2 Thessalonians 2:7

⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.

Even when Paul wrote, the mystery of lawlessness was already at work. By this we understand that a tremendous spirit of disobedience to God was already stirring beneath the surface. It was at work in mystery form—not that it was mysterious but rather that it was not yet fully manifested. It was still in germ form.

The presence of the Holy Spirit indwelling the church and indwelling every believer has been the restraining power. He will continue to exercise this function until He is taken out of the way, that is, at the Rapture.

But here an objection is raised. How can the Holy Spirit be removed from the world? As one of the Persons of the Godhead, isn’t He omnipresent, that is, everywhere at all times? How then can He leave the world?

Of course, the Holy Spirit is omnipresent. He is always in all places at one and the same time. And yet there was a distinct sense in which He came to the earth on the Day of Pentecost. Jesus had repeatedly promised that He and the Father would send the Spirit.

John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7

¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—

²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

15:²⁶ “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

16:⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 

How then did the Spirit come? He came as the permanent Indweller of the church and of every believer. Until Pentecost the Spirit had been with believers, but since Pentecost He has dwelt in them

John 14:17:

¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 

Until Pentecost the Spirit was known to depart from believers—hence David’s prayer,

Ps. 51:11b

“Do not take your Holy Spirit from me”

After Pentecost the Spirit remains forever in believers of the Church Age (John 14:16).

The Holy Spirit will, we believe, leave the world in the same sense in which He came at Pentecost—that is, as the abiding Indweller of the church and of each believer. He will still be in the world, convicting people of sin and leading them to saving faith in Christ. His removal at the Rapture does not mean that no one will be saved during the Tribulation. Of course they will. But these people will not be members of the church, but rather the subjects of Christ’s glorious kingdom.

May we all give thanks to God the Father through Jesus Christ for removing us from the hour of trial which is going to come upon this world. That time is called the tribulation. For the wrath of God will be poured like never before.

In Jesus mighty name. Amen.

Maranatha!

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