It's All Under Control

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way.” (2Th 2:7 AV)

We forget just how effective the Holy Spirit can be in the affairs of mankind.  We may not like the direction humanity is traveling, but we have to remember that the Holy Spirit is restraining the forces of evil.  Sometimes, God’s people can be the most impatient and discouraged of all.  This doesn’t bode well when we are trying to reach the lost with the good news of the gospel.  When Paul tells the church as Thessalonica that the Holy Spirit is letting, or stopping the advancement, of evil.  The implication also means the affairs of wicked humanity are under the restraining power of the Holy Spirit, so much so that He will only allow that which is according to His plan.  Mankind can get a lot worse.  There are pockets of persecution, but by and large, the body of Christ is at peace with the world.  We may endure light persecution such as verbal or social, but we are not paying the ultimate price for our faith by any stretch of the imagination.  It may seem like the world is spiraling out of control.  But it is not.  It is a controlled descent.  One that God is managing for His glory and the furtherance of His kingdom.

When God begins to deal with mankind, His people can be affected.  Israel was affected by the first three of the ten plagues.  One might argue the tenth as well.  But only if they did not trust the LORD.  Yes, the lost and rebellious world will affect either greater or lesser.  We do not live in a vacuum.  Tragedy can strike anyone.  Hard times fall on good people.  A company closing will affect everyone who works for it regardless of their faith in God.  An illness like a global virus touches the entirety of humanity.  Even the saved can pass away from such a thing.  Tragedy is part of our human existence.  The difference is grace.  Israel suffered through the plagues of blood, frogs, and lice.  The first three were against the land of Egypt.  Israel had to survive.  But starting with the plague of the flies, they were spared the worst of it.  This is what we need to remember as the godless increase and the godly decrease.

Many years ago, my father took us to the site of the great Johnstown flood.  It isn’t much to look at.  It is a big hole in the ground and the remains of an earthen dam that once held back 14.5 million cubic meters of water.  In 1889, after several days of heavy rain, the earthen dam broke.  It completely destroyed the town of Johnstown, PA, and 2208 people perished in the flood.  Imagine if you could hold back the waters of such a flood.  Imagine if you were an engineer and planned the repairs that were needed for such a project.  Imagine further that you knew eventually, no matter the effort, the dam was destined to fail.  Try as you may, that day will come.  Knowing this, you warned all the people of Johnstown that the dam would eventually fail.  It would be prudent to move to higher ground, and you personally were willing to facilitate their move.  You would buy them new land.  You would pay the expenses of relocation.  Almost all ignored your offer.  Eventually, knowing you did all you could to save and many as would listen, you removed any further effort to repair the dam.  This is the work of the Holy Spirit.  The dam will hold until the Father determines His efforts to reach and save mankind can go no further.  Those who heed the call are taken out of the way.  Calvary paid the price, and the trumpet is our moving signal.  Then the dam will break loose.  He that now letteth will let.  The Holy Spirit will continue to restrain.  The child of God need not worry or fuss.  He has been and always will be in control.  Until He and we are taken out of the way, there may be trickles of evil, but the flood comes after we have gone!