Page 76 - The Rapture Question by John F. Walvoord

The IVorh of the Holy Spirit in This Age
val of the ancient Roman Empire is predicted for the coming
tribulation period, it should be clear that the Roman Empire
could hardly be conceived of as being taken away as a prelude
to the establishment of its supreme head as the man of sin.
Instead of the Roman Empire or law and order in general
being taken away during the tribulation period, it is revealed
as an era of absolute government in which everything social,
religious, and economic is regimented. If restraint of sin is
taken away, it must be traced to a divine removal and the
release of satanic evil. Certainly Satan himself does not re­
strain evil though he may disguise its manifestation. The Great
Tribulation has this characteristic in part because Satan is
cast from heaven to earth and is more active than ever because
he knows his time is short (Rev. 12:9). The power and success
of the Antichrist, or man of sin himself, is traced to satanic
power (Rev. 13:4). Governmental agency, as well as satanic
power, is insufficient to account for a significant removal of
restraint of sin.
The exegesis of the key words of the passage, while in
themselves indecisive, is easily harmonized with the concept
that the restraining power is that of the Holy Spirit Himself.
One of the principal difficulties that has puzzled expositors is
the change in gender from the neuter in verse 6, “what is
holding him back,” to the masculine in verse 7, “the one who
now holds it back.” This is, however, easily explained. It may
be the difference between the power of God in general as a
restraining force in contrast with the person of the restrainer.
Another possible explanation is that the change in gender is a
recognition of the fact that pneuma, the word spirit in Greek, is
grammatically neuter but is sometimes regarded as masculine
in recognition of the fact that it refers to the person of the Holy
Spirit. Hence in John 15:26 and 16:13-14 the masculine is
deliberately used in reference to the Spirit. In Ephesians
1:13-14 the relative pronouns are used in the masculine.
The ultimate decision on the reference to the restrainer

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