One very controversial eschatological topic today is the identity of the “Katechon” (Greek for “Restrainer”) of 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7. The Restrainer is the one holding back the Antichrist.
“And now you know what withholds, that he [Antichrist] may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity already works; only that he who now holds, do hold, until he be taken out of the way.” (Douay-Rheims Bible)
St. Paul assumes that the Thessalonians know what he is talking about, even though he refers to the Restrainer as both a “what” and a “he.” The traditional understanding of the identity of the Restrainer is the Roman Empire, which can be personified as the Roman Emperor. But according to our history books, the Roman Empire in the West fell in A.D. 476. So how could that have been the Restrainer? And if not the Roman Empire, what is holding back the Antichrist now?
In order to figure that out it would first be helpful to know what exactly is being held back. St. Paul speaks of this in the context of a “revolt” (cf. verses 3-5). This is generally understood to be the final, general apostasy – the falling away from the Catholic Faith and even the general order of things – which sets the stage for the three-and-a-half year reign of the Antichrist. Just as there have been any number of antichrist forerunners (Hitler, Stalin, Mao, etc.), there have any number of revolts in the past (Protestant Revolution, French Revolution, Bolshevik revolution, Sexual Revolution of the 1960’s, etc.).
The common thread of all the revolts since the time of St. Paul is a general overturning of the established order – whether in the secular or the religious sphere. We can know that is the case from what St. Paul encourages the Thessalonians to do in the face of the revolt: “stand fast and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle” (verse 14). You know that revolution is in the air when long-established traditions are being rejected by significant portions of the population.
During the reign of the Antichrist – who will be a secular ruler who gets himself to be worshipped as a god – there will also be a perverse religious leader. In the Apocalypse of St. John (book of Revelation), the Antichrist is called the beast from the sea; yet there is another beast from the land, who is also called the false prophet (Apocalypse 13:11-12):
“And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns, like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. And he executed all the power of the former beast in his sight; and he caused the earth, and them that dwell therein, to adore the first beast, whose wound to death was healed.”
The phrase “like a lamb” can be taken to mean that, mirroring Christ the Paschal Lamb, he is a religious leader. The “dragon” mentioned in that verse is universally acknowledged as the devil or satan. Those three – the beast/Antichrist, second beast/False Prophet, and dragon/satan – will be cast into hell at the end of time (cf. Apocalypse 19:20 & 20:9-10).
So in order for the reign of the Antichrist to commence, there first has to be an overturning of the established religious and civil order. As revolutionaries know, that is most easily accomplished by moral corruption. The “alphabet soup” movement is the most visible form of this at the moment. The foundation of society – the family – is being undermined by irrational challenges, mass propaganda, and violent attacks upon the very nature of what a man or woman really is. The continuance of the human race is dependent on people getting that correct. Those who seek to abolish this truth are working for the destruction of society.
This terrible corruption and immoral deception has even infected the membership of the Catholic Church. The German Synod is promising to bless homosexual unions, contrary to the order established by God from the beginning. Fortunately, there are still some in the Church who recognize the threat.
The movement to abolish the Latin Mass is another attempt to overthrow the established order. The sacrificial character of the Mass, best demonstrated by the Traditional Latin Mass, is almost completely absent in the New Mass. The Biblical book of Daniel says that the “continual sacrifice” will be taken away for 1,290 days (verse 12:11) when the abomination of desolation is set up. This is generally understood to mean that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will not be offered publicly during the three-and-a-half-year reign of the Antichrist. That has led some people to believe that the Traditional Latin Mass is also something that holds back the Antichrist.
However, in many strains of Christian prophecy, the one holding back the Antichrist is the Catholic French Monarch who will rule the world during the period of peace promised at Fatima. In all likelihood, this period starts just after the Three Days of Darkness and lasts until the beginning of the reign of the Antichrist. This French King can also be understood to be the last [Holy] Roman Emperor. It is also said he will be the one to settle a French civil war raging at the same time as civil war in Italy. This clue is how he might be initially identified.
French mystic Marie-Julie Jahenny asserted that this great king would be a descendent of both Louis IX and XVI. She seems to have actually thought that Henry V, Count of Chambord (d. 1883) would literally rise from the dead to be the French Monarch. That would truly be an unprecedented event. However, there are similar legends about rulers coming back from the dead – including King Arthur, Frederick Barbarossa (+1190), and even Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (+1250), who has the distinction of also being an antichrist figure. There are even some people looking for Donald Trump to come back from a sort of political death (though this would not classify as a supernatural event).
But the perfidious Antichrist, together with a wicked religious leader, will eventually rule the world, even if only for a short time just before the Second Coming. According to Biblical prophecy, they will force the entire world to accept a mark on their hand or forehead and worship an image which speaks (Apocalypse 13:15). Those who refuse will not be able to buy or sell anything (verse 13:17) and will suffer terrible persecution. The times we are living in now are a foreshadowing of that.
King Charles III is scheduled to be coronated on May 6, 2023, and some people are convinced that he is an antichrist figure, especially considering his ties to the World Economic Forum and the fact that his symbol as the Prince of Wales is the red dragon. Pope Francis seems to support just about everything that world government organizations do, and he is suppressing the Latin Mass throughout the world. Some form of digital currency seems to be on the way to replacing physical money, and access could easily be through a chip under your skin. ChatGPT is a novel technology that some people are viewing (and using) as a modern-day oracle. Without a doubt, we live in interesting times.
On the supernatural level, what seems to be holding back the one-world government is traditional Catholicism. On the natural level I think it is mostly the US military. The US Navy keeps sea lanes open, but the latest missile and drone technology has just about made surface ships obsolete. Col. Douglas Macgregor recently said that there are two types of Navy vessels: subs and targets. Any surface ship, including an aircraft carrier, could easily be destroyed with a large volley of missiles. The sinking of US carriers would be a shock to the American public, and the end of US global military hegemony and US sovereignty. The door would then be open to the New World Order.
The policies of Joe Biden seem designed to bring the power of the US down so that a one-world government can rise, although he has admitted that there will be a world government and that the US needs to be in charge of it. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping would beg to disagree – they are certainly jockeying for control. The policies of Pope Francis are keeping the Catholic Church in line with the UN.
The covid “plandemic” was a test run of what is intended to become permanent, as far as civil rights go. The end of the US petrodollar could usher in a global, electronic currency system.
But prophecies say that the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary will intervene to save us from the current mess. The Catholic Faith will be preserved at least in Portugal. The French Monarch will arise to first save France and then the rest of Europe and the world. The war in Ukraine will expand to the rest of Europe, but only just before Russia is converted and returns to the True Faith. There are Russian Orthodox prophecies about a Tsar who will be instrumental in that.
Prophecies also say that just after the world is cleansed through the Three Days of Darkness, a reforming Pope will be appointed by St. Peter himself and restore the Church. There will be a truly Catholic Ecumenical Council that will bring all Christians together – as Catholics – and declare the final Marian Dogma of Co-redemptrix and Mediatrix.
The unprecedented period of peace will last for about one generation (“25 years of good harvests,” according to Melanie of La Salette). At the end of that period, the Antichrist will rise up in Jerusalem and the French Monarch go there, possibly to confront him. After the confrontation (perhaps being fatally injured or just recognizing his impending death), the French Monarch – The Katechon – lays his crown down on the Mount of Olives at the end of his reign, finally taking the Restrainer out of the way.