What or Who Restrains in 2 Thessalonians?

[Alfred Persson]

And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. (2Th 2:6 NKJ)

Theories abound as to who or what this is. Here is mine, to debunk or whatever:

9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

This star given the key to the abyss is later revealed to be the angel of God who locks up Satan (Rev. 20:1-3) God is Sovereign over the Abyss (Job 26:6; Ps 139:8; Prov. 15:11; Amos 9:2; Mat. 16:18 cp. 7:24-25), not Satan or his angels. For them the Abyss is a prison, a place of torment that strikes them with terror (Luke 8:31 cf. 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6).

"To fall" (4098 πίπτω)" means: "to descend in free fall under the influence of gravity"-(Bible Sense Lexicon, Logos Bible Software, Logos 6 Rev. 9:1).

Hence the free fall symbolizes removal of the restraint of spiritism which is the mystery (secret power NIV) of lawlessness that promotes the apostasy permitting the Man of sin to reveal himself (2 Thess. 2:3-12). "What restrains" is God's decree they be imprisoned in the Abyss, He who restrains is God the Holy Spirit who no longer convicts the victims of spiritism of sin, metaphorically taken out of their midst (2 Thess. 2:7).

 

[Lyndon]

As Revelation was presumably written after Thessalonians, how could he be referring to a text that wan't even written then??

 

[Alfred Persson]

As Revelation was presumably written after Thessalonians, how could he be referring to a text that wan't even written then??

Elementary, both refer to future events.

You mind find the full exposition interesting, and I'm certain we will enjoy debating it:

The locust plague of Revelation 9:1-11---The Interpretation -

Forums

 

[JayJayDee]

Reading the scripture in context, it virtually explains itself......

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12...."Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (NKJV)

First of all it tells us the time period...."the coming of the Lord Jesus and the gathering" of his faithful anointed ones.
It goes on to say that this event will not take place until a "falling away" from the true faith takes place.

What was restraining this falling away? Spiritual "lawlessness" was "already at work" back in the first century.... So the only thing that was holding it back was the presence of the apostles. Once the last of the apostles was "out of the way" the "lawless one" would gain ascendancy. "He" would be from satan and would perform signs and lying wonders to lead people away from the truth. Because they would so readily accept this deception, God allows a strong delusion to mislead them. They do not love the truth but exchange it for a fake. The fake becomes the truth and no one seems to care.

Jesus also alluded to this situation when he gave the parable about the "wheat and the weeds" to show that satan would sow a counterfeit form of Christianity that would grow together with true Christianity, all the way down through history until "the harvest time". That means that the Christian faith that exists today is not what Jesus began.
There is both true and false existing side by side....but which is which?

Jesus said we would know them "by their fruits".....not what they say, but what they do. (Matt 7:21-23)

 

[Alfred Persson]

Reading the scripture in context, it virtually explains itself......

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12...."Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (NKJV)

First of all it tells us the time period...."the coming of the Lord Jesus and the gathering" of his faithful anointed ones.
It goes on to say that this event will not take place until a "falling away" from the true faith takes place.

What was restraining this falling away? Spiritual "lawlessness" was "already at work" back in the first century.... So the only thing that was holding it back was the presence of the apostles. Once the last of the apostles was "out of the way" the "lawless one" would gain ascendancy. "He" would be from satan and would perform signs and lying wonders to lead people away from the truth. Because they would so readily accept this deception, God allows a strong delusion to mislead them. They do not love the truth but exchange it for a fake. The fake becomes the truth and no one seems to care.

Jesus also alluded to this situation when he gave the parable about the "wheat and the weeds" to show that satan would sow a counterfeit form of Christianity that would grow together with true Christianity, all the way down through history until "the harvest time". That means that the Christian faith that exists today is not what Jesus began.
There is both true and false existing side by side....but which is which?

Jesus said we would know them "by their fruits".....not what they say, but what they do. (Matt 7:21-23)

Your exegesis contradicts the number and gender of the verb κατέχον, its "what is restraining" not "those who restrain", its singular neuter, not masculine plural.

Same with the next verse, "HE who now restrains" is not "THEM who now restrain"; "HE is taken out of the way" is not "THEY are taken out of the way."

