HE SAID WHAT?? That is pretty incredible. With all that is happening today that confirms the time in which we find ourselves, that is just impossible to ignore. I firmly believe that GOD is in control of all things and He is speaking to us now in the daily events. Giving us plenty of warning, plenty of time to repent and be saved.
WAKE UP! If you are one who does not KNOW GOD… YOU had better shake off the slumber from your eyes and put your ears on! SIGNS ARE EVERYWHERE!
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Short Urlhttps://arab.news/mzbqc
Updated 21 March 202194585
- Nowrouz, an ancient celebration and the most important date in the Iranian calendar, begins at the spring equinox
- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the new year of 1400 is ‘an important and sensitive’
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei named the Iranian new year that of “production, support and removal of barriers” in a live televised speech broadcast on Saturday.“There is good ground for a production leap,” Khamenei said, adding that the government needed to get rid of any legal obstacles to production and growth.
The Iranian army fired gun salutes at Tehran’s Azadi Square to usher in Nowruz – or “New Day” in Persian – at 13.07 local time.
Nowrouz, an ancient celebration and the most important date in the Iranian calendar, begins at the spring equinox – the moment when the sun crosses the equator, and day and night are of equal length. It is also celebrated in Afghanistan, the Kurdish regions of Iraq, Turkey and Syria, and throughout Central Asia.
Khamenei said the new year of 1400 is “an important and sensitive” one because of the upcoming presidential election in June.
In a separate message, President Hassan Rouhani said he was hopeful that the new year will see the end of sanctions that the former US president imposed after abandoning a 2015 Iran nuclear deal with world powers
“We will defeat the sanctions … I am more hopeful than eight years ago” he said, referring to when he was elected to his first term.
Rouhani, considered a pragmatist, is barred from standing for a third term and the slate of candidates has yet to be finalized.
Iran’s hard-liners say the US sanctions are proof that Rouhani’s policy of reaching out to enemies was a failure. A delay in progress on returning to a 2015 nuclear deal could hurt the chances of a moderate succeeding Rouhani, although the final decision on any diplomatic initiative would be taken by Khamenei rather than the elected president.
Khamenei said on Saturday that the June election will likely ensure a young president at the helm.
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14.4.2. Who is the Restrainer
14.4.2. Who is the RestrainerIn a key passage concerning “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,” Paul relates that the Day of Christ (NU—Day of the Lord ) cannot come unless the man of sin is revealed (2Th. 2Th. 2:1-4) and that the man of sin was being actively restrained at the time Paul wrote. And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 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. (2Th. 2Th. 2:6-7) [emphasis added]
The Restrainer is referred to both in the neuter (what) and masculine (he) gender. This mix of gender appears in relation to the Holy Spirit Who is a person, but also described using a Greek term which is neuter in gender (πνευμα [pneuma] ). It is also said that the Restrainer “now restrains” and will continue to do so until “He is taken out of the way.” Since the man of sin has yet to be revealed,1 we can infer that the Restrainer, whoever or whatever he is, has been effectively suppressing the revelation of the man of sin for over 2000 years. When we collect the pieces of evidence concerning the identity of the Restrainer, we find:
- The Restrainer is referred to as both neuter (τὸ κατέχον [to katechon] , “what is restraining”) and masculine (ὁ κατέχων [ho katechōn] , “He who now restrains”).
- The Restrainer existed in Paul’s day.
- The Restrainer has been continually and effectively restraining for nearly 2,000 years so far.
- The Restrainer is powerful enough to suppress the spiritual powers of darkness seeking to promote the man of sin.
- The restraint is global.
Numerous suggestions have been made concerning the identity of the Restrainer:
Several of these views do not necessarily involve a supernatural force. These include the Jewish state and James, Paul and the preaching of the gospel, the Roman Empire, and human government. Other views may be grouped as hostile supernatural views, which include Satan, a hostile false prophet, a general hostile force in the form of the mystery of lawlessness and human government, and the preincarnate state of the man of lawlessness. In several views ὁ κατέχων [ho katechōn] is seen as a benevolent supernatural figure rather than a hostile one. Usually an angel, such as Michael, or another type of heavenly being, such as Elijah, or a mythological being, is suggested. The most common supernatural figure suggested, though, is God Himself.2
Of the various suggestions, it would seem that the Restrainer must be supernatural in power. For what government could restrain Satan and do so continuously for 2,000 years? Yet, Scripture indicates that the Holy Spirit had just such a ministry (Gen. Gen. 6:3; Gen. 20:6; John John 16:18). It seems the best solution for the identity of the Restrainer is the Holy Spirit Himself. “The first participle (τὸ κατέχο [to katecho] ) conforms to the gender of πνεῦμα [pneuma] . The second participle ὁ κατέχων [ho katechōn] confirms the personality of the Holy Spirit.”3 If this is so, this has significant implications concerning the Rapture of the Church because we previously saw that the Holy Spirit indwells those who are baptized into the Body of Christ permanently for the day of redemption. It is impossible that the Holy Spirit could depart from indwelling the sealed believer—He cannot be taken out of the way unless all born-again believers indwelt by Him are taken with Him!
