Ministry of Grace Church

And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.

Truth to Learn

Only God can completely control Satan.

Behind the Words

The words “you know” are from the Greek verb eidō, which means “to see with perception,” or “to know.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense, indicating a past completed action with an ongoing effect, where the emphasis is on the effect.

“Restraining” is translated from katechō. This word is made up of kata, meaning “down,” but used here as an intensifier and echō, meaning “to have” or “to hold.” Thus, katechō means “to hold firmly” or “to suppress.”

“Revealed” is from apokaluptō, which is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and kaluptō, meaning “to cover” or “to conceal.” Therefore, apokaluptō means “to uncover” or “to reveal.”

Meaning Explained

This verse is another one that is cryptic enough that theologians and Bible scholars have been discussing it for centuries. But before we talk about that which is not perfectly clear, let’s talk about what is very clear. The people in Thessalonica did know what Paul was talking about. He clearly tells them, “You have known in the past and now know perfectly well what is restraining.” Apparently, Paul had previously taught them about this restraining force so that he didn’t need to be specific about it in this letter.

Unfortunately for us, since Paul wasn’t specific about this restraining force, we don’t know for sure what it is. Some of the suggested explanations include human government, preaching of the gospel, the Jewish nation, the church, Michael the Archangel, and the Holy Spirit. Although we can’t know for certain, we can come to a pretty good logical conclusion based on what we know from other portions of Scripture.

As described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4: 8-10, this “man of sin” or “lawless one” accomplishes his deeds through the power of Satan. We know that nothing about mankind can restrain Satan. And, Michael the Archangel would not even bring an accusation against him:

Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (Jude 1:9)

But we do know someone who is more powerful than Satan:

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

So, we can logically conclude that Paul must be talking about the Holy Spirit as that which restrains the power of Satan, preventing him from revealing the “man of sin” until God’s appointed time.

Application

Even though we are told in James 4:7 that resisting the Devil will cause him to flee, we don’t have the power to stop him. Only God can do that. Battling Satan and his demons can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit, and even then, we only know victory when we are submitted to God.