REASON # 11 – The Church Is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, Who Restrains Evil

We have looked at ten reasons for believing in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church 1) The Unfulfilled Promises of God to Israel, 2) Scriptural/Historical Evidence of Previous Raptures, 3) The Scoffers Who Disclaim the Promise of Christ’s Return, 4) Jesus Said He Would Come Again and Take Us To a Prepared Place, 5) The Church Has Not Been Appointed to Wrath, 6) This View Maintains the Imminent Return of Jesus Christ, 7) Because of The Stronger Emphasis on Evangelism and Missions, 8) Because Israel is Put Aside for a Time; The Lord is Working In the Church Today, 9) The Scriptures Refer to “The Blessed Hope”, 10) Causes Us to Look for Jesus.

 

The eleventh reason for believing in the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church is that as the temple of the Spirit of God, and the absence of the restraining of the Spirit of God is evidence of the absence of the Church during the period of time known as the Tribulation, ‘Time of Jacob’s trouble’, and so forth.

 

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

 

There is an up close and very real analogy of the events that will take place during the period called the Tribulation. It can only be an analogy because what is to come will be far worse. The analogy is that of when we see people rampaging on the streets of the cities of the United States and in other countries and the police are near powerless to contain it.

The event of the Rodney King verdict in California during the early nineties is a good example of restraint being withheld while people threw rocks, bricks, and used anything they could get their hands on to destroy. The police just stayed out of the picture. It was uncontrolled violence against people and property…

“The 1992 Los Angeles riots, also known as the Rodney King uprising or the Rodney King riots, were sparked on April 29, 1992 when a mostly white jury acquitted four police officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King, after he fled from police. Thousands of people in Los Angeles joined in what has often been characterized as a race riot, or a mini-civil war, involving acts of law-breaking compounded by existing racial tensions, including looting, arson and murder. In all, 55 people were killed during the riots.” Wikipedia Encyclopedia

Let’s look at the report of the damages and such… “Estimates of the number of lives lost during the unrest vary between 50 and 60, with as many as 2,000 persons injured. Estimates of the material damage done vary between about $800 million and $1 billion. Approximately 3,600 fires were set, destroying 1,100 buildings, with fire calls coming once every minute at some points. About 10,000 people were arrested; about 42% African American, 44% Latino, 9% white, and 2% other.” Wikipedia Encyclopedia

 

EVEN NOW THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS RESTRAINING EVIL (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7) “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way”

We could ask, “Where was the Holy Spirit during the Rodney King riots?”, and we could answer correctly, “He was there in the midst of it”. It could have been much worse. There could have been more people killed, more damage done.

With so much evil in the world can we rightly say that there is a restraining force keeping evil at bay.? The answer to that question, of course is a most certain YES! So many times it is hard to understand why these evil things, and evil people happen, but God is still sovereign, and accomplishing His purposes and will.

Without law, and without the restraint of the Spirit of God there would be total chaos, with killing, rape, damages to property, everyone doing what is right in their own eyes, and tyranny would eventually rule.

 

IMAGINE THE HORROR OF THE TIME WITHOUT THE SPIRIT OF GOD RESTRAINING ON THE EARTH (Rev. 6).

There will be a ruler who comes in peace, and will give a temporary peace to the people of the earth (Rev. 6:1-2). A “peacemaker” with a bow, but no arrow in his hand. He will speak words of peace, but war is in His heart; particularly war against the holy.

What follows this rider on the ‘White horse’ is war, with much blood shed (Rev. 6:3-4). There will be blood shed of all those who oppose him, and mostly that will be those who take up the name of Jesus, and follow Him, without much thought of their lives.

With the shedding of much blood, the ruining of the lands famine will also come (Rev. 6:5-6). There will be starvation while the ruler of the world at this time seeks only for himself.

With the famine, the need for clean water and food, there will be much more death, and seems like and increase in death for humans by the beast of the field (Rev. 6:7-8). If we think pollution and things are bad now, we have seen nothing.

Many of those who turn to Jesus during that time will die for their faith, and their cries will reach up to heaven (Rev. 6:9-12). These will be those “Who loved not their lives unto death” (Rev. 12:11).

The earth itself will “Groan” as it has never before (Rom. 8:22) with earthquakes, pollution, the sun darkens, the moon becomes as blood, and the “People of the earth” cry out for the rocks and mountains to fall on them, rather than cry to God for mercy (Rev. 6:13-17).

 

WHEN THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS NOT RESTRAINING THE HORROR AND EVIL OF SATAN WILL BE UNLEASHED (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12).

He appears with power, with signs, and lying wonders to deceive and lead people to follow him (v. 9) “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders…”

The people who follow him will be people who refused God’s grace, and mercy, and because of this God sends them a “Strong delusion” and they believe the lies of the devil (vv. 10-12).

 

THE GOOD NEWS IS THIS BEAST [the devil] IS OVERTHROWN BY THE WORD OF OUR LORD’S MOUTH (2 Thes. 2:8).

We see our Lord Jesus revealed coming with a sword in His mouth (Rev. 19:15 “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God”.

All things will be placed under His feet, “ For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.  For he hath put all things under his feet” (1 Cor. 15:25-27). “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church…” (Eph. 1:22).