The Restrainer

 

            In the city in which I live, one of the local television stations carries a weekly broadcast of the Sunday morning worship services of a large local church. Every week, immediately after the church service broadcast ends, a commercial begins for a local gambling casino. The world is always ready to pour in if the Church, the ἐκκλησία, is not present as a restaining influence.

            The word, “restrainer, “ is from the Greek word Κατέχον (Strong’s 2722) which is used in the Bible to express ”hold down,” “hold back,” “detain,” “restrain,” and other similar meanings.

            2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 says that “the restrainer,” the one who holds back the world, will continue to do so until he is taken out of the way.  To modern readers, it may not seem to be clearly stated who this restrainer is. A literal translation of the Greek of verse 6 into English is "And now that which is restraining, you know, for to be revealed him in his time."

            Many believe that the restrainer is the Holy Spirit who indwells all the Christians who make up the Church. The removal of the restrainer could reference the removal of the Church at the time of the Rapture.  The Antichrist is to be revealed when the one who hinders his presence is removed.

            These concepts are involved in controversy among theologians over how to interpret eschatological doctrines. I will not tell you what you should believe but I will say that we should, at least, discuss it and not ignore it. Paul assumed that his contemporary readers understood what he was referencing ("you know"). Paul was talking to us also.

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At Least Enjoy It

Leo Rosten (b. 1908, Poland - d. 1997, NY) said, "If you are going to do something wrong, at least enjoy it."

Now, Leo's dead, so we can't ask him, but I suspect that he was talking about taking ownership of your actions, ie: personal responsibility. Too many people today want to always blame someone or something else for everything that happens to them. I'm this way because he did or didn't do that. I couldn't do that because of racism. My life is ruined because they wouldn't let me do what I wanted. I had to shoot him because he disrespected me.

There are, sadly, some situations (war, disasters, dysfunctional families where others don't wish to change, etc) which truly are out of our control, but some situations and activities (ie: gambling, smoking, egoism, recreational drug use, pornography, alcohol consumption, excessive flirting, compulsive behaviors, alcohol consumption, overeating, obsessive volunteerism, obsession with a hobby or one's career to the point of neglecting family, etc) must be avoided because of their ability to ensnare us in unexpected ways which can escalate out of our control and from which it is difficult to extricate ourselves.