It would be safe to say that all of us have come to accept this simple truth: evil exists, but God is good. Of course, the world is yet to experience the pinnacle of evil. That will come during the Tribulation Period through the evil agenda of the unholy trinity of Satan, Antichrist, and False Prophet. In speaking of the day when the man of sin would be revealed, the Apostle Paul was inspired to write this in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8: “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. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.”
Although that passage clearly speaks about the Antichrist’s lawlessness, Zechariah 11 gives us further insight into the character of the Antichrist when referring to him as a foolish shepherd (v. 15). The Bible, particularly in its wisdom literature, uses a number of words for “fool.” The word used to describe Antichrist as a “foolish shepherd” means that he is a special type of fool who is more foolish than the common fool because he has no fear of the LORD! Proverbs 1:7 says: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.“
Naturally, without a fear of the LORD and reverence for His Word, the foolish Antichrist will claim his wisdom is above that of God’s. Proverbs 12:15: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.” Finally, this type of fool has no remorse over his sin. Proverbs 14:9 says: “Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favour.“
The Zechariah 11 passage also goes on to refer to the Antichrist as a worthless shepherd (v. 17). Some translations use the term “idol shepherd,” and either term suits the context because it refers to something worthless, particularly as an object of worship. The same Hebrew word (this time translated as “idol”) is used as part of God’s very clear warning in Leviticus 26:1: “You shall not make idols for yourselves; neither a carved image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves; nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land, to bow down to it; for I am the LORD your God.” Since Israel rejected God’s chosen Shepherd, He will sovereignly allow a worthless shepherd (the Antichrist) to arise over them and lead them astray.
What I draw your attention to concerning the rise of the Antichrist is that it does not catch God by surprise. His rise is sovereignly permitted by God. Note Zechariah 11:16: “For indeed I [the LORD] will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces.”
When will he be revealed? 2 Thessalonians 2:6: “And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.” Notice that in the Greek, the word used for “time” is “kairos”. This means that God has appointed a fixed and definite time for the revelation to occur. But until that time, as the passages in 2 Thessalonians reveal, there is a restrainer that is holding back evil. From this, two things are evident. Number one, God (in His sovereignty) determined to have a restrainer who restrains the spirit of lawlessness from rising to its ultimate expression in the Antichrist. Number two, God will (in His sovereignty) cause that restraint to end at the appointed time by removing the restrainer.
So, the question is, who or what is this restrainer?
In 2 Thessalonians 2:6, Paul uses a neuter expression for the power doing the restraining but in verse 7, he uses the masculine gender with a masculine article. What does that mean? It means that a person, not simply an impersonal force, is directly involved in the restraining. So, who is this restrainer? Though there is disagreement amongst commentators, it is my contention that Paul is referring to the Holy Spirit. Dr Ron Rhodes writes: “And while the Holy Spirit presently abides in the church in a special way to restrain sin, this work of the Holy Spirit will be removed at the rapture, and the antichrist will be revealed.” This does not mean He will be removed from the world. As David said in Psalm 139:7: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” It simply means His ministry of holding back evil will cease.
Some people wrongly believe that this means the Holy Spirit will not be active during the Tribulation Period. Granted, His work will not be identical to that of the present age, but there is sufficient Scriptural evidence to confirm He will continue His work in two crucial ways. Firstly, it is clear that there are many people who come to a saving knowledge of Jesus in the Tribulation Period (Revelation 7:9-12). It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict people of sin (John 16:7-11) and therefore we know He will continue to be active, pointing people to their need for the Saviour. Secondly, He will empower His witnesses as they face arrest and persecution. In Mark 13:11, Jesus says: “But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.“
For now, we continue to wait for that trumpet sound, knowing that the Antichrist’s time will not come until after the rapture takes place. As Dr Andy Woods writes: “Because the Holy Spirit permanently indwells all believers, it would be impossible for God to remove the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit from the earth without simultaneously removing the believers whom the Holy Spirit permanently indwells from the earth.” To us, that day will be glorious. To the world, that day will begin a period of time in which evil will be unleashed on a scale never before seen.
