2 Thessalonians 2:7

“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 doth already work”: “The hidden activity of lawlessness” (Marshall p. 195). When Paul wrote this letter the seeds of apostasy where already being sown (2 Timothy 4:3). This verse reveals that apostasy does not happen overnight or by accident. People do not fall away on the spur of the moment, rather people fall away because they have gradually allowed themselves to believe false concepts, and allowed themselves to be gradually worn down by evil. “Until he be taken out of the way”: “When the Roman empire collapsed, the Roman church became all-powerful” (Fields p. 204). Morris claims, “Moreover the Roman Empire in due course passed away without the events that Paul here associates with the End” (p. 225). Sadly such. claim must completely ignore the fact that. great falling away did happen. Anyone who cannot see that the Roman Catholic Church represents. tremendous apostasy from the religion of Jesus Christ is not qualified to discuss the "end time". If one cannot correctly "read" the past, then why should we listen to them when they discuss the future?