Hello
@Douggg,
* You have had 44 responses, but I hope you will not mind receiving one more.
'And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:
only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
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:
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan
with all power and signs and lying wonders,'
(2 Thess. 2:6-9)
* Something or someone is restraining or keeping in check the revelation of the man of sin.
* The word, 'withholdeth', and 'let', is translated from the same Greek word, 'katecho', it means' to hold firmly', or 'hold fast'.
*
Who and
what is it that
'holds fast'? - The answer to, '
What', is found in Rev.9:1,2 and Rev. 11:7, the man of sin is held in
'the bottomless pit', or
'the pit' until the time for his manifestation to the world. The answer to 'Who', - Eph. 2:2 tells us that Satan, as the prince of, 'the power of the air', is the spirit that controls those under his authority.
* Rev. 12:7-17, describes war in heaven; Michael and his angels fight against Satan and the fallen angels under his control, and the Deceiver is cast down to the earth with terrible results, leading to the Great Tribulation. When this happens, as a last desperate throw, Satan calls up his man from the abyss, and for a short time he dominates the whole world. Satan receiving world worship through the Beast.
In Christ Jesus
Chris
Hi Chris, whether it be "let" or "withholdeth", the net interpretation is that Jesus, all power in heaven and earth given unto him, both let the spirit of Antichrist work back in the Thessalonians day and also restrained it.
It is in similitude to back in the story of Job, God let Satan do bad things to Job; but at the same time, God restrained what Satan was allowed to do.
The important thing is the until "he be taken out of the way". Which would be rapture.
The Antichrist committing the Transgression of Desolation results in the Day of the Lord, which is a time of wrath taking place and judgments affecting all them who dwell on the earth during that time. Christians are not appointed unto wrath - but do have tribulation and troubles during their lifetimes.
In Revelation 12, you point out Michael and his angels fighting against Satan and his angels. Actually, that will take place three months or so after the Antichrist does the act in 2thessalonians2:4.
It is very interwoven into the prophecies that it can be no other way.... backed by an analysis of the crowns on the heads and horns being different in Revelation 12, 13, 17 - which you may say what does that have to do with the timing of the war in heaven in Revelation 12?
What it has to do with is when the person becomes the beast. It is the person as the beast in Revelation 11, who kills the two witnesses on day 1260 - the end of their testimony time stated in Revelation 11:3.
So when we go to Revelation 12:6, those 1260 days immediately precede the war in heaven and Satan being kicked down. The Woman going into the wilderness during the 1260days, as the Jews flee Jerusalem, as the Abomination of Desolation statue will have been setup.
When the two witnesses are killed, the window of fleeing is essentially shut, and them stuck in Jerusalem are them in Revelation 12:14, the remainder, the remanant.
So following the two witnesses coming back to life and ascending to heaven, the 7th trumpet sounds - which signals "time no more" for Satan and his kingdom having dominion over the earth - and the kingdoms of this world becoming the kingdoms of God and his Christ. It begins a 42 month process, which the first step is the war in heaven (the second heaven) and Satan and his angels cast down to earth - their home found there no more - as at the end of the seven years , in Revelation 6, the sixth seal, the cosmos is going to be removed.
That's a lot of material I went over.... in outline form it would look like this:
1. The person becomes the Antichrist, anointed the King of Israel, instead of and against Jesus the rightful King.
2. During the first 3 years 3 months (thereabouts) the falling away takes place. People leave Christianity.
3. Unexpectedly the Antichrist, having become convinced in his heart that he has achieved God-hood,
commits the Act of 2thessalonians2:4, revealing himself as the man of sin.
It ends his time as the Antichrist because the Jews mortified will disown him as continuing as their King.
4. In Ezekiel 28:1-10, God has the person killed for his audacious act - the wording in those verses include "sit", magnified himself in his heart as God (Daniel 8:25). The person is sent to hell.
5. In Isaiah 14:19-20, God in disdain for the person, doesn't allow him to remain there and cast him out of the grave, brings him back to life - it is then the person becomes the beast.
6. The false prophet has an image made of him, the AoD. From Daniel 12:12, by the 1335 days, we can determined that the AoD will be setup on day 1185 on the 7 year timeline. It is then the two witness start their war with the beast - as the Jews flee.
7. When the two witnesses are killed and come back to life on day 1263.5 and leave this world - that leaves the 42 months (not a exact equivalent of 1260 days) which the beast will rule unhampered by the two witnesses.
8. Also, at the time the two witnesses ascend, the seventh trumpet sounds, the war in heaven takes places, and Satan casts down for the time, times, half times.
Okay, that was a lengthy explanation (by necessity) regarding Michael and the war in heaven .....and the timing of the 2thessalonians2:4 act takes place around 3 months before then.
And the reason it is not Michael doing the letting and the restraining is basically what takes place is a re-enactment of God as in the book of Job, in allowing troubles for righteous person at the hands of evil - but putting a restraint on evil at the same time. In 2thessalonians2:7, it is not restraining or letting the person from doing the act - but letting and restraining the spirit of Antichrist to work in the world -affecting the righteous until they be taken out of the way. Then the Day of the Lord will take place on evil.