Tribulation Relationships 2 – Thy Kingdom Come

The relation of the Holy Spirit to the Tribulation. One of the important considerations accompanying a study of the tribulation period is the relation sustained by the Holy Spirit to that period and the work He will accomplish in it.

I. The Identity Of The Restrainer.

A. Much of the question of the Spirit’s relation to the tribulation is determined by the interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8. It had been erroneously reported that the Thessalonians were already in the Day of the Lord (specifically, the Tribulation, which is the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy). To correct this misinterpretation Paul states that they could not be in the Day of the Lord for that day could not come until the man of sin (anti-Christ) had been revealed. His manifestation was being prevented by a restraining work of one whose ministry was to remain. Only after the removal of this restrainer could the man of sin be revealed and the Day of the Lord begin. Chafer writes:

“The central truth of the passage under discussion is that, though Satan would
long ago have consummated his evil program for his cosmos world, and have
brought forward its last human ruler, there is a Restrainer who restrains to the end that Satan’s program shall be developed and completed only at God’s appointed time.”

B. John bears testimony that this program of introducing the man of sin had already begun to operate in his day (1 John 4:3). That Satanic program has continued through the age, but has been kept in check by the restrainer.

C. Who is the Restrainer? A number of answers have been given as to the identity of this restraining agency.

(1) Some have held that the restrainer was the Roman Empire under which Paul lived. The oldest and best interpretation is that Paul hesitated to set down in words what he meant, because he had in mind the Roman Empire. The impersonal influence was the magnificent system of law and justice throughout the Roman world; this held lawlessness and the Man of Lawlessness in check. Then the line of emperors, in spite of wicked individuals, had the same influence.

(2) A second view is that the restrainer was human government and law, as follows: In due time the Babylonian Empire, to whose king the words were spoken, was succeeded by the Persian, that by the Grecian, and that again by the Roman, which flourished in the Apostle’s day. The laws under which these states maintain their existence were inherited from Rome as Rome inherited them from the Empires that preceded her. Thus the existing authorities are ordained of God, constituted authority is intended to act in restraint of lawlessness.

(3) A third view is the view that Satan is the restrainer.

(a) One advocate of this view writes: Why should every one conclude that this hinderer must be some good thing? May not this restraining power be Satan himself? Has he not a plan for the manifesting of the Son of Perdition, as truly as God had a time appointed for the incarnation of His divine Son?

(b) The obvious answer to this allegation would be the reply of the Lord to those who accuse Him of working His signs by Satanic power: “If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:25). Further, the removal of this restrainer does not free the world from Satanic activity, as would be the case if Satan were the restrainer, but thrusts him into the world with unleashed fury (Rev. 12:12). Walvoord says:

“This idea is hardly compatible with the revelation of Satan in the Scriptures.
Satan is nowhere given universal power over the world, though his influence is
inestimable. A study of 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 indicates that the one who restrains is removed from the scene before the man of sin is revealed. This could hardly be said of Satan. The period of tribulation on the contrary is one in which Satan’s work is most evident. The Scriptures represent him as being cast into the earth and venting his fury during those tragic days (Rev. 12:9). The theory that Satan is the great restrainer of lawlessness is, accordingly, untenable.”

(4) A fourth interpretation is the view that the restrainer is the church. It is
recognized that believers were likened to salt, which is a preservative, and to light, which is a purifying agent, a dispeller of darkness. It would be agreed that the church could be one of the means through which restraint is felt but that which is the channel could not at the same time be the agent. It has been said:

“The church is at best an imperfect organism, perfect in standing before God,
to be sure, but experimentally before men, not always blameless or above
reproach. Like human government, the church is used of God to hinder the full
manifestation of the Evil One in this present age, but He who effectively restrains is not the believer, but the One who empowers the believer, the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 16:7; 1 Cor. 6:19). Apart from His presence, neither church nor government would have ability to hinder the program and power of Satan.

