2 Thessalonians 2:7 (ASV)

Passage

For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only [there is] one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.

Nearby Context

2 Thessalonians 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

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 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only [there is] one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming;

2 Thessalonians 2:9 [even he], whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mystery", "lawlessness", "doth", "already", "only", "restraineth", "until", and "taken". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mystery" and "lawlessness", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And now ye know that which restraineth..." into verse 8's "And then shall be revealed the lawless...", so "mystery" and "lawlessness" belong inside that flow. In 2 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "mystery" and "lawlessness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.