The Holy Spirit came down into the world at Pentecost in a special sense in which He had never been in the world, to dwell in the Church, the body of believers which is called the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 1Cor. 6:19). When all believers are removed to heaven according to the promise made to the church in Philadelphia (Rev. Rev. 3:10+), . . . the Holy Spirit goes out of the world in the sense that He came into it at Pentecost.4
This was precisely Paul’s point in his letter to the Thessalonians. Some of them thought that they had already entered the Day of the Lord, but Paul reassures them that this could not be the case for the man of sin must first be revealed and he will not be revealed until the Restrainer has been taken out of the way. The Thessalonian believers would be “gathered together” to Christ before the man of sin would be revealed.
Since the ministry of the Holy Spirit includes indwelling believers and working through the church, then ἐκ μέσου γένηται [ek mesou genētai] (“taken out of the way”) could possibly refer to the removal of the Holy Spirit through the removal of the church in the pretribulational rapture. Since the passage concerns the gathering of believers, this cryptic apocalyptic reference to the Spirit, who indwells the church, is probably in view. This would be an encouragement to the Thessalonian believers to stop being alarmed about any false teaching on the Day of the Lord.5
Who or what is restraining the satanically empowered movement against God’s law and is postponing the revelation of the man of sin? Some say it is the Roman Empire. But the empire has long vanished and “the holder back” is not yet revealed. Another suggestion is that this is Satan, but it is difficult to see why he would hold back sin. Others suggest that human governments are holding back sin and the revealing of the Antichrist. But human governments will not end prior to the Antichrist’s unveiling. Nor do all governments restrain sin; many encourage it! The Holy Spirit of God is the only Person with sufficient (supernatural) power to do this restraining. Some object to this being the Holy Spirit on the grounds that to katechon in 2 Thessalonians 2Th. 2:6 is neuter (“what is holding back”). But this is no problem for two reasons: (a) The neuter is sometimes used of the Holy Spirit (John John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:13-14). (b) In 2 Thessalonians 2Th. 2:7 the words are masculine: ho katechōn , the one who . . . holds it back. How does He do it? Through Christians, whom He indwells and through whom He works in society to hold back the swelling tide of lawless living. How will He be taken out of the way? When the church leaves the earth in the Rapture, the Holy Spirit will be taken out of the way in the sense that His unique lawlessness-restraining ministry through God’s people will be removed (cf. Gen. Gen. 6:3). The removal of the Restrainer at the time of the Rapture must obviously precede the day of the Lord. Paul’s reasoning is thus a strong argument for the pretribulational Rapture: the Thessalonians were not in the Great Tribulation because the Rapture had not yet occurred.6
Many suggestions have been made to identify the restraining force of 1Th. 1Th. 4:6, 1Th. 4:7. These include: (1) human government; (2) preaching of the gospel; (3) the binding of Satan; (4) the providence of God; (5) the Jewish state; (6) the church; (7) the Holy Spirit; and 8) Michael. Whatever now restrains the Antichrist of 1Th. 1Th. 4:3, 1Th. 4:4, 1Th. 4:8-10 from being revealed in the fullness of his apostasy and evil, must be more than human or even angelic power.7
The restraint which has withheld the revelation of Antichrist all these years involves both the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Some understand the neuter τὸ κατέχον [to katechon] , (“what is restraining”) as denoting the Word of God, whereas ὁ κατέχων [ho katechōn] , (“He who now restrains”) denotes the Holy Spirit. If so, the former may be the means by which the later agent performs His ministry through the Church.
Regarding the association of the Holy Spirit with the gospel, it might be said that neither the Spirit nor the gospel (or the Word of God) operate independently of each other. This is true of Creation when God spoke and the Spirit hovered over the waters (Gen. Gen. 1:1-3). The gospel came in power and in the Holy Spirit (1Th. 1Th. 1:5). Sanctification comes through both the Word and the Spirit (cf. Ps. Ps. 119:9, Ps. 119:11; 1Th. 1Th. 4:8; 2Th. 2Th. 2:13; 2Ti. 2Ti. 3:16-17). The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Eph. Eph. 6:17).8
For a more detailed discussion of the identity of the Restrainer, see [J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1958), 259-263] and [Powell, “The Identity of the “Restrainer” in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7”].
Notes
1 See our discussion why Nero cannot be the man of sin.
2 Charles E. Powell, “The Identity of the ‘Restrainer’ in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7,” in Bibliotheca Sacra, vol. 154 no. 615 (Dallas, TX: Dallas Theological Seminary, July-Sep 1997), 328-329.
3 Ibid., 330.
4 Donald Grey Barnhouse, Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1971), 120-121.
5 Powell, “The Identity of the “Restrainer” in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7,” 330.
6 Thomas L. Constable, “2 Thessalonians,” in John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, eds., The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Wheaton, IL: SP Publications, 1983), 2Th. 2:7.
