Short answer: The Church restrains the man of lawlessness indirectly, by being the vessel through which the Holy Spirit operates in the world. But it is ultimately the Holy Spirit, through His indwelling presence in the Church, who restrains evil.
⸻
1. The Holy Spirit’s Presence in the Church
•The restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:6–7 is widely understood in Pretribulational teaching to be the Holy Spirit.
•Since the Spirit indwells the Church (1 Cor. 3:16; Rom. 8:9), His unique influence during the Church Age holds back the rise of the Antichrist.
•When the Church is removed at the rapture, that restraining influence is lifted (2 Thess. 2:7–8).
⸻
2. Salt and Light Influence
•Jesus called the Church the “salt of the earth” and “light of the world” (Matt. 5:13–16).
•Salt preserves and light exposes. The Church’s presence restrains cultural decay and spiritual darkness.
•As the Church holds to sound doctrine and exposes falsehood, she resists the spirit of antichrist (1 John 4:1–3).
⸻
3. Evangelism and Prayer
•Through the Great Commission, the Church spreads the gospel, calling people out of darkness (Acts 26:18).
•Her intercession for the world and prayer for rulers (1 Tim. 2:1–4) pushes back demonic forces that seek to install the man of lawlessness prematurely.
⸻
4. Moral Resistance to Lawlessness
•The “mystery of lawlessness” is already at work (2 Thess. 2:7), but the Church opposes it through righteous living, preaching truth, and standing against evil (Eph. 6:10–18).
•Apostasy increases when the Church is compromised; faithful witness delays the rise of the Antichrist system.
⸻
5. The Rapture Removes the Restraint
•Only after “he who now restrains… is out of the way” can the man of lawlessness be revealed (2 Thess. 2:7–8).
•This strongly supports a Pretribulation rapture, as the removal of the Church (indwelt by the Spirit) removes the restraint.
⸻