Who is Hindering    The Antichrist?    Part 2

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Copyright 1994 - 2012 Endtime Prophecy Net

Authored By  : Bill Kochman (aka The WordWeaver)

Published On : January 31, 1998

Last Updated : January 26, 2012

Truth And Deception, Evilness Of Man, Fate Of False Messiah, The Son Of Perdition, Abaddon And Apollyon, The Destroyer, Judas Iscariot, Michael The Archangel Or The Church?, Scope Of Satan's Power, God's Work And Satan's Destructive Plan



The revelation of this fiend from Hell will be a time for evil Christ-hating men to fill their cups of iniquity, so that God can righteously judge them for their sinful rebellious hearts. The Prophet Jeremiah exposed the true nature of the human heart when he wrote:

"And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
Genesis 6:5, KJV

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"
Jeremiah 17:9, KJV

Notice that Paul also said "God shall send them strong delusion". The Lord is not only going to purposely allow this delusion to occur, but He is personally going to choose this delusion for them, and make it so strong, that only those who know, understand and accept His Word will fully comprehend what is really going on, and thus hopefully be able to reject the subtle deceptions of the Antichrist:

"I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not."
Isaiah 66:4, KJV

In His sermon in Matthew chapter twenty-four, Jesus also emphasized how strong the deception of the Endtime would be when He said:

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
Matthew 24:24, KJV

Truly then, "Moshiach ben David" will be the king of these deceivers of the Last Days. As to the fate of this False Messiah of the Jews, Paul tells us that he will be destroyed by the Lord's spoken word, and by the Brightness of His Coming:

"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:"
2 Thessalonians 2:8, KJV

The Lord will just speak His Word, and this Satan-incarnate will be destroyed. Notice that Paul begins this sentence with the phrase "And then shall that Wicked be revealed . . ." Exactly when is the "then" in this verse? It is after the Apostasy is in full swing as was explained by previous verses. The Antichrist will not be revealed until the Jews have dug themselves deep in the pit of their own spiritual darkness. As we are told in the Book of Ecclesiastes:

"He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him."
Ecclesiastes 10:8, KJV

This is the basic scenario concerning the coming of the Antichrist, the Jewish False Messiah. However, there is one more event in this chapter which I have purposely left out until now which constitutes one of the primary topics of this current article; and that is found in the following verses:

"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."
2 Thessalonians 2:6-7, KJV

In the above Scriptures, Paul is telling those to whom he is writing that they already know what and who is holding back the revelation of this satanic Son of Perdition. In fact, Paul is saying that whoever or whatever this force is, its specific purpose is to make sure that the Son of Perdition is not permitted to manifest himself to the world until it is his time to do so. A verse prior to these statements, Paul reminds the Thessalonians that he spoke to them of these very things when he was present with him:

"Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?"
2 Thessalonians 2:5, KJV

Unfortunately, we were not there; so we have to really pray and rely upon the Lord's Spirit to help us understand what Paul is referring to. Despite this limited information, by comparing Scripture with Scripture, there are a number of important things we can learn from these two verses. The first point I would like to make is concerning the phrase "Son of Perdition". For most people, it is a very mysterious phrase. They have no idea whatsoever as to what it means. In the original Greek text, the word used here for "perdition" is the word "apoleia", which itself is believed to be a derivative of the word "apollumi". Thus, both of these words have similar meanings. The Greek lexicon shows the following as some of the definitions and usages of these words:

----- Begin Quote -----

apoleia {ap-o'-li-a}

1) destroying, utter destruction
  1a) of vessels
2) a perishing, ruin, destruction
  2a) of money
  2b) the destruction which consists of eternal misery in hell

apollumi {ap-ol'-loo-mee}

1) to destroy
  1a) to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to ruin
  1b) render useless
  1c) to kill
  1d) to declare that one must be put to death
  1e) metaph. to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell
  1f) to perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed
2) to destroy
  2a) to lose

----- End Quote -----

For reasons which I will now explain, I believe "son of destruction" may have been a better translation, although "perdition" also fits nicely in some ways as well. For example, in the Book of Revelation, we find the following verse describing the angel which ascends out of the Bottomless Pit:

"And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon."
Revelation 9:11, KJV

