The Restrainer

“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… and THEN (which means AFTER He is “taken away”), the Wicked one will be revealed, whose coming is after the working of Satan…” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-9). 

The Restrainer is the Holy Spirit that lives within each of our hearts, “sealing” us with His presence until such time as we are taken Home (Ephesians 1:13,14). The gift of the Spirit of God is never taken away from us. We are never stripped of His presence and left alone to try to figure out how to live this life in our own power. We are sealed. 

Why is this doctrine so important? Because the Spirit is removed PRIOR to the “lawless one,” the antichrist, being revealed. Not halfway through the tribulation, or at the end… but prior. And the promise that God gave us is that, “He would never leave us or forsake us,” so when the Spirit is removed, so are we. 

“Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him and those who pierced Him; and all the people on earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen” (Revelation 1:7). After John writes this, and speaks directly to the seven churches, the church is never mentioned again until they return with the Lord on white horses in Revelation 19:11-16. 

Take heart, dear ones, Jesus is coming to take you Home before the tribulation. His Spirit will not leave ahead of you and abandon you… it’s a promise.

(Devotional by Cheryl Hall-Laos)