katechon

The katechon (from Greek: , "that which withholds", or , "the one who withholds"), also known as the restrainer, is a biblical term referring to something that must be removed before the arrival of the "man of sin." Mentioned in the New Testament, the katechons uncertain identity has been debated amongst Christian scholars. Common interpretations for the identity include the government, the church, and the Holy Spirit.

== Term == The term is found in in an eschatological context: Christians must not behave as if the Day of the Lord would happen tomorrow, since the son of perdition (the Antichrist of 1 and 2 John) must be revealed before. The author of Second Thessalonians then adds that the revelation of the Antichrist is conditional upon the removal of "something/someone that restrains him" and prevents him from being fully manifested. Verse 6 uses the neuter gender in Greek, τὸ κατέχον; and verse 7 the masculine, ὁ κατέχων.