End Times

Rightly Dividing The Pretribulation Rapture And The Mystery Of Iniquity Found In 2 Thessalonians 2

The context of 2 Thessalonians 2, taken as it is written, is the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church which leads to the Antichrist coming to power.

Published

9 years ago

June 3, 2017

Geoffrey Grider

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The context of 2 Thessalonians 2, taken as it is written, is the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church which leads to the Antichrist coming to power.

The other day, I saw some postings where people were talking about how the Holy Spirit is now “restraining the appearance of the Antichrist”, and when the Holy Spirit is “taken out of the way”, Antichrist will come upon the world stage. They base their assumptions on verses found in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-9 (KJV). I would like to examine those and other verses in that chapter, and see if we can rightly divide our way to a deeper understanding of those passages.

The apostle Paul was writing to people in Thessalonica who had received letters from people purporting to be Paul, and had told them that they had “missed the rapture” of the Church that is such a central pillar in Paul’s writings. So here in 2 Thessalonians, Paul is writing to assure them that they had, in fact, not missed the rapture, and he proceeds to tell them what some of the things that will signal the Rapture of the Church, and what will immediately follow after that event.

Living in the time of the great falling away is right now

In verse 3, he tells them that there are two things needed before the Rapture of the Church can take place, and they are these:

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” 2 Thessalonians 2:3 (KJV)

The “falling away” is a departure of the Church from sound doctrine, and replacing it with “ear tickling” nonsense that appeals to people’s flesh and not to their soul or spirit. Paul would go on to discuss that in more detail in his letter to Timothy:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3,4 (KJV)

That period of time began in the mid-19th century with the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc, and is now in full bloom here in 2017 with such heretical junk by false teachers and preachers that sadly make up the main body of professing Christians worldwide. Here is a short list:

If you really want to depress yourself, click this link to read our entire listing of false teachers, preachers and end times deceivers. But depressing as it may be, after reading all our examples you will be 100% convinced that the great “falling away” is well under way. So you can add this one to the “fulfilled/being fulfilled” column from Paul’s list. Now let’s look at the other one, the revealing of the “son of perdition”.

Does the King James Bible reveal the Antichrist to be Judas Iscariot?

In our article entitled “DOES THE KING JAMES BIBLE REVEAL THE IDENTITY OF THE ANTICHRIST?“, we make our case for why we think that when the Antichrist shows up, it will be none other than Judas the Betrayer brought back for the end times. If you have not already done so, please click on the link and go read it now. But suffice to say, Paul says that the revealing of the Antichrist is the second thing on the list that must take place for the Rapture of the Church to happen. In one sense, that has already happened because, if you’re a Bible believer, then you already know who the Antichrist is – it’s Judas. But since you can understand something intellectually without it being revealed physically, let’s assume that Paul’s main meaning is that the Antichrist has to physically show up before the Rapture. No problem there. Paul never wrote one, single verse of Scripture in all his writings telling Christians how to live under the rule of Antichrist. Not one. So it’s safe to assume that the Church will see the Antichrist, know him for who he is, and be taken out in the rapture without living under his deceptive and demonic rule.

An excellent example of this is found in recent history, in type, with the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. In our article “7 WAYS THAT ADOLF HITLER WAS A PERFECT TYPE OF THE COMING BIBLICAL ANTICHRIST“, we showed you how Hitler fulfilled many of the Biblical qualifications of the Biblical Antichrist. There were people living in Germany in the late 1920’s who saw Adolf Hitler for the evil man he truly was, knew what was coming, and got out before Hitler actually came to power. In much the same way, this is how the Church will see Antichrist, and we will surely get out before he actually takes over. This, I believe, is what Paul is saying in verse 3 in 2 Thessalonians 2. Let’s move on.

Is the Holy Spirit taken out of the the way?

