The Restrainer
December 17, 2025
Dr. Bradford Reaves
Crossway Christian Fellowship
2 Thessalonians 2:6-7
And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7)
Paul teaches that the “man of lawlessness” (Antichrist) cannot be revealed until a present restraining force/person is “taken out of the way.” But what or who is the restrainer? Whoever the restrainer is, He is someone of great power who is hindering the advance of the Antichrist and preventing the satanic kingdom from overwhelming the world. Tonight we’re going to look at various interpretations of this passage, examine closely at the Pretib understanding, and see how that applies in our world today.
Why Paul Brings Up “The Restrainer”
The Thessalonian problem. Some believers feared the “day of the Lord” had already come (2 Thess 2:1–2). Paul corrects them: that day has not arrived because two markers must occur before the day of the Lord can come:
• The rebellion / apostasy (2 Thess 2:3)
• The man of lawlessness is revealed (2 Thess 2:3–4)
But even that revelation is presently blocked because something is restraining the emergence of the Antichrist. “And you know what is restraining him now…” (2 Thess 2:6) “…only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.” (2 Thess 2:7). So the “restrainer” functions like a divine speed-limit on end-times lawlessness until God’s appointed moment.
Think about it—how many times throughout history have figures arisen who embodied the spirit of Antichrist? Repeatedly powerful leaders, false teachers, and deceptive systems have claimed authority, demanded allegiance, and opposed the truth of Christ. Scripture prepares us for this pattern. As the apostle John writes, “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour” (1 John 2:18). These recurring antichrists are not the final one, but they serve as harbingers—previews of the ultimate deception still to come—reminding us that the world has long been rehearsing for the arrival of the man of lawlessness.
Key Observations from the Text
A. The Restrainer is both “what” and “he”
Paul uses a neuter concept (“what is restraining,” v.6) and a masculine agent (“he who restrains,” v.7). That strongly suggests that there is an impersonal aspect (a restraint, a mechanism, an institution), and a personal aspect (an agent behind it). This duality fits especially well with the Holy Spirit’s restraining work expressed through a particular God-ordained instrument during the Church in this age.
B. The Restrainer is already known to them
Paul says, “you know…” (2 Thess 2:6). He had taught them previously (2 Thess 2:5). That implies the identity was clear in their catechesis, even if Paul doesn’t spell it out in the letter (likely for prudence and because they already understood).
C. The restraint is temporary and purposeful
The restraint lasts “until” (2 Thess 2:7). God is not reacting; He is governing timing. When restraint is lifted, lawlessness erupts—and then the Lord ultimately destroys the lawless one “by the breath of his mouth” at His coming (2 Thess 2:8; cf. Rev 19:11–21).
What is Being Restrained? Paul says it plainly
• “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work” (2 Thess 2:7)
• yet Antichrist is not revealed until restraint is removed (2 Thess 2:6–7)
So the restrainer is holding back the full manifestation of satanic lawlessness—keeping the world from crossing a God-set line until the proper prophetic hour. Compare the Tribulation’s moral/spiritual chaos:
• Global deception and false worship (Rev 13:3–8, 11–18)
• Unprecedented judgments and societal unraveling (Rev 6–9; 16)
• A climactic hatred of truth and embrace of delusion (2 Thess 2:9–12)
Major Viewpoints on the Identity of “The Restrainer”
• Human Government / Law and Order: God restrains evil through civil authority (Rom 13:1–4; 1 Pet 2:13–14)
• The Roman Empire / Imperial Order
• Michael the Archangel
• The Holy Spirit
• The Church / Spirit-Filled Church (corporate restraint)
The Restrainer is the Spirit-Filled Church
The best explanation, within a plain-sense, pre-trib framework, is that God restrains lawlessness through the Church as Christ’s body, indwelt by the Spirit, functioning as “salt and light” (Matt 5:13–16). At the Rapture (1 Thess 4:13–18), the Church is removed, and restraint lifts.
• Harmonizes with pre-trib distinctives: the Church is not appointed to wrath (1 Thess 1:10; 5:9), and Revelation’s Tribulation judgments (Rev 6–18) unfold after the Church’s removal (a common dispensational reading).
• Matches the neuter + masculine pattern:
o “what” = the restraining influence (the Church’s presence/witness)
o “he” = the Holy Spirit who empowers and implements that restraint through the Church
• Integrates Paul’s rapture emphasis in the broader Thessalonian correspondence (1 Thess 4:13–18; 1 Thess 5:1–11; 2 Thess 2:1).