Therefore, the grammar "obviously" contradicts your exegesis.

Moreover, if it were correct, then the "Man of Sin" should have appeared in the late 1st or 2nd century. Clearly he did not.


The wording of 2:6-7 is incorporated in my exegesis, the shift from a "what" to "He"; What restrains the revelation of the man of sin is God's decree holding back this level of spiritism, which Rev 9:1 clearly shows is released upon the earth in the end time week. Therefore, "He" who now restrains is God, or more precisely God the Holy Spirit, who restrained the spiritism that was already producing spurious words and letters teaching doctrines of demons, that the day of Christ was present (2 Thess 2:2).

 

[JayJayDee]

Your exegesis contradicts the number and gender of the verb κατέχον, its "what is restraining" not "those who restrain", its singular neuter, not masculine plural.

Same with the next verse, "HE who now restrains" is not "THEM who now restrain"; "HE is taken out of the way" is not "THEY are taken out of the way."

Therefore, the grammar "obviously" contradicts your exegesis.

Moreover, if it were correct, then the "Man of Sin" should have appeared in the late 1st or 2nd century. Clearly he did not.


The wording of 2:6-7 is incorporated in my exegesis, the shift from a "what" to "He"; What restrains the revelation of the man of sin is God's decree holding back this level of spiritism, which Rev 9:1 clearly shows is released upon the earth in the end time week. Therefore, "He" who now restrains is God, or more precisely God the Holy Spirit, who restrained the spiritism that was already producing spurious words and letters teaching doctrines of demons, that the day of Christ was present (2 Thess 2:2).

"He" is not necessarily an individual but can be a collective with a single objective. Just as the "man of sin" is not necessarily an individual nor is the "faithful and wise slave" (singular) of Jesus' parable. (Matt 24:45-47)

The apostasy began in earnest when the the last of the apostles (John) passed away at the end of the first century. From the second century onwards things began to decline and men began introducing their own ideas, as men are want to do.

By the time of Constantine the Great, (4th century CE) the "Christians", by then in a totally weakened state, were ripe for a complete takeover and Christendom was born with Roman Catholicism. Sun worship was incorporated into Christianity and it became a corrupted sham. These are the weeds of Jesus parable. They have been growing in the world, pretending to be Christians ever since. The weeds, sown by the devil, have a single source no matter what "denominations" they have branched into. The weeds too are a collective.

What the devil did to Judaism, he also did to Christianity....he totally corrupted its teachings, by introducing false doctrines and "traditions of men" just as Jesus indicated. In the beginning people could not discern between the two, but as the "harvest" time got closer, the difference would be marked. They would not resemble one another at all.

There is no contradiction, as I see it.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. (2Th 2:6 NKJ)
Theories abound as to who or what this is. Here is mine, to debunk or whatever:
9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
This star given the key to the abyss is later revealed to be the angel of God who locks up Satan (Rev. 20:1-3) God is Sovereign over the Abyss (Job 26:6; Ps 139:8; Prov. 15:11; Amos 9:2; Mat. 16:18 cp. 7:24-25), not Satan or his angels. For them the Abyss is a prison, a place of torment that strikes them with terror (Luke 8:31 cf. 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6).
Hence the free fall symbolizes removal of the restraint of spiritism which is the mystery (secret power NIV) of lawlessness that promotes the apostasy permitting the Man of sin to reveal himself (2 Thess. 2:3-12). "What restrains" is God's decree they be imprisoned in the Abyss, He who restrains is God the Holy Spirit who no longer convicts the victims of spiritism of sin, metaphorically taken out of their midst (2 Thess. 2:7).

