Who is the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7?
The restrainer is a combination of two forces that currently restrain the Antichrist, referred to as something and someone by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8. These forces will be removed to allow the Antichrist to come to a place of international political power. Paul describes the restrainer of the Antichrist as a what (neuter in v. 6) and as a He (masculine in v. 7). Thus, the restraining force is a what and a He working together. Paul taught that the power of the state is appointed by God to restrain evil (Rom. 13:1-4). The power of the state is what and the He is God and His sovereign decree. Some wrongly teach that the Holy Spirit is the restrainer who is removed when the Church is raptured before the Great Tribulation. If that is true, then nobody could be saved in the Great Tribulation because it takes the work of the Holy Spirit moving on an unbeliever’s heart in order for salvation to occur.