• Fits the moral logic: remove Spirit-empowered salt/light, and decay/darkness accelerates (Matt 5:13–16).
• “Out of the way” (2 Thess 2:7) describes the Rapture—not the Spirit ceasing to exist or to operate globally.
But People Get Saved in the Tribulation—So How Can the Spirit Be ‘Out of the Way’?
Good question—and it’s exactly why the position should be stated precisely: Regeneration is always by the Spirit (John 3:5–8; Titus 3:5).
he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, (Titus 3:5)
Tribulation saints appear in Revelation (Rev 7:9–14). So the Spirit is clearly still saving.
The point in 2 Thess 2 is not the Spirit’s absence, but the removal of a restraining administration—the Spirit’s unique indwelling of the Church as Christ’s body on earth, with its collective witness, preaching, discipling, moral saltiness, and Spirit-empowered resistance to deception. Remove that, and the world becomes ripe for the “strong delusion” (2 Thess 2:11).
The Removal of Restraint and the Explosion of Evil in the Tribulation
Once restraint is lifted:
• The “man of lawlessness” is revealed (2 Thess 2:3–4).
• Satan’s counterfeit signs and wonders surge (2 Thess 2:9).
• Truth rejection hardens into delusion (2 Thess 2:10–12).
• Global worship of the beast and his image emerges (Rev 13:4, 8, 12, 15).
• The world enters a period Jesus calls unparalleled distress (Matt 24:21).
• This coheres with Daniel’s 70th week framework (Dan 9:24–27) and the progressive judgments of Revelation (Rev 6–19)
The Restraining Force at Work Today
Paul’s whole purpose is steadiness: “Let no one deceive you” (2 Thess 2:3). Evil is real, but it’s leashed until God says otherwise (2 Thess 2:6–7). Even with the Spirit-filled Church present in the world today, we are already witnessing a measurable increase in evil, deception, and chaos. This should tell us something sobering: what we see now is evil restrained, not evil unchained.
Antisemitism
Hatred toward the Jewish people is exploding globally, crossing political, cultural, and religious lines. Even now, the Church’s witness—biblical teaching, gospel truth, and moral clarity—stands as a barrier against total normalization of this ancient hatred (Gen. 12:3; Zech. 2:8). But during the Tribulation, antisemitism will reach genocidal intensity as Satan focuses his rage on Israel, culminating in unprecedented persecution (Dan. 7:21, 25; Rev. 12:13–17).
Apostasy
Scripture warned that a great falling away would precede the Day of the Lord (2 Thess. 2:3; 1 Tim. 4:1). Even now, false teaching, gospel dilution, and doctrinal compromise are spreading within visible Christendom. Yet faithful churches still preach truth and call people to repentance. Once the Church is removed, apostasy will give way to open global deception, where truth is not merely rejected but actively hated (2 Thess. 2:10–12).
Lawlessness
Jesus said lawlessness would increase as the end approaches (Matt. 24:12). Today we see the erosion of moral absolutes. Spirit-filled believers restrain chaos through obedience to God, respect for life, and submission to biblical authority.
Wars
Wars and rumors of wars are a defining mark of this age (Matt. 24:6–7). While conflict continues to escalate, God has still restrained total global war. The removal of the Church will accelerate geopolitical instability, leading to massive regional and global conflicts during the Tribulation (Rev. 6:3–4; Ezek. 38–39), all paving the way for a false global “peace” under Antichrist.
The Surge of Islamic Terror
Radical Islamic ideology has proven to be one of the most persistent sources of modern terror, driven by theological hatred of Jews, Christians, and Western civilization. Even now, missionary work, gospel witness, and moral restraint limit its reach. During the Tribulation, religious violence will be absorbed into a broader global deception, eventually merging into a one-world religious system hostile to biblical truth and Israel (Rev. 17:1–6).
Natural Disasters
Earthquakes, famines, and disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity—what Jesus called “the beginning of birth pains” (Matt. 24:7–8). Yet today, they remain limited in scope and duration. In the Tribulation, restraint is lifted, and creation itself is shaken as God’s judgments fall directly upon the earth in escalating waves (Rev. 6–16), far surpassing anything the world has ever known.
The Church’s presence matters more than we realize
We the church matter more than we realize. Word, prayer, holiness, evangelism, discipleship—functions as a Spirit-powered restraint against societal decay (Matt 5:13–16; Phil 2:15–16). The removal of the Church is not a trivial detail—it’s a prophetic hinge that helps explain the sudden rise of global lawlessness and deception (1 Thess 4:13–18; 2 Thess 2:6–12).
