BIG IDEA:
THE SECOND COMING SPELLS RELIEF FOR THE AFFLICTED BUT RETRIBUTION FOR OUR ANTAGONISTS
INTRODUCTION:
Ligon Duncan: Note that persecuting the Thessalonian church is not the only—and not the worst—crime committed by these wrongdoers. Not only are they those who have afflicted the innocent, but they are also those who “do not know God and … do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). So whereas Paul commends the Thessalonians for believing his testimony (v 10), these afflicters have not believed his testimony. As he puts it in his letter to the Romans, although these people know deep down that they ought to worship God, they have chosen to ignore him and worship something else (Romans 1:21, 25). And these persecutors are in fact doubly without excuse because, although they have heard the command and promise of the gospel—“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31)—they have disobeyed that command and turned their backs on that promise. Consequently they will be justly judged.
I. (:6-7) THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT OF GOD
“For after all it is only just for God”
Context: verse 5 – The Second Coming and its execution of the righteous judgment of God and introduction of the victorious kingdom of God.
Michael Martin: God is just both in his treatment of the faithful and in his condemnation of the persecutors of the church. A conditional particle (eiper) introduces v. 6, but since the truth of the condition is assumed, the NIV translates the verse as an assertion, “God is just.” However, this obscures the connection with v. 5. Introducing v. 6 with “since” (RSV) makes it clearer that Paul was expanding on the thought of v. 5b. The persecuted will be deemed worthy of the kingdom (v. 5b), since (eiper) it is just in the sight of God for the afflicters to reap affliction and the afflicted to be granted rest.
A. Retribution for Our Antagonists
“to repay with affliction those who afflict you”
Vengeance belongs to the Lord; there will be a final and accurate accounting. The record will be set straight.
Michael Martin: In the context of the unjust suffering of the righteous it serves as an assurance that evil men ultimately will receive the punishment they deserve. For the righteous it is somehow easier to suffer at the hands of evil with the knowledge that the evil persecutor will not escape but will be brought to justice. The promise of a balancing of accounts in the future may not eliminate the pain of suffering, but it does reduce its insult. It confirms the innocence of the victim and limits evil’s success. The victim’s temporary affliction is easier to bear when viewed against the eternal suffering of the afflicter.
B. Relief for the Afflicted
- Persecuted Believers in Thessalonica
“and to give relief to you who are afflicted”
not minimizing their pain and suffering, but putting it into perspective
Michael Martin: The exact implications of “rest” (anesis) are uncertain since it is used of eschatological reward only here in Paul’s writings. But clearly it involves more than just the cessation of persecution.
Gordon Fee: In effect Paul simply appeals to God’s justice found in the Old Testament in the lex talionis, the law of just retribution.46 Thus God’s “just” dealings in this case are expressed in terms of what the Thessalonian believers have been experiencing—thlipsis (“affliction”), which is what God will eventually mete out on their persecutors. In effect, therefore, this clause serves as the thesis sentence for all that follows. For the Thessalonian believers who are being persecuted by their fellow townspeople, God’s justice will take a twofold form: “affliction” for those who are “afflicting” you, and “rest” for you who are being “afflicted.” Thus Paul reassures them of their mutual, certain eschatological future. But what is promised here is not temporal judgment—judgment on their enemies within their near future—but eschatological judgment. Everything in these two letters indicates that Paul and the Thessalonians lived fully in the tension of the “already/not yet” of God’s rule. Life for them in the present is altogether predicated on Christ’s resurrection, which has thus also guaranteed their own certain future.
- Apostolic Missionary Team
“and to us as well”
Paul and his missionary team are not detached observers, but are intimately involved in the same struggles and experiencing the same persecutions.
Michael Martin: indicates that this “rest” is a state that both the Thessalonians and the evangelists would share. Linked temporally to the parousia (v. 7b) it connotes the ultimate reward, the promised rest that represents the goodness of the realized kingdom of God (cf. the “rest” in Heb 3:7 – 4:13, where the author used katapausis, citing and developing the implications of Num 14:20–23 as recited in Ps 95:11).
C. Timeframe = The Second Coming / Transition
“when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven
with His mighty angels in flaming fire”
Jeffrey Weima: But though the word apokalypsis here shares with the word parousia an eschatological reference to, in this case, the future coming of the Lord, the two terms are not exactly identical in meaning. Whereas parousia, as a technical term in the Hellenistic world that referred to the coming of high-ranking officials or kings to a city for an official visit, highlights the power and presence of Christ when he comes, apokalypsis stresses the revelatory aspect of Christ’s return. More specifically, the truth that Jesus the Judge will come to carry out the just judgment of God is a reality currently hidden from those persecuting the Thessalonian believers so that they are naively unaware of the “affliction” that will fall upon them. Conversely, since this truth is known to the Christians in Thessalonica, they are able to endure persecution until the “revelation of the Lord Jesus,” when these hidden things will finally become manifest to all.
