And now ye know that which restrains, that he should be revealed in his own time.
Paul has just written about a coming man of sin. Now he tells the Thessalonians they already know why that figure has not yet appeared: something is holding him back until his appointed time. Two questions follow. What is this restraint, and why does Paul say so little about it?
Paul does not explain the restraint; he assumes it. He had taught these young believers in person, and commentators say the vagueness is on purpose.
It seems to me that the Spirit here speaks of the restraining influence and person with a studied vagueness. If we are wise, we will not rush to form conclusions. It must be remembered that the letter was an early one, written to young converts who had enjoyed the apostle's spoken teaching on this very matter.
Even so, the silence itself teaches something about the believer's future.
If the saints are not to know now what hinders the revelation of the man of sin, they may learn even from that one thing: they do not have to wait here for such a revelation. That is all I am pressing.
The restraint goes unnamed, but its size and character can still be worked out.
It is clear that what withholds or restrains must be a power greater than man or Satan, and completely opposite in nature to the man of sin. He is evil in bodily form — or rather, its head. So it makes sense that what restrains his revelation is the power of good, holding back the full showing of the lawless one for as long as God pleases.
Verse 6 speaks of a thing; verse 7 speaks of a person. Commentators differ on how to fill in each side.
The lawless one will only be revealed when the Lord comes for the saints of God and removes them from the scene of conflict. At present the forces of evil are under restraint — restraint is the meaning of the two words withholds and lets in verses 6 and 7. There is "He who restrains" and also "what restrains." The former, without doubt, refers to the Holy Spirit of God. He is on earth in person at this time, as He never was before and never will be again. The latter, we believe, refers to the presence of the church on earth. The church is the house of God, where the Holy Spirit lives.
Others read the "what" as human government, not the church.
The "what" in verse 6, unnamed by the apostle, is probably government. It is still true that "the authorities that exist have been instituted by God" (Rom. 13:1); and while this is so there is at least a measure of check on human will. But before long that will no longer be true. The supreme power in Christendom will receive his throne and authority straight from the dragon.
One reason for the vague wording is that the restraint has not always worn the same form.
"That which restrains" — the Greek means a thing. What is it? God has not told us what it is. No doubt this is because the thing that restrained then is not what restrains now. Then it was, in one sense, the Roman empire, as the early writers thought. They saw the power of that empire as a hindrance to the revelation of the man of sin, so they prayed that the empire would prosper. At present the hindrance is still the existence of the governments God has established in the world. He will keep them there as long as the gathering of His church is here below.
This restraint changes how believers face the evil around them.
The forces of evil are not allowed to proceed unchecked... In His government God will not allow evil to go beyond the limits He has set. That government continues while the saints are on earth. So we should never be alarmed by the drift away from the truths of God, or by the different kinds of evil that rear their heads in these days.
The restraint will not last for ever.
People do not know how much they owe to this restraint of Satan from doing his worst. But the time will come when God will cease to hinder; and then Satan will for a season carry all before him on the earth.
- Restraint assumed. Paul takes it that the Thessalonians already know the hindrance from his spoken teaching. The wording stays vague on purpose.
- Restraint measured. It must be a power greater than man and Satan, and opposite in nature to the man of sin.
- Restraint described. Verse 6 calls it a thing, verse 7 a person. Commentators differ: is the "what" the church on earth, or God-given government?
- Restraint shifting. Its form has changed. Once it was the Roman empire; now it is the governments God maintains while His church is here.
- Restraint removed. When it goes, the lawless one is revealed at his appointed time. Until then, evil stays inside limits God has set.
For the mystery of lawlessness already works; only [there is] he who restrains now until he be gone,
Paul has just told the Thessalonians that the day of the Lord cannot come before the falling away and the appearing of the man of sin. Here he explains why that man has not yet come. The evil is already running underground. Someone is holding back the moment it breaks the surface.
The word behind "lawlessness" links this verse to the person described a verse later. One writer says the two differ only as a thing differs from a person.
Here it is a question of this mystery of lawlessness; the apostasy or falling away is not a mystery. There is no need of a revelation to inform us that a man who denies Jesus Christ is not a Christian; he says it. But here it is an evil that has begun working inside the Christian world, in connection with Christianity. The lawless one will be the full revelation of that mystery. In most versions the words are translated "iniquity" and "wicked one." In the original they are the same word. One points to the thing, the other to the person.
The last words of the verse matter too. One writer compares the older English versions and finds "taken" too strong.
The Geneva Bible set the pattern in substance for the Authorised Version, but in both "taken" goes too far. "Till he withdraws" is perhaps acceptable, or "be out of the way."
In Scripture a mystery is something you could never guess. Someone has to tell you. That is why this evil can work for centuries and escape notice.
The mystery of iniquity is evil at work in a hidden way inside the church. It is like a seed meant to grow until the revolt. That revolt will run its course until it rises up openly against Christ shown in glory. While men were sleeping, the enemy sowed the weeds. God does not judge what is still only in the state of a mystery. A mystery is known only when it is revealed. Without that it stays hidden from all human understanding.
Paul does not put this in the future. Other New Testament writers say the same of their own day.
John tells us that the last time has already come. Paul says that the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Peter says the hour has arrived to judge the house of God. Jude says that those who would be judged at the end had already crept in unnoticed.
Paul does not name the restrainer. An early view pointed to the Roman Empire. One writer treats it as an outward hindrance that could be replaced, while the restrainer stays.
While the Roman empire lasted, it might be — and was — an outward hindrance. When it fell, other rulers appointed by God stood in the way. To have named only the Roman Empire would have been a mistake which divine wisdom avoided. The particular barrier might vary, and it did. But the restrainer remains, using "the powers that be" in providence.
Another writer argues from the size of the task.
Clearly the one who restrains must be a power greater than man and Satan. This power is completely different in nature from the man of sin. The restraining one is a power and a person. It is the Holy Spirit of God.
His removal does not bring the end at once. One writer sees a gap between the church's departure and the lawless one in full view.
I have no doubt at all that the hinderer is the power of the Spirit of God. He does not only live in the church; He acts to control the world. Suppose it were only the Holy Spirit living in the church. Then the man of sin would appear the moment the church was taken away. But it seems the lawless one will not reach his full growth and open display as soon as the saints are caught up. There will be an interval and a testimony which God will give. When this testimony disappears, or is put down by violence, the man of sin comes out fully.
The verse that shows evil at work also shows evil held back. That steadies the believer who feels its pressure.
We are aware of the growing power of evil in man's world, and of his complete inability to deal with it. How thankful we are to know that one result of the Holy Spirit's presence is His ability to restrain evil. However great the power of violence and corruption, all is under divine control. This truth brings comfort and assurance to the believer.
- Hidden — the evil is a mystery. It works inside the Christian profession, and only revelation exposes it.
- Present — it was already running in Paul's day, and John, Peter and Jude all say the same of theirs.
- Restrained — someone greater than man and Satan holds the man of sin back. The outward barrier has changed over the centuries. The restrainer has not.
- Released — when He withdraws, the restraint ends. After an interval of testimony, the lawless one stands out in the open.
- Reassuring — until then every outbreak of violence and corruption stays under divine control. That is why Paul tells us this.