Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.

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II Thessalonians 1

Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.

Greeting

II Thessalonians 1:¹ Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

II Thessalonians 1:² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace is not being stoned for your sins because of forgiveness.
Peace is being at rest, a sabbath in Jesus, letting God do the work for you.

God’s Final Judgment and Glory

II Thessalonians 1:³ 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,

Faith is believing God has more to offer than the world.
Love is sacrificing something of yourself for someone else.

II Thessalonians 1:⁴ so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and (afflictions) tribulations that you endure,

Patience is perseverance because of faith.

II Thessalonians 1:⁵ which is manifest (plain) evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer;

The reward for choosing God is obtaining the kingdom of God.
For this reward the Thessalonians persevered, sacrificed, and risked their lives. Paul is giving them grace for their anxiety and peace for their heart by reminding them of who God is.

II Thessalonians 1:⁶ since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with (affliction) tribulation those who trouble you,

Paul reminds them Jesus is their Kinsman Redeemer. He will repay with affliction those who are troubling them because that is the role of the Kinsman Redeemer.

• Romans 12:19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Personal application: Vengeance from God is righteousness. Vengeance from man is not.

Moses did not raise a sword to the Pharaoh of Egypt. It was God’s vengeance that brought the plagues down on Egypt. God told Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go so they could worship Him. But Pharaoh dammed the people up because they had already multiplied until they became a flood to the Egyptians.

The Pharaoh “troubled” the Hebrews. When the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea God “troubled” the wheels of their chariots; causing them to become stuck in the dirt, break, and fall off the axle. The Egyptians cried out “The Lord fights for them against the Egyptians!” (Exodus 14:23-25)

The Pharaoh dammed up the Hebrews, but God dammed up the waters of the Red Sea. In perfect justice, God drowned the Pharaoh and his army when the waters broke.

Personal application:

Whether it is the Jews during the Exodus, the Thessalonians during the Roman persecutions, or us – as we face our own times of suffering – because we know who God is we throw our lot in life behind Him because we have faith He has our best interest at heart.

II Thessalonians 1:⁷ and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,

What is going to happen to those who trouble us because we believe God?

II Thessalonians 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.

Vengeance is justice.

Is “obeying the gospel” an inward act, an outward act, or both? According to Paul believing the gospel demands evidence of “belief”. The proof is in the fruit.

• Rotten fruit is a basket of poison for those who indulge in adultery, fornication, pornography, idolatry, envy, greed, hatred, abortion, sex trafficking, anger, murder, necrophilia, abuse, bestiality, thievery, and any act which markets on the souls of others as well as bringing destruction to one’s self.

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

Using God’s credit card of Grace does not extend to deliberate sin. It will be denied and rejected. That account is empty.

• Jude 1:4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

• Jesus’ return is exemplified by a Jewish Feast Day: The Day of Atonement, YOM KIPPUR, also known as the Day of Return. See Chart below:

The Day of Return and the Judgement:

• ^{“The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: ‘Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?’” Isaiah 33:14}
• ^{“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. Malachi 3:2}
• ^{Rev 6:15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us[f] from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their[g] wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”}
• ^{But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:12}
• ^{Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, And the rocks are thrown down by Him. Nahum 1:6}
• ^{Micah 1:4 The mountains will melt under Him, And the valleys will split Like wax before the fire, Like waters poured down a steep place.}
• ^{And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ Luke 16:23}
• ^{And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28}
• ^{Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Matthew 22:13}
• ^{He himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Revelation 14:10}
• ^{and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 24:51}
• ^{And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Matthew 25:30}
• ^{Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Matthew 23:33}
• ^{Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him, And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. Psalm 50:3}
• ^{And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:15}
• ^{There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. Luke 13:28}
• ^{“And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” Isaiah 66:24}
• ^{The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God. Psalm 9:17}
• ^{the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. 2 Peter 2:9}
• ^{Let burning coals fall upon them; Let them be cast into the fire, Into deep pits, that they rise not up again. Psalm 140:10}
• ^{For behold, the Lord will come with fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. Isaiah 66:15}
• ^{Jude 1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”}

II Thessalonians 1:¹¹ 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,

II Thessalonians 1:¹² 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.