the Week of Proper 22 / Ordinary 27
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King James Version
2 Thessalonians 2:7
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
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- InternationalParallel Translations
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
But this outlaw is already at work, even if he hasn't made himself known.
For the secret of evil is even now at work: but there is one who is keeping back the evil till he is taken out of the way.
For the mystery of lawlessness already works; only [there is] he who restrains now until he be gone,
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way,
For the mystery of lawlessness does already work. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way.
For the mystery of iniquity already worketh; only he that with-holdeth will with-hold, till he be taken out of the way.
For lawlessness is already at work in secret; but only until the man who is now exercising a restraining influence is removed,
For the mysterie of iniquitie doth alreadie worke: onely he who now letteth, will let, vntill he be taken out of the way.
For the mystery of lawlessness already is working, only he is holding back now, until it comes out of the midst.
(For the mystery of the iniquyte worketh allready, tyll he which now onely letteth, be take out of the waye.)
for the secret spirit of misrule is ready to break out as soon as the obstacle is taken away:
For the mystery of lawlessness [rebellion against divine authority and the coming reign of lawlessness] is already at work; [but it is restrained] only until He who now restrains it is taken out of the way.
For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
For the mistery of that iniquitie doeth he all readie worke which onlie loketh vntill it be taken out of ye waye.
For the mystery of lawlessness does already work: only [there is] one that restrains now, until he is taken out of the way.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now restraineth [will] restrain, until he be taken out of the way.
for the secret of the lawlessness doth already work, only he who is keeping down now [will hinder] -- till he may be out of the way,
The secret power of evil is already working in the world, but there is one who is stopping that power. And he will continue to stop it until he is taken out of the way.
For the hidden power of lawlessness is already at work. However, the one who holds him back will do so until he is taken out of the way,
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now restrains it will continue until he is taken out of the way.
His mysterious power is already at work, but someone is holding him back. And the wicked one won't appear until that someone is out of the way.
For already this separating from Torah is at work secretly, but it will be secretly only until he who is restraining is out of the way.
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
For the mysterie of iniquitie doeth already worke: onely he which nowe withholdeth, shall let till he be taken out of the way.
For the mystery of iniquity is already at work: until he who now is the obstacle be taken out of the way.
For the mystery of lawlessness does already work. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way.
For the secret of this lawlessness is already at work, but only until the person now holding it back gets out of the way.1 John 2:18; 4:3;">[xr]
For the mystery of iniquity already beginneth to be effective; only if that which now holdeth be taken from the midst,
For the mystery of the evil One already beginneth to be operative: and only, if that which now hindereth shall be taken from the midst;
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He [fn] who now restrains will do so until He [fn] is taken out of the way.
For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.
For the secret power of breaking the law is already at work in the world. But that secret power can only do so much until the One Who keeps back the man of sin is taken out of the way.
For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only [there is] one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed.
For, the secret, of lawlessness, already, is inwardly working itself, - only, until, he that restraineth at present, shall be gone, out of the midst:
For the mystery of iniquity already worketh: only that he who now holdeth do hold, until he be taken out of the way.
For the mystery of lawlessness is at work already; only the one who now restrains will do so until he is out of the way,
For the misterie of iniquitie doth alredie worke, tyll he whiche nowe onlye letteth, be taken out of the way.
The secret power of evil is already working in the world now. But there is one who is stopping that secret power of evil. And he will continue to stop it until he is taken out of the way.
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is removed.
The Mysterious Wickedness is already at work, but what is going to happen will not happen until the one who holds it back is taken out of the way.
For the priuete of wickidnesse worchith now; oneli that he that holdith now, holde, til he be do awei.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
the mystery: 1 Timothy 3:16, Revelation 17:5, Revelation 17:7
doth: Acts 20:29, Colossians 2:18-23, 2 Timothy 2:17, 2 Timothy 2:18, 1 John 2:18, 1 John 4:3
he who: 2 Thessalonians 2:6
Reciprocal: Genesis 20:6 - sinning Romans 1:13 - but Colossians 2:14 - took 2 Timothy 2:16 - for
Cross-References
And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?
Let the Lord , the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,
How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?
