The Revealing of the Lawless One

2:6-12

What was Paul referring to in these verses?

• 

  “A restraint” (vs. 6)​—Likely the apostles

• “Revealed” (vs. 6)​—Following the death of the apostles, apostate Christians came into the open with their religious hypocrisy and false teachings

• “The mystery of this lawlessness” (vs. 7)​—“The lawless one” was not clearly identifiable in Paul’s day

• 

  “The lawless one” (vs. 8)​—Today it is the clergy of Christendom as a group

• “The Lord Jesus will do away with [the lawless one] . . . by the manifestation of his presence” (vs. 8)​—Jesus will make his heavenly presence as King manifest by executing Jehovah’s judgments on Satan’s system of things, including “the lawless one”

How do these verses encourage you to preach with zeal and a sense of urgency?