2 Thessalonians 2:7 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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

2 Thessalonians 2:9 Whose coming is according to the working of Satan, in all power and signs and lying wonders:

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And now you know what withholdeth that..." into verse 8's "And then that wicked one shall be...", so "mystery" and "iniquity" 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 "iniquity" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.