Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.
Parallel translations
- KJV And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
- BSB And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.
- NKJV And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.
- NASB And you know what restrains him now, so that he will be revealed in his time.
- NLT And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Something is currently restraining the lawless one so he will appear only at his appointed time. God controls the timing of these events.
Overview
Paul speaks of a present "restraining" force holding back the man of lawlessness until God's set season. Faithful Christians have proposed various identities for this restrainer, including civil government, the gospel's advance, or the work of the Spirit, and Paul's readers knew what he meant though we now do not. The enduring truth is that evil is held in check by God's sovereign hand and operates only within his appointed limits.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- 2 Th 2:3Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the departure comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction,
- 2 Th 2:8Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth, and destroy by the manifestation of his coming;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Christ will be revealed from heaven in flaming fire, glorified in his saints, overthrowing the lawless one — the certain hope that steadies the suffering church.
How 2 Thessalonians 2:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.