The Scrolls is a weekly Bible study written by pastors and other leaders at Central Bible Church, based on that week’s sermon topic. Use The Scrolls as a personal Bible study tool, for family devotions, and for small group discussions. You can read part of it below. The downloadable PDF also includes discussion questions, more in-depth commentary, end notes, and a kids’ page designed for families to study the topic together. This lesson goes with the sermon "The Adult in the Room."
Paul identifies two key figures in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, “the man of lawlessness” (v. 3) and the restrainer, who is both a restraining force and a restraining person. The reference in verse 6 is to a restraining force, to katechon (neuter article followed by the participle); the reference in verse 7 is to a restraining person—ho katechōn (masculine article followed by the participle).
Regarding the identity of the first, the “man of lawlessness,” one commentator writes: “Most prophecy scholars and teachers believe that the ‘man of lawlessness’ is a reference to the future world dictator, the same man described as the Antichrist in 1 John 2:18 and the beast out of the sea of Revelation 13:1. The final great apostasy is embodied and ultimately headed up in a man who has not yet appeared. The day of the Lord, therefore, could not have come in the Thessalonians’ time because this evil person had not yet been revealed” (John F. Walvoord and Mark Hitchcock, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 124-25)—and has not yet been revealed to this day.
Regarding the identity of the second, the restrainer, no such consensus exists. In fact commentators are quick to quote Augustine: “I frankly confess I do not know what he means.” Of course, that hasn’t stopped interpreters from proposing answers to the question of his identity. Some of the answers include the following: the restrainer is 1) the Roman Empire personified in the emperor; 2) the principle of law and order (personified in v. 7); 3) the Jewish state; 4) Satan or one of his evil angelic agents; 5) the angel Gabriel; 6) God or the Holy Spirit, who indwells believers; 7) the proclamation of the gospel (neuter participle) by Christian missionaries, especially Paul himself (the masculine participle. For a discussion of each interpretation see Walvoord and Hitchcock, 126-32; G. K. Beale, 1-2 Thessalonians, IVP New Testament Commentary Series, 213-17; Jeffrey A. D. Weima, 1-2 Thessalonians, BECNT, 567-577.
While all of these may be possible answers, answers to the question of the Restrainer’s identity, number 6 is likely the most probable—especially in the view of those who understand that Jesus is coming to rescue before the day of the Lord. Walvoord writes: “While we can sympathize with Augustine, there is one key question that points unmistakably to the identity of the restrainer. Who, after all, really restrains sin and Satan? The answer found in the Bible is that God is the one who restrains sin. Genesis 6:3 declares that the Spirit of God was restraining sin in the day of Noah. It was predicted that instead of striving with sin, God would judge it in the flood . . . As revealed in Genesis 6:3, the Spirit strives with humans and opposes Satan, his program, and his hatred of the children of God. Also, this is the only view that adequately explains the change in gender in verses 6-7. The restrainer is both a power—‘what is restraining him now,’ and a person—‘he who now restrains.’ In Greek the word pneuma (‘spirit’) is neuter. But the Holy Spirit is also consistently referred to by the masculine pronoun ‘He,’ especially in John 14-16. This fits the language of 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 very well . . . Of course, this raises the question. In what sense can the Holy Spirit be removed from the world? . . . The most natural explanation of the removal of the restrainer is to identify this particular action with the time when Christ will come to take out His church. If the Holy Spirit indwells the church and the church is taken out of the world, then the Spirit will also be taken out of the world. This does not mean that He will not continue working in the world in some way” (Walvoord and Hitchcock, 128, 129). Put simply, “Only a supernatural person can truly frustrate the supernatural workings of Satan” (D. Edmond Hiebert, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 339). When the Spirit “leaves the scene” (cf. Beale, 215), via the removal of those in whom he dwells, his work of restraining through the church will end, but his other ministries in the world—e.g., convicting of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (Jn 16:8-11)—will not.
Central Message of the Text:
When the Holy Spirit, who restrains lawlessness through the church, is taken out of the way, the lawless one will be revealed to deceive those who are perishing until he is destroyed by the splendor of Jesus coming to reign.
Family Talk:
Have you ever played the game Rock, Paper, Scissors? It’s such a fun game. Rock beats scissors. Scissors beats paper. Paper beats rock. In our house we often use this game to settle disputes because it’s such a fair game. Your chances of winning and losing are about the same and there is always a winner and a loser. Winning and losing are both a part of life. If you’ve ever played a board game or any kind of sport, you know that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. We can practice really hard and prepare well to increase our chances of winning, but no one wins all the time. Well, wait a minute… Actually, there is someone who always wins. God. God always wins. This week we read about how Paul was encouraging the Thessalonians. They were continuing to experience persecution and even starting to believe that maybe their enemy was going to win. Paul reminded them that God is powerful and sovereign. That means He is in control of everything, including those who participate in evil acts. Throughout the Bible we see a theme of evil characters challenging a good God. Thankfully, this doesn’t thwart God’s plans. Sometimes God even uses those evil acts to bring about more good! He’s that amazing! Ultimately, we can rest assured that in the final battle between good and evil, God is victorious. He wins! Like the Thessalonians, we will experience wins and losses, ups and downs, but we can choose to remember who God is and that in the end He is the ultimate winner.