And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
Something holds back the revealing of the man of sin until his appointed time, and that hold lasts until it is taken away. What holds him back is God's restraining influence, especially His Spirit, holding in check opposition through rulers, people and laws so the final warning can go forward. The man of sin to be revealed is the Papacy, the son of perdition who lifts himself above God, and his revealing comes after a great falling away that began even in the apostolic church. He comes by Satan's working with lying power and deception upon those who refuse love of the truth, marking the fallen churches as Babylon under strong delusion. That restraint is now being withdrawn as evil combines and calamities multiply, bringing a fierce struggle before he is fully exposed, yet falsehood will be defeated and truth will triumph, so believers must stand boldly for Christ and not grow tender toward him.
Restraint and Appointed Time
Something holds back the disclosure of the man of sin so that he may be brought to light in his appointed time, and the check remains upon him until it is taken away. The delay is for revelation in due order after a falling away first, and the power then disclosed is the son of perdition who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or worshiped, sitting as God in the temple of God and showing himself that he is God. The mystery of iniquity was already at work while this restraint held.
What withholds is the restraining influence of God, especially the Spirit of God and daily divine enlightenment given to man. While Jesus intercedes in the heavenly sanctuary the Holy Spirit curbs evil through rulers and people and the laws of the land, limiting opposition to God's work so that the third message can be proclaimed. Satan's numerous, disguised, subtle, persevering agents resist every such restraining influence.
That restraint is now surely but gradually being withdrawn from the earth and from man, and the present is the time for the revelation of the man of sin in popery with increasing power. As the check lifts in its time the elements of evil combine their forces and consolidate for vigorous resistance to God and the truth, and the conflict intensifies as the end of earth's history approaches. Infidelity, sectarianism, formalism and sin abound, soul-destroying doctrines and specious errors intrude everywhere, and casualties by sea and by land, fire and floods in towns and cities, with plagues and judgments, forecast approaching events of the greatest magnitude.
Once the restraint is removed the wicked one is revealed, and then he is consumed with the spirit of the Lord's mouth and destroyed with the brightness of His coming. His deceptive work continues until the second advent. The restraining power and the removal and the time of revealing are at times left without identification or explanation, while the sequence itself is affirmed in which his power is temporarily restrained and apostasy puts away spiritual gifts.
Man of Sin and Apostasy
The man of sin to be revealed in his appointed time is the Papacy or popery, the power through which Satan has manifested his character and brought out the principles of his government. He is the son of perdition who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, sitting as God in the temple of God and showing himself that he is God, and in that self-exalting opposition he reflects Satan's own ambition to exalt himself. His revelation follows a falling away first, for the prediction is that a great apostasy would develop into the revelation of the man of sin.
That apostasy began to appear among false brethren in the apostolic church, and after the last apostle died it developed as some members departed from Christ's teaching and joined in heathen practices. The man of sin is identified with that apostasy, which put away spiritual gifts, while the mystery of iniquity was already working and is carried into effect by him. The prophecy concerns worldwide apostasy against God's law, wrought through Satan's determined effort since Eden to destroy the Sabbath of the fourth commandment given as the memorial of creation and to institute a spurious sabbath in its place so the memorial is lost from the mind. Since to offend in one point is guilt of all, to lead men and women to disregard that commandment places them on Satan's side of the controversy.
The prophecy is fulfilled among professed Christians who subvert faith into idolatry by giving to a man-made institution the glory and honor God requires for His Sabbath day and compelling others to worship this idol. That power is manifested in laws enforcing a rival sabbath and oppressing those who remain loyal to God's commandments. Those who thus worship are left unsealed by God and are certain to face God's retributive judgments poured out without mercy upon unrepentant despisers of His law. The papacy's deadly wound was inflicted by its abolition in 1798, but its power is to be restored.