So the context of 2 Thessalonians 2, taken as it is written, is the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church which leads to the Antichrist coming to power. The Berean Bible student, seeing if these “things are so”, will take careful note that nowhere in the chapter so far is there a mention of the Holy Spirit. Not one. So how do people come to the conclusion that the Holy Spirit is “taken out of the way” to reveal Antichrist? This wrong interpretation happens for 2 reasons.

The first reason being that since most of the 20th century Bible commentators have declared this to be, people have just agreed without researching it for themselves. The second reason for this are the corrupt “new” Bible translations that remove the word “let” and attempt to replace it with “restrain”. This grave error completely changes the meaning of the text.

The word “let” is the key to unlocking this mystery

The word “let” is found exactly 1,511 times in your King James Bible, appearing in exactly 1,219 verses. It is used in all the usual ways you might expect, such as “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”, “And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines,”, “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.”, and the list goes on in the both Testaments in exactly how the word “let” is still used in 2017. The word “restrain” is found exactly twice in Job 15:8 and Psalm 76:10, and used exactly the way it is still used today. So accounting for variances in the English language between 1611 and 2017, which as far as these two words go is nil, there is no reason at all why the KJV translators could not have used “restrain” or “restraineth” in place of “let” if what they wanted to show was the act of restraining.

And this is where it gets really interesting. I don’t think they wanted to show the act of “restraining”, so much as they wanted to point you to a much more pointed application of the word “let”.

The Webster’s 1828 Dictionary , the absolute best dictionary to understand English words in light of Scripture, shows a whole lot of meanings for the word “let”, and I would like to point your attention to the first two, and they are as follows:

To permit; to allow; to suffer; to give leave or power by a positive act, or negatively, to withhold restraint; not to prevent. A leaky ship lets water enter into the hold. let is followed by the infinitive without the sign to.
To lease; to grant possession and use for a compensation; as, to let to farm; to let an estate for a year; to let a room to lodgers; often followed by out, as, to let out a farm; but the use of out is unnecessary.

Webster tells us that the first and second applications of the word “let” means to “permit or suffer/allow”, and to “rent or lease”. I was watching a movie on Netflix awhile back and it took place in England. The character was looking to rent an apartment, and stopped when he saw a placard advertising that one was available. How did that sign read, you ask? It simply said “Flat To Let”. “Flat” being the British word for apartment, and “let” being the British word for rent/renting.

At this point in our study, for some of you, that “cold chill” traveling down your spine is right now resulting in your “light-bulb moment” of clarity. You know exactly where I’m going with this, so let’s go there right now. (for the rest of you who never got past the “is this another Pretribulation Rapture heresy article?”, take a seat, we’ll deal with you later. Or not.)

The body of Antichrist is “let” to the Devil for a short time

Let’s review the whole passage in it’s entirety:

“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,” 2 Thessalonians 2:6-9 (KJV)

Rather than trying to force this passage to say it’s the “Holy Spirit that’s restraining”, which is in no way supported by the context or any verse thus far, I would like to make the bold statement that it says exactly what it means when it uses the word “let” to do so. These verses are showing you how the Devil uses the body of Antichrist, how he “rents” a physical body until the time he no longer needs it.

There are various places in the Bible that prophetically refer to the Antichrist getting killed, then resurrected:

“Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.” Zechariah 11:17 (KJV)
“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.” Ezekiel 30:21 (KJV)
“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Revelation 13:3 (KJV)

When Lucifer became Satan, he raised his ugly fist towards God, and declared that he would “be like the Most High”, with the uttering of his 5 “I Will” statements we see here:

“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” Isaiah 14:13-15 (KJV)

If you’ve made it this far, putting the cherry on top the sundae is no struggle at all.

