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• τὸ κατέχον is not a power that restrains but one that exercises his power on Satan’s
behalf.
• This power that holds back, that “seizes” or “possesses,” implies some form of demon
possession. 66
While many interpretations have been made, no evidence exists to prove one over another. In
the end one cannot know for certain. David Kuske favors one interpretation in his People Bible
commentary: “That ‘thing,’ which was a matter of common knowledge to the Thessalonians,
was the Word of God and the believers’ love for that Word.” 67
In his own time
This interpretation is quite
agreeable. The neuter could imply the power of the Word while the masculine could refer to
God himself. In keeping with the context of comfort, it is preferable to see this restraining force
as good rather than evil. Also, Paul writes to the Thessalonians that they knew something of this
restraining force. The two things one can be certain that they knew were God’s Word and the
Savior. Yet without Paul’s previous teachings to them, this remains an argument from silence.
What can be determined from Paul’s words is that the “man of lawlessness” had not yet been
revealed at the writing of this letter because of this restraining force.
Paul follows with the phrase εἰς τὸ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ καιρῷ (“that he
will be revealed in his/its own time”). The preposition introduces an accusative with the
infinitive construction. While there is no nearby antecedent for the accusative masculine
pronoun αὐτὸν, it most likely refers back to the “man of lawlessness.” This is most natural, for it
goes along with the aorist passive infinitive ἀποκαλυφθῆναι. This same verb was used in verse
three to speak about the revelation of the “man of lawlessness,” and the same words will come
up once again in verse eight. A debate arises as to which word this phrase is linked, whether τὸ
κατέχον or οἴδατε. Others will also argue as to whether the εἰς introduces a result or a purpose
clause. Lenski gets to the point when he says, “There is no need for debate. There is no question
about the sense, for the words are quite simple: something is now holding up the revelation of
66 Gene L. Green, The Letters to the Thessalonians (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
2002), 316.
67 David P. Kuske, 1,2 Thessalonians (Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1984), 93.
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