(5) The fifth interpretation is the interpretation that holds the restrainer is the Holy Spirit. Consider the following points to support this conclusion:

(a) By mere elimination, the Holy Spirit must be the restrainer. All other
suggestions fall far short of meeting the requirements.
(b) The Wicked One is a personality, and his operations include the realm of
the spiritual. The restrainer must likewise be a personality and a spiritual being, to hold Antichrist in check until the time for his revealing. Impersonal spiritual forces would be inadequate.
(c) To achieve all that is to be accomplished, the restrainer must be a member
of the Godhead. He must be stronger than the Man of Sin and stronger than Satan who energizes him. In order to restrain evil down through the course of the age, the restrainer must be eternal. The theater of sin is the entire world: therefore, it is imperative that the restrainer be one who is not limited by time or space.
(d) This age is in a particular sense the “dispensation of the Spirit,” for He
works in a way uncommon to other ages as an abiding Presence within the children of God. The church age commenced with the advent of the Spirit at Pentecost, and will close with a reversal of Pentecost, the removal of the Spirit. This does not mean that He will not be operative, only that He will no longer be resident.
(e) The work of the Spirit since His advent has included the restraint of evil;
John 16:7-11; 1 John 4:4. How different it will be in the tribulation?
(f ) Although the Spirit was not resident on earth during Old Testament days,
yet he exerted a restraining influence, per Isaiah 59:19b.

II. The work of the Holy Spirit to Believers in the Tribulation.

A. The fact that the Holy Spirit is the restrainer, to be removed from the earth before the tribulation period begins, must not be interpreted to mean that the Holy Spirit is no longer omnipresent, nor operative in the age. The Spirit will work in and through men. It is only insisted that the particular ministries of the Holy Spirit to the believer in this present age (baptism, 1 Cor. 12:12-13; indwelling, 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; sealing, Eph. 1:13; 4:30; and filling, Eph. 5:18) do terminate. On this question Walvoord writes:

“There is little evidence that believers will be indwelt by the Spirit during the
tribulation. The tribulation period seems to revert back to Old Testament
conditions in several ways; and in the Old Testament period, saints were never
permanently indwelt except in isolated instances, though a number of instances of the filling of the Spirit and of empowering for service are found. Taking all the factors into consideration, there is no evidence for the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in believers in the tribulation. If believers are indwelt during the tribulation, however, it also would follow that they are sealed by the Spirit, the seal being His own presence in them.”

B. Since all of the Spirit’s ministries to the believer today depend upon His indwelling presence, the absence of this prevents all the dependent ministries to the tribulation saints.

III. Study References for this, and all of my articles, can be found in my Page, “About My References.”

Tribulation Relationships 1 – Thy Kingdom Come

I. The Church. The Ministry Of Elders.

A. Introduction.

1. It has been demonstrated previously that the church will not be in the tribulation period. The peculiar relationship of the church to this period is seen in the position and activity of the twenty-four elders who appear in Revelation. John indicates that the Book of Revelation falls into three parts (Rev. 1:19): (a) “the things which thou hast seen” constitutes the first division and embodies the vision of Christ of chapter one; (b) “the things which are” constitutes the second division and includes the letters to the seven churches, contained in chapters two and three, which outlines the entire present church age; and (c) “the things which shall be hereafter” constitutes the third division and includes all revealed in chapters four through twenty-two.

2. As John begins to write of the things which shall be hereafter, he shows us by his introductory words in 4:1 that he is beginning his third major division, for the chapter begins with “hereafter”. John, as he is caught up into the heavens, sees a throne and One occupying the throne. Then he sees twenty-four throne sitters, who are associated with the One on the throne, called the four and twenty elders. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats [thrones]: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold [Rev. 4:4]. The relation of the church to the events of the tribulation period is revealed by the
identification of these individuals.

B. The 24 Elders. Old Testament and New Testament saints. These elders represent the Old Testament and New Testament saints. The elders in heaven represent the whole heavenly priesthood; that is, all the redeemed who have died in the past, or who shall be living at the Lord’s return. The church of the present age and Old Testament saints alike are included. All are priests. All worship. There were twelve patriarchs in Israel, and twelve apostles introducing the new dispensation. The two together would give the complete twenty-four, which unites Israel and the church into one company, without distinction, at the time of the rapture. They sit down before God, and are covered or crowned before Him.