In the first century Jesus' apostles acted as a ' restraint '. 2 Thessalonians 2:6; Acts of the Apostles 20:29-30
Please notice 2 Thessalonians 2:4 because the ' man of sin ' the ' son or perdition ' ( utter destruction ) sits himself in the temple of God ( houses of worship ) as if he is God when he is really anti-God. Today, the clerical ' man of the cloth ' who like the Pharisees - 2 Thessalonians 2:9 - has Satan as their father - John 8:44 - and they wrongly sit themselves in houses of worship.
As Revelation 19:15 says in connection to 2 Thessalonians 2:8 with the words from Jesus' mouth he will judge and take the action to destroy them. - Revelation 20:1-3

 

[Alfred Persson]

"He" is not necessarily an individual but can be a collective with a single objective. Just as the "man of sin" is not necessarily an individual nor is the "faithful and wise slave" (singular) of Jesus' parable. (Matt 24:45-47)

The apostasy began in earnest when the the last of the apostles (John) passed away at the end of the first century. From the second century onwards things began to decline and men began introducing their own ideas, as men are want to do.

By the time of Constantine the Great, (4th century CE) the "Christians", by then in a totally weakened state, were ripe for a complete takeover and Christendom was born with Roman Catholicism. Sun worship was incorporated into Christianity and it became a corrupted sham. These are the weeds of Jesus parable. They have been growing in the world, pretending to be Christians ever since. The weeds, sown by the devil, have a single source no matter what "denominations" they have branched into. The weeds too are a collective.

What the devil did to Judaism, he also did to Christianity....he totally corrupted its teachings, by introducing false doctrines and "traditions of men" just as Jesus indicated. In the beginning people could not discern between the two, but as the "harvest" time got closer, the difference would be marked. They would not resemble one another at all.

There is no contradiction, as I see it.

You cite no proof of your premise, that the apostles are collectively spoken of, as "He" elsewhere in scripture.

Nor did you provide a reason for being so cryptic. Why would Paul hide his own identity, when everywhere else he says "we" if he is referring to the apostles?

So your "not seeing" a contradiction, is a personal choice, not one based on reason or reality.

Try again.

 

[Alfred Persson]

In the first century Jesus' apostles acted as a ' restraint '. 2 Thessalonians 2:6; Acts of the Apostles 20:29-30
Please notice 2 Thessalonians 2:4 because the ' man of sin ' the ' son or perdition ' ( utter destruction ) sits himself in the temple of God ( houses of worship ) as if he is God when he is really anti-God. Today, the clerical ' man of the cloth ' who like the Pharisees - 2 Thessalonians 2:9 - has Satan as their father - John 8:44 - and they wrongly sit themselves in houses of worship.
As Revelation 19:15 says in connection to 2 Thessalonians 2:8 with the words from Jesus' mouth he will judge and take the action to destroy them. - Revelation 20:1-3

That is not what the text says. The Man of sin elevates himself against all called God or worshiped. He doesn't claim to be anti-God, he claims to be God.

Clerical "men of the cloth" don't do that, nor did the Pharisees.

You have forced this context to fit a theory of yours, that is not exegesis, its eisegesis.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

That is not what the text says. The Man of sin elevates himself against all called God or worshiped. He doesn't claim to be anti-God, he claims to be God.
Clerical "men of the cloth" don't do that, nor did the Pharisees.
You have forced this context to fit a theory of yours, that is not exegesis, its eisegesis.

Back in the first century - Acts of the Apostles 20:29-30 - the apostles acted as the withholding restraint - 2 Thessalonians 2:6
What where they restraining but those from inside the congregation who were making disciples after themselves.
Those ' teachers ' of 2 Timothy 4:3-4 are false religious teachers or false clerical men of the cloth.
' False ' as mentioned at 2 Peter 2:1-3
That composite ' man ' or ' son ' of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is thus a collective group and Not a single person.
As God, he sits himself in the ' temple ' ( houses of worship ) showing himself as God.- 2 Thessalonians 2:4
However, he can't be God in doing such a false religious thing, thus he ' collectively ' is really anti-God.

 

[Alfred Persson]

Back in the first century - Acts of the Apostles 20:29-30 - the apostles acted as the withholding restraint - 2 Thessalonians 2:6
What where they restraining but those from inside the congregation who were making disciples after themselves.
Those ' teachers ' of 2 Timothy 4:3-4 are false religious teachers or false clerical men of the cloth.
' False ' as mentioned at 2 Peter 2:1-3
That composite ' man ' or ' son ' of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is thus a collective group and Not a single person.
As God, he sits himself in the ' temple ' ( houses of worship ) showing himself as God.- 2 Thessalonians 2:4
However, he can't be God in doing such a false religious thing, thus he ' collectively ' is really anti-God.

