2 Thessalonians 2:1–12 is full of exegetical and theological difficulties. It mentions “the apostasy,” “the Man of Lawlessness,” “the mystery of lawlessness,” and the Restrainer (the focus of this article). Because of these difficulties, this is one of the most perplexing passages in the entire Bible; certainly, it is one of the most perplexing passages in all of Paul’s letters.
The biggest difficulty in 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12 is the interpretation of the two participles τὸ κατέχον (v 6) and ὁ κατέχων (v 7). Both participles are from the same verb, κατέχω, which has a broad semantic range (commonly translated “to restrain”). The only difference between the two participles is their grammatical gender. τὸ κατέχον (v 6) is in the neuter gender while ὁ κατέχων (v 7) is in the masculine gender.
In light of the wide semantic range of κατέχω and the grammatical gender difference of the participles in verses 6 and 7, there are three prominent interpretations of the restrainer in 2:6–7.
Interpretation 1: An Evil Restrainer
The verb κατέχω can have an intransitive meaning, with a translation of “to prevail” or “to hold away.” If κατέχω means “to prevail” or “to hold away,” then we need to ask what is the principle or power that is holding sway in 2 Thessalonians 2:6. The most logical answer is that “the mystery of lawlessness” from verse 7 is prevailing (click HERE for my article on the meaning of “the mystery of lawlessness”). This makes sense for three reasons. First, verse 7 is an explanation of verse 6, evidenced by the explanatory γάρ (“for”). This suggests that the answer to our questions about verse 6 will be found in verse 7. Second, τὸ μυστήριον (“the mystery”) is in the neuter gender like τὸ κατέχον (v 6). Third, “the mystery of lawlessness” is presently at work in the Thessalonians’ day, just like τὸ κατέχον. Thus, verse 6a would be translated as such: “And you know what is now prevailing [i.e., lawlessness is now prevailing].
The follow up question for verse 6, then, is what is being revealed in its own time (v 6b)? It does not make sense to say that the “mystery of lawlessness” will be revealed in the future, but it is possible that verse 6 refers to the Man of Lawlessness. Thus, verse 6 would be translated as such: “And you know what is now prevailing [i.e., lawlessness is now prevailing] so that the Man of Lawlessness will be revealed in his own time.”
If τὸ κατέχον in verse 6 refers to “the mystery of lawlessness” prevailing/holding sway, then to what or who does ὁ κατέχων in verse 7 refer? The evil restrainer interpretation keeps the translation of ὁ κατέχων the same as τὸ κατέχον: “to prevail/hold sway.” However, because ὁ κατέχων is in the masculine gender, it most likely refers to a person or a being. There are two interpretive possibilities.
First, ὁ κατέχων could refer to a third evil being in addition to Satan and the Man of Lawlessness. Verse 7 would then be translated as such: “Only he who now prevails will prevail until he is out of the way and then the Lawless One will be revealed.” The “he” would refer to this mysterious third evil being.
Second, ὁ κατέχων could refer to Satan as the one who is prevailing until the Man of Lawlessness is revealed: “Only he [Satan] who now prevails will prevail until he [Satan] is out of the way and then the lawless one will be revealed.”
Both of the above options for verse 7 are awkward. The Bible never speaks of a third evil being, whereas it does speak of Satan and the antichrist. Further, it does not make sense for Satan to step back for a lesser (or weaker) being to take centre stage.
Interpretation 2: A Good Restrainer
The verb κατέχω can also be transitive, meaning it takes a direct object, with a translation of “to restrain” or “to hold back.” If κατέχω means “to restrain” or “to hold back,” then we need to ask what is the principle or power that is restraining and who or what is that power restraining in 2 Thessalonians 2:6? The answer to the second question is easiest. Since verses 3b–4 are about the Man of Lawlessness, then it must be him who is being restrained. As such, the principle or power doing the restraining (τὸ κατέχον) in verse 6 must be good. That principle or power is restraining the Man of Lawlessness so that he will be revealed in his own time in the future, not before (v 6b). This interpretation makes sense and is also faithful to the context. The difficulty is that there is no direct object for τὸ κατέχον in the biblical text. In other words, the text does not actually say what is being restrained; an object must be supplied.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 is slightly more difficult to understand. Verse 7 begins with the declaration that lawlessness (“the mystery about lawlessness”) is already present and at work in the world. However, the being who currently restrains will continue restraining until he/it is out of the way. The questions that we must answer are (1) who or what is the restrainer holding back and (2) who or what is taken out of the way? In context, the restrainer is holding back either the Man of Lawlessness (same as verse 6) or he is holding back lawlessness so that it is not as bad as it could be. The second option seems more likely within the context because it helps explain the mystery of lawlessness. The restrainer, then, is holding back lawlessness so that it is limited until the Lawless One arrives when lawlessness will run rampant in a way never before witnessed. Thus, the answer to our second question would be the restrainer is the one who takes himself out of the way so that lawlessness runs rampant and the Man of Lawlessness is fully revealed as seen in verses 8–11. This interpretation is supported by the ESV, NIV, NRSV, and RSV.