Notice the two words "Abaddon" and "Apollyon". The latter is the active participle of the same Greek root "apollumi", and means "destroyer". The first word, "Abaddon", is from the Hebrew word "abaddown", and likewise means destruction or ruin. If you read this ninth chapter of Revelation, you will see how appropriate these names are, as they describe what some believe to be a great war in the Middle East in which missile-equipped helicopters are used. I discuss this same topic in "The Seven Heads" series. As you will see there, Abadan also happens to be the name of a large island in the Shatt al-Arab waterway which flows into the Persian Gulf. To further show that "destruction" would have been a better translation, consider the following verses as well which all use the Greek root "apoleia":

"But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition."
1 Timothy 6:9, KJV

"But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul."
Hebrews 10:39, KJV

"But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."
2 Peter 3:7, KJV

"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is."
Revelation 17:8, KJV

"And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition."
Revelation 17:11, KJV

In every one of the above verses, the word "perdition" can easily be understood to mean "lost and destroyed". This will be accomplished when they are cast into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone! As the Scriptures inform us, every man will be rewarded according to his own works, and we will reap what we have sown:

"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."
Matthew 16:27, KJV

"And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works."
Revelation 2:23, KJV

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."
Revelation 20:12-13, KJV

Thus, it is easy to see that the reason these people and beasts are going to be destroyed, is because they are destroyers themselves, having yielded themselves to the Destroyer, to Satan himself! Satan is the Angel of Destruction and Death! Previously we read how Paul described this "Son of Perdition" as one "whose coming is after the working of Satan". In short, the "Son of Perdition" is the "son of destruction". He is the "son of the destroyer", the "son of Satan"; just as Jesus Christ is the Son of God who has brought life and hope to a desperate, dying and lost world. If you find these thoughts interesting, consider the fact that there is only one other place in the New Testament where we find the phrase "son of perdition"; and he too met with destruction:

"Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly."
John 13:26-27, KJV

"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled."
John 17:12, KJV

Judas' whole purpose was to destroy Jesus Christ, because that is Satan's whole purpose; to destroy the Work of God, just as I have explained in a number of my articles such as "Satan: King Of Tyrus, King Of Empires!". Judas was also a son of perdition, a son of Satan, a son of the destroyer! Once he had "destroyed" Jesus -- at least so he thought -- he then felt remorse and went out and destroyed himself as well by committing suicide:

"And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself."
Matthew 27:5, KJV

"Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take."
Acts 1:16-20, KJV

In the Old Testament, we find some additional examples of how Satan, the Angel of Death and Destruction, has worked throughout the course of history to fulfill God's purposes. The night of the Passover in Egypt, he was there:

"For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you."
Exodus 12:23, KJV

When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon swept down and chastised Israel in the sixth century B.C., he was acting as a vehicle of the Destroyer, who in turn was acting as the Prosecutor and Executioner of the Lord:

"The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant."
Jeremiah 4:7, KJV

In the above two examples, the word "destroyer" is derived from the Hebrew word "shachath" which means destroyer, corrupter, waster, and spoiler. These words "destroyer" and "spoiler" are found throughout the Old Testament; and in most cases they are referring to Satan the Destroyer who worked through the invading pagan kings as I have shown above. I discuss this topic in more detail in "Satan: King Of Tyrus, King Of Empires!", as well as in "The Seven Heads" series. Another Hebrew word which is used in some of the Old Testament verses is "shadad", which means spoiler, destroyer and robber. This word is used as "spoiler" quite heavily in the Book of Jeremiah. Following are two more examples which show how Satan the Destroyer has continued to perform his destructive deeds right up to our current day:

"And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand."
Daniel 8:24-25, KJV

"And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined."
Daniel 9:26, KJV

From the destruction of Jesus Christ's human body in about 30 A.D. -- which God raised from the dead -- to the destruction of Jerusalem in about 70 A.D. to the havoc soon to be performed by the political/military Beast of the Endtime, Satan has been extremely busy. His whole game plan is to destroy, to destroy, to destroy! It is for these reasons that I believe that "son of destruction", or "son of the Destroyer", or "son of Satan" would have been a slightly better translation in the second chapter of Thessalonians. In one Bible I have seen, "son of perdition" is translated as "son of hell"; but that doesn't quite emphasize the physical and spiritual destruction which will be met by those who follow after the Jewish False Messiah. Returning to Paul's warning to the Thessalonians, let's take another look at some verses we discussed earlier:

