the church community and leading the Thessalonians astray. These teachers were led by one person (hence the use of the masculine ho katechōn) who had to be removed before “the man of lawlessness” could be revealed (Giblin 1967:217–48). The primary difficulty with this position is that it appears to require that the removal of one particular false teacher in one localized church (Thessalonica) has worldwide ramifications for the conclusion of redemptive history. 6. Several commentators identify “the