Who Restrainth?
by JWing
2 Thessalonians 2:1-10
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 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. 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; 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. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 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: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. |
There are currently 2 schools of thought on who this "restrainer", in other translations, is. The two candidates are the Archangel Michael or the Holy Spirit. There are quite a few verses dealing with the powers and roles of each. We will take a look at a few and see if they match up to the requirements of the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians.
Daniel 10:13
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Daniel 10:20-21 20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. 21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince. Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. Revelation 12:7-9 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. |
Out of the entire Bible the Archangel Michael only shows up a total of 5 times. He appears to be a tremendously powerful angel and is named as a chief prince and archangel strong enough to take on the likes of Satan. Also something interesting is that angels, asides from the Cherubim and Seraphim, do not have wings. So this depiction of angels with wings is not accurate. Satan is a Cherubim so he has a wings. Clearly Michael has his limits and is not powerful enough to hold back Satan on his own, as both Jude and Revelation prove. Also it would appear that Michael is specifically assigned to guard Daniel and his people, the Israelites.
Genesis 1:1-2
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Psalm 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Isaiah 63:11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? |
Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Luke 4:1
And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Acts 2:4
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Ephesians 4:30
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
1 Thessalonians 4:8
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Luke 4:1
And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Acts 2:4
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Ephesians 4:30
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
1 Thessalonians 4:8
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
There are even more verses concerning the Holy Spirit. All of them confirm over and over again that the Holy Spirit is the 3rd part of the Godhead. As such he shares all the powers and abilities of God. God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and all knowing. As we know Jesus, when being tempted by the devil, was able to tell Satan to depart and Satan had to immediately leave Him. Jesus was also was viewed with dread by evil spirits and demons wherever he went, for he was able to cast them out by simply telling them to leave. Likewise the Holy Spirit shares that power and can easily hold Satan and all his angels at a standstill, or if necessary throw them out.
It is my contention that Rev 12:7-9's throwing out of Satan from heaven was not because of Michael and his angel's efforts, but rather the interference of the Holy Spirit. Well where was the Holy Spirit before this? We know that every Christian receives the Holy Spirit upon accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour. We also know that he resides in all true believers, sealing us until the day Jesus comes to receive us to Him. Could it be a coincidence that Paul in 2 Thes 2:1-10 mentions that our catching up to Jesus coincides the removal of the restrainer and that the AntiChrist is to appear immediately after? So lets compare the qualities of the restrainer and see which candidate meets them all.
It is my contention that Rev 12:7-9's throwing out of Satan from heaven was not because of Michael and his angel's efforts, but rather the interference of the Holy Spirit. Well where was the Holy Spirit before this? We know that every Christian receives the Holy Spirit upon accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour. We also know that he resides in all true believers, sealing us until the day Jesus comes to receive us to Him. Could it be a coincidence that Paul in 2 Thes 2:1-10 mentions that our catching up to Jesus coincides the removal of the restrainer and that the AntiChrist is to appear immediately after? So lets compare the qualities of the restrainer and see which candidate meets them all.
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Archangel Michael
Y
Y N ? N Y |
Holy Spirit
Y
Y Y Y Y Y |
As you can see Archangel Michael, who is powerful in his own right, already has problems when it comes to dictating human history and restraining upon a global scale. But most important, it is not even known for certain that he could hold back Satan himself. In Daniel 10:20-21 Michael and the messenger angel was needed to fight the Prince of Persia. Then in Jude, Michael must defer to God to rebuke Satan, indicating that his power alone is not enough against Satan. So the more safe bet for the restrainer is the Holy Spirit, the 3rd person in the Trinity that makes up God (YWH). He not only seals us but protects us, as true believers.
If you haven't already, would you like to receive this kind of power and protection into your life? This is a power that not only makes Satan and his powers back down from you but rather flee from you if you call upon Him, as was the case for even the Archangel Michael. If you do say this prayer and ask the Lord Jesus into your life: |
Dear Lord God. I know I am a sinner and need your gift of salvation from my sins. I BELIEVE IN JESUS, the Son of God, as my personal Savior. I believe that His death on the cross and resurrection provides forgiveness for ALL my sins past, present, & future. Please forgive all my sins and come into my heart and life. I hereby trust in Jesus FINISHED WORK alone, and NOT upon me & my "good works", as sufficient to make me right with you and fit for Heaven. Please forgive ALL my sins and come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Seal me with your Holy Spirit until the day you come to take me home. In your Son Jesus’ name. Amen.
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