Blessings,
John stated:
"Immediately preceding the revealing of the man of sin, which, takes place at the "abomination of desolations". For, the man of sin cannot be revealed( at abomination of desolation) until the church is taken out of the way..."then shall that wicked one be revealed". Paul was explicitly clear in conveying this message to the church at Thessalonica."
Sorry John! Paul, and no one else ever told the Thessalonians that the "church" was the restrainer. Lets first start with what Paul actually did say.
2Th 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
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The "church" is generally impotent when it comes to restraining evil. Yes, one-on-one we may cast out or bind evil, but our function has never been that of a restrainer. We preach the gospel, love one another, and occasionally heal the sick. But when it comes to "big-time evil," our role has been that of the persecuted and martyred (like our Lord).
Now many people incorrectly believe that the Holy Spirit is the restrainer. And yet there isn't a single scripture that shows the Holy Spirit in the role of restraining or withholding. The Holy Spirit is a gentle "dove". Can you just picture this dove restraining this "king of lawlessness" until his time? (Maybe he sits on the man of iniquity, and gets up to avoid the bird flu.) LOL!. People go through all types of religious gymnastics promoting the removal of the Holy Spirit during the Great Tribulation, when they know that Spirit filled believers are persecuted and decapitated during this time. The Holy Spirit remains on this earth as long as there is a single " true Christian" existing on the planet.
The truth is that the Thessalonians know who the restrainer is, and we are not directly told from the Scriptures. And yet we are promised that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all Truth. I submit the following for your discernment.
The man of iniquity will be revealed at the time that "iniquity shall abound" (Matthew 24:12). Inequity means lawlessness.
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anomia (Strong's 458)
1) the condition of without law
a) because ignorant of it
b) because of violating it
2) contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness
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The restrainer is the "law." When law is removed, the lawless man will be revealed, and iniquity will be abounding. The law restrains lawlessness.
Now I cannot speak for the world, but I can be a witness to what has been occurring in the United States. Over a year ago the "Law " was dramatically removed from our courthouses. I personally believe that this was a physical sign of what had already been accomplished in our land spiritually. Then in the beginning of 2005 a "judge" (a discerner of the law), ruled that an innocent woman should be put to death for committing no crime. Our president, Congress, Supreme Court, state governor and local authorities could/would not intervene to reverse this inequity. Therefore these "higher authorities" in our nation condoned the inequity. That was a dramatic second witness. The time is ripe.
Now concerning the timing of the rapture, there are 15 different opinions between ever ten believers. So, here is Yeshua/Jesus opinion:
Mat 24:8 All these [are] the beginning of sorrows.
Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Mat 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Mat 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Mat 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Shalom, John