Raptured? When? Part F

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higher-fire@prairienet.org
Subject: Raptured? When? Part F

    The Thessalonian Christians were concerned for fear that the rapture had
already taken place and they were in the day of the Lord. The persecutions
which they were enduring, as referred to in the first chapter, had given
them a basis for this erroneous consideration. Paul writes to show them that
such a thing was impossible. First, he shows them in verse 3 that the day of
the Lord could not take place until there was a departure. Whether this
departure be a departure from the faith or a departure of saints form the
earth, as already mentioned in verse 1, is beside the point here. Second, he
reveals there was to be the manifestation of the man of sin, or the lawless
one, further described in Revelation 13. Paul's argument in verse 7 is that
although the mystery of iniquity was operative in his day, that is, the
lawless system that was to culminate in the person of he lawless one was
manifesting itself, yet this lawless one could not be manifested until the
Restrainer was taken out of the way. In other words, some One is preventing
the purpose of Satan from coming to culmination and He will keep on
preforming this ministry until He is removed (vv. 7-8). Explanations as to
the person of this Restrainer such as human government, law, the visible
church will not suffice, for they will all continue in a measure after the
manifestation of this lawless one. It would seem that the only One who could
do such a restraining ministry would be the Holy Spirit. The indication here
is that as long as the Holy Spirit is resident within the church, which is
His temple, this restraining work will continue and the man of sin cannot be
revealed. It is only when the church, the temple, is removed that this
restraining ministry ceases and lawlessness can produce the lawless one. It
should be noted that the ministries Holy Spirit do not cease with the
removal of the church, nor does the Holy Spirit cease to be omnipresent,
with her removal, but the restraining ministry does cease.

     Thus, the ministry of the Restrainer, which will continue as long as
His temple is on the earth and which must cease before the lawless one can
be revealed, requires the pretribulation rapture of the church, for Daniel
9:27 reveals that that lawless one will be manifested at the beginning of
the week.

Walter Copes
The joy of the Lord is my strength
(wcopes@communique.net)
Walter L Copes