The working of the man of sin belongs to the final events plainly revealed in earth's history, coming in its order at the close. The prophecy is a figurative delineation of events leading down to the close, whose details must be applied carefully in their historical order rather than used to support mistaken theories, with historical events showing its direct fulfillment. The verse belongs to the special message now to be given to the world, the third angel's message, and those with experimental knowledge from acting a part in proclaiming the first, second, and third angels' messages are guarded against false paths about it. The verse also foretold the apostasy in the closing days of men and women who have had great light and abundant evidence of present truth through the seductive working of the enemy, bringing grief that cannot be changed by human power but must be accepted as the Word of the Lord. Some blinded ones will have their eyes opened, but for many it will be too late to correct their errors, though Christ gave His life for them and prayer remains for God to open blind eyes and give sight.
Deception Babylon and Courage
His coming follows Satan's operation with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved, so that God sends strong delusion that they believe a lie, and all who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness are damned. Refusal of truth and acceptance of a lie marks the churches described as fallen Babylon. That Babylon is the Babylon of Revelation 18, the churches that refuse the warning messages and reject truth.
There will be one fierce struggle before the man of sin is fully disclosed to the world, when who he is and what his work has been are made known. He is now restrained from full disclosure until the appointed time, and his identity and work will be revealed after that struggle. The forces opposing truth may appear to succeed, but those who believe a lie will be defeated, and truth and righteousness will triumph. At that time the Protestant world is becoming tender and affectionate toward the man of sin, while mystic Babylon, which has not spared the blood of the saints, still stands.
Christians must therefore stand courageously for Christ rather than grow tender toward him. They must meet the coming issue as bold and valiant soldiers of Jesus Christ, with their lives hid with Christ in God. They must stay wide awake to catch the beams of light shining from the angel who brightens the earth with his glory, holding the messages of the past fifty years in their true force and bearing them by repetition with the same spirit in these last days, in harmony with heaven in preparing a people to stand in the day of the Lord. While Jesus intercedes in the heavenly sanctuary the Holy Spirit restrains evil through rulers, people, and the laws of the land to limit opposition to God's work so the third message can be proclaimed, and when the loud cry is given some leading men now influenced to resist evil measures will accept the message and stand with God's people during the time of trouble.
Something holds back the revealing of the man of sin until his appointed time, and that hold lasts until it is taken away. What holds him back is God's restraining influence, especially His Spirit, holding in check opposition through rulers, people and laws so the final warning can go forward. The man of sin to be revealed is the Papacy, the son of perdition who lifts himself above God, and his revealing comes after a great falling away that began even in the apostolic church. He comes by Satan's working with lying power and deception upon those who refuse love of the truth, marking the fallen churches as Babylon under strong delusion. That restraint is now being withdrawn as evil combines and calamities multiply, bringing a fierce struggle before he is fully exposed, yet falsehood will be defeated and truth will triumph, so believers must stand boldly for Christ and not grow tender toward him.
Restraint and Appointed Time
Something holds back the disclosure of the man of sin so that he may be brought to light in his appointed time, and the check remains upon him until it is taken away. The delay is for revelation in due order after a falling away first, and the power then disclosed is the son of perdition who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or worshiped, sitting as God in the temple of God and showing himself that he is God. The mystery of iniquity was already at work while this restraint held.
What withholds is the restraining influence of God, especially the Spirit of God and daily divine enlightenment given to man. While Jesus intercedes in the heavenly sanctuary the Holy Spirit curbs evil through rulers and people and the laws of the land, limiting opposition to God's work so that the third message can be proclaimed. Satan's numerous, disguised, subtle, persevering agents resist every such restraining influence.
That restraint is now surely but gradually being withdrawn from the earth and from man, and the present is the time for the revelation of the man of sin in popery with increasing power. As the check lifts in its time the elements of evil combine their forces and consolidate for vigorous resistance to God and the truth, and the conflict intensifies as the end of earth's history approaches. Infidelity, sectarianism, formalism and sin abound, soul-destroying doctrines and specious errors intrude everywhere, and casualties by sea and by land, fire and floods in towns and cities, with plagues and judgments, forecast approaching events of the greatest magnitude.
