2 Thessalonians 2:6 (DRB)

Passage

And now you know what withholdeth, that he may be revealed in his time.

Nearby Context

2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and is lifted up above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself as if he were God.

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

2 Thessalonians 2:6 And now you know what withholdeth, that he may be revealed in his time.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity already worketh: only that he who now holdeth do hold, until he be taken out of the way.

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then that wicked one shall be revealed: whom the Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: him

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Remember you not that when I was..." into verse 7's "For the mystery of iniquity already worketh...", so "withholdeth" and "revealed" 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 "withholdeth" and "revealed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.