The Lord's Restraint

The Lord places restraint against satan and his fallen angelics in varying degrees over time.

These angelics rebelled against the Lord long long ago. His judgment against this behavior is revealed in Genesis 1:2, Jeremiah 4:23-25, and Ezekiel 28:12-16, and He will ultimately destroy all of them. [Job 1:6-7; 38:1-7; Isaiah 14:12-27; Ezekiel 28:1-19; Revelation 12:3-4; 12:7-9; 19:20; 20:10; 20:15]

Little restraint was placed upon satan and his angelic followers at the onset of the creation of humans of our kind about 6,000 years ago. This condition resulted in a major corruption of the world's population and the Lord's ensuing judgment of a worldwide flood. [Genesis 3; 6:1-7]

A greater degree of restraint was applied after the flood and this restraining against satan and his angelic princes is revealed to the prophet Daniel by the Lord Himself. [Daniel 10:4-21; 11:1]

Even greater restraint has since been place by the Lord and this action was instituted at His first advent just after His ascension. This function of His holy spirit was activated at Pentecost and is still in place today. [Acts 2:1-17]

This further restraint has limited satanic activity to a level of influence, but with no latitude for actual manifested interactions on the earth including the possession of a human by a satanic entity.

This limited influence cannot be induced against human will. Humans have the choice to resist any of it, but unfortunately many do become entangled including those who profess to be believers in Jesus Christ. [Matthew 24:4-5; 2Peter 2:1-22; 2Timothy 3:1-17; 4:1-5]

The Lord will remove a large measure of this existing restraining function which will allow for satan and his fallen angelics to interact directly with humanity during His coming hour of trial and judgment against an unbelieving intransigent world. Satan and his fallen angelics will be released upon the earth and kept from access to heaven during the period [2Thessalonians 2:1-12; 2Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6; Revelation 3:10; 6:12-17; 9:1-21; 11:7; 12:9-12; 13:1-7; 13:11-18; 17:8-14]

??? I don't understand why you would think there are levels of restraint imposed upon the devil (unbiblical) when it is actually protection, power and authority given to God's people.

The Lord puts a hedge of protection around His people.


Job 1:9Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.


1 Peter 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

The Lord gave us power and authority over the devil.

Luk 10:19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.


It is the Spirit-filled church that has the power and authority to restrain the devil. The church is the restrainer.


2Th 2:1Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, and our gathering together to him, we ask you
2Th 2:2not to be quickly shaken in your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as from us, saying that the day of Messiah had come.
2Th 2:3Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the departure comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction,
2Th 2:4he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God.
2Th 2:5Don't you remember that, when I was still with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.
2Th 2:7For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nothing by the brightness of his coming;

In Revelation 7, it is the church who is standing in heaven, gathered to Christ, before the Day of the Lord begins.

"??? I don't understand why you would think there are levels of restraint imposed upon the devil (unbiblical) when it is actually protection, power and authority given to God's people"

>No you do not

>Explain the following passages of scripture [Genesis 6:1-7; Daniel 10:4-21; Acts:1-8; 2Thessalonians 2:6; 2Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6; Revelation 9:1; 12:12; 20:1-3]

Truth Files said:

"??? I don't understand why you would think there are levels of restraint imposed upon the devil (unbiblical) when it is actually protection, power and authority given to God's people"

>No you do not

>Explain the following passages of scripture [Genesis 6:1-7; Daniel 10:4-21; Acts:1-8; 2Thessalonians 2:6; 2Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6; Revelation 9:1; 12:12; 20:1-3]

Click to expand...

I already "explained" 2 Thess 2.

Genesis 6 is describing when the angels fell and had kids with women.
Genesis 6


1And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.


These two verses are speaking of the angels who fell and had kids with women - God bound them in an abyss until judgment day. It is expounded upon in Enoch.
2 Peter 2:4For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Jude 1:6And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.


These verses are speaking of the same moment in time, when satan is cast down to the earth and all his angels with him:

Revelation 9

1And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

Rev 12:
9And 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.


Rev 12:12Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

This passage is describing the moment, after the wrath, when Christ comes on the clouds. He casts the devil lower still, binding him in an abyss for 1000 years.
Revelation 20


1And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Are people who are in hell "restrained" by God? When God casts the devil down to the earth, and then lower still into the abyss, it is the judgment and wrath of God. When God bound the fallen angels into the abyss, it was judgment, not "restraint".