Ignoring why I rejected your interpretation in the post above didn't make it more believable this time.

 

[Pegg]

And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. (2Th 2:6 NKJ)

Theories abound as to who or what this is. Here is mine, to debunk or whatever:

9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

This star given the key to the abyss is later revealed to be the angel of God who locks up Satan (Rev. 20:1-3) God is Sovereign over the Abyss (Job 26:6; Ps 139:8; Prov. 15:11; Amos 9:2; Mat. 16:18 cp. 7:24-25), not Satan or his angels. For them the Abyss is a prison, a place of torment that strikes them with terror (Luke 8:31 cf. 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6).



Hence the free fall symbolizes removal of the restraint of spiritism which is the mystery (secret power NIV) of lawlessness that promotes the apostasy permitting the Man of sin to reveal himself (2 Thess. 2:3-12). "What restrains" is God's decree they be imprisoned in the Abyss, He who restrains is God the Holy Spirit who no longer convicts the victims of spiritism of sin, metaphorically taken out of their midst (2 Thess. 2:7).

In thessalonians the context of the discussion is about false teachers and apostates in the congregations.

The apostles acted as a restraint during their lifetime.... but after they were all gone, no one could restrain the tide of apostasy within the christian congregations. "Wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse..."
The history of christianity from 2nd/3rd centuries onward give testimony to that fact.

 

[Mountain_Climber]

You cite no proof of your premise, that the apostles are collectively spoken of, as "He" elsewhere in scripture.

Nor did you provide a reason for being so cryptic. Why would Paul hide his own identity, when everywhere else he says "we" if he is referring to the apostles?

Your exegesis contradicts the number and gender of the verb κατέχον, its "what is restraining" not "those who restrain", its singular neuter, not masculine plural.

Same with the next verse, "HE who now restrains" is not "THEM who now restrain"; "HE is taken out of the way" is not "THEY are taken out of the way."

Therefore, the grammar "obviously" contradicts your exegesis.

Moreover, if it were correct, then the "Man of Sin" should have appeared in the late 1st or 2nd century. Clearly he did not.


The wording of 2:6-7 is incorporated in my exegesis, the shift from a "what" to "He"; What restrains the revelation of the man of sin is God's decree holding back this level of spiritism, which Rev 9:1 clearly shows is released upon the earth in the end time week. Therefore, "He" who now restrains is God, or more precisely God the Holy Spirit, who restrained the spiritism that was already producing spurious words and letters teaching doctrines of demons, that the day of Christ was present (2 Thess 2:2).

So your "not seeing" a contradiction, is a personal choice, not one based on reason or reality.

Try again.

Dear Alfred, Is the body of Christ not one body but many members?

If it be then that I speak of the one body of Christ doing that restraining and do not single myself out as though I am above the rest of the members, have I sinned in my words?

 

[rusra02]

IMO, the context shows that a great apostasy was to begin. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-5) "And now you know what is acting as a restraint, so that he will be revealed in his own due time. True, the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who is right now acting as a restraint is out of the way." (Verses 6,7) The faithful apostles of the first century acted as a restraint against the blossoming apostasy from true worship. Paul said to Christian overseers; "I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you and will not treat the flock with tenderness, and from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves." (Acts 20: 19,20) By the end of the second century, this apostasy was fully implanted.

 

[Kolibri]

Even while the apostles were still here "this lawlessness [was] already at work." As Paul wrote the Corinthian congregation, "For as it is, if someone comes and preaches a Jesus other than the one we preached, or you receive a spirit other than what you have accepted, you easily put up with him." - 2 Corinthians 11:4

Or as he wrote in another letter, "Not that there is another good news; but there are certain ones who are causing you trouble and wanting to distort the good news about the Christ." - Galatians 1:7

While the apostles were still here they and other faithful men spoke out bluntly against these sects. (1 Corinthians 11:19; Revelation 2:6) But they were still making limited inroads into the congregations. (Revelation 2:15) If these splintering forces were so aggressive while the apostles and those directly connected to them were governing things, why would we think that loyalty to "the truth" would become more evident after they died? Unlike those that humbly served the interests of the flock of God, these 'pastors' proved themselves to be "masters over [the] faith" of others. Going beyond the things that were written, they became puffed up with pride, favoring one against the other. (2 Corinthians 1:24; 1 Corinthians 4:6)

Finally what Jesus said about the Pharisees in his day became the rule among the Christian religious leaders too.

"Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. Let them be. Blind guides is what they are. If, then, a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit." - Matthew 15:13,14

 

[Alfred Persson]

IMO, the context shows that a great apostasy was to begin. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-5) "And now you know what is acting as a restraint, so that he will be revealed in his own due time. True, the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who is right now acting as a restraint is out of the way." (Verses 6,7) The faithful apostles of the first century acted as a restraint against the blossoming apostasy from true worship. Paul said to Christian overseers; "I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you and will not treat the flock with tenderness, and from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves." (Acts 20: 19,20) By the end of the second century, this apostasy was fully implanted.

"You know what is acting as a restraint" is not "We are acting as a restraint." In context, the mystery of lawlessness was the spurious word, spirit, or epistle that taught the day of Christ was present, that they missed the "gathering to Him" which happens at the beginning of Christ's parousia, just prior to His descent to the earth after Armageddon. That wasn't restrained, it had shaken the Thessalonians. What was being restrained, was the full revelation of the Antichrist, the "secret power of lawlessness" or spiritism that will empower the antichrist, so that he may be revealed in his time. Which time is now, in the end time.

 

[Ron Hackel]

ZECHARIAH 11 : 16 "For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the flock who will not care for the lost"
ZECHARIAH 11 : 8 "In one month I got rid of the three shepherds."

There are three world religions that worship the picture of a god given the Jews at Mount Sinai-The Jews, Christians and Muslims.

They all teach a god to be afraid of.

JEREMIAH 23 : 1-4 "Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture....................I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified"

God led the Jews like a loving Father for the first 90 days after slavery, but they would not accept the loving God he was. After 90 days he relented and gave them the pagan god they desired. The three shepherds teach this same legalistic tyrant that the Jews demanded as their god. Satan has them fighting amongst themselves over who is the biggest liar.

 

[Kolibri]

ZECHARIAH 11 : 8 "In one month I got rid of the three shepherds."

Alternately these were the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the party followers of Herod. All three of these classes of men were reported on as being silenced at Matthew 22:15-46.

ZECHARIAH 11 : 16 "For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the flock who will not care for the lost"

Jesus replaced these 3 classes of men who thought they were rich as a fine shepherd. Those that did not later repent remained as those 'lost' or 'perishing.' The self-righteous are not spared because they cannot see their own faults.

Often people forget or are never informed that fear has more than one definition. While it may be a morbid dread, most of the time fear in the Bible is used to refer to a reverential awe, or the fear of displeasing a loving parent. A loving parent is not afraid to be firm when training by means of discipline when needed.

 

[Ron Hackel]

The chapter is talking about the last days. It talks about revoking the covenant made with the nations. All religions, including yours teach a punishing God which is not Scriptural. By teaching a punishing God you are slandering God's name. That is why he revokes the covenant with the nations. He revokes the covenant for the same reason he revoked the covenant with the Jews. You worship the same picture of a god as shown at Mount Sinai.

 

[Ron Hackel]

On your comment about a loving parent not afraid to discipline. God does discipline. It is called God's wrath. God's wrath is allowing you to do what you want. God's law is perfect. If you do something other than God's law the result is less than optimum. God wants the best for us, so anytime we do something other than his advice (laws) it doesn't turn out good. If you read Psalm 78 you'll see a loving father leading his people and doing whatever they desired. But as verse 32 said they wouldn't believe in this god. It said they kept sinning; not believing in him. After 90 days he gave them the god they desired. That god is the god you worship. He is a legalistic tyrant and nothing like the true character of God. Paul said in Hebrews 12 that Moses was trembling with fear when God came down on Mount Sinai, yet he told the Jews, "Do not be afraid God has come to test you." (Ex 20:20). He said that because he knew that was really not the way God was. God was testing if this is the kind of god they wanted to follow. And sure enough, they told Moses, we'll do anything this god says.