“The Church Must Be Gone Before the Man of Lawlessness Can Be Revealed”

2 Thessalonians 2 says, “He who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed…” Who’s the “he”? Some assert “he” refers to the Holy Spirit, and that He must be taken out of the way through rapturing all the believers (who are indwelled with the Holy Spirit) before the lawless one can be revealed.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 (NKJV)
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Starting from the top of the chapter gives better context.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 (NKJV)
1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we should not be disturbed by anyone telling us that the day of Christ has already come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, who demands worship as if he is God, until the Lord consumes him with the breath of His mouth and destroys him with the brightness of His coming.

“Falling away” in the Greek is the verb “apostasia”, from which we get our word “apostasy” in English. Apostasy, in a religious sense, is the abandonment or renunciation of a belief. You’ve probably heard how Muslims who decide to abandon Islam are charged with apostasy. There is a whole Wikipedia page titled, “Apostasy in Islam.” According to a survey by Pew Research Center published in 2013, 86% of Egyptian Muslims and 82% of Jordanian Muslims who support Sharia law think apostasy should be punished by death. Regardless of whether Sharia is in effect, family members often take a member’s apostasy into their own hands and kill them in what is dubbed an “honor killing.” (To restore the family’s honor, they think they need to kill the apostate.) Honor killings often transpire with little to no punishment in Muslim-controlled areas. My point is that the definition of apostasy is broadly understood. But some snakes have taught that the Greek translation is suspect, and “falling away” could really mean a [physical] departure, or the “catching up”—the rapture!

The description of the man of sin (2 Th 2:3-4) is consistent with the last King of the North (Dn 11:36-37), the little horn (Dn 7:8, 11; Dn 8:9-12, 23-25), and the Beast of the Sea (Rv 13:5-8)—the most wicked man in the Tribulation.

“Let no one deceive you by any means”

The Scripture is proclaiming, don’t let anyone deceive you–people will depart from the faith and the man of sin will come first! Therefore, the suggestion verse 7 implies a pre-Tribulation gathering is ludicrous, as it would come before the apostasy and the man of sin, and clearly contradict the warning and instruction in verse 3.

So, who is he who restrains? Perhaps he’s the angel Michael (Dn 12:1). I don’t know for sure, but this is my best guess. Another angel reports the reason for his delay to come to Daniel was on account of the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstanding him; and Michael came to help him, because he had been left alone there with the kings of Persia (Dn 10:13). If Michael stands up and no longer contends with the princes of the kingdoms of the air, that could explain the time, times and half a time when the power of the holy people will be completely shattered (Dn 12:7).

During the thick of the Tribulation, when many believers will be put to death for their faith, the Holy Spirit will fill them and give them the powerful words to speak with their captors:

Mark 13:11 (NKJV)
But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

Jesus promised us, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20). He is with us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord!