"CAN WE KNOW?" ― APPENDIX B

ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT “REVEALED” MEANS “UNLEASHED,” NOT “IDENTIFIED”

In the interest of leaving no stone unturned when it comes to Second Thessalonians, I have provided some additional evidence regarding the meaning of the word “revealed” in that passage. This includes the testimony of experts, the established nature of languages, and some plain old-fashioned logic:

1. TACIT ADMISSION BY PROPHECY EXPERTS

To begin with, many well-known prophecy experts actually agree with the idea that the word “revealed” in Second Thessalonians 2:6 and 2:8 means to be “unleashed” or to “come to power.”

This is evident whenever the experts take these same verses and use them to prove that the Antichrist cannot “come to power” until after the Rapture:

Ron Rhodes – “This removal of the Holy Spirit’s restraint allows the antichrist…to come into power during the tribulation period.”[1] 

Tim Gibson – “The Antichrist cannot come to power until the church’s restraining influence is removed (2 Thess. 2:6-7).”[2] 

Andy Woods – “Antichrist cannot come to power until the restrainer is removed.”[3]

John MacArthur – “Until the Holy Spirit gets out of the way, the Antichrist cannot come.”[4] 

Ed Hindson – “This secular Antichrist from the former Roman Empire will come to power after the rapture.”[5] 

Mark Hitchcock – “The rapture will throw the door wide open for the Antichrist to come to power and bring forth an outbreak of evil unlike anything that has ever occurred before.”[6] 

Daymond Duck – “I believe he [the Antichrist] rises to power after the Rapture of the Church.”[7] 

John Hagee – “The Antichrist will come to power right after the Church of Jesus Christ leaves this earth [at the Rapture].”[8] 

To be sure, these good men would undoubtedly say that the primary meaning of Second Thessalonians 2:6 and 2:8 is that the Antichrist cannot be “identified” today. But these eight examples confirm that they also acknowledge (unwittingly, perhaps) that the word apokalupto means to be unleashed, or to come and take power. They themselves have said it. 

Needless to say, I agree with the experts on that.

But there’s more…

2. TACIT ADMISSION BY BIBLE SCHOLARS

In addition to the aforementioned prophecy experts, many Bible scholars also admit that the word apokalupto in 2 Thessalonians means to “come to power” or to “emerge as a world leader.”

This is evident from the way they translate verse 2:6 in their Bibles:

CEV – “You already know what is holding this wicked one back until it is time for him to come.”

PHILLIPS – “I expect you remember now how I talked about this when I was with you. You will probably also remember how I used to talk about a “restraining power” which would operate until the time should come for the emergence of this man.”

TLB – “And you know what is keeping him from being here already; for he can come only when his time is ready.”

Clearly, these quotations prove that at least some scholars believe that “revealed” should be translated as “to come” or “to emerge” in Second Thessalonians. In other words, they agree with my premise.

I’ll grant that their Bibles are not word-for-word translations. Instead, they are concept-for-concept. But that is precisely the point. These scholars easily could have rendered the pertinent verses to say the Antichrist won’t be identified until the Restrainer is removed at the Rapture. But they didn’t do that. Instead, realizing that the concept being conveyed is that the Antichrist cannot come to power until after the Church is gone, they translated these verses as saying that, once the Rapture takes place, then the Antichrist will break free from the restrainer, emerge from behind the scenes, and come to power.[9]

And that explains why…

3. NOT ONE BIBLE TRANSLATES “REVEALED” AS “IDENTIFIED”

If 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 2:6, and 2:8 meant what the prophecy experts claim, then we would expect at least one Bible version to render “revealed” as “named” or “identified” somewhere in Scripture.

Yet, not one Bible of any kind translates the word “revealed” as “named” or “identified.” Not one. That is a glaring inconsistency. And it’s significant, because it undermines the entire argument that we cannot know the identity of the Antichrist today. 

In fact, without the support of Second Thessalonians, there is no direct proof for the position that the Antichrist cannot be discovered at the present time. None whatsoever.

And that is precisely why the experts have been forced to alter God’s Word on this matter…

4. BAD THEOLOGY ULTIMATELY REQUIRES CHANGING GOD’S WORD

Although experts and scholars deserve our highest esteem and respect, it seems that by embracing the doctrine of “The Church cannot know who the Antichrist is,” they have painted themselves into a corner. Why? Because once they accept this viewpoint they are forced to stretch the words of Scripture, or outright change them, in order to make everything fit.