“from heaven” — This phrase, however, indicates not merely the location from which Jesus comes but, more important, the divine authority with which he carries out the just judgment of God: “He comes from the dwelling place of God with the authority of God to execute judgment and recompense” (Marshall 1983: 176).
Leon Morris: “Some commentators prefer to take ‘in flaming fire’ with what follows as indicating the manner in which the vengeance spoken of will be visited on the wicked. It seems preferable to take it with the preceding, and as being the third in the series of prepositional phrases describing the Lord’s revelation. In that case the majesty of the appearance of the Lord who is revealed is brought out by comparing it to that of flaming fire. This comparison is to be found in other places as Exod. 3:2, Isa. 66:15, Rev. 1:13 f. On outstanding occasions, like the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai or the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, fire is the symbol of the divine presence.”
Michael Martin: The Lord will appear “with his powerful angels” (v. 7b). Angels as a part of the parousia are mentioned frequently in the New Testament (cf. Mark 8:38; 13:27; 1 Thess 3:13; 4:16) and are commonly associated with the presence of the Lord in the Old Testament (Exod 19:13; Zech 14:15; Isa 6:1–3; Ezek 1:4–28).
The word order of the Greek text and the context in general suggests that “of power” refers not to powerful angels but angels who are a part of and an expression of the power of the Lord. Best’s suggestion that a preferable translation would be either “the angels by which he exercises power” or “which belong to his power” is a good one.
Angels are often associated with fire in Jewish tradition (Ezek 1:13), and fire is a common element in the theophanies of the Old Testament (Exod 3:2; 19:18; Ps 18:8; Ezek 1:27). Linked with what precedes it, “in blazing fire” is consistent with the presentation of the revelation of Jesus as the Old Testament day of the Lord and serves to emphasize the awesome grandeur of his appearance.
Gordon Fee: The significance of this intertextual echoing of Isaiah is best seen by a display of the three texts (where common language is underlined):
Paul: of the Lord Jesus … in flaming fire, giving punishment to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
Isa 66:15 The Lord as fire will come, and as a storm his chariots, to recompense with wrath, punishment and repudiation in flaming fire
Isa 66:4 Says the Lord [v. 2], … I will repay them because I called them and they did not obey me
The Lord in both Isaiah passages is Yahweh, while the Lord in Paul’s use of this language is specified as “the Lord, Jesus.” This means that “the Lord” who will come “in blazing fire” to mete out this judgment is now “the Lord, Jesus Christ,” who will thus assume Yahweh’s role in the prophetic text.
Grant Osborne: The Divine Warrior is coming “with his powerful angels,” considering the heavenly host as the armies of heaven, far more invincible than the Roman armies could ever pretend to be. There is some debate whether “power” should be linked with Christ (the angels of his power) or the angels themselves (as in the NIV), but this doesn’t matter in the end, for power is invested in both. In Revelation 19:19–20 there is no battle. Christ and his heavenly armies arrive, and immediately it is over. The defeat is absolute and eternal in its ramifications.
Ligon Duncan: Polycarp knew that. When the Roman official who had had him arrested questioned him and demanded that he renounce Jesus and worship the spirit of the emperor, he said to Polycarp, “I will cause thee to be consumed by fire, seeing thou despisest the wild beasts, if thou wilt not repent.” Polycarp responded, “Thou threatenest me with fire which burneth for an hour, and after a little is extinguished, but art ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly” (The Martyrdom of Polycarp, chapter 11).
II. (:8-9) THE PENALTY OF ETERNAL DESTRUCTION
A. Characterized as Payback – Expression: “Paybacks are Hell”
“dealing out retribution”
B. Who Has to Pay the Piper?
- Unbelievers
“to those who do not know God”
Jeffrey Weima: This punishment will be given not merely to the persecutors of the Thessalonian believers but also to a much larger group: “on those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”
- Disobedient
“and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus”
Hubbard: “Some have suggested that two groups – Gentiles (cf. I Thess 4:5) and Jews – are indicated. More likely this is a blanket reference to all who refuse to act on what they know about God and who more specifically, reject his revelation in Christ.”
Michael Martin: Rather than presenting two groups, these two parallel clauses probably reflect the Old Testament background of the passage and utilize parallelism to describe a single group: unbelievers of any ethnicity.
God’s judgment will fall on those who neither acknowledge God nor obey the gospel, and the ultimate expression of such rejection is the persecution of the church (cf. 1 Thess 2:14–16). Thus condemnation is earned not by ignorance or by an isolated act of persecution of believers but by the settled rejection of God inspiring the persistent persecution of God’s people.
Grant Osborne: Refusing to obey the gospel means both to refuse God’s salvation and to live a life of sin. They intellectually reject the truth and ethically refuse to live God’s way.
