This question is for those of you in the camp that believe in a rapture, it can be pre-trib or mid-trib, and that the 1,000 year reign is literal.
Jesus said that nobody knew when He was going to return. So we take that to mean that it could be today, or it could be 20 years from now, or it could still be another 500-2,000 years off, we just don't know.
But what strikes me is that if we don't know, then doesn't that also mean that Satan doesn't know? And if Satan doesn't know when Christ is returning, then that necessarily must mean that Satan doesn't know who the anti-Christ is, right?
I had a professor in college who held an interesting view which I wonder how those of you who hold to rapture would view.
I'm sure you have all memorized II Thessalonians 2 as that is a major passage concerning this. I want to specifically look at verse 7 - 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.
This professor held that the one who restrained the man of lawlessness [the anti-Christ] was actually not the Holy Spirit, nor the Church, which are the standard interpretations - but the angel Michael. We seen in Scripture that Michael is the angel that basically carries out God's will, and Gabriel is more of the messenger.
So the picture he painted looks like this - Satan doesn't know when the end is, he's not privy to that information any more than we are. But his goal is of course the same - keep as many people away from Christ as possible and do as many terrible things as possible.
Thus, Satan influences people, raises people up to do terrible things. So we have a man like Hitler come to power, does bad things, but God looks over at Michael and says, "Not yet", so Michael steps in and the potential anti-Christ is stopped. Someone else comes to power, does terrible things, God looks over at Michael and says "Not yet", and so he is stopped.
But one day, someone will come to power, Michael will glance over at God, and God won't tell Michael to intervene. And viola, you have your anti-Christ.
Thoughts?