All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
Gill's Notes on the Bible
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work,.... Or "the mystery of that wicked one", as the Syriac; meaning either antichrist himself, and the spirit of antichrist, which were already in the world, 1 John 2:18, "mystery" being one of the names of antichrist, Revelation 17:5 and anciently this word was engraven on the mitres of the popes of Rome: or the evil doctrines and practices of antichrist may be intended; for as the doctrine of the Gospel is called a mystery, and the mystery of godliness; so the doctrines and practices of antichrist may be called the mystery of iniquity, especially as they were now secretly spread, imbibed, and practised: the foundations of it were now laying in the church by false teachers; for errors and heresies of every sort, respecting the person and offices of Christ, and in opposition to them, were now broached; idolatry, and holding communion with idolaters, now obtained; worshipping of angels was used by some; and superstition and will worship, worship after the commandments of men, were practised; days, and months, and years, distinguished by Jews and Pagans, and difference of meats, were observed; celibacy and virginity began to be admired and commended; dominion and magistracy were despised, and church authority contemned, and many, as Diotrephes, loved to have the pre-eminence; and the doctrine of justification by the works of the law was industriously spread, and zealously preached and received; all which laid the foundation, and are the life and soul of popery:
only he who now letteth, will let, until he be taken out of the way; that is, the Roman empire and Roman emperors, and which were by degrees entirely removed, and so made way for the revelation of this wicked one: and which was done partly by Constantine the emperor receiving the Christian faith, whereby the Roman empire as Pagan ceased; and by increasing the riches of the church, and feeding the pride, ambition, and covetousness of the bishops, especially the bishop of Rome; and next by removing the seat of the empire from Rome to Byzantium, which he called Constantinople: here the Greek emperors continued in succession, and neither they themselves, nor even their exarchs, resided at Rome, but at Ravenna; so that way was made for antichrist to come to his seat, and there was nothing to rival and eclipse the grandeur, power, and glory of the Roman popes: and that which let was also taken out of the way, by the division of the empire, by Theodosius, giving to his elder son Arcadius, the eastern, and to the younger, Honorius, the western parts of it: the eastern empire was in process of time seized upon and possessed by Mahomet and the Saracens; and the western empire was overrun by the Goths, Vandals, and Huns, and became extinct about the year 476, in Augustulus, the last of the Roman emperors, who was obliged to abdicate the government by Odoacer king of the Heruli; when the kingdom of the Lombards took place in Italy, and afterwards that was translated to Charles the great, king of the French; so that there was nothing more of the Roman empire remaining than the bare name, as at this day; and by this means the popes of Rome got to the height of their power and glory, which is meant by the revelation of the man of sin.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
For the mystery of iniquity - On the meaning of the word mystery, see the notes on Romans 11:25; compare 1 Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 1:9; Ephesians 3:3; Colossians 1:26. It means properly what is hidden or concealed; not necessarily that which is unintelligible. The “mystery of iniquity” seems here to refer to some hidden or concealed depravity - some form of sin which was working secretly and silently, and which had not yet developed itself. Any secret sources of iniquity in the church - anything that tended to corrupt its doctrines, and to destroy the simplicity of the faith of the gospel, would correspond with the meaning of the word. Doddridge correctly supposes that this may refer to the pride and ambition of some ministers, the factious temper of some Christians, the imposing’ of unauthorized severities, the worship of angels, etc.
Doth already work - There are elements of these corruptions already existing in the church. Dr. Newton maintains that the foundations of popery were laid in the apostle’s days, and that the superstructure was raised by degrees; and this is entirely in accordance with the statements of the apostle Paul. In his own time, he says, there were things which, if not restrained, would expand and ripen into that apostasy. He has not told as particularly to what he refers, but there are several intimations in his writings, as well as in other parts of the New Testament, that even in the apostolic age there existed the elements of those corruptions which were afterward developed and imbodied in the papacy. Even then, says Dr. Newton, “idolatry was stealing into the church 1 Corinthians 10:14, and a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels.” (Colossians 2:18; see, however, my note on that passage.) “There existed strife and divisions 1 Corinthians 3:3, an adulterating and handling the word of God deceitfully 2 Corinthians 2:17; 2 Corinthians 4:2, a gain of godliness, teaching of things for filthy lucre’s sake 1 Timothy 6:5; Titus 1:11, a vain observation of festivals Galatians 4:10, a vain distinction of meats 1 Corinthians 8:8, a neglecting of the body Colossians 2:23, traditions, and commandments, and doctrines of men Colossians 2:8, Colossians 2:22; compare 3 John 1:9, “Diotrephes, who loveth to have the pre-eminence.” These things constituted the elements of the corruptions which were afterward developed in the papacy, and which are imbodied in that system. An eye that could see all, would even then have perceived that if there were no restraint, these incipient corruptions would grow up into that system, and would be expanded into all the corruptions and arrogant claims which have ever characterized it; compare 1 John 4:3.
