2 Thessalonians 2:7

_ _ the mystery of iniquity — the counterwork to “the mystery of godliness” (1 Timothy 3:16). Anti-Christianity latently working, as distinguished from its final open manifestation. “Mystery” in Scripture means, not what remains always a secret, but that which is for a while hidden, but in due time manifested (compare Ephesians 3:4, Ephesians 3:5). Satan will resort to a mode of opposition more conformed to the then imminent “appearing” and “presence” of the Savior, and will anticipate Him with a last effort to maintain the dominion of the world [Deuteronomy Burgh], just as at His first advent he rushed into open opposition, by taking possession of the bodies of men. “Iniquity,” Greek, “lawlessness”; defiant rejection of God’s law (compare Note, see on Zechariah 5:9, Zechariah 5:10). “Wickedness” (translated by the Septuagint by the same Greek, meaning “lawlessness,” which Paul employs here), embodied there as a woman, answers to “the mystery of iniquity,” here embodied finally in “the man of sin”: as the former was ultimately banished for ever from the Holy Land to her own congenial soil, Babylon, so iniquity and the man of sin shall fall before Michael and the Lord Himself, who shall appear as the Deliverer of His people (Daniel 12:1-3; Zechariah 14:3-9). Compare Matthew 12:43. The Jewish nation dispossessed of the evil spirit, the demon of idolatry being cast out through the Babylonian captivity, receives ultimately a worse form of the evil spirit, Christ-opposing self-righteousness. Also, the Christian Church in course of time taken possession of by the demon of Romish idolatry, then dispossessed of it by the Reformation, then its house “garnished” by hypocrisy, secularity, and rationalism, but “swept empty” of living faith, then finally apostatizing and repossessed by “the man of sin,” and outwardly destroyed for a brief time (though even then Christ shall have witnesses for Him among both the Jews, Zechariah 13:9, and Gentiles, Matthew 28:20), when Christ shall suddenly come (Daniel 11:32-45; Luke 18:7, Luke 18:8).

_ _ already — (2 John 1:9, 2 John 1:10; Colossians 2:18-23; 1 Timothy 4:1); compare “even now already” (1 John 2:18; 1 John 4:3) as distinguished from “in his own time” of being revealed hereafter. Antiquity, it appears from hence, is not a justification for unscriptural usages or dogmas, since these were “already,” even in Paul’s time, beginning to spring up: the written word is the only sure test. “Judaism infecting Christianity is the fuel; the mystery of iniquity is the spark.” “It is one and the same impurity diffusing itself over many ages” [Bengel].

_ _ only he who now letteth will let — The italicized words are not in the Greek. Therefore, translate rather, “only (that is, the continuance of the MYSTERY of iniquity-working will be only) until he who now withholdeth (the same Greek as in 2 Thessalonians 2:6) be taken out of the way.” “Only (waiting, Hebrews 10:13) until he,” etc. Then it will work no longer in mystery, but in open manifestation.