2 Thessalonians 2:6

“And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season”

“And now ye know”: They knew, because Paul had taught them previously. “That which restraineth”: “You know now what the restraining influence is which prevents his appearing before his appointed time” (TCNT). Some argue that the restraining influence is the Holy Spirit or the Christians in the world, yet the apostasy has already happened with both of those influences present. Some Premillennialists argue that this man of sin comes to power when the church is removed from the earth. Besides the false doctrine associated with the mysterious removal of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:16 ?), this context has the man of sin revealed while Christians are present (2 Thessalonians 2:1). We have already identified the falling away with the rise of Roman Catholicism and the man of sin with the papacy, therefore already then know what the restraining power is, that is, the Roman government. As one writer noted, “The papacy could not reach the pinnacle of its power while Rome had all power” (Denton Lectureship p. 252). Fields notes, “During the first three hundred years of the history of Christianity it was. persecuted illegal religion. This fact hindered any power-hungry ‘Christian' bishop from assuming. lot of authority. While some strong emperors occasionally resisted the popes for many centuries, the popes became so strong that kings (such as Charlemagne) received their crowns from the hands of popes” (p. 203). Gradually as the Roman Empire weakened, the bishops came to have more power and the emperors less.