We understand from the Bible that Satan is the great imitator of God, a cheap copy pretending to be the real thing, right? That’s what Satan declared in Isaiah, that he would be just like the Most High. With that in mind, note the following regarding the end times on how Satan copies God to fool the unsaved:

God has a body, Jesus Christ, and Satan has a body, the Antichrist: The Bible tells us that God sent His Son, Jesus, to be the physical representation of God on Earth. The Antichrist sends “his son”, the son of perdition Judas, to be his physical representation on this Earth in the time of Jacob’s trouble.
The Antichrist is worshipped as the real thing: For a brief 3.5 year period, the world is fooled into thinking that the Messiah has arrived, and they worship him as such. Only it’s not THE Messiah, it’s the phony messiah, Antichrist.
Antichrist killed and rises again: When Jesus came the first time, He had a ministry that lasted approximately 3.5 years, then He was crucified and rose again 3 days after that. The Antichrist will be worshipped for the first half of the time of Jacob’s trouble, 3.5 years, killed, then rise again in all his unholiness as the Devil Himself.

Now do you see why the KJV translators used “let” and not “restrain”? They were showing us a deeper prophetic truth of how Satan will “rent” the body of Judas in order to fool people, and when he, Judas Antichrist, is killed and “taken out of the way”, Satan comes upon the Earth in full form. So we see it is the body of Antichrist, and not the Holy Spirit, that is taken out of the way, to reveal that “Wicked”, capital W, Satan himself.

In conclusion, the passages dealing with the Antichrist in the time of Jacob’s trouble ends with verse 12, with verse 13 and its paragraph marker denoting a new topic and a new context where we read this:

¶ “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13,14 (KJV)

It is here that, for the first time in the chapter, we finally do see a mention of the Holy Spirit, and it has nothing to do with the Antichrist, Satan or the end times. Paul is simply reminding us to be grateful to God for saving us, and leading us into all truth by the “sanctification of the Spirit”, the Holy Spirit denoted with a capital “S”.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

When we, as workmen, attend to rightly dividing the Scripture, the fruit of our labors is Bible truth. And now you know why God used “let” and not “restrain” in this chapter.

Amen.

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End Times

FUN FACT: It Is Alcohol That Is The Number #1 Cause Of Preventable Deaths Here In America Not Illegal Drugs Coming Over On Boats From Narcoterrorists

Published

2 weeks ago

December 4, 2025

Geoffrey Grider

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It is alcohol consumption and not illegal drug use that is the number #1 cause of preventable death that’s killing a massive number of Americans yearly

For decades we were told that the greatest threat to American life and liberty came from illegal drugs—cocaine, meth, fentanyl, heroin. And to be sure, those substances have destroyed countless lives. But as new national research continues to roll in, a shocking truth has emerged: the legal, government-sanctioned “social drink” is killing far more people than the substances our leaders claim to be waging war against. A message to President Trump – if you really want to stop the killing from drug use, ban the drug we call alcohol. Alcohol kills far more people than illegal drugs do.

“Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” Proverbs 23:29-32 (KJB)

In this present Laodicean age, where pleasure is the new morality and self-indulgence is the national pastime, alcohol is quietly claiming lives at a rate that far surpasses illicit drug use. The world shrugs. The media yawns. And Christians—many of them—have learned to justify the very thing that is destroying their own households. So as far as I’m concerned, this whole national dialogue about Narcoterrorists killing Americans with illegal drugs doesn’t hold a candle to the millions of kids who are taught to become alcoholics at MLB and NFL stadiums.

A Legal Substance With Illegal-Level Destruction

Recent mortality data reveals that alcohol-related deaths have skyrocketed, overtaking illicit drugs as a major cause of preventable death in the United States. The numbers include liver disease, alcohol-induced organ failure, drunk-driving fatalities, alcohol-fueled violence, and deaths tied to long-term addiction. Yet unlike illegal drugs, alcohol enjoys full cultural acceptance, full government protection, and full corporate marketing power behind it. There is no stigma. No shame. No national warning campaign. Alcohol is celebrated in commercials, sports events, holidays, weddings, even in some so-called “church fellowships.” No Christian should ever drink it, and no preacher should ever stay silent about it.

