EXTRAS for FURTHER STUDY:

1. For those who want to explore 2 Thessalonians 1:7 concerning the Restrainer

2. Do you wonder why God would allow his Bride to suffer in the Great Tribulation?

3. What happens to Israel and the unbelieving world after the rapture of the Church?

1. Who is the Restrainer?

Before the end, the restrainer must be taken out of the way to allow the Antichrist to declare himself God and begin the Great Tribulation.

2 THESS 2: 1-7 (English Standard Version)  "Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.  Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed…

And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 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 (this Greek word may be translated ‘arise’). 

1. Could Michael, the archangel who protects Israel, be the restrainer holding back the lawless one spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:6,7? 

We see 3 Scriptures that would lend credence to this thought:

i) Satan is thrown out of the ‘heavens’ by the archangel Michael, causing Great Distress on the earth, REV 12:7,9,12  "Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him...He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” 

When Michael, Israel’s protector (Dan. 10:13, 21) arises (AMAD) and ceases standing watch over the land, it will be a time of great distress, like no other. DANIEL 12:1-4 (NASB 1995) 

ii) "Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people (Israel), will *arise (AMAD). And there will be a time of **distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued (escape).” Jerusalem will be overtaken (Luke 21:20-24) and the Antichrist, unrestrained, will sit in the temple and proclaim himself to be God.  Only a portion of Jews will be rescued as they flee and are hidden by God in the mountains.  Many Jews will be killed, with a small remnant finally declaring, “The Lord is our God.” (Dan. 7:25, Rev. 13:6-8, Zech. 13:8,9).  This rescue could be referring to those who are protected in the wilderness and will one day believe and/or the 144,000 Jews that are sealed and protected by God (Rev. 7:3).  (*AMAD: This word is unique in that it means to cease the last action taken. So if one were defending, then to AMAD would mean to stop defending. This makes the most sense, since, when Michael ceases restraining, great lawlessness breaks out. The text seems to be saying that Michael will arise, go up from Israel to heaven, no longer restraining evil. Perhaps this is when the battle takes place in the heavenlies, and Satan is thrown down to the earth with great fury- Rev 12:7-17).  

Jesus uses this same ** “great distress” language 

to describe the Antichrist at the midway point. 

iii) When the one who protects/restrains is taken out of the way (ceases to protect), the Lawless One will become bold, proclaim himself to be God, and persecute Jews. When they are hidden in the wilderness, the Antichrist will turn on those who obey Jesus. He pursues Christians and is allowed to kill them- their bodies but not their souls. (Matt. 10:28; Rev. 12:17, 6:11, 14:12,13). MATTHEW 24:15,16,21,22,29,30,31  “So when you (Christ-followers) see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’  spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. For then there will be **great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect (Christ=followers) those days will be shortened. 29“Immediately after the distress of those days“ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky,and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. (the celestial signs seen when The Day of the Lord is announced: Rev. 6:12,13,17,30,31  “I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth ... the great day of their  wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”) “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.  And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect (Christ-followers) from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." Watch:   Studio Electives - The Lords Coming Wrath 6.0 - The Restrainer Who is it? Pt 2 with Michael Ufferman

Daniel is told to close up and seal the words of the scroll (the prophecies he’s been given) until the time of the end. We’re told many will go here and there to increase knowledge. Never before have we had so much information increasing!
 

B. Could the restrainer be the Holy Spirit?  Let’s consider this…

i)   In the Pre-tribulation View, people are taught that the church is raptured before the final 7 years, believing that the final 7 years are the Wrath of God. One of the verses used to prove this is that the restrainer (whom they assume is the Holy Spirit) is taken out of the way and then the Antichrist manifests himself (even this is shaky ‘proof’ in that this does not happen at the start of the 7 years, as is commonly taught, but in the middle).  They say that since the restrainer is, according to their interpretation, the Holy Spirit, then when he is taken out of the way, the church must also go because we can't live without him. This creates a big problem, however,  because without the Holy Spirit there is no way for anyone else to be saved !  The Bible says that it is the Spirit that convicts "the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment." John 16:8  and "...if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ." Romans 8:9   In this view, no one could be saved after the church leaves. So how, without the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, is a vast multitude saved and raptured out of the Great Tribulation? We see them in Revelation 7:9  "After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 14“These are they who have come out of the great tribulation..." Some, realizing this truth, want to say that the Holy Spirit is God and therefore everywhere, so that he is not truly taken away. So, we believe, if he is not truly taken out of the way, then the church can remain as well. 