"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."
2 Thessalonians 2:6-7, KJV

In the above verses, we find the words "withholdeth", "letteth" and "let". All three of these words are derived from the same Greek word "katecho", which means to hold back, detain, retain, restrain or hinder. Please note that Paul is saying that this process of hindering has been going on since his time almost two thousand years ago. In other words, whoever or whatever was holding back the son of perdition back then, is still doing it today as well. This also means that the Son of Perdition, or else the force behind the Son of Perdition, was also in existence back then. It should be obvious that we are talking about two spiritual entities here and not just a physical person or group of people. I have already shown that it is Satan who is working behind the Son of Perdition. This leaves us with one question: Who is hindering or preventing Satan from revealing himself through this False Messiah? While I have heard a variety of opinions over the years, there is only one which I have personally found to be Scripturally verifiable.

From comparing Scripture with Scripture, I currently believe that either Michael the Archangel, or perhaps some other unidentified spiritual warrior is the strongest possible candidate for performing this task; and I feel that I have some rather convincing Scriptural evidence to support this view. To begin with, when the unidentified Angelic Agent came to give Daniel the prophecies of Daniel chapters eleven and twelve, he was hindered from coming for twenty-one days by the spiritual demon prince of Persia. Let's drop in on their conversation:

"Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia."
Daniel 10:12-13, KJV

Here we plainly see that it wasn't until Michael lent a hand by restraining, or holding back the evil Persian demon, that the Angelic Messenger was able to fulfill his mission of speaking with Daniel. It is easy to picture these two mighty spiritual warriors. Until Michael arrived, this demonic prince was successfully preventing the Angel from delivering his prophetic message to Daniel. However, then Michael stands in the way of, or withstands, the foul Demon of Darkness so that he can no longer hinder the angel who is attempting to reach Daniel. The word "withstood" is from the Hebrew word "amad" which has a variety of meaning including to take one's stand, to endure, persist, be steadfast, or to hold one's ground. Thus, first the demon prince of Persia withstands the Angelic Messenger trying to get to Daniel, and then Michael comes and withstands the demon while the message is delivered by the other Angel.

In my view, the above spiritual battle sounds very similar to the situation in Paul's Epistle to the Thessalonians, where an Angelic Being is holding back Satan so that he can't empower the Son of Perdition until it is the proper time for his revelation. If my interpretation is correct, then were it not for the faithfulness of this Angelic Warrior, the Son of Perdition, the Jewish Antichrist, may have already come to power! The meanings of the Greek word "katecho" and the Hebrew word "amad" are just too similar to dismiss as merely being a coincidence. At the end of Daniel chapter ten, after a bit of Angelic conversation with Daniel, it is again confirmed that Michael is helping to strengthen his fellow Angel by resisting the evil demon prince:

"But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince."
Daniel 10:21, KJV

In this case, the word "holdeth" is derived from the Hebrew word "chazaq", which means to hold, strengthen, prevail upon, be resolute, hold strongly with, and to be firm. Thus, Michael is again lending his support to this other Angel by firmly and resolutely holding back or hindering this demon prince. Leaving this Old Testament example behind, let's move up to the New Testament where we find the Archangel Michael performing a task quite similar to what we find in Thessalonians, and in the book of Daniel. When Satan tried to steal the body of Moses, Jude tells us that it was again Michael the Archangel who prevented him from performing his devilish deed:

"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."
Jude 1:9, KJV

So far we have seen three clear cut examples where an Angelic Being is resisting, hindering, or preventing a demonic being from accomplishing something. In two of those cases, it is definitely Michael the Archangel. In the third case, we have someone who Paul simply refers to as a "he". Some Bible scholars have suggested that this "he" may be a reference to the Holy Spirit which resides in the worldwide Body of Believers. According to them, the Holy Spirit will be removed from the Earth at the time of the Rapture before the Great Tribulation begins, thus opening the way for the revelation of the Antichrist. Personally, I do not accept this view; the primary reason being that I have found too many Scriptures which point to a Post-Tribulation Rapture for the Saints. This is clearly dealt with in other articles I have written such as "The Great Tribulation And The Rapture!". If the Post-Tribulation Rapture position is correct, then this means that the Antichrist would not be revealed until at the end of the Last Seven Years. In my view, this doesn't appear to make very much sense.