In evidence, allow me to present several bits of conventional wisdom that are often invoked by the experts to make their case ― yet which go directly against the Word of God:

• Speaking about who is meant to decipher the 666 code, John wrote to the Churches and commanded them, “Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast” (Rev. 13:18, HCSB). But conventional wisdom has changed that to, “Let someone who was foolish enough to deny Christ before the Rapture, and who is now engulfed in the Tribulation, count the number of the beast,” (presumably, as he fights for survival and flees the authorities.)

• Speaking about the imminent Rapture, Jesus said, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man” (Mt. 24:36). But conventional wisdom has extrapolated that statement to, “But of the Antichrist’s identity knoweth no man, because if we did know the Antichrist’s identity we’d have a ‘not later than’ date for the Rapture (about 80 years after his birth), and that would destroy imminence!” -- even though we already know that Jesus is due to return within one generation of 1948 [the birth of Israel], according to Matthew 24:32-33.

• Speaking about the fact that it will be impossible for people to recognize the Antichrist at the start of the Tribulation, Paul wrote, “For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie [regarding who the Antichrist really is]” (2 Thess. 2:11.). But conventional wisdom has changed that to, “Then shall everyone see and recognize the Antichrist.”

• Speaking about the birth of the Antichrist, John said that he saw the Dragon waiting for one Beast at one moment on one beach by one sea (Rev. 13:1). But conventional wisdom has changed that to, “The identity of the Antichrist is so well hidden that the Dragon has been forced to groom a continual line of dozens of potential Antichrist candidates, who have been rising and falling in places all over the earth ever since the days of the apostles.”

So much for conventional wisdom.

On the other hand, the direct and repeated testimony of Scripture is that we can know the identity of the Antichrist. He will rise only once in history.[10] And that will occur in just one location:

• Revelation 13:1 (NIV) ― "The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea.” One Dragon, one Beast, one place, one moment.

• Revelation 13:18 (HCSB) ― "The one who has understanding must calculate the number of the beast." The Church is the only entity that has  been granted the kind of understanding necessary to solving these kinds of mysteries (James. 1:5; 1 Cor. 12:8; Jn. 16:13; Eph. 3:10). Therefore, only the Church has the power to decipher the 666 code.

• Revelation 22:7 (NKJV) ― "Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." The Church is the only entity that has been named as the recipient of John’s “book” (Rev. 1:4, 22:16). Therefore, only members of the Church are promised a “blessing” if they keep the prophecies of the Apocalypse and try to decrypt them, including the one recorded at verse 13:18 ― the 666 code.

• 1 John 4:1, 3 ― "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God…and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh…this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming." The Church is the only entity that is called ‘beloved’ by John. Therefore, only the Church is advised to test the spirits to see if any is anti-christ, and to see if one of them is the Antichrist whom we have heard is coming.

• Matthew 24:4-5 (NASB) ― "See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ.’'' We are to make sure that no one fools us into following any false Christ, and we are to do that by knowing the final Antichrist’s career, character, and perhaps even his identity.

In light of all this evidence, I believe it is time for the experts to abandon their position on this matter and acknowledge that the word “revealed” in 2 Thessalonians means “to be unleashed” or “to come to power” ― not “to be identified.” 

And we can add even more weight to this point by simply checking the context…

5. CONTEXT AND PUNISHMENT

Take a look at the passage below and judge for yourself. Given the context of 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8, which words belong in the blanks? 

Unleashed and free to take power? Or, named and identified?

• 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8(NKJV) ― And now you know what is restraining [the Antichrist], that he may be _________ in his own time. For the mystery of lawless-ness is already at work; only He who now restrains[the Antichrist] will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be _________, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

The answer, I hope, is obvious: The proper words are “unleashed” and “free to take power,” because that is what the context demands. The context says that the Antichrist is currently being “restrained” and blocked, not concealed or hidden. Therefore, when the restraint is removed, the Antichrist will suddenly be let loose and take power.

In fact, it is because the Antichrist will take power ― not “be identified” ― that Paul then reports in the very next clause that Jesus will return and destroy the Antichrist with the brightness of his coming. 

In other words, Paul’s announcement of the Antichrist’s destruction in the second part of this verse makes sense, but only because the word “revealed” in the first part signifies that the Antichrist takes power and commits acts that deserve to be punished and destroyed, not because he is suddenly “identified.”

6. SCRIPTURE CANNOT GO AGAINST SCRIPTURE

Next on our list of proofs is a basic truth that every Christian should know: God does not make contradictory statements. Not ever (Nu. 23:19). And that axiom is especially critical to this discussion because the Holy Spirit actually commanded the Church to identify the Antichrist:

• 1 John 4:1, 3 ― Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits …[including]… the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming.

• Matthew 24:4-5 (NASB) ― See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ.’

• Revelation 13:18 (HCSB) ― The one who has under-standing must calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man. His number is 666.

• Revelation 22:7 (NKJV) ― Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.