Because the Bible is not silent. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1). In God’s preserved Book, alcohol is never neutral, never harmless, and never “safe in moderation.” Its end is always destruction. America used to know that when preachers like DL Moody and Billy Sunday stood in the pulpit.

NO ONE PREACHED HARDER AGAINST THE DANGERS OF ALCOHOL THAN BILLY SUNDAY, CLICK TO ORDER THIS AMAZING BOOK!!

Big Alcohol: A Multibillion-Dollar Industry Built on Broken Homes

If Big Pharma profits from addiction, Big Alcohol might be even worse. Billions of dollars flow through an industry whose survival depends on one thing: repeat customers. The light drinker is not their business. Their real money comes from people they’ve addicted who can’t stop.

And what do we get in return?

Tens of thousands of deaths every year
Millions of broken marriages
Abuse, violence, poverty, and imprisonment
Children raised in instability
Generational trauma that repeats itself like a curse

This is not an accident. This is the fruit of a system that has normalized what God has condemned. But we were warned: “At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” (Proverbs 23:32)

Why Christians Are Losing the Battle Before It Even Starts

The saddest part is not what the world is doing with alcohol—it’s what the Church is doing. In this lukewarm Church Age, professing Christians defend alcohol more strongly than they defend the Bible! They insist that “Jesus made wine,” ignoring the scriptural distinctions between fermented and unfermented wine. They argue that drinking is fine “as long as I don’t get drunk,” as if voluntarily consuming a mind-altering substance is some kind of Christian liberty badge. It isn’t.

This is not liberty. It is bondage masquerading as freedom.

The apostle Paul writes, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Notice the contrast: one spirit empties you of discernment; the Holy Spirit fills you with it. Alcohol reduces, diminishes, and destroys. The Spirit edifies, strengthens, and sanctifies. But you don’t know that because your pastor doesn’t preach that.

America isn’t merely drunk on alcohol. She is drunk on self-justification, convinced she can handle what is handling her.

When Noah emerged from the ark into a brand-new world, the very first recorded sin was drunkenness and alcohol-induced shame (Genesis 9:20-24). When God describes the fall of Babylon in Revelation 17–18, the imagery again involves intoxication—nations made drunk with spiritual fornication. Alcohol is not just a social issue; it is a spiritual picture of a people dulled, numbed, and desensitized right before judgment falls. America is not dying because of what is illegal, but because of what is celebrated. “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.“1 Peter4:7 (KJB)

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

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“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Christian Persecution

Street Preacher In England Warned By Police Office That The John 3:16 Scripture On The Back Of His Van Could Be Considered ‘Hated Speech’ Crime

Published

1 month ago

November 8, 2025

Geoffrey Grider

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Street preacher Mick Fleming in England was recently warned by police over the John 3:16 Bible verse he placed on the back of his van that it could be considered ‘hate speech’

I was browsing my news feed this morning when I came across this article on a street preacher in England, Mick Fleming, who lives in a van and ministers through his Church On The Street ministry. I have never heard of this guy before, know almost nothing about him, but I got saved on John 3:16, so anytime I see an article about that verse it always catches my attention.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJB)

The world is changing rapidly, the spirit of Antichrist is rising, and this lost world is preparing itself from the coming 7-year kingdom. England is a nation that have embraced Socialism, Islam and the LGBTQ, kind of sounds like America, doesn’t it? Any nation who embraces those things inevitably will, at some point, turn again the Bible and the people who believe the Book. Don’t think it could happen here? That’s what every people group thinks right before it happens. Use what freedom you have left, Christian, while you still have it to use. That’s the memo.

Police officer warns Prince William’s vicar friend that John 3:16 Bible verse on his van ‘could be considered hate speech

FROM THE DAILY MAIL UK: Pastor Mick Fleming has been warned by a police officer that the bible verse on the back of his van ‘could be considered hate speech’. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Mick said: ‘I just thought “wow”. I just wondered what people watching this thought.