7 John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, 1997), 2Th. 2:6.
8 Powell, “The Identity of the “Restrainer” in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7,” 331.
9 J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1958), 259-263.
10 Powell, “The Identity of the “Restrainer” in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7.”
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“The Restrainer Removed”
If Jesus Christ is the One to watch for, the antichrist is the one to watch out for. We are told by Paul that he is going to be held back—restrained—until the proper time. Can any time be the right time for such a rascal to be given free reign? Notwithstanding our reason or desire, it’s going to happen. So, we’re told to keep our eyes open. But whatever Paul told the Thessalonians when he was with them, he left something out (it seems) in passing the message on to us through this letter. Among other things it leaves us wondering, “Who is the restrainer? How and why is it or he removed?” And that opened the door to some wild speculation.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 2 Thessalonians 2:5-8
All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.
Who Is this Restrainer?
Let’s cut to the chase. Many think that “he who now restrains” is none other than the Holy Spirit. Once He is taken “out of the way” all hell will break loose. Literally. This fuels the theory that if the Holy Spirit is removed this can only mean that the Church is also removed. Agreed. There certainly can be no believers on the earth if there is no Holy Spirit upon the earth. The Church cannot exist without the indwelling Holy Spirit who is given to every Christian at conversion. He is the Inner Witness who is united to our spirit, affirming our faith and making the new creation life possible. If He goes, we go. But is this really what this passage is saying?
There are not just difficulties with this idea, there are impossibilities. First, the difficulties. Verse 6 presents us with a problem. That little word “what” shows us that what Paul has in mind is not a person. This is unarguable. Check the translations and the Greek if you know it. Paul has something impersonal in mind. True, he switches off in the next verse and clearly speaks of a “he”, but that doesn’t remove the problem. The restrainer of verse 6 cannot refer to the Holy Spirit. He is more fully a Person than any of us who were created in the image of God. As a Person, He may indeed be largely unknown to many in the Body of Christ who “host” Him on the inside of their renewed being. But it is a he who indwells us, not an it.
Is this restrainer, then, a combination of the Holy Spirit (if He is the “he” of verse 7) and whatever that “it” of verse 6 is? There are other candidates. Various scholars have argued for the restrainer being civil government, gospel preaching, the binding of Satan, the providence of God, the Jewish state, the Church and the archangel Michael. Which one or which combination of them is the correct interpretation? Will the real restrainer please stand up? (But don’t remove yourself yet!)
Possible Candidates
Let’s try fitting together the pieces using the Holy Spirit as the “he.” Could the it be the Church? No, the Church is a living Body composed of individual persons. Paul taught us that. He can’t be forgetting it here. Speaking of Paul’s teachings, we know that one of the restrainers of sin in this present age is the civil authority—governments! Here’s what he wrote about it in Romans.
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. Romans 13:1-2
A governing “authority” is definitely an it, not a person. With that in mind, the best candidate for the verse 7 “he” is God in His providential capacity—His self-chosen ability to work through the governmental authorities He raises up as restraints upon sin. By this reading, the restrainer is God the Father. Apparently, He has ordained “a time” in which the antichrist is to be revealed. By removing His restraining Hand upon government, the Father will give the antichrist the opportunity he needs. The lawless one will seize full control for himself. This has been foretold. This is ordained. Just as the Father’s Hand once restrained Herod from killing the Christ child, so now the removal of His Hand will loose the antichrist from all restraint.
An Impossibility that Remains
This selection of candidates removes the difficulties of the text. That still leaves an impossibility to discuss. How is it possible that the Holy Spirit could be removed from the earth? Those who imagine that this will happen have not given enough thought to the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. Without Him you not only do not have the Church, you don’t have any life left on earth! The Holy Spirit is indeed a restrainer of sin. He is also the giver and sustainer of all life, not just the life of faith in the hearts of believers.[i] That any life can exist apart from the Holy Spirit’s active involvement, can only be believed by those who think that the Holy Spirit is only given to the Church. The Holy Spirit is indeed given to the Church in a way that the world does not receive, but He is still given to all life as Sustainer.
When Jesus was walking with His disciples on the way to Jerusalem, they asked about the Holy Spirit. He told them that they already knew Him, and they were puzzled. Like some Christians, they had no conscious, relational connection to the Holy Spirit.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17
Just because the world cannot “receive” the Holy Spirit, doesn’t mean that He isn’t with them. According to Jesus, the Holy Spirit was with the disciples even though they were not yet converted, born-again believers. Even so, they were “receiving” His witness. How else could anyone get any pointers leading them to faith in Jesus? No one in the Rapture debate questions that there will be believers, martyrs and converts during the tribulation. How can any of that take place without the Holy Spirit? This is absurd!
Our Indispensable Ally
Every convert receives that Holy Spirit when they are born again. Every martyr or faithful Christian needs the active work of the Holy Spirit to remain faithful—none of us can stand in our own strength alone. The believing remnant of the Tribulation who refuse the mark of the beast will need the Holy Spirit more than any generation that ever lived. Even so, all generations have the Holy Spirit working with them. Otherwise, there could be no life. That’s why the alleged “removal” of the Holy Spirit is an unthinkable impossibility.
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Endnotes
[i] When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. Psalm 104:2
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