Notice that each of these statements is a command. And all of them are interrelated. The Holy Spirit has ordered us to: 1) calculate the number of the Beast, 2) keep the words of entire Apocalypse (including the 666 code), 3) test the spirits to see if they are anti-christ (or perhaps even the Antichrist), and 4) make sure that we’re able to recognize any false christ when he appears, especially the Antichrist.

It is therefore impossible for the Holy Spirit to have countermanded these orders elsewhere in Scripture. He would not have told us to stay alert for false Christs, and to use the 666 code to identify the final Antichrist, and then turned around and said, Don’t even try to find the Antichrist! 

That would be a blatant contradiction of God’s Word ― and we know that, for God, that just isn’t possible (1 Cor. 14:33; Pr. 30:5; Heb. 6:17-18; James 1:17, etc.)

7. LANGUAGES CHANGE OVER TIME

Finally, as most people know, languages change over time. And Old English is no exception. Just consider the following examples:

WORD            OLD ENGLISH MEANING           MODERN ENGLISH MEANING

Let                   Restrain or hold back                     Allow or permit 

Merry               Short                                              Joyful

Naughty           Poor                                               Immoral

Nice                  Ignorant                                         Pleasant

Dinner              Breakfast                                       Supper

Awful                Horrific                                           Not very desirable

Cute                  Sharp, witty, clever                        Pretty

Likewise, even though “revealed” now means to uncover, unveil, or identify, in 1611 A.D., when the King James Version was published, that word also meant “to come to power,” or “to be unleashed.” [11]

Consequently, etymologically speaking, the argument that Paul is telling us the Antichrist will be unleashed and come to power following the Rapture ― not identified ― is on very solid ground.

CONCLUSION

Given all of this evidence, not to mention the evidence that was presented in Chapter 3 of this book, it should now be abundantly clear that the word “revealed” in 2 Thessalonians is not being used in the sense of the Antichrist suddenly being “identified” after the Rapture. It is being used in the sense that he will suddenly be “unleashed” once the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit (through the Church) is taken out of the way. 

Indeed, as a direct result of the Antichrist’s being unleashed ― not identified ― Jesus will come and destroy him with the Shekinah glory of God (2 Thess. 2:8).

And thus, our initial argument is now stronger than ever: Neither Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians, nor anything else in the Bible, prevents the Church from identifying the Antichrist today.

END NOTES

[1] Unmasking the Antichrist, by Ron Rhodes (Harvest House, 2012), p. 100.

[2] https://aplaceforyou.org/pastor-blog/does-the-bible-teach-a-rapture/

[3] https://www.deanbibleministries.org/dbmfiles/slides/2016-EschatologySeminar-Woods-001.pdf

[4] Antichrist Unleashed, by John MacArthur. Please see https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/81-47/antichrist-unleashed

[5] 15 Future Events That Will Shake the World, by Ed Hindson (Harvest House; 2014).

[6] Who Is the Antichrist? by Mark Hitchcock (Harvest House, 2011), p. 38.

[7] https://christinprophecyblog.org/2009/06/could-antichrist-be-alive-today/

[8] Twitter - 9/2/2016

[9]  The word apokaluptohas even more connotations than those above. According to scholars, it can also be translated as “breaking through” (Rom. 1:18, The Voice Bible), “erupt” (Rom. 1:18, The Message Bible), or even “come again” (Lk. 17:30, ERV, EXB, ICB, NCB).

[10]  That is, notwithstanding the Antichrist’s initial appearance in the First Century A.D. as one of the five Roman Caesars: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, or Nero. Please see Empire of the Antichrist (Positron Books, 2021) for more information on this topic.

[11]  For example, when Paul says in Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven,” we understand that he means, For the wrath of God is unleashed from heaven.

Again, when Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, “[T]he Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven…taking vengeance on those who do not know God,” we understand that he means, The Lord Jesus will burst out of heaven and unleash his vengeance on the ungodly.

Even today, in almost every language, a given word often has more than one meaning. This is what allows people to write poetry, use hyperbole, make a pun, or employ a double entendre. For example, notice how many ways the word “run” is used in the following sentences: 

"I came home one day and announced I was running for office. The kids got excited and started running around the house. But they soon ran out of energy. So my wife ran to the store to get some snacks. That’s when she noticed a run in her stockings. But the store had run up the price for nylons. So she ran down the manager and asked for a discount. But the manager said that all sales had finished their runs. So, by the time my wife got back to the house, she felt very run-down."

Clearly, the word “run” does not always mean to simply sprint or jog. There are many variations, based on usage and context. It should therefore come as no surprise that the word “revealed” in 2 Thessalonians can also mean something other than “identified.”