‘It’s not to argue but where have we moved to as a country where a bit of Christian scripture on the back of a van can be seen as hateful or spiteful? Maybe society is moving to a place where they don’t want faith-based people sat around a table in discussion with them… for me it’s an integral message of how real change is possible.’

The law says it could be considered hate speech if the wording is threatening or inciting hatred based on protected characteristics such as religion or sexual orientation.

Mick insisted that he has no plans to remove it as he asked his viewers to give their opinions on whether the scripture could be deemed as offensive.

He said: ‘I am not going to change it, I am going to leave it one but I thought it quite interesting about how it can be perceived. I have never thought about that being something spiteful or hateful in any shape or form. I wondered what you thought – do you think people would take offence to that, and if they did, why?’

Displaying bible verses publicly is generally lawful in the UK. But the law says it could be considered hate speech if the wording is threatening or inciting hatred based on protected characteristics such as religion or sexual orientation. After recently giving up all of his belongings, Mick now lives in a campervan which has the bible verse John 3:16 printed on the back.

The verse reads: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Now the priest has revealed he was approached by a police officer while at a petrol station in Lancashire, who told him ‘the writing could be seen as hate speech in the wrong context’. Despite being told he wasn’t there to arrest Mick, the officer said that ‘if someone reported it police would investigate, and he could end up in trouble’. READ MORE

Church on Wheels: Could this Bible verse be seen as hate speech?

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

End Times

REVELATION WARNING: A 51-Foot Idol Of Lord Ram Rises Up Over Mississauga As Canadian Government Calls The Event A ‘Moment Of National Significance’

Published

4 months ago

August 6, 2025

Geoffrey Grider

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A 51-foot idol of Lord Ram in North America was unveiled on Sunday at the Hindu Heritage Centre in Mississauga in Canada.

The Bible is quite clear, in the last days after the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church, Antichrist will come on the scene and he will be a very religious entity. So much so that the people in that dispensation will be having a 7-year revival of Old Testament idolatry. Not content to wait, they are getting the party started a little early. That’s the memo.

“And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:” Revelation 9:20 (KJB)

The idol of the Hindu god Ram up in Canada stands at an impressive 51 feet high, but he has company. Down in Texas, a 90-foot idol is up in Sugar Land, a 25-foot idol is up in Hockessin, Delaware, with plans to install a massive 151-foot idol in Moncure, North Carolina. Kinda makes you think that someone has a plan to make idolatry great again here in America, doesn’t it?

North America’s tallest Ram god idol rises in Mississauga Canada

FROM THE HINDUSTAN TIMES: Thousands of devotees gathered for the inauguration, joined by prominent political leaders including Minister of Women and Gender Equality Rechie Valdez, President of the Treasury Board Shafqat Ali, and Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu. Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons was also in attendance, marking the event as a moment of national significance.

Link

The unveiling of North America’s tallest Lord Ram statue in Mississauga sparked emotional reactions across social media. “From Ayodhya to Ontario, the name of Shri Ram echoes louder than borders. This is not just a statue, it’s a statement of faith and identity standing tall across the world,” wrote one user. Another noted, “Toronto, Canada: The tallest Murti of Bhagwan Shri Ram now stands tall in Mississauga — a proud moment for the global Hindu community In a land where Hindus have faced rising hostility from fringe Khalistani elements, this Murti is more than a symbol of faith — it’s a statement of resilience, peace, and presence. Sanatan stands tall.” Others chimed in with messages like, “Let’s make Canada great again,” and, “Grand and beautiful ❤️.”

“This is a spiritual gift to the community,” said Acharya Surinder Sharma Shastri, founder of the Hindu Heritage Centre. “The installation of this murti is not just a moment of pride, but also a reminder that righteousness must always be the guiding factor in our lives.” The statue’s location has made it an even more iconic symbol for new arrivals to Canada. As Sharma pointed out, planes landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport often fly over the temple. Now, among the first sights to greet passengers will be the majestic figure of Lord Ram — arms outstretched, a towering symbol of peace and resilience. READ MORE