7. τὸγὰρμυστήριονκτλ.] a confirmatory explanation of the preceding statement, in which the main stress is evidently laid on τὸμυστήριον both on account of its isolated and emphatic position in the sentence, and from its contrast with the preceding ἀποκαλυφθῆναι: the revelation, that is, of the lawless one, just spoken of, will be a revelation only, for, as a matter of fact, the principle of which he is the representative is already at work, though as yet only in secret. For this the regular Bibl. sense of μυστήριον pointing to a secret to be revealed see Robinson Eph. p. 234 ff., where the different shades of meaning attached to the word in the Pauline writings are fully discussed, and for ἐνεργεῖται cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 note. μόνον] There is no need to find a case of ellipsis here as in v. 3, μόνον belongs to ἕως, and introduces the limitation in the present working of τὸμυστ. τ. ἀνομ., while the order of the following words is rhetorical, ὁκατέχωνἄρτι being placed before ἕως for the sake of emphasis (cf. Galatians 2:10 μόνοντῶνπτωχῶνἵναμνημονεύωμεν, and see WM. p. 688, Buttmann p. 389). For the meaning of ὁκατέχων see note on v. 6, and for ἄρτι, strictly present time, as compared with the more subjective ἤδη ‘ already,’ see the note on 1 Thessalonians 3:6, and cf. Kühner3 §§ 498, 499. ἐκμέσουγένηται] Nothing is said as to how the removal spoken of is to be effected, nor can the absence of ἄν with the subj. in this clause be pressed, as if it lent additional certainty to the fact, in view of the general weakening of ἄν in later Gk., leading to its frequent omission, especially after such temporal particles as ἕως, ἕωςοὗ &c.: see WM. p. 371, and add such passages from the Κοινή as P.Oxy. 259, 30 (1./a.d.) ἕωςἑαυτὸναὐτ[ὸ]νποιήσω, 294, 15 f. (1./a.d.) ἕωςἀκούσωφάσινπαρὰσοῦπερὶἁπάντων. For ἐκμέσου cf. 1 Corinthians 5:2, Colossians 2:14.