2 Thessalonians Chapter 1
MSB Book Introduction: Written by Paul, probably just a few months after he wrote I Thessalonians, and while he was still in Corinth. Around 51 AD or early 52 AD. MSB says that Paul was "keeping up" with happenings in Thessalonica either by regular couriers, or possibly the person(s) who delivered the first letter brought word back after a space of time. As this church grew and matured, MSB says there were three addressable developments that Paul wrote them about. As the church grew, so did persecution of the church. False teaching began to creep in, in this case especially as it concerned the return of Christ, and third, many were refusing to follow divine commands, particularly by refusing to work. I think this means they weren't earning a living, but mooching off the rest of the church. We shall see as we read.
MSB says eschatological issues dominate the letter, even while it is still pastoral in describing how to maintain a healthy church with a testimony in the community. "One of the clearest statements on personal eschatology for unbelievers is found in 1:9." Church discipline is the major focus of 3:6-15. This is to be considered along with other scriptures such as Mt 18:15-20; 1Co 5:1-13; Gal 6:1-5, and 1Ti 5:19,20 for more complete teaching on the theme.
Chapter 1 recounts again the persecution and suffering of this church and their faithfulness through it all. It also continues the theme of the second coming, saying that Christ and His angels will be "...taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel..." At the time this vengeance takes place, those saved that Paul is addressing will be given "...rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed...", according to a previous verse. This seems to say that vengeance will occur after the rapture and that the saved will be long gone when this occurs.
2023 - This. A lot of verses, but a point to be made:
7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. [2Th 1:7-10 ESV].
As we read through all these, we can see that this is not about the rapture, but the second coming. There is no flaming fire at the rapture, no vengeance will be dealt out, no eternal destruction away from the Lord. This is about when he comes to be glorified - to sit on his earthly throne. So having established the "when" of this passage, look at what we can know. He will come the second time with his mighty angels, that is, with his army. We will have Armageddon. There will be the Premillennial judgment - the sheep and the goats - and the goats will go straight into hell from that judgment.
2021-2, Vss 5-8 are a sort of promise of vengeance from God toward those who are persecuting the Thessalonians. Paul says it is only right that those who persecute the people of God should receive their own afflictions in return. Vs 7 though indicates that this will not really occur until Jesus is revealed from heaven with his angels. This seems like the second coming, not the rapture. I am probably making too big a deal about whether the angels are coming with him or not. I get that in Rev. 19:14, where the armies of heaven, clothed in white robes and riding white horses, come to earth with Christ. Somehow, these on the horses, these in his army, are angels. Maybe I think that because of these verses:
13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" 14 And he said, "No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" [Jos 5:13-14 ESV] It says he saw a man, but it had to be an angel. But...MSB says this commander, appearing as a man, is in fact a Christophany. So...there is nothing here about the make-up of the army itself. Surely though, back then, it had to be exclusively angels?
This was the other place I remembered:
17 Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. [2Ki 6:17 ESV]
Horses and chariots mentioned, but no angels here either. So I may just be way off on this army of angels.
2021-2, 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, [2Th 1:9 ESV]
This is the fate of those who do not believe, as mentioned in the MSB intro.
2021-2, There are these things here (2Thess1) about the end, but the end is not at all the subject of chapter 1. I would be very hesitant in building an eschatology on anything in this chapter. Perhaps these verses could be used as support for other statements, but I would not use any of these as foundational. That's just me.
Next day...The paragraph title is "The Judgment at Christ's Coming". On second thought, it would be best to focus some attention here in connection with my "How Many Judgments" note, rather than to discount it without due attention. Yesterday was not a very focused morning for me. Let me look at these verses again and see what might be there. Also, copying this little paragraph to the Judgment note.
Vss 5, 6 are making the case that it is right in God's eyes to judge. We have that very often quoted verse that says "judge not lest ye be judged", and yet here we are told that God considers judgment a proper thing, in due time, and with a proper judge. Further, judgment is not only about condemnation, it is about repaying those who have done wrong with affliction in return. Beyond judgment is proper sentencing of the guilty, and beyond that there is punishment carried out. God says the guilty are to suffer punishment. So even if there are no specifics here about a particular judgment, we are told that judgment is a proper thing in the eyes of God.