C. Eternal Consequences for Unbelief and Disobedience
- Eternal Destruction
“And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction”
G.K. Beale: This “eternal destruction” is defined by the context not as annihilation but as unending suffering of a persecutor of saints, which is virtually equated with his “eternal torture by fire” (4 Macc 9:9) and “indestructible torments” (4 Macc 10:11) that would “cling” to him “for all time” (4 Macc 12:12; cf. 12:18; 13:15). In short, 4 Maccabees is the most relevant (and contemporary) parallel for 2 Thessalonians because:
(1) the afterlife is the focus;
(2) the same phrase is used; and
(3) those being punished have also persecuted saints.
The parallel points toward Paul’s use of the same phrase to indicate an everlasting punishment, not a literal annihilation of a person’s existence that lasts forever.
This understanding of everlasting destruction is supported also by noting that Paul derives the phrase “in a blazing fire, giving vengeance” (en pyri phlogos didontos ekdikēsin; in blazing fire. . . . He will punish in NIV) from Isaiah 66:15: “the Lord will render his vengeance. . . in a flame of fire” (apodounai. . . ekdikēsin. . . en phlogi pyros), the only place in the Old Testament where this combination of terms is found. This is noteworthy because only nine verses later comes the well-known depiction of those who have been judged—“their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched” (Is 66:24)—a clear reference to an unending punishment of conscious beings.
- Eternal Separation
“away from the presence of the Lord’
“and from the glory of His power”
Michael Martin: A similar fate is depicted in Matt 25:41, where the “cursed” are sent away from the presence of the Lord and banished to the “eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” It is ironic that those who would reject God receive as punishment God’s rejection. It implies that the so-called freedom from God’s influence that the rebellious desire is not freedom but condemnation. It is a hellish banishment from the true and only source of goodness and blessing.
Gordon Fee: For [Paul] eternal glory has to do with being in the presence of the Father and the risen Lord. The eternal judgment of the wicked is the absolute loss of such glory. It is probably an indictment against the later church that it has so often fixated on the gruesome nature of the “everlasting destruction,” whereas Paul’s emphasis is on their being shut out from God’s presence—the ultimate loss.
III. (:10) THE GOAL OF THE SECOND COMING
A. Its Certainty
“when He comes”
B. Its Glory
“to be glorified in His saints on that day”
Michael Martin: The temporal note that begins the verse is matched in the Greek text with “on that day” (RSV), which is the final phrase of the verse. The compression of the two statements into “on the day” in the NIV should not obscure that the day in mind is the day of the Lord. That day is a day of revelation, a day of relief for believers (v. 7), and a day of punishment for the ungodly (vv. 6,8–9). With v. 10 Paul turned from the fate of the persecutors back to the fate of the persecuted believers. That day of shocking and terrible judgment for the unbelievers will be a marvelous day of celebration for the church. They celebrate not in the punishment of the wicked but in the grandeur of their Lord’s revelation. Vs. 10 is presented as a contrast to the fate of the wicked in vv. 8–9. The contrast works best if the banishment of the wicked is matched by the gathering together of the holy ones and the punishment of the unbeliever is balanced by those who have believed celebrating the coming of their glorious Lord.
Jeffrey Weima: It is less obvious, however, what specific point Paul intends with his claim that the Lord will “be glorified in his holy ones.” The issue centers on the meaning of the preposition en (in), which could be instrumental (i.e., Christ is glorified by or through believers), causal (i.e., believers are the cause or reason for Christ to be glorified), or locative (i.e., Christ’s glorification takes place in the presence of believers). Although a case can be made for each possibility, the third option is supported by a number of factors (see Marshall 1983: 180; Wanamaker 1990: 230–31). The locative meaning
(1) agrees with the meaning of the preposition en in Ps. 88:8 LXX, which is being alluded to here;
(2) matches the parallel clause “to be marveled at in all who believe”; and
(3) contrasts well with the just-stated fate of unbelievers who will be excluded “from the presence of the Lord” (v. 9).
G.K. Beale: Therefore, the notion that God is to be glorified means that his people take pleasure in heaping their respect on him since he is the only one intrinsically worthy of such respect by virtue of his intrinsically weighty attributes. Furthermore, the last section of this passage (1:11-12) says that God’s weighty characteristics will be demonstrated in his people at the end of history, when they will be perfected. His people will reflect his characteristics perfectly, and it will be seen that God is the one who has made them reflect him, so that he, not they, gets all the glory. This is intensely practical, since it means that we glorify God not only by praising with our lips but also by being godly people who reflect his character in all we think and do.
C. Its Awe
“and to be marveled at among all who have believed”
John Piper: “One of the most exhilarating experiences in life is to see a wonder or a marvel so great and so glorious that we are utterly amazed, speechless before beauty. That’s how it will be when we see Jesus coming in His glory.”
D. Its Vindication
“for our testimony to you was believed”
Michael Martin: The “testimony” believed was the basis for the Thessalonians’ inclusion among the saints, and so in this instance (in contrast to 2 Cor 1:12) “testimony” is a reference to the apostolic proclamation of the gospel (cf. 1 Cor 1:6).