Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 2 Thessalonians 2:6

"And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season." — 2 Thessalonians 2:6 (ASV)

So he can declare, “You know what is holding him back.” “Now” should be connected with “what is holding him back” rather than with “you know,” to indicate that “holding back” is a present phenomenon. “What is holding... back” (GK 2988) is a neuter title for this restraining force. The word recurs in the masculine in v.7, where it is translated “one who... holds it back.” Proposed identifications of this phenomenon have been multiple. Because of inability to explain the neuter-masculine combination, such suggestions as the preaching of the Gospel, the Jewish state, the binding of Satan, the church, the Gentile world dominion, and human government are improbable as a referent for the restrainer. Moreover, to identify it with a supernatural force or person hostile to God is difficult because the restrainer is limiting Satan (vv.7–9), not cooperating with him. A popular understanding since early times has been that this is a reference to the Roman Empire (neuter) and its ruler (masculine). Paul had several times benefited from the intervention of the Roman government (Acts 17:6ff.; 18:6ff.). Though preferable to some other solutions, this explanation is disappointing in several ways. Paul nowhere else predicts the demise of the Roman Empire (cf. v.7). In addition, the Roman emperors sometimes precipitated anti-Christian activities rather than restrained them. Elimination of this solution is sealed when we remember that the Roman Empire has long since ceased to exist, and the appearance of Christ or the lawless one has yet to take place.

It is evident that the restrainer, to accomplish his mission, must have supernatural power to hold back a supernatural enemy (v.9). God and the outworking of his providence is the natural answer. Reference to God is favored by the restrainer’s harmony with divine purpose and a divine timetable (“at the proper time,” v.6). Yet to say that God is the restrainer is not quite enough to explain the variation in gender.

To one familiar with the Lord Jesus’ Upper Room Discourse (Jn 13–17), as Paul undoubtedly was, fluctuation between neuter and masculine in reference to the Holy Spirit is common. Either gender is appropriate, depending on whether one thinks of natural agreement (masculine, because the Spirit is a person) or grammatical (neuter, because the noun pneuma [GK 4460] is neuter). This identification of the restrainer with deep roots in church history is most appealing. The special presence of the Spirit as the indweller of saints will terminate as abruptly at the parousia as it began at Pentecost. Once the body of Christ has been caught away to heaven, the Spirit’s ministry will revert back to what he did for believers during the OT period. His function of restraining evil through the body of Christ will cease similarly to the way he terminated his striving in the days of Noah (Genesis 6:3). At that point the reins will be removed from lawlessness and the satanically inspired rebellion will begin. It appears that “what is holding back” was readily recognized at Thessalonica as a title for the Holy Spirit on whom the readers had come to depend in their personal attempts to combat lawlessness (1 Thessalonians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 2 Thessalonians 2:13).

God has a “proper time” for the lawless one’s revelation, just as he does for the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven (1:7). No one knows that time, since it is part of the future day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2–3). Until the gathering of saints (2:1), the Spirit will continue his restraining work.