2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 — the identity of the Restrainer is uncertain

Mike reads 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7: "you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time... he who restrains it will do so until he's out of the way." The identity of the restrainer is genuinely uncertain. The Thessalonians knew (they were told orally) but we do not. Common interpretations: (1) Pre-trib rapture view — the church/Holy Spirit is restraining; the masculine gender fits the Spirit more than the church (which is feminized as bride of Christ); but the text does not clearly teach this; (2) Partial-preterist view — the restrainer was Galba (Roman Caesar before Nero); when Galba died, Nero unleashed persecution; but nothing in the text forces this identification. Mike considers this an open question and notes it may be an example of genuine oral tradition the Thessalonians possessed that we do not.