirit various Endtimes related truths. By way of background, in 2 Corinthians 12 he describes a very unique experience he had. 

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— 4was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak

Acts 9 describes the Apostle’s initial encounter with the resurrected Lord.

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Who are you, Lord? I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 

 

The Apostle through the Holy Spirit went on to reveal the following Endtimes related prophecies to us in his Epistles. (letters to the churches)

  • The Rapture and the Dead in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
  • The Day of the Lord (1 Thess 5, 2 Thess 2)
  • The Apostasy (2 Thess 2)
  • The Man of Lawlessness, The AntiChrist (1 Thess 5, 2 Thess 2)
  • The Restrainer (2 Thess 2)
  • The Second Coming and destruction of AntiChrist (2 Thess 2:8-11)
  • The Resurrection of the Saints (1 Corinthians 15)
  • The future restoration and salvation of the Nation of Israel (Romans 11)
  • The AntiChrist is aligned with Satan, operating in the power of Satan
  • The AntiChrist will perform signs and wonders to deceive people.
  • God, will at some point during the Tribulation send a deluding influence to unbelievers, so that they will believe what is false, as he did to Pharaoh (2 Thess 2:8-11, Exodus 9:12)
  • The Mystery of the Church (Ephesians 3:4-6)

 

The Man of Lawlessness

The main event of the story of the AntiChrist is communicated in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12, which lines up with the Book of Daniel and Jesus statements in Matthew 24. — so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God

In 2 Thess 2, we do learn of two new features of the Endtimes – the Restrainer and the Apostasy. The context is important.

…that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

The Day of the Lord, the start of the Tribulation, cannot begin until the Restrainer is taken out of the way and the AntiChrist is revealed, at the time of the signing of a peace treaty with Israel. Somehow the Apostate Church, or false religious system is an intricate part of this event.

Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God (2 Thess 2:3-4)

 

The Restrainer

He who restrains (masculine) cannot refer to the removed Church at the Rapture. There are many views but my (flexible) belief is that the Restrainer is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is omnipresent and can’t be removed. He restrains the work of Satan until the appointed time, around the beginning of the Tribulation. (Note on the Restrainer being ‘taken out of the way’, see Colossians 2:14 (same word is used – μέσος) where our certificate of debt is ‘taken out of the way’ . In this case the taking out does not need to be a spatial removal)

And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. (2 Thess 2:6-7)

 

The Apostasy

This particular Apostasy is a mass falling away or renunciation of the Christian Faith by people that professed to be Christians. Based on the ordering in 2 Thess 2, the Apostate system ushers in the revealing of the AntiChrist, and that is the time when the Restraining influence of the Holy Spirit stops, allowing the timeline to proceed.

The Apostle Paul is reminding the Thessalonians, based on his previous discussions with them, that they don’t need to fear the Day of the Lord:

  • They are not destined for wrath (1 Thess 5:9)
  • They would need to see the events he just described to indicate the Day of the Lord had begun.

 

We concur, trusting that God has not destined any believers for the wrath of God, to go through any part of the Tribulation. (see The Church in Prophecy) On the contrary, as Jesus says “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me” (John 14)