2 Thessalonians declares that something shall 'withhold' the revelation of this Antichrist until the time determined for his appearing.

............The is only one power in the universe that can hold back the forces of hell.

....................That is the Spirit of God.

......Jesus said that His authority over devils, was by the Spirit of God.
...............Matthew 12:28
"But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God,
then the kingdom of God is come unto you."

In 2 Thessalonians, Paul says that the Day of Christ would not come until first, the Man of Sin should be revealed:


"3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time."


Although false prophets and false christs would appear at different times during the Church Age, neverthe less, a man of wickedness shall arise at the end of the age, whose hatred of Christ will exceed anything that ever occurred in the history of the world.


He is called the Son of Perdition who exalts himself above everything that is called God and shows himself as God.

Jesus, Himself, taught that false Christs and false prophets would arise.

..............................And this was particularly associated with the Great Tribulation.

.....................Matthew 24:21. 24-25
"21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before."

The doctrine of the Antichrist was taught in the early Church before the Book of Revelation was written.

.............................1 John 2:18
"Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time."

Read Revelation 13:1-10

The beast
is the
Antichrist

"A flood" in Bible symbolism are armies sent out by a power under the influence of Satan.

The Antichrist doesn't have things entirely his way.

.......................His need for great armies shows that he has powerful opposition. The rise of this opposition takes up some of the shock of the Antichrist's wrath and prevents him from completely destroying the Woman.

"And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.


And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.


And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
.........................Revelation 12:15-17

During this time of trial and tribulation there will be great heart-seaching among God's saints and the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon them.

.................................With the time of judgment nearing its end, God will deal with His people.

.................Some of these prophecies concerning the 'wilderness' are particularly related to Israel as a nation.

..............................................God will make a covenant with His people Israel and betroth them unto Himself forever. .......Read Hosea 2:18-20

God's dealings with His people, Israel, in the wilderness is described in Ezekiel 20:34-37

" And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD.
And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:"

In the wilderness, God meets the people left of the sword. There He is gracious to them and gives them His everlasting love.

...........................Jeremiah 31:2-3
"Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."

God's purpose for permitting the Woman to flee into the wilderness beside giving her protection is to chasten and refine her and to prepare the descendants of Jacob for the Millennium.

............................When the dark hour is over the powers of evil will be broken and Israel will be free forever.

The understanding of prophecy doesn't need our exact identification of 'the wilderness'; but evidence is strong that it refers to North America.

....................It is also likely that everywhere believers will attempt to flee in effort to escape the Antichrist, this would only be natural.

The 'wings of the eagle' no doubt have a spiritual meaning as they did in Exodus 19:4.
The symbolize Divine protection.
However, they may also symbolize the actual instrument used in the flight.

She was given the 'wings of an eagle' that she might flee. What nation is represented by the eagle?
The United States of America.
The jet now being built could carry hundreds of thousands of people across the ocean in a short time.

This shelter in the wilderness will save Israel from the Dragon as it pursues after the Woman in Revelation 12; just as God saved Israel from the Pharaoh of Egypt as he pursued them leaving Egypt.

..............................................God saved them as it were on "eagles wings" and Pharaoh perished as a victim of God's judgment.

.......................As God's people on earth will be the 'Church in the Wilderness' in the Great Tribulation just as Israel was called 'the Church in the Wilderness' when she fled from Pharaoh.
....................................Acts 7:38
"This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:. . ."

In the second prophecy the Woman was given the "wings of an eagle" to help her flight into the wilderness.

The "wilderness" is a refuge for God's people in time of testing and is spoken of in the Bible a number of times.

There are two different phases of the flight of the Woman which is the Church-Israel.

.........One....the flight of the Jews that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:15-22
.........Two...a different flight of other 'saints' at the beginning of the Great Tribulation.

.....................................The flight of the Woman is mentioned twice in Revelation 12. Some think is was for emphasis, But it's not. Every sentence in the Book is significant. It's written twice because there are two phases to it.

One thing is for sure, the Lord has 'a place prepared of God', where the Beast's power cannot immediately have control.

.....................................................Right now, the only place that would fit this description would be North America. The last of the free world.

...................The Antichrist would quickly take over Europe, Africa and Asia; the saints living there would have no way to escape.

.................................They will have to give their lives or take the 'mark' of the Beast.

During the time of the Great Tribulation the people of God may be found grouped together in small communities around about in the mountains and remote places.

............................The general population may be forced to also because of the possibility of the cities being destroyed.

................While the new world would be the natural place of safety for those fleeing the Beast, it is likely that the Tribulation saints would flee to remote areas in any part of the world where they are living.