A translation that includes the above interpretive decisions would look like this: “And you know what is restraining the Man of Lawlessness now so that the Man of Lawlessness may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains lawlessness will do so until he who restrains is out of the way. And then the Lawless One will be revealed” (2 Thess 2:6–8a).
If the principle that restrains the Man of Lawlessness is good and the being that restrains lawlessness is good, then what are the identities of these two good restrainers? Based on the above conclusions, we know that both restrainers must be active from the Thessalonians’ day to just prior to the return of Jesus. Further, the two restrainers must be related to each other (although I have assumed this conclusion to save on space, it is accepted by many scholars). Many options have been put forward, but here I will present the three most likely:
- The preaching of the gospel (v 6) and the Holy Spirit (v 7)
- The church (v 6) and the Holy Spirit (v 7)
- The power of God (v 6) and God himself (v 7)
Personally, I like option 3 the best because of its broadness. The power of God could be anything from his general power, the gospel, the Holy Spirit, or a combination of these and others. God himself could refer to the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, or the Trinity. With such a difficult passage, I think it unwise to be too specific because the text is not that specific.
Interpretation 3: An Evil and Good Restrainer
It is possible that the two participles τὸ κατέχον (v 6) and ὁ κατέχων (v 7) do not mean the same thing. It has been suggested that τὸ κατέχον (v 6) should be understood intransitively (no grammatical object) as referring to lawlessness that prevails and that ὁ κατέχων (v 7) refers to a being that restrains the Man of Lawlessness until his time. This option takes the merits of verse 6 from the evil restrainer view, which are quite strong, and the merits of verse 7 from the good restrainer view, which are also quite strong in that there is clearly something/someone who is holding back the Man of Lawlessness.
This view understands lawlessness as holding sway in the world until God determines the Man of Lawlessness should arrive. God, the Holy Spirit, or the angel Michael (there is a possible connection with Daniel 10–12) is holding the Man of Lawlessness back, but when the time of his revelation arrives, God will step aside (stop restraining him) and allow him to appear.
The evil and good restrainer view would be translated as such: “And you know lawlessness is now prevailing with the result (or “so that”) that the Man of Lawlessness will be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains the Man of Lawlessness will do so until he who restrains is out of the way. And then the Lawless One will be revealed” (2 Thess 2:6–8a).
This possible interpretation has the drawback of τὸ κατέχον (v 6) and ὁ κατέχων (v 7) having quite different meanings. However, this interpretation does make sense in the greater context of 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy are attempting to prove to the Thessalonians that Jesus has not returned because the Man of Lawlessness has not been revealed. Part of assuaging the Thessalonians’ fears is reminding them that lawlessness will be present on the earth until the Man of Lawlessness arrives; the presence of lawlessness does not mean the Man of Lawlessness has arrived.
The Three Views of 2 Thessalonians 2:6–8a Side-by-Side
Because the above exegetical possibilities are quite different, here are all three side-by-side. As you will see, they all fit the context quite well.
| Evil Restrainer View | Good Restrainer View | Evil and Good Restrainer View |
|---|---|---|
| “And you know lawlessness is now prevailing with the result (or “so that”) that the Man of Lawlessness may be revealed in his own time. Only he who now prevails will prevail until he [the prevailer] is out of the way and then the Lawless One will be revealed” (2 Thess 2:6–8a). | “And you know what is restraining the Man of Lawlessness now so that the Man of Lawlessness may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains lawlessness will do so until he who restrains is out of the way. And then the Lawless One will be revealed” (2 Thess 2:6–8a). | “And you know lawlessness is now prevailing with the result (or “so that”) that the Man of Lawlessness will be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains the Man of Lawlessness will do so until he who restrains is out of the way. And then the Lawless One will be revealed” (2 Thess 2:6–8a). |
Which Interpretation is Correct?
As you are hopefully able to see, the three above interpretations are all possible and there is no way to determine with 100% certainty which interpretation is the accurate one. However, certain interpretations hold more merit than others. The evil restrainer view is the least likely in my opinion. Although it does not need to add words because it understands the two participles as intransitive, it introduces more problems than are necessary, like a possible third evil being.
The good restrainer view has a lot to commend it because it is the one that the majority of Bible translations adopt and is the one that the church has held to throughout much of its history. However, the introduction of “the mystery of lawlessness” in this view is somewhat awkward and almost seems out of place. It also does not handle the explanatory γάρ (“for”) at the beginning of verse 7 well.
The evil and good restrainer view has the most merit in my opinion because “the mystery of lawlessness” has a greater purpose in the argument. It is God’s will that lawlessness prevails until both the Man of Lawlessness arrives and until Jesus arrives. For the Thessalonians who are wondering if Jesus has returned or not, telling them that lawlessness must continue until Jesus returns would assuage their fears that “the rebellion” (v 3) has already come or that “the Man of Lawlessness” has already come.