2 Thessalonians 2:7 (GNV)

Passage

For the mysterie of iniquitie doeth already worke: onely he which nowe withholdeth, shall let till he be taken out of the way.

Nearby Context

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

2 Thessalonians 2:6 And nowe ye knowe what withholdeth that he might be reueiled in his time.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mysterie of iniquitie doeth already worke: onely he which nowe withholdeth, shall let till he be taken out of the way.

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that wicked man be reueiled, whome the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth, and shall abolish with the brightnes of his comming,

2 Thessalonians 2:9 Euen him whose comming is by the effectuall working of Satan, with all power, and signes, and lying wonders,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mysterie", "iniquitie", "doeth", "already", "worke", "onely", "nowe", and "withholdeth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mysterie" and "iniquitie", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And nowe ye knowe what withholdeth that..." into verse 8's "And then shall that wicked man be...", so "mysterie" and "iniquitie" 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 "mysterie" and "iniquitie" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.