To begin with, 2Thess. 2:5 tells us that the Thessalonians knew what it was. Paul had told them when he was with them, and he was reminding them of this very thing.
Continuing on with 2 Thes. we know that the hinderer of lawlessness:
Is something already known.
It NOW hinders lawlessness.
It is strong enough to prevent the revelation of the Antichrist.
It will hinder lawlessness until it is removed from the earth.
It is called "he".
It will be removed from the earth before the second coming of Christ.
It will not be here when Christ comes to destroy Antichrist.
So, the "he" must be one of two things. Either the church or the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit will be here all through the tribulation and forever, according to: (Jn.14:16; Acts 2:16-21; Rev. 12:17 with 19:10; Zech. 12:10-13:1).
Multitudes will be saved by the Holy Spirit during the tribulation, as now. (Acts2:16-21; Rev. 6:9-11; 7:1-21; 12:5,17; 15:2-4; 20:4-6).
If "he" is not the Holy Spirit, the only thing "he" can be referring to is the Church the BOdy of Christ.
And this makes perfect sense if you believe we are going to be raptured before the Tribulation begins. (Thessalonians 4:16). We know Paul was writing them to remind them of what he had told them earlier. That he was seeking to dispel rumors that were untrue, that he told them to comfort one another with his words, and that the Church would be kept from the wrath of God. All rapture information, imho.
One more thing, because I know it will come up: calling the Church "he". It is called the "one new man", masculine. It is called the Body of Christ, masculine. Read Eph. 2:15; 4:13, 1 Cor. 12:12-13, 27; Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18,24.
The church is always referred to in feminine terms. It’s the “bride of Christ”. Even in Revelation the term is “come out of her”. I don’t believe it can be the church.
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Abide with those in the “church”. It doesn’t say He will be on the earth forever.
Acts 2:16-21 He did that in the Old Testament also but there was no indwelling.
Revelation 12:17 is talking about Israel and the keeping of the commandments. There is no indwelling but only the external law keeping.
Revelation 19:10 That is taking place in heaven and there is no indication of the Holy Spirit being present on earth as He is today during the church age.
Revelation 7: 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
There robes were washed after they were killed. Unlike today when we have been washed already. During the tribulation the Holy Spirit functions on earth as He did before the ascension of Jesus. He is no longer the restrainer as He is now during this age.
>>One more thing, because I know it will come up: calling the Church "he". It is called the "one new man", masculine.
No it isn’t. Ephesians 2:15 is not talking about the church. It’s talking about the two distinct personages of Jesus while He was on earth. He was fully man and fully God. When He “abolished in His flesh” He was making “of twain” one new man.
Ephesians 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.
Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Is talking about Christ being the perfect man. I know that one can be confusing but if you read it in the Greek the word order is different. We will mature to the same level of knowledge as Christ when He was a perfect man.
1 Corinthians 12 When a man and a woman get married they become one. That doesn’t mean the woman becomes male.