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Was There A Curse On Helen's Romantic Life?
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¿Qué tiene que ver conmigo? por Teófila Gottfried
Lo que leemos en la Biblia tiene que ver con todos los seres humanos, sean cristianos o judíos, ateos o agnósticos, budistas, musulmanes o adherentes a alguna de las filosofías o nuevas religiones que surgen en el mundo. ¿Por qué? Ver mayor información sobre este interesante libro.
Scripture of The Day - St. John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Escritura del día - San Juan 14,6
Jesús le dijo: Yo soy el camino, y la verdad, y la vida; nadie viene al Padre, sino por mí.
Bibelstelle des Tages - Johannes 14,6
Jesus spricht zu ihm: Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit und das Leben; niemand kommt zum Vater, denn durch mich!
Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:6
"What Withholdeth" and "He Who Now Letteth" of 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7
We read, "And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth alreday work. Only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed...." (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8)
First, let us remember that we should not refer to "that Wicked" as the Anti-Christ. The book of Revelation, among other biblical books dealing with end times, speaks of two beasts, not of one beast and one Anti-Christ. The two beasts are the Beast and the False Prophet who are both anti-Christ in their spirit.
Some believe that "what withholdeth" is man's government, given that government is of God. This cannot be the case, because we are told in verse eight of the same passage of 2 Thessalonians that the coming of "that Wicked" is the work of Satan. We read, "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders."
No government of man can stop the working of Satan. It can curb Satan's working, but it cannot stop it. Remember that Satan is the god of this world, not man (2 Corinthians 4:4). Therefore, man's government cannot be what withholds the coming of "that Wicked."
Is The One Who "Now Letteth" The Holy Spirit?
Yes, that is what we believe Scripture tells us. But before expounding on that, let's take a very brief look at why some believe "what withholdeth" and "he who now letteth" do not refer to the Holy Spirit. "What withholdeth" refers to a thing, whereas "he who now letteth" refers to a person. "The Holy Spirit cannot be both," they argue. This sounds logical at first. However, let's see what Scripture says.
We believe "what withholdeth" refers to the great power Satan will receive in order to work the lying signs and wonders mentioned in verse nine of 2 Thessalonians, chapter six, which is in line with Revelation 13:5. We read, "And power was given unto him to continue forty and two months." And Revelation 13:15 says, "And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed."
One would think that Satan has not yet received that great power, because he hasn't used it. Therefore, lack of that power withholds the coming of "that Wicked"...that anti-Christ beast. In other words, the lack of that power would be "what withholdeth."
We believe that "he who now letteth" refers to the Holy Spirit, because He is the One with all power and authority. He's the One who has to permit the working of Satan who will bring forth "that Wicked." In short, we believe "what withholdeth" is the inability to work lying signs and wonders right not. And we believe that "he who now letteth" is the Holy Spirit who, in due time, will give the dragon the ability to perform lying signs that will deceive all who rejected the truth.
We read, "For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12)
¿Will the Holy Spirit Be Taken out of The Way?
Now then, if "he who now letteth" refers to the Holy Spirit, does that mean God will take His Spirit out of the world? That cannot be the case, because Christ told us in Matthew 28:20, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." How can He be with all of us who believe in Him? Through His Holy Spirit. So, saying that God's Spirit will leave the earth goes against what Christ said. Why then do we read, "until he be taken out of the way"? Who can take God's Spirit out of the way? Doesn't using the passive voice make it sound like some force will remove the Holy Spirit? But there is no greater force than the Spirit, right? Yes, that is correct. That's why we need to remember the biblical passages that reveal something about how God "interacts" with His own Spirit. We might find this difficult to comprehend, because sometimes it makes it sound like the Holy Spirit is less independent than the other two Persons of the Trinity (the Son and the Father). But that is not the case when we consider the rest of what Scripture says. Let's look at what Scripture reveals about the presence of the Holy Spirit.
God pours out His Spirit on the flesh of His saints (Joel 2:28). Jesus baptizes His followers with the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16). The Lord can take His Spirit away from a person (Psalm 51:11). This shows that the Father and the Son can pour out, send and take away at will their Holy Spirit. So, it shouldn't strike us as strange that 2 Thessaloninas 2:7 says, "until he be taken out of the way." If you disagree with the teachings or "theories" put forth in this article, we invite you to comment and ask questions. Please support your comments with Scripture. We'd love to hear from you.
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Based on true events, The Third Man by Angela Sheffield, brings the Bible up close and personal as the characters face real issues of life: Betrayal, deceit, romance, bitterness, anger against God, hopelessness, will power, perplexity, triumph, unforgiveness, mental illness, and the "Alcohol made me do it" excuse. Read chapter one FREE now.
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