The Restrainer

The Restrainer

December 17, 2025

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

2 Thessalonians 2:6-7

And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 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. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7)

Paul teaches that the “man of lawlessness” (Antichrist) cannot be revealed until a present restraining force/person is “taken out of the way.” But what or who is the restrainer? Whoever the restrainer is, He is someone of great power who is hindering the advance of the Antichrist and preventing the satanic kingdom from overwhelming the world. Tonight we’re going to look at various interpretations of this passage, examine closely at the Pretib understanding, and see how that applies in our world today.

Why Paul Brings Up “The Restrainer”

The Thessalonian problem. Some believers feared the “day of the Lord” had already come (2 Thess 2:1–2). Paul corrects them: that day has not arrived because two markers must occur before the day of the Lord can come:

• The rebellion / apostasy (2 Thess 2:3)

• The man of lawlessness is revealed (2 Thess 2:3–4)

But even that revelation is presently blocked because something is restraining the emergence of the Antichrist. “And you know what is restraining him now…” (2 Thess 2:6) “…only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.” (2 Thess 2:7). So the “restrainer” functions like a divine speed-limit on end-times lawlessness until God’s appointed moment.

Think about it—how many times throughout history have figures arisen who embodied the spirit of Antichrist? Repeatedly powerful leaders, false teachers, and deceptive systems have claimed authority, demanded allegiance, and opposed the truth of Christ. Scripture prepares us for this pattern. As the apostle John writes, “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour” (1 John 2:18). These recurring antichrists are not the final one, but they serve as harbingers—previews of the ultimate deception still to come—reminding us that the world has long been rehearsing for the arrival of the man of lawlessness.

Key Observations from the Text

A. The Restrainer is both “what” and “he”

Paul uses a neuter concept (“what is restraining,” v.6) and a masculine agent (“he who restrains,” v.7). That strongly suggests that there is an impersonal aspect (a restraint, a mechanism, an institution), and a personal aspect (an agent behind it). This duality fits especially well with the Holy Spirit’s restraining work expressed through a particular God-ordained instrument during the Church in this age.

B. The Restrainer is already known to them

Paul says, “you know…” (2 Thess 2:6). He had taught them previously (2 Thess 2:5). That implies the identity was clear in their catechesis, even if Paul doesn’t spell it out in the letter (likely for prudence and because they already understood).

C. The restraint is temporary and purposeful

The restraint lasts “until” (2 Thess 2:7). God is not reacting; He is governing timing. When restraint is lifted, lawlessness erupts—and then the Lord ultimately destroys the lawless one “by the breath of his mouth” at His coming (2 Thess 2:8; cf. Rev 19:11–21).

What is Being Restrained? Paul says it plainly

• “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work” (2 Thess 2:7)

• yet Antichrist is not revealed until restraint is removed (2 Thess 2:6–7)

So the restrainer is holding back the full manifestation of satanic lawlessness—keeping the world from crossing a God-set line until the proper prophetic hour. Compare the Tribulation’s moral/spiritual chaos:

• Global deception and false worship (Rev 13:3–8, 11–18)

• Unprecedented judgments and societal unraveling (Rev 6–9; 16)

• A climactic hatred of truth and embrace of delusion (2 Thess 2:9–12)

Major Viewpoints on the Identity of “The Restrainer”

• Human Government / Law and Order: God restrains evil through civil authority (Rom 13:1–4; 1 Pet 2:13–14)

• The Roman Empire / Imperial Order

• Michael the Archangel

• The Holy Spirit

• The Church / Spirit-Filled Church (corporate restraint)

The Restrainer is the Spirit-Filled Church

The best explanation, within a plain-sense, pre-trib framework, is that God restrains lawlessness through the Church as Christ’s body, indwelt by the Spirit, functioning as “salt and light” (Matt 5:13–16). At the Rapture (1 Thess 4:13–18), the Church is removed, and restraint lifts.

• Harmonizes with pre-trib distinctives: the Church is not appointed to wrath (1 Thess 1:10; 5:9), and Revelation’s Tribulation judgments (Rev 6–18) unfold after the Church’s removal (a common dispensational reading).

• Matches the neuter + masculine pattern:

o “what” = the restraining influence (the Church’s presence/witness)

o “he” = the Holy Spirit who empowers and implements that restraint through the Church