2 Thessalonians 2:6 (DBY)

Passage

And now ye know that which restrains, that he should be revealed in his own time.

Nearby Context

2 Thessalonians 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself on high against all called God, or object of veneration; so that he himself sits down in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

2 Thessalonians 2:5 Do ye not remember that, being yet with you, I said these things to you?

2 Thessalonians 2:6 And now ye know that which restrains, that he should be revealed in his own time.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness already works; only [there is] he who restrains now until he be gone,

2 Thessalonians 2:8 and then the lawless one shall be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall consume with the breath of his mouth, and shall annul by the appearing of his coming;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "restrains", "should", "revealed", and "time". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "restrains" and "should", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Do ye not remember that being yet..." into verse 7's "For the mystery of lawlessness already works...", so "restrains" and "should" 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 "restrains" and "should" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.