Who Restrains the Man of Lawlessness? Caesar as “God’s Servant” (Paul’s Eschatology 3)

“And now you know what restrains him, so that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only the one who restrains it will do so until he is taken out of the way.”

Here Paul speaks about a “force” – a person – who prevents the full manifestation of the “man of lawlessness.”
But who is “the one who restrains”? Why doesn’t Paul name him directly? And what does it mean, in Pauline thought, that he must first be “taken out of the way”?

The strongest explanation: Caesar and the Roman Empire

✔ Arguments from the text:

• The mystery of lawlessness is already “at work” – but it is not allowed to manifest publicly.
• “The one who restrains” is an authority capable of limiting chaos.
• It is not a spiritual power, but a historical, concrete one.

✔ Arguments from Paul’s letters:

• Romans 13: “There is no authority except from God… he is God’s servant for your good.”
• Acts 25: Paul appeals to Caesar – because he trusts Roman justice, not the Sanhedrin.
• Philippians 1:13: “My chains have become known throughout the whole imperial guard.”
• Greetings from “the household of Caesar” (Philippians 4:22) – evidence that Paul does not see Rome as an enemy of his Gospel.

✔ Historical context:

• Paul is constantly attacked by traditionalist Jews, not by Roman authority.
• He is repeatedly saved by Romans in Acts (e.g., Lysias, Felix, Festus).
• Romans are described as guardians of order – which for Paul is equivalent to being “servants of God.”

Why not a spiritual power?

Some interpreters (especially in the evangelical tradition) say that “the restrainer” is the Holy Spirit or the Church.
But Paul gives no indication that he is speaking of something supernatural. On the contrary:

• He writes to a community living under Roman occupation.
• He constantly complains about the “rebellious ones in Judea,” not about Roman soldiers.
• He views political authority as “an instrument of God” – even while wearing chains.

If the Holy Spirit or the Church were “the barrier,” Paul would have said so clearly – as he does elsewhere when speaking about spiritual realities. Here, his silence is deliberate.

What does this have to do with the man of lawlessness?

If the man of lawlessness is an eschatological figure who presents himself as God in the Temple, then “the one who restrains” must be a political power that prevents such a manifestation.

So what does this mean in Paul’s thinking?

Simple: Caesar is “God’s servant” to prevent the rise of a falsified religious authority that Israel might accept as Messiah.

In other words, Rome (for now) is the guarantee that the man of lawlessness cannot appear.

Who are the “enemies”?

For Paul, the danger does not come from Rome, but from:

• “The rebellious ones in Judea” (Romans 15:31)
• Those “from James” – Galatians 2:12
• Those who “sneak in to spy on us” (Galatians 2:4)

All of these are Jews who reject his Gospel, not for political reasons, but theological ones.
They want to impose another Gospel, another authority, another messianic identity.
Here Paul sees the great threat: not in imperial power, but in a religion that claims God’s endorsement while rejecting his Gospel.

The climax: a messianic revolt

If Rome is what “restrains,” then what will trigger the appearance of the man of lawlessness is Rome’s fall or a revolt against it.
And who would lead such a revolt?

Exactly: those who seek a political Messiah – a leader who will liberate them, who will occupy the Temple, who will be accepted as the Anointed One, and who will rule as a “god.”

But this leader, says Paul, does not come from God.
He is sent by Satan, and those who receive him do so because:

“they did not receive the love of the truth… God sends them a strong delusion” (2 Thess. 2:10–11)

Conclusion

“The one who restrains,” in Paul’s logic, is Caesar and the Roman power, and the danger does not come from paganism but from a false form of religious messianism that seeks to replace God’s order with a human authority claiming divinity.

This is the mystery: before the Lord comes, Israel must follow “its Man,” but it will be a deception, a spiritual tragedy, a grotesque imitation of what the Anointed One truly was – Jesus.

Continue to the next episode: (Paul’s Eschatology 4)

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