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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
Observe here, 1. How our apostle intimated to the Thessalonians that Antichrist was not then revealed, and consequently that they were not then to expect the coming of Christ to judgment.
Observe, 2. The impediment that then hindered his revelation: Now ye know what withholdeth; by which the Roman empire is generally understood: the man of sin could not rise to his greatness, so long as the Roman emperor possessed Rome, and the seat was full, until it was void it could not be the seat of Antichrist.
But why did not the apostle name it then?
Ans. That he might not incense the Roman emperors against the Christians, as he must have done, had he openly said, "Antichrist shall not come till the Roman empire is destroyed;" he therefore covertly says, Ye know what witholdeth.