Once the restraint is removed the wicked one is revealed, and then he is consumed with the spirit of the Lord's mouth and destroyed with the brightness of His coming. His deceptive work continues until the second advent. The restraining power and the removal and the time of revealing are at times left without identification or explanation, while the sequence itself is affirmed in which his power is temporarily restrained and apostasy puts away spiritual gifts.
Man of Sin and Apostasy
The man of sin to be revealed in his appointed time is the Papacy or popery, the power through which Satan has manifested his character and brought out the principles of his government. He is the son of perdition who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, sitting as God in the temple of God and showing himself that he is God, and in that self-exalting opposition he reflects Satan's own ambition to exalt himself. His revelation follows a falling away first, for the prediction is that a great apostasy would develop into the revelation of the man of sin.
That apostasy began to appear among false brethren in the apostolic church, and after the last apostle died it developed as some members departed from Christ's teaching and joined in heathen practices. The man of sin is identified with that apostasy, which put away spiritual gifts, while the mystery of iniquity was already working and is carried into effect by him. The prophecy concerns worldwide apostasy against God's law, wrought through Satan's determined effort since Eden to destroy the Sabbath of the fourth commandment given as the memorial of creation and to institute a spurious sabbath in its place so the memorial is lost from the mind. Since to offend in one point is guilt of all, to lead men and women to disregard that commandment places them on Satan's side of the controversy.
The prophecy is fulfilled among professed Christians who subvert faith into idolatry by giving to a man-made institution the glory and honor God requires for His Sabbath day and compelling others to worship this idol. That power is manifested in laws enforcing a rival sabbath and oppressing those who remain loyal to God's commandments. Those who thus worship are left unsealed by God and are certain to face God's retributive judgments poured out without mercy upon unrepentant despisers of His law. The papacy's deadly wound was inflicted by its abolition in 1798, but its power is to be restored.
The working of the man of sin belongs to the final events plainly revealed in earth's history, coming in its order at the close. The prophecy is a figurative delineation of events leading down to the close, whose details must be applied carefully in their historical order rather than used to support mistaken theories, with historical events showing its direct fulfillment. The verse belongs to the special message now to be given to the world, the third angel's message, and those with experimental knowledge from acting a part in proclaiming the first, second, and third angels' messages are guarded against false paths about it. The verse also foretold the apostasy in the closing days of men and women who have had great light and abundant evidence of present truth through the seductive working of the enemy, bringing grief that cannot be changed by human power but must be accepted as the Word of the Lord. Some blinded ones will have their eyes opened, but for many it will be too late to correct their errors, though Christ gave His life for them and prayer remains for God to open blind eyes and give sight.
Deception Babylon and Courage
His coming follows Satan's operation with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved, so that God sends strong delusion that they believe a lie, and all who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness are damned. Refusal of truth and acceptance of a lie marks the churches described as fallen Babylon. That Babylon is the Babylon of Revelation 18, the churches that refuse the warning messages and reject truth.
There will be one fierce struggle before the man of sin is fully disclosed to the world, when who he is and what his work has been are made known. He is now restrained from full disclosure until the appointed time, and his identity and work will be revealed after that struggle. The forces opposing truth may appear to succeed, but those who believe a lie will be defeated, and truth and righteousness will triumph. At that time the Protestant world is becoming tender and affectionate toward the man of sin, while mystic Babylon, which has not spared the blood of the saints, still stands.
Christians must therefore stand courageously for Christ rather than grow tender toward him. They must meet the coming issue as bold and valiant soldiers of Jesus Christ, with their lives hid with Christ in God. They must stay wide awake to catch the beams of light shining from the angel who brightens the earth with his glory, holding the messages of the past fifty years in their true force and bearing them by repetition with the same spirit in these last days, in harmony with heaven in preparing a people to stand in the day of the Lord. While Jesus intercedes in the heavenly sanctuary the Holy Spirit restrains evil through rulers, people, and the laws of the land to limit opposition to God's work so the third message can be proclaimed, and when the loud cry is given some leading men now influenced to resist evil measures will accept the message and stand with God's people during the time of trouble.