2 Thessalonians 2:3-10. 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, who 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. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 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.
Revelation 12:1-4. A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male child….’
The insight given by the Holy Spirit so long ago to the apostle Paul for the assembly in Thessalonica will shortly be fulfilled. No doubt ‘the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction’ is already somewhere on the world’s stage. As yet he remains hidden, awaiting his opportunity to come forth as some latter-day saviour. The present great global uncertainty is building up to the crisis that will provide the moment of his revelation widely across the whole world.
Almighty God is the one and only law giver, who formed all created things after His divine will and purpose. Lawlessness is that which denies and opposes to the utmost all that is the truth and reality of God. In this evil being there is no truth, only a deceitful opposition to all that is righteous, all that is holy, all that testifies to the love and the goodness of God.
No doubt this totally evil being will at first be perceived as ‘an angel of light’, deceiving vast numbers and drawing their utmost admiration – even worship. Yet the real embodiment of all evil that he shall become may be masked for a while. Even many who profess to believe in Jesus will be wholly deceived. This ‘man of lawlessness, the son of destruction’ will be the beast, the antichrist.
In these last days before the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, great numbers of people are aware that there is a force behind the visible elected governments of the world. This hidden and unelected oligarchy is constantly at work behind the scenes to influence, distort and recreate the facts. Much of the current media is their mouthpiece. ‘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. The one who now restrains is found in Revelation 12. In vision the apostle John saw in heaven ‘a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. This woman is opposed by God’s arch enemy in the form of ‘the great red dragon’. However, the dragon’s present intent is not upon the woman but on the offspring she is about to give birth to.
And she gave birth to a son, a male child. Who then is this male child? Surely this is ‘he who now restrains’. Who is restraining evil in this world right now? Surely this is the Holy Spirit, yet not directly, but through those of the Lord’s faithfully devoted ones who stand in the face of Satan that they may thwart and overcome him.
‘The male child’, ‘he who now restrains’, is composed of countless believers who throughout history have lived in total dependence upon the Living God and who thus act with His authority. They are epitomized by the faithful ones mentioned in Hebrews 11. However, most members of this company have lived and died. Their race has been run. The ones now restraining are those individuals and companies of God’s wholly committed disciples whose activity and locations will be largely hidden from the general view. For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. 2 Chronicles 16:9. May we who read these words be found among God’s faithful ones who, in His strength alone, are standing in ‘the gap’ in the face of the rising tide of evil.
In them and with them the Holy Spirit will depart from the earth, before Satan is forever cast with his fallen angels out of heaven and unrestrained evil is let loose upon the world during the final 1,260 days of the ‘great tribulation’.
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