Go back to 2 Thessalonians 2, and this is where people get confused.
They get confused by this part where it says in verse 7, "For the mystery of iniquity doth
already work, only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way."
The "now" there, I don't believe it's the apostle Paul saying "now" as in first century
AD.
I think he's telling the story, okay, about that, and he's saying "now" as in at this
point in the story.
Like okay, the Antichrist is now revealed when this, that happens.
See a lot of times the Bible will use the present tense about things in the past and
future because it's storytelling.
For example, it says in Revelation 13, "He causeth all, both small and great, rich and
poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in the right."
So it speaks about it in the present because you're in the story, okay, and there's a
lot of places we could show that grammatical example.
So it says, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work," meaning at this point in the
story, "but he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way.
Then shall the wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his
mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming."
Now, that doesn't happen right away.
That happens 42 months later because power is given on him to continue 40 and two months
or three and a half years.
After three and a half years, the Lord's going to consume him with the spirit of his mouth
and destroy him with the brightness of his coming.
Even him who's coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders.
Those are the wonders that the false prophet does where he brings fire down and so forth
from heaven.
And then it says, "With all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because
they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved.
For this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that
they all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
Now there are other theories here about the he who now letteth will let because not everybody
buys into this crazy Holy Spirit and dwelling the believers being taken out thing.
Some people have put forth the theory that says hey the he who now letteth will let is
Michael the archangel, okay.
Which I think that that's actually a legitimate theory, you know there's scripture to support
that when you compare Daniel and Revelation and different things, Michael's part in the
end times.
I can see that theory, okay.
One of the big problems I have with that theory is that it's not mentioned in the passage.
No antecedent, okay.
But at least that theory makes sense.
So if somebody has that theory, you know I wouldn't criticize that theory because I can
see scriptural support for it.
I believe that it makes more sense though that the he who now letteth will let is the
man of sin, the human being, so that the beast can be revealed, so that the anti-Christ can
be revealed, which is a spirit from hell and is not a human being.
Because the human being is taken out of the way frankly, so that this guy can take over
the reins of the world government.