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2 Thessalonians 2:6
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6 And [kai] now [nun] ye know [eido] what withholdeth [katecho] that [eis] he [autos] might be revealed [apokalupto] in [en] his [heautou] time. [kairos] KJV-Interlinear
6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed. NASB
What existed in Pauls day, that continues to exist in our day, and everyday throughout the history of our dispensation? Well, obviously people come and go from generation to generation, so we as people are not the restrainers of the evil one.
Organizations that existed back then, do not exist today, and likewise, organizations that exist today, did not exist back then. So, organizations are not the restraint of the evil one.
The only things that existed in both of our times, is God and Satan. The evil one is a person, but he has a normal lifespan as we all do. So even the anti-christ did not exist, nor has he existed for all of these centuries.
God is the restraint on evil. Satan is evil. God sent His Son into the world to save, and Satan likewise would like to have his chance as a personal representative, to do his own bidding. But that is not to be until the time is right.
God controls history.
Within our dispensation, the one sustaining life is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells all believers, and the residence of the Holy Spirit in believers, is the principle restraint mechanism for the restraint of evil. And that restraint means that evil is prevented from being unleashed with total freedom of action.
There is evil in the world today, but it is under restraint. Evil is far worse when unrestrained. We live in a society that has a restraint on evil, that restraint provided by the Holy Spirit.
However, one day, the Holy Spirit will withdraw from this world, and along with Him, every believer in the world will be withdrawn as well. This is the Rapture event that we have been studying.
Our indwelling by the Holy Spirit is permanent and eternal. Therefore He cannot leave the world and leave believers behind. But there will come a day, when the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn, just as ambassadors are withdrawn when war is about to be declared. Therefore, that is the reason that the Rapture will occur, and that is the reason why believers will all leave this world instantaneously.
Likewise, and concurrent with that event, we will all be changed into our resurrection bodies, from corruptible to incorruptible.
This means that we as believers, from within our dispensation, will never know the identity of the anti-christ.
Guess all you want, but you will be wrong. Why?
Because God has chosen to not reveal his identity.
Who is he and when will he live? Well, we do not know who he is, but when the Rapture occurs, at that given moment, the anti-christ will already be alive, and we can presume that he will be a young charismatic man. Perhaps someone who is in his thirties or forties. The age is of course only speculation.
With only seven years remaining for the Tribulation to complete itself, and with the anti-christ assuming power immediately following the Rapture, then he has to be an adult, presumably with some political or military post or position which will allow him to seize power almost immediately.
This also means that he will be alive during the last years or decades of our dispensation, the Church Age.
If the Rapture were to occur today, then this person is alive and out there somewhere right now. If the Rapture is not going to occur for another century, then the anti-christ will not have been born yet.
Our dispensation, is called the Church Age, or sometimes it is called the Age of the Royal Family, or sometimes it is called the Age of the Bride of Christ. These are all terms refer to our dispensation.
During our dispensation, believers are raised up on the written word only, supported by the Holy Spirit (unseen, undetectable, unfelt) only.
During our dispensation, the population of the world will expand to all four corners of the world, and the gospel will likewise be spread to all four corners of the world.
During our dispensation, God will position all of the powers, all of the believers, all of the unbelievers, all of the technologies, all of the ingredients of this world (as in a chess match), into a position that will make the world ready of the final confrontation.
In war, the generals try to gain the advantage over their enemy, with regard to disposition, strength, high ground, and so forth, such that the enemy can be defeated.
During our dispensation, God is making the enemies of God, a footstool for the Lords feet. That is to say, he is making them ready for the last battle. And this will not be complete until all of the details of history and of life are precisely in place as God has designed.
And now you know, just as the Thessalonians had known, why history is what it is and why life will go on and should go on, for you and for everyone. Why your first concern is to remain responsible in your life, in your job, in your focus on spiritual growth, and not get caught up in some sort of hoax prediction of the end of the world.