Another idea I have heard, which is almost identical to the first, suggests that this "he" doesn't necessarily represent the Holy Ghost, but rather just the Endtime physical Church; that is, we the Believers. Those who accept this view are convinced that the Church is represented by the masculine form in the Bible. I totally disagree with this view and have dealt with it in such articles as "Once Upon A Time: A True Story". To those who support this second view, I would like to ask you: In what way is the Church currently preventing the Antichrist from appearing? By our spiritual influence? I seriously doubt it. The current Endtime Church of worldwide Believers is very weak, very scattered, and very divided by many different doctrines and beliefs. I am not referring to powerful organized religion like the Roman Catholic Empire, but rather to those like myself who study the Word on our own led by the Lord's Holy Spirit; and who do what we can to witness to a lost world. In my eyes, this is the True Church of God. I simply don't believe that we are any match for the Antichrist.

Thus, given the Biblical precedents I have presented thus far, I still believe that Michael the Archangel remains the best candidate for being the mysterious "hinderer".

While such a thought may seem frightening to some, from the various indications we are given throughout the Bible, I am currently convinced that Satan has full reign of the Earth. There is clear evidence that he has been walking up and down in it for literally thousands of years; in fact, since the Garden of Eden. Consider the following example verses:

"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"
Genesis 3:1, KJV

"And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."
Job 1:7, KJV

Because he is the god of this world, some four thousand years after the Creation, Satan was still able to tempt Jesus by offering Him the physical kingdoms of this Earth:

"Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me."
Matthew 4:8-9, KJV

"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
2 Corinthians 4:4, KJV

We also know from Paul's letter to the Ephesians, that Satan's control extends beyond the Earth to the atmospheric heavens where he reigns as the Prince of the Power of the Air:

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"
Ephesians 2:2, KJV

It is obvious from the above verses that Satan has a lot of freedom to do as he pleases; so what one thing is he being prohibited or hindered from doing in Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians? Why is Michael the Archangel holding him back? Being the iconoclast that I am, I am going to suggest that Satan is being prevented from actually incarnating in a human body just as Jesus had done as the physical Son of God. In other words, perhaps up until now, all of Satan's dirty deeds have been achieved through outside oppression, through demonic influence on people's thoughts, or possibly even through temporary possession. Perhaps he has never been permitted to fully incarnate as a flesh and bone human being. If this is indeed his desire, why has he so desperately been trying to achieve this? Allow me to suggest that it is because he has wanted to force God's hand. I discussed this topic in "Satan: King Of Tyrus, King Of Empires!". This requires a bit of thought to understand, but it really isn't that difficult.

We already know from what I have already shared in part one of this article, that Satan is the Destroyer. He is the Author of Confusion and Chaos. He is everything which God is not. He is in total opposition to the Plan and Work of God. Jesus clearly defined that work in the following verses:

". . . This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent . . . And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 6:29b, 40, KJV

Thus we see that Satan's whole goal was, and continues to be, to frustrate God's overall Plan of Salvation, and to set up himself as "God", with us as the subjugated slaves of his Kingdom of Darkness. However, as the Scriptures make clear, the choice is ours:

"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"
Romans 6:16, KJV

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
Matthew 6:24, KJV

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
Galatians 5:1, KJV

This has been Satan's whole plan since the day he caused The Fall in Eden. Once The Fall had occurred, and God's Plan of Salvation was put into effect, Satan's next objective was to prevent Divine Restitution from being implemented. This was the greatest threat to his own Kingdom of Darkness. Thus, he did everything within his power to frustrate, hinder and prevent the birth of the Savior through the righteous line of Seth; which would have been through Abel had it not been for Satan's victory in that particular battle. One of Satan's most serious early attacks was the demonic invasion in Genesis six where he and his cohorts attempted to corrupt the righteous seed through having sexual relations with humankind. This is thoroughly explained in such articles as "Nephilim: The Giants Of Genesis". As we all know, it was for this reason that the Lord had to stop the spread of evil by destroying humanity through The Flood in Noah's day:

"And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them."
Genesis 6:6-7, KJV

Please go to part three for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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