C. These elders can not be angels. The elders are a distinct company from the beasts or living creatures, and from the angels. In chapter 5 the action of the elders as distinguished from that of angels makes it impossible to regard them as one and the same; verse 11 distinguishes by title the three companies. The elders sing (v. 9), the angels say (v. 12). The angels are never numbered (Heb. 12:22); the elders are; six times the representative number “twenty-four” occurs. Angels are not said to be crowned, the elders are. The choral praise of heaven, both harp and song, seems the peculiar function of the elders. Heavenly intelligence, especially in themes and subjects connected with redemption, is ascribed to the elders and not to angels. By the elders we understand, therefore, the innumerable company of the redeemed saints, raised and changed, and caught up to meet Christ in the air (1 Thess. 4:17). Their crown and thrones betoken their royal dignity; the harp and song their joy in worship; while their robes and vials point to priestly character and action.

II. The Holy Spirit. The relation of the Holy Spirit to the Tribulation.

A. Introduction. One of the important considerations accompanying a study of the tribulation period is the relation sustained by the Holy Spirit to that period and the work that He will accomplish in it. Much of the question of the Spirit’s relation to the tribulation is determined by the interpretation of 2 Thes2:7-8. It had been erroneously reported that the Thessalonians were already in the Day of the Lord. To correct this misinterpretation Paul states that they could not be in the Day of the Lord for that day could not come until the man of sin had been revealed. His manifestation was being prevented by a restraining work of one, whose ministry was to remain. Only after the removal of this restrainer could the man of sin be revealed and the Day of the Lord begin.

B. Chafer writes: “The central truth of the passage under discussion is that, though Satan would long ago have consummated, his evil program for his cosmos world, and have brought forward its last human ruler, there is a Restrainer who restrains to the end that Satan’s program shall be developed and completed only at God’s appointed time. John bears testimony that this program of introducing the man of sin had already begun to operate in his day (1 John 4:3). That Satanic program has continued through the age, but has been kept in check by the restrainer.”

C. Who Is The Restrainer? A number of answers have been given as to the identity of this restraining agency.

1. Some have held that the restrainer was the Roman Empire under which Paul lived. The oldest and best interpretation is that Paul hesitated to set down in words what he meant, because he had in mind the Roman Empire. The impersonal influence was the magnificent system of law and justice throughout the Roman world; this held lawlessness and the Man of Lawlessness in check. Then the line of emperors, in spite of wicked individuals, had the same influence.

2. A second view, closely associated with this is that the restrainer was human government and law. That, in due time the Babylonian Empire, to whose king the words were spoken, was succeeded by the Persian, that by the Grecian, and that again by the Roman, which flourished in the Apostle’s day. The laws under which these states maintain their existence were inherited from Rome as Rome inherited them from the Empires that preceded her. So, the existing authorities are ordained of God, constituted authority is intended to act in restraint of lawlessness.

a. It is clearly seen that “the powers that be are ordained by God” (Rom. 13:1). Yet human power does not seem to be a satisfactory answer to the identity of the restrainer.

b. Walvoord writes: “Human government, however, continues during the period of the tribulation in which the man of sin is revealed. While all forces of law and order tend to restrain sin, they are not such in their own character, but rather as they are used and empowered to accomplish this end by God. It would seem a preferable interpretation to view all restraint of sin, regardless of means, as proceeding from God as a ministry of the Holy Spirit. As Thiessen writes: “But who is the one that restraineth? Denney, Findlay, Alford, Moffatt, hold this refers to law and order, especially as embodied in the Roman Empire. But while human governments may be agencies in the restraining work of the Spirit, we believe that they in turn are influenced by the Church. And again, back of human government is God Who instituted it (Gen. 9:5, 6; Rom. 13:1-7) and controls it (Ps. 75:5-7). So it is God by His Spirit that restrains the development of lawlessness.”