ii) Pre-trib teaching says that this vast multitude is a 'second church made up of tribulation saints' who must endure God's wrath!  Again, this contradicts Scripture because we are told the church is NOT destined for wrath! (1 Thess. 5:9) 

iii) One more difficulty with this viewpoint: Pre-trib teaching (rapture before the seven years begin) cannot explain why both Jesus and Paul tell Believers they will see the Antichrist.  We learned in question 3 that the Day of the Lord, which begins at Christ's coming and our rapture, won't happen before the Lawless One is revealed. So if we aren’t caught up before Christ comes for us, then that means we are here and will see the Antichrist.  This Pre-tribulation Rapture teaching might leave many Christians confused when the rapture comes later than they've been taught.  They don't believe they will be here to see the Antichrist, so when he shows up doing miracles, they might be fooled into believing he is Jesus!  Or, when the Great Tribulation hits and they are still on this earth, they might believe that all that they were taught was a lie and turn away from anything the Bible has to say. There is no verse that speaks of a silent, secret rapture!  Just the opposite, it is a very visible, noisy event with many things that must take place first.  I'm so glad you are studying these things so you will know what God truly says about the End and Jesus' coming to take us home with him!   Soldiers that know they’re going into battle are much better prepared than ones who have been told they are heading home and won’t face the enemy. 

This Bible study teaches The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church, and prepares Christ-followers to endure to the End, when Christ returns for his Bride (after the midpoint but before the final year’s Day of the Lord judgment). It lines up with Scripture so consistently. The great multitude in Rev. 7:9 is the church that has endured, even in the Great Tribulation. Read chapters 1-3 of Revelation to hear God's message for the Church throughout the ages and into the End Time. It is God's mercy that leaves his Bride here to be a light, holding out the word of truth, so that some might be saved.  Most people don't pay attention to God when things are going well, but when difficulties come they might want to know God.  

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation,

 so you shine as lights in the world as you hold forth the word of life,

 in order that I may boast on the day of Christ."  Philippians 2:14-16  

2. Why would Jesus let his Bride experience the Great Tribulation? 

A. Through hard times Jesus reveals those who are truly His

Those that are his, will stand strong and throw off all that hinders faith, and will love him completely.  HEB 12:1-3 (NKJ)“... throw off every weight (distraction), and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” (see 2 Cor 4:6-18)  2 THESS 1:4-10  “That is why we boast among God’s churches about your perseverance and faith in the face of all the persecution and affliction you are enduring. All this is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment. And so you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might, on the day He comes to be glorified in His saints and regarded with wonder by all who have believed, including you who have believed our testimony.”  (Berean Study Bible)   He is making His Bride strong and pure (Rev 19:7-8) and exposing those that are not truly His.  PSALMS  116:1,4,5  “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.  I was overcome by distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord.  “Lord, save me!”  The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”  119:67,73  “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.”   1 PETER 2:21,24  “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness…” 4:12,13,17  “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”  REV 2:18,19,25,26,29  “These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first…. hold tightly to what you have until I come. And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”   1 PETER 4:19 “...those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”     LUKE 6:21-23 “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you… because of the Son of Man. “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven…” (Matthew 25:21)

Those that are not his will compromise and be exposed: 2 COR 11:13-1 “...such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”  ACTS 20:30 “Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.”   1 JOHN 2:19 “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” MATT 7:20,21 “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” JUDE 1:4 “For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”  REV 3:3 “So remember what you received and heard. Obey it, and repent. If you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you won’t know the time when I will come to you.” (also Matthew 25:1-13; James 2:26)

B. Through hard times Jesus is calling believers to love him completely and let His light shine in the deep darkness by what we say and do, so that some might believe and be saved:  

2 COR 1:3-5; 4:5-9,14-18   “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.’ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”  ”For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord… For God…  made his light shine in our hearts… But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ...we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. …that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

ACTS 26:18  We proclaim the Good News to those who have yet to believe “to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in Jesus.”   1 PETER 3:14,15  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” MATT 5:11-12,14 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…“You are the light of the world…. let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”    “And they overcame and conquered him (Satan) because of the blood of the Lamb (salvation) and because of the word of their testimony (active faith), for they did not love their life and renounce their faith even when faced with death (enduring love).”  REV 12:11 (Amplified Bible)   also Matthew 22:37-39, John 14:23-27; Romans 8:18-39

• Fiery ordeals test our faith and cause us to cling to Jesus. We should commit ourselves to our faithful Creator and continue to do g_____.