Only he who now letteth - Who now hinders, or restrains - ὁ κατέχων ho katechōn. This is the same word which is used in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, and rendered “withholdeth,” except that it is there in the neuter gender. There can be no doubt that there is reference to the same restraining power, or the same power under the control of an individual; but what that was, is not quite certain. It was some power which operated as a check on the growing corruptions then existing, and which prevented their full development, but which was to be removed at no distant period, and whose removal would give an opportunity for these corruptions to develop themselves, and for the full revelation of the man of sin. Such a supposition as that the civil power of Rome was such a restraint, operating to prevent the assumption of the ecclesiastical claims of supremacy which afterward characterized the papacy, will correspond with all that is necessarily implied in the language.
Will let, until he be taken out of the way - This will be an effectual check on these corruptions, preventing their full development, until it is removed, and then the man of sin will appear. The supposition which will best suit this language is, that there was then some civil restraint, preventing the development of existing corruptions, but that there would be a removal, or withdrawing of that restraint; and that then the tendency of the existing corruptions would be seen. It is evident, as Oldshausen remarks, that this resisting or restraining power must be something out of the church, and distinguished from the anti-Christian tendency itself; yon der Kirche und vom Antichristenthum. It is necessary, therefore, to understand this of the restraints of civil power. Was there, then, any fact in history which will accord with this interpretation? The belief among the primitive Christians was, that what hindered the rise of the man of sin was the Roman empire, and therefore “they prayed for its peace and welfare, as knowing that when the Roman empire should be dissolved and broken in pieces, the empire of the man of sin would be raised on its ruins.”
Dr. Newton. How this revolution was effected, may be seen by the statement of Machiavel. “The emperor of Rome, quitting Rome to dwell at Constantinople” (in the fourth century, under Constantine), “the Roman empire began to decline, but the church of Rome augmented as fast. Nevertheless, until the coming in of the Lombards, all Italy being under the dominion of either emperors or kings, the bishops assumed no more power than what was due to their doctrine and manners; in civil affairs they were subject to the civil power. But Theodoric, king of the Goths, fixing his seat at Ravenna, was that which advanced their interest, and made them more considerable in Italy, for there being no other prince left in Rome, the Romans were forced for protection to pay greater allegiance to the Pope. The Lombards having invaded and reduced Italy into several cantons, the Pope took the opportunity, and began to hold up his head. For being, as it were, governor and principal of Rome, the emperor of Constantinople and the Lombards bare him a respect, so that the Romans (by mediation of their Pope) began to treat and confederate with Longinus (the emperor’s lieutenant), and the Lombards, not as subjects, but as equals and companions; which said custom continuing, and the Pope’s entering into alliance sometimes with the Lombards, and sometimes with the Greeks, contracted great reputation to their dignity.” (History of Florence, B. i., p. 6, of the English translation.) A more extended quotation on the same subject, may be seen in Newton on the Prophecies, pp. 407, 408. To anyone acquainted with the decline and fall of the Roman empire, nothing can be more manifest than the correspondence of the facts in history respecting the rise of the papacy, and the statement of the apostle Paul here. The simple facts are these:
(1) There were early corruptions in the church at Rome, as there were elsewhere, but peculiarly there, as Rome was the seat of philosophy and of power.
(2) There were great efforts made by the bishop of Rome to increase his authority, and there was a steady approximation to what he subsequently claimed - that of being Universal Bishop.
(3) There was a constant tendency to yield to him deference and respect in all matters.
(4) This was kept in check as long as Rome was the seat of the imperial power. Had that power remained there, it would have been impossible for the Roman Bishop ever to have obtained the civil and ecclesiastical eminence which he ultimately did. Rome could not have had two heads, both claiming and exercising supreme power; and there never could have been a “revelation of the man of sin.”
(5) Constantine removed the seat of empire to Constantinople; and this removal or “taking away” of the only restraint on the ambitious projects of the Roman bishops, gave all the opportunity which could be desired for the growth of the papal power. In all history there cannot, probably, be found a series of events corresponding more accurately with a prophetic statement than this; and there is every evidence, therefore, that these are the events to which the Spirit of inspiration referred.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work — There is a system of corrupt doctrine, which will lead to the general apostasy, already in existence, but it is a mystery; it is as yet hidden; it dare not show itself, because of that which hindereth or withholdeth. But when that which now restraineth shall be taken out of the way, then shall that wicked one be revealed-it will then be manifest who he is, and what he is. See the observations at the end of this chapter. "2 Thessalonians 2:17"
