As I mentioned earlier, the identity of the Restrainer is still an open question in my mind.  I have always assumed it to be the Holy spirit as He indwells the Church.  But there are some aspects of this interpretation that effectively cast some doubt it.  Some questions worth considering are:  

 

1) Why is Paul being so secretive about it?  Why is he using such cryptic phrases, 2 Thess. 2:6 "And now you know what is restraining...." and 2:7 "he who now restrains."  If he is refering to the Holy Spirit indwelling the Church, why doesn't he simply say it, like "The Holy Spirit's work in and through the Church is what is restraining the revealing of the lawless one, until the Church is taken out of the way."

 

2) Verse 7 says "until he is taken out of the way."  We agree that the Holy Spirit cannot be removed or taken anywhere.....He is omnipresent.  And I know of nowhere else in Scripture where the Church is referred to as "he."  It is a major assumption to say that the usage of the word "he" in this verse is referring to "the Holy Spirit as He indwells the Church."  Verse 6 lends itself to this assumption much more readily than does verse 7.  But Paul changes the phrase from "what is restraining" (v.7) to "he who now restrains" (v.8).  Why did he do that? If the indwelt Church is what he is referring to as the restrainer in verse 7, why does he change it in verse 8 to the Holy Spirit, using the pronoun "he"?  And then the "he" in the phrase "until he is taken out of the way" is no longer referring to the Holy Spirit, but the work of the Holy Spirit in and through the Church??  What a confusing way to say something so simple.

 

The Church is here on Earth and the Holy spirit is indwelling Us.  But sin (evil) is also going on here in the world and even in the Church.  The Church being here is not restraining anything.  The Holy Spirit is forming the Body of Christ and cleansing Its members as sin is being allowed to run rampant in the world.  Sin cannot become any more evil than it already is.  It is not being restrained by the presence of the Church.  Nor is it the Church's mission to restrain it.  The Holy Spirit is presently transferring people from the world into the Body of Christ.  And as he is doing this, evil is becoming more and more widespread.  So can we say that the Holy Spirit through the Church is restraining evil in the world?  Further, if God is willing, Satan can bring his evil men into power even with the Church here.  Look at Nero and Hitler, for example.  The Church being here is not what is restraining the revealing of the Antichrist.  True, the Antichrist won't be revealed until after We are gone.  But the Holy Spirit and the Church are not restraining him.  It is Michael's job to keep satan in check until God is ready to use him.  And that is what Michael is doing until God is ready to pour out His wrath on Israel and the world.  Once the Church leaves and God restarts His dealings with Israel, then it will be time for Michael to be taken out of Satan's way, enabling him to bring his Antichrist onto the scene.

 

"What is restraining" (v.6) is the war in Heaven going on between Satan and his angels and Michael and his angels over control of things on Earth.  "He who now restrains" (v.7) is Michael.   (I could be wrong, but this interpretation seems more logical).