• We should be aware of those who masquerade as children of light but do not belong to Jesus. They distort the t______ in God’s Word.

• Jesus is shining the l_______ of his salvation through us to a dark and dying world. God wants people everywhere to know the truth and repent, turning to him for love, forgiveness and eternal life!

3. What happens to Israel and the unbelieving world 

after the Church is taken up to heaven at the 2nd Coming of the Lord?

A.  How will Israel respond when they see Jesus coming in the clouds? 

All the Jews and Gentiles who have received the free gift of eternal life, bought by Jesus’ death and resurrection, will be taken up to heaven. A portion of not-yet-saved Jews will have been hidden in the wilderness years earlier, at the rising up of the Antichrist (Rev 12:14). Some Jews will have been dragged away from Jerusalem and many killed. God says Israel will taste of the cup of God’s wrath and be broken so that they might finally believe in Jesus as their Messiah and be restored (Dan 12:7; Ezekiel 7; Luke 21:24-25).  ZECH 12:10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child…”   ROM 11:26,27  “...all Israel will be saved (the remnant). As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion (heavenly Jerusalem: Heb 12:22; Gal 4:26) ; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”  Sometime after the Jews see “the one whom they have pierced” (Jesus in the clouds), the remnant will mourn “as for an only son” and finally believe in J_______ as their Messiah. God will bring them back into a renewed land at the end of the last 3 ½ years and will forgive their sins (Zeph 3:8-20; Zech 12; Isa 35; 1:24-28; 52:6-10; Isa 61:8-11; Rev 11:2).  ISA 4:2-5  (BSB)  “On that day the Branch of the LORD (Jesus) will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of Israel’s survivors…and whoever is left in Jerusalem will be called holy— all in Jerusalem who are recorded among the living— when the Lord has… cleansed the bloodstains from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame of fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a canopy…”  We believe this could take place after the Trumpet Judgments and before the Bowl Judgements, thus the need for a “canopy”, to shield them from that final 30 days of God’s wrath.  While the rest of the world is being judged with the Bowl Judgments, Israel is shielded. (Isa 31:4-7, Micah 7:8-20).  ISA 51:22,23 “This is what your Sovereign Lord says, your God, who defends his people: “See, I have taken out of your hand…the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again. I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, who said to you, ‘Fall prostrate that we may walk on you.’”  ISA 54:5,6  “For your Maker is your husband— the Lord Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. The Lord will call you back…”  ISA 40:9-10 “...say to the towns of Judah,  “Here is your God!” See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.” God is so faithful and his plans will be fully accomplished!   

B. How will the world respond when it sees Jesus calling Believers up, with the Day of the Lord’s wrath about to commence?  God calls his work of wrath a “strange work” because he does not desire the death of anyone but longs for them to turn from evil and be saved. ISA 28:21,22 “The Lord will rise up…to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task…the Lord Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land.” EZE 33:11 “ ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! “ (Isa 26:10,11)  REV 6:12-17 “I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath  of the Lamb!  For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” The seventh Seal announces the Day of the Lord 7 Trumpet Judgements.  ISA 2:12,17-19 “The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled), The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day… People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth.” The seventh Trumpet announces the final 7 Bowl Judgments of God.  The sixth bowl judgment is the Battle of Armageddon, when the nations advance to take on Jesus. Jesus ends the battle quickly with a word from his mouth!  REV 19:19-21 “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.” (Psalm 110)   We believe this Day of the Lord’s wrath is that final day (year) of Daniel’s prophesied week of 7 years. The Dragon, known as S______, and the unrepentant world will feel God’s wrath against all that is evil.  Through the Trumpet and Bowl Judgments Satan and all evil will be uprooted and destroyed. The Bible says that after evil is dealt with the surviving people will be scarcer than gold, with the survivors being saved and counted as belonging to God (Isaiah 2:1-5, 13:6-13; Psalm 87; 2 Peter 3:7-13). 

”For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, 

and the government will be on his shoulders. 

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

 He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it  

with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. 

The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”  

Isaiah 9:6-7

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