3. A third view is the view that Satan is the restrainer. One advocate of this view writes: Why should every one conclude that this hinderer must be some good thing? May not this restraining power be Satan himself? Has he not a plan for the manifesting of the Son of Perdition, as truly as God had a time appointed for the incarnation of His divine Son?

a. The obvious answer to this allegation would be the reply of the Lord to those who accuse Him of working His signs by Satanic power: “If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:25). Further, the removal of this restrainer does not free the world from Satanic activity, as would be the case if Satan were the restrainer, but thrusts him into the world with unleashed fury (Rev. 12:12).

b. Walvoord says: “This idea is hardly compatible with the revelation of Satan in the Scriptures. Satan is nowhere given universal power over the world, though his influence is inestimable. A study of 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 indicates that the one who restrains is removed from the scene before the man of sin is revealed. This could hardly be said of Satan. The period of tribulation on the contrary is one in which Satan’s work is most evident. The Scriptures represent him as being cast into the earth and venting his fury during those tragic days (Rev. 12:9). The theory that Satan is the great restrainer of lawlessness is, accordingly, untenable.”

4. A fourth interpretation is the view that the restrainer is the church.

a. It is recognized that believers were likened to salt, which is a preservative, and to light, which is a purifying agent, a dispeller of darkness. It would be agreed that the church could be one of the means through which restraint is felt but that which is the channel could not at the same time be the agent.

b. The church is at best an imperfect organism, perfect in standing before God,
to be sure, but experimentally before men, not always blameless or above
reproach. Like human government, the church is used of God to hinder the full
manifestation of the Evil One in this present age, but He who effectively restrains is not the believer, but the One who empowers the believer, the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 16:7; 1 Cor. 6:19). Apart from His presence, neither church nor government would have ability to hinder the program and power of Satan.

5. The fifth interpretation is the interpretation that holds the restrainer is the Holy Spirit. Consider the following reasons to support this conclusion.

a. By mere elimination, the Holy Spirit must be the restrainer. All other
suggestions fall far short of meeting the requirements.
b. The Wicked One is a personality, and his operations include the realm of
the spiritual. The restrainer must likewise be a personality and a spiritual being, to hold Antichrist in check until the time for his revealing. Impersonal forces, or mere agencies, would not be adequate.
c. To achieve all that is to be accomplished, the restrainer must be a member
of the Godhead. He must be stronger than the Man of Sin and stronger than Satan who energizes him. In order to restrain evil down through the course of the age, the restrainer must be eternal. The theater of sin is the entire world: therefore, it is imperative that the restrainer be one who is not limited by time or space.
d. This age is in a particular sense the “dispensation of the Spirit,” for He
works in a way uncommon to other ages as an abiding Presence within the children of God. The church age commenced with the advent of the Spirit at Pentecost, and will close with a reversal of Pentecost, the removal of the Spirit. This does not mean that He will not be operative, only that He will no longer be resident.
e. The work of the Spirit since His advent has included the restraint of evil,
John 16:7-11:1 John 4:4. How different it will be in the tribulation.
f. Although the Spirit was not resident on earth during Old Testament days,
yet he exerted a restraining influence, Isaiah 59:19b.

C. The work of the Holy Spirit to believers in the tribulation.

1. The fact that the Holy Spirit is the restrainer, to be removed from the earth before the tribulation period begins, must not be interpreted to mean that the Holy Spirit is no longer omnipresent, nor operative in the age. The Spirit will work in and through men. It is only insisted that the particular ministries of the Holy Spirit to the believer in this present age (baptism, 1 Cor. 12:12-13; indwelling, 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; sealing, Eph. 1:13; 4:30; and filling, Eph. 5:18) do terminate.

2. Walvoord writes: “There is little evidence that believers will be indwelt by the Spirit during the tribulation. The tribulation period seems to revert back to Old Testament conditions in several ways; and in the Old Testament period, saints were never permanently indwelt except in isolated instances, though a number of instances of the filling of the Spirit and of empowering for service are found. Taking all the factors into consideration, there is no evidence for the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in believers in the tribulation. If believers are indwelt during the tribulation, however, it also would follow that they are sealed by the Spirit, the seal being His own presence in them.

3. Since all of the Spirit’s ministries to the believer today depend upon His indwelling presence, the absence of this prevents all the dependent ministries to the tribulation saints.