In 2 Thessalonians 2:7, the apostle Paul mentions the mysterious “mystery of lawlessness,” claiming that “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.” This short article will shed light as to what “the mystery of lawlessness” is so that believers can better understand the larger passage (2 Thess 2:1–12) and so that believers can discern the times and seasons in which we live.
To understand what “the mystery of lawlessness” means in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, we need to answer three questions:
- What is meant by “mystery”?
- What is meant by “lawlessness”?
- What is the grammatical relationship between “mystery” and “lawlessness”?
What Is Meant by “Mystery”?
The term “mystery” (μυστήριον) is used 28 times in the New Testament (Matt 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10; Rom 11:25; 16:25; 1 Cor 2:1, 7; 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:51; Eph 1:9; 3:3-4, 9; 5:32; 6:19; Col 1:26-27; 2:2; 4:3; 2 Thess 2:7; 1 Tim 3:9, 16; Rev 1:20; 10:7; 17:5, 7).
With the exception of 1 Corinthians 14:2, every use of the term “mystery” (μυστήριον) in the New Testament refers to a divine truth that once was hidden, but has now been revealed (I encourage you to read all the above verses to see this for yourself). Thus, “the mystery of lawlessness” refers to something that was formerly hidden or unknown but has now been revealed and is currently known. To put it simply, “mystery” refers to a revealed divine truth.
What Is Meant by “Lawlessness”?
The term “lawlessness” (ἀνομία) refers to doing that which is not lawful. To put it more simply, it refers to doing that which should not be done. The apostle John gives a simple, but helpful, definition of “lawlessness” (ἀνομία): “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness [ἀνομία]; sin is lawlessness [ἀνομία]” (1 John 3:4). Thus, we can define “lawlessness” (ἀνομία) when it is used in the New Testament as anything that is contrary to God’s will or instructions (i.e., sin).
The Grammatical Relationship between “Mystery” and “Lawlessness”
Now that we know the meaning of “mystery” and “lawlessness,” we need to discern the grammatical relationship between the two words so that we can understand the phrase “mystery of lawlessness.” To be more specific, we need to discern the relationship between the head noun “mystery” and the modifying noun “lawlessness.”
There are three likely options regarding the relationship between “mystery” and “lawlessness”:
- “Lawlessness” is in apposition to “mystery.”
Translation: “the mystery, that is, lawlessness” or “the mystery which is lawlessness.” - “Lawlessness” is a genitive of quality.
Translation: “the mystery characterized by lawlessness.” - “Lawlessness” is a descriptive genitive, simply stating the mystery about which the apostles are referring.
Translation: “the mystery about lawlessness.”
Although the above three options are very similar to each other, each has its own nuance. The way to discern which grammatical relationship is correct is to look at other uses of “mystery” in the New Testament that are modified by a genitive noun.
The New Testament modifies “mystery” or “mysteries” with nine other words throughout the New Testament. In each instance, the descriptive genitive makes the most sense:
- “the mysteries (τὰ μυστήρια) of the kingdom of heaven” = “the mysteries about the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 13:11; also see Luke 8:10)
- “the mystery (τὸ μυστήριον) of the kingdom of God” = “the mystery about the kingdom of God” (Mark 4:11)
- “the mystery (τὸ μυστήριον) of God” = “the mystery about God” (1 Cor 2:1; also see 1 Cor 4:1; Col 2:2; Rev 10:7)
- “the mystery (τὸ μυστήριον) of his will” = “the mystery about his will” (Eph 1:9)
- “the mystery (τῷ μυστηρίῳ) of Christ” = “the mystery about Christ” (Eph 3:4; also see Col 4:3)
- “the mystery (τὸ μυστήριον) of the gospel” = “the mystery about the gospel” (Eph 6:19)
- “the mystery (τὸ μυστήριον) of the faith” = “the mystery about the faith” (1 Tim 3:9)
- “the mystery (τὸ μυστήριον) of the seven stars” = “the mystery about the seven stars” (Rev 1:20)
- “the mystery (τὸ μυστήριον) of the woman” = “the mystery about the woman” (Rev 17:7)
Based on the other uses of “mystery” modified by a genitive noun, we can conclude that “lawlessness” is a descriptive genitive that is telling the reader to what kind of mystery is being referred. In 2 Thessalonians 2:7, the apostles are referring to the mystery about lawlessness, that is, the revealed truth about sin and rebellion against God in the world.
The Mystery of Lawlessness Demystified
As is clearly seen in my article on “the restrainer” in 2 Thessalonians 2:6–8 (click HERE), the revealed truth about lawlessness in the world (“the mystery of lawlessness”) is that lawlessness must continue in the world until “the Man of Lawlessness” arrives (2 Thess 2:6–8). Since “the Man of Lawlessness” arrives just prior to Jesus’ return, the apostles are revealing that lawlessness will continue in the world up until Jesus’ return. As such, Christians should not think that lawlessness will cease prior to Jesus’ return. Further, the presence of lawlessness does not mean that the Man of Lawlessness has arrived; lawlessness will continue in the world until the Man of Lawlessness is revealed in his own time.