With all the evil we see all around us at this time, many wonder if we are nearing the time of the revealing of the man of sin. And people wonder who Paul is speaking of in II Thes. 2:7 where he speaks of "He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way." In this Bible Study Mr. Smith begins his explanation of this verse by showing us that "he" is not the proper translation. The Greek is neuter, therefore the verse is saying "what now restrains." Few Bibles translate this verse correctly, the New Testament in Modern English by J.B.Phillips translates this as "a restraining power which would operate until the time should come for the emergence of this man [of sin]." With this understanding Mr. Smith then uses the principle of "letting the Bible interpret the Bible" to show us from Prov. 29:18 NKJV that what has been holding things back but is now being taken out of the way is God's law.

Gary Smith

United Church of God Pastor

Gary Smith was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, but spent most of his youth in the Pasadena, California area. He graduated from Ambassador College in 1976 and he and his wife, Liz, moved to Peoria, Illinois. For the next six years he worked as a nursing home administrator in Illinois, Ohio, and Texas.
In 1982, he and Liz began to serve in the full-time ministry. Since that time, they have served in a number of congregations in the Midwest.
Gary and Liz now pastor in Houston, Texas near their two children and grandson.