Restraining Ministry of Angels

Daniel 10:5-21

Prince of the kingdom of Persia, the demonic principality and power over Persia (modern-day) Iran

No one restrains with this angel against the demonic principality other than Michael. The Holy Spirit mentioned as the restrainer.

2 Peter 2:10–11 KJV 1900

But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. The Holy Spirit not mentioned as the restrainer.

Jude 8–9 KJV 1900

Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. The Holy Spirit not mentioned as the restrainer.

Here is a clear case of angel on angel restraint. However, angel do not act belligerently against these powers as do foolish human false prophets and teachers.

Some use this as proof Michael was incapable of restraining Satan, which is not the case. Satan did not bring a railing accusation.

Revelation 12:7–8 KJV 1900

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. NASB was not strong enough. Michael is clearly superior to Satan.

Revelation 7:1 KJV 1900

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

Revelation 9:13–14 KJV 1900

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

The sixth was sent to loose the four angels (demonic principalities) that were bound by the river Euphrates. These angels can be restrained.

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. δέω

Jude 6 KJV 1900

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

Revelation 20:1–3 KJV 1900

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Revelation 20:7 KJV 1900

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. ἄβυσσος

dungeon where the devil is kept

Revelation 11:7 KJV 1900

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

New American Standard Bible (1995): Paragraph Version Chapter 11

7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them.

New American Standard Bible (1995): Paragraph Version Chapter 17

7 And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

8 “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and ego to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.

Here we learn that the beast is not only a person, a human dictator, but is also a demonic principality that ascends from the abyss, a prison for demons, from where Satan himself will be restrained and imprisoned by an unnamed angel who is referred to by the masculine pronoun “he” “his”.

As long as the demonic aspect of the beast is locked in prison, his human counterpart cannot be revealed uncovered as the beast.

Part 2 The Restrainer of 2 Thess 2:6-7.

New American Standard Bible (1995): Paragraph Version Chapter 2

1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

New American Standard Bible (1995): Paragraph Version Chapter 2

Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 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.

The Restrainer is described as a “what” and a “he.”

Believer’s Bible Commentary B. The Man of Sin (2:3–12)

Seven of the more common views as to the identity of the restrainer are: (1) the Roman Empire, (2) the Jewish State, (3) Satan, (4) the principle of law and order as found in human government, (5) God, (6) the Holy Spirit, and (7) the true church as indwelt by the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit indwelling the church and the individual believer seems to fit the description of the restrainer more completely and accurately than any of the others. Just as the restrainer is spoken of as Something and Someone in this chapter, so the Spirit is spoken of in

After eliminating the traditional options for the restrainer, a conclusion is reached without any explicit Scriptural evidence to back up this assertion.

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 45: 1 & 2 Thessalonians Comment

An attempt to do justice to both the interpretations mentioned by Chrysostom was made by Darby (“Notes …,” 452): “the thing which restrained then is not that which restrains now. Then it was, in one sense, the Roman empire, as the fathers thought.… At present the hindrance is still the existence of the governments established by God in the world; and God will maintain them as long as there is here below the gathering of His church. Viewed in this light, the hindrance is, at the bottom, the presence of the church and of the Holy Spirit on the earth.”

As Bruce has cited, Darby reached a strange conclusion, how the restrainer could at one time be the Roman empire and then that role taken over by the Holy Spirit and the church later.

Of course no Scriptures to back that up explicitly. However the Scriptures that are used have nothing to do with. The beast of Revelation, end times prophecy.

The matter at and is, who is the restrainer of the one who sits on God’s throne and declares himself to be God, not who is the restrainer of sin from the beginning of time. Pretrib inserts this conceptual argument in order to include proof text that have nothing to do with identifying the retraining force holding back the revealing of the Antichrist.

Believer’s Bible Commentary B. The Man of Sin (2:3–12)

so the Spirit is spoken of in

In these passages the operative agents the holy Spirit in regard to “sin operating in humans.” whether sin in general or inspired by the prince of this world.

By dispensationalist and pretrib going down this road, inserting the church comprising of people, and the Holy Spirit, you end up with the restrainer being the church (humans) and the Holy Spirit. Although the church is never referred as “he” or “him.”

New American Standard Bible (1995): Paragraph Version Chapter 2

16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.

In angel/Satan conflicts versus humans, we get “a helper” the Holy Spirit to be alongside us.

New American Standard Bible (1995): Paragraph Version Chapter 2

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate (Comforter Consoler)

Again, this is dealing with humans vs Satan and sin. In this way God does restrain Satan and sin. (Job).

New American Standard Bible (1995): Paragraph Version Chapter 10

13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

Once the restrainer of sin concept has been inserted into this argument it sets up the necessity for the church and Holy Spirit as the restrainer of sin to be removed, before the Antichrist can be revealed.

However, this is not who is being identified in 2 Thess 2:6-7. The entity being restrainer here, it the Antichrist, who will walk into the temple of God and declare himself as God. Remember Paul opens the discussion by speaking of the coming of the Lord and our gathering together to Him. He then transitions to speaking about the antichrist, and whats restraining him. Not who has been restraining human sin since the beginning of time.

By changing focus you end up at the wrong conclusion.

In doing so, none of the proof text that pretrib uses has anything to do with the beast, in order to understand what restraining him use must use the information you must go to passage that directly deal with him. You must use the information in Revelation. Pretrib scholars did not do that.

Since the beast ascends from the bottomless pit, (abyss) this makes it an angel on angel event, because any spirit detained in the abyss, a locked prison must be released, in order to do anything on the earth realm. Therefore the beast, is a man, (the son of perdition/destruction) and a demon that ascends from the abyss.

This brings into play the the unnamed angel (not Michael, who has no connection with the Abyss) who restrains those incarcerated in the abyss, the place from with Rev 11:7

New American Standard Bible (1995): Paragraph Version Chapter 11

7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. 8

New American Standard Bible (1995): Paragraph Version Chapter 17

8 “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and ego to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.

Understanding this impacts the entire Pretrib concept because, if you do not have a necessity for the church to be removed before the antichrist is revealed, that’s going to have a direct impact how the book of Revelation is interpreted.