2nd Thessalonians. Chapter 1

2 Thes. chapter ONE

2 Thes. 1:1-3, Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other,

Verses 1 & 2 is the typical opening that Paul uses in his letters.

Verse 3, Even though Paul writes this letter to correct a problem, he first drew attention to what was good about their situation. He does the proper and fitting thing, give thanks to God at all times concerning them. Paul felt very strongly that what God had done for the Thessalonian believers deserves his thanks to God.

Growth is always a sign of life and health. There faith and love was growing abundantly because of obedience to God's Word. Their faith was shown in service, in humility, in courtesy, and in consideration for one another. There love was a self-giving love that reached out to others, even to people they did not like, especially to people that did not deserve to be loved. Their love was shown without restriction.

2 Thes. 1:4, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure.

As a result of their faith and love abounding, Paul gloried in them and boasted of them among all the churches. He especially rejoiced to tell other churches about the patience of the Thessalonians.

Patience is translated from the Greek word HUPOMONE (hoop-om-on-ay'), it means endurance, constancy, perseverance in the midst of difficulty. They put up with persecutions, tribulations, pressures, oppression, affliction and trouble without any complaining about their lot in life. They did not lose faith and hope when the unbelievers assaulted them because of their Christian testimony.

In the day that we are living most of us do not have enough of a Christian testimony to be assaulted for! What is there to boast about in the churches we are familiar with today? Are we going to boast about the lack of prayer? Are we going to boast about the lack of Holy Spirit anointed preaching? Are we going to boast about traditions of men and denominations that is making the Word of God to have no effect on our lives or the lives of unbelievers? Are we going to boast about how we uphold man-made constitutions above the Word of God? Are we going to boast about the sexual sins of the preachers and the saints in the pew? Are we going to boast that sinners can come in our midst and leave saying, "if that is all there is to it, I want know part of it? Are we to boast of the lack of conviction, the lack of faith, the lack of love, the lack of forgiveness, the lack of manifestations of the Spirit in healing, delivering, saving, and holiness in living power.

Church, we need to repent and return to obedience to God's Word! We need to pray for patience, the stickability to stay true to the Word of God.

2 Thes. 1:5, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer;

Paul is saying, your persecutions, your tribulations, the difficulties that you are enduring by those who have rejected the message will vindicate the outpouring of God's wrath during the day of the Lord. The persecutions of believers by the ungodly throughout the world will be one of the reasons that the judgment of God will be poured out.

The suffering and endurance of believers in the midst of tribulation indicates their fidelity to Christ and show their worthiness to rule and reign with God. This will be even more manifested during the great tribulation when the wrath of the Antichrist is against the elect of God. Paul said to endure all things for the elect's sake, for the sake of those who are elected or chosen to follow Jesus. Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:10-12, Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying: for if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, he also will deny us. This means that believers are to stand their ground when others are fleeing, to hold out when others are giving up, to remain steadfast to the end no matter what we have to go through.

2 Thes. 1:6, since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you.

When God destroys evil it is a righteous act. God does no evil. It is not evil to get rid of evil, it is doing good when evil is gotten rid of. God is a God of love, and because of His love He is a God of justice and He will repay the wicked for rejecting the message of Jesus, and persecuting the people of God. This will be a righteous act on His part. To preach the love of God without the judgments of God, is not preaching the total gospel.

God's love can never embrace what His holiness condemns.

The same God who loves is the same God who will judge. The day of the Lord is the righteous judgments of a holy, loving God which will purge the planet earth from evil. That judgment will judge wicked men, it will judge false religion, and that judgment will judge the Antichrist and the false prophet. The day is coming when the words of Jonathan Edwards will be true, "Sinners in the hands of an angry God."

2 Thes 1:7, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, Those who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

The only time the godly will be totally free from tribulation, (attack by Satan through ungodly people, ungodly systems and the Antichrist spirit) will be when Jesus is revealed (unveiling, disclosure, revealing) from heaven with His mighty angels. This unveiling is a term used to describe Christ coming to destroy the present world system and set up His kingdom on earth (Daniel 2:35,45). Then those who are troubled, persecuted and going through the great tribulation will be able to rest forever from persecution. This is exactly what the Bible teaches, He is coming to deliver His elect out from the great tribulation when He cuts it short, then immediately His day-of-the-Lord wrath begins.

Notice He is coming with His mighty angels. Turn back to 1 Thes. 3:13, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming (PAROUSIA) of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

There are those who would tell us that this is referring to when Jesus comes back to destroy the ungodly and set up His kingdom, and this happens seven years after the rapture takes place. The saints here, according to them are the raptured church which was raptured before the tribulation began. The context of this verse does not allow for that interpretation. When are the ones talked to in this verse going to be established blameless in holiness before God? When Jesus comes with all His saints!

Therefore, the saints referred to here cannot be living believers, because the living believer's hearts will be established blameless in holiness at this time. This is not His coming seven years after the rapture. This His is coming to rapture His church and establish them blameless and holy before God.

He is going to present to His Father a church without spot or wrinkle, after the compromising church is purified and by going through the fiery testing that Peter talks about in 1 Peter 4:12&13. These two verses are talking about the same event. See also Matt. 25:31, which says, "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. There is no basis to read into these texts what is not there. The bible does not say that he is coming back with the raptured believers. The reason He is coming with his holy angels is that as soon as the rapture takes place He is going to begin to pour out His wrath. Who is it that assists in pouring out God's wrath? According to Revelation it is the angels, that is why they come with Him, they are the instruments through which He will manifest His power in judgment. He is coming with His angels and with the people who have died in Christ to raise them to be raptured with the living.

2 Thes. 1:8, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

While the coming of Christ brings blessing to the believers, it will be a time of judgment upon those who have been enemies of the Gospel. Those who "know not God" include those who have willfully rejected the knowledge that was available to them. Those who "obey not the gospel" are those who heard it but actively rejected it, and took a course of disobedience. They are a specific group within the group that knows not God. They are even more guilty for they know what they are doing.

2 Thes. 1:9, These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.

The term "everlasting destruction" does not mean annihilation, it does not mean cessation of life, it means eternal separation from God. They will be separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power forever, they will not have any fellowship with God. This banishment from the manifest presence of God will be the vindication of God's holy, righteous nature.

2 Thes. 1:10, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

In that day is referring to the day of the Lord when He will be glorified in His saints. His saints include the holy angels who carry out His wrath whom He brings with Him. He will be admired by all those who believe (the living believers and the believers who have been raised from the dead.

The saints and believers here are two different groups. Saints is the same Greek word as in 1 Thes. 3:13 which we have already dealt with, the meaning of which is holy ones (angels). He will be glorified in the holy ones He brings with them because they will assist in caring out God's wrath.

"Those who believe" is referring to all who put their trust in Jesus for their spiritual well- being because of believing the testimony of the gospel. I don't know what you are going through now, nor do I know what you will go through in the future, but I do know that if you will be patient and endure you will come forth as gold and reflect the glory of Christ.

Saints if you are not ready to die for Him in the future, you are not ready to live for Him in the now.

2 Thes. 1:11,12, Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here again as Paul is known to do He breaks out in prayer for the believers. Only in connection with acts of faith could Paul's petition in this prayer be fulfilled. Then, through the believers' worthy response to His call, their delight in goodness, and their activity of faith, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in them and they in Him.