End of vs 7:
7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels [2Th 1:7 ESV]. This is actually pretty specific. It says judgment will not likely be "today", but when Jesus comes with his angels. Now we know from Revelation that this happens at the end of t/gt, and before the beginning of the Millennial. These people to whom Paul is talking - as they were hearing what Paul said - believed that Jesus' return was imminent. Possibly that very day. So their understanding was that the hurts they were experiencing would be "relieved", and it would happen in their lifetimes. That is how they would have understood it, and surely their preoccupation with the second advent corroborates this understanding.
Vs 8 continues the "identification" of the time when this will happen, at the second advent. In Revelation 19 it says that when he comes his eyes will be a flame of fire. This vs 8 says "in flaming fire". I think these tie together. Paul is talking about the second advent. However, from other places, I believe only the living will be judged in the sheep and goat judgment, not ALL sinners, and I see no reason at all to think that the raptured will be judged here. Only the sheep will be judged - the saved who survived the tribulation. I think mostly, these will be Jews. Perhaps this is where the saved will be rewarded based on merit...or maybe, since I think the church will also come back with Jesus at this time, this is where all the saved will receive the reward for what they did with what God gave them. Wouldn't it make sense that if the sheep are being judged, then all the saved in Christ would be judged here? After all, we're deciding who will be in charge of what for the next 1000 years. Jesus told the apostles they'd judge the twelve tribes - but not at the Sheep and Goat judgment, because Christ is doing the judging there, of that we are sure. But perhaps they will judge during the 1000 years! I think this is finally coming together. Here, as Jesus sets up his kingdom, as King of all that is, he will delegate authority in his kingdom to those who are present in the Millennial, based on merit. Here is where the crowns come out. Here is where what we did will matter. But...who will we be "over"? We know that at this judgment, and as it says in 2Thess9, 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, [2Th 1:9 ESV]. There will be no lost to judge. The lost who survive t/gt will go away here, and return only for a brief time at the GWT to sentenced and sent to the Lake of Fire.
Only "glitch" in this is that there won't be that many "people". Most of the inhabitants of the Millennial would seem to be the raptured. These have resurrected, uncorrupted bodies, and these are not going to sin. The only source of sin will be from the survivors of t/gt. Yet we know that all the nations will look to Zion during this time for advice, judgment, and direction. (Find the scriptures that make this plain, many will be in the OT). But, even with this question still to be answered, I do like the rewards - to the sheep and to the raptured - being handed out here. This could even extend to OT saints, if we are to include them in the rapture...which I am still unsure about.
2022 - Vs 7, as shown above, says the relief happens "when...Jesus is revealed...with his...angels". This is about the second advent, when Jesus comes back to set up his Millennial kingdom on earth. So...what relief? The church will have been in heaven since the rapture. A year or three. If you are still on earth when Jesus comes down with his army, it means you were saved during t/gt or the wrath. You've gone through a lot, survived the efforts of Satan and the Antichrist to wipe out all the Jews. I think the best indication of this might be the word relief. Those who are alive and being persecuted are in need of relief, not those in heaven since the rapture. There are two things here -affliction repaid, first, and then relief granted. This also meshes well with the idea that he is talking about those who were NOT saved at the rapture, but get saved after that. First, the persecutors, those with the mark and so on, are severely afflicted by the bowls. This will certainly affect the saved also. But at the end of that, Jesus appears, and he will judge the sheep and the goats. The goats go straight into hell - that's vs 9. And IF we say that Paul is talking here about sheep and goat, and he is addressing the church at Thessalonica, doesn't that mean that Paul believes some of them will go through ALL of it and survive to stand before Christ as living people at the pre-Millennial judgment? But...that can't be right, unless the rapture is...when? Or...the rapture is...who?
2022 - Back up a bit to vs 5..."This is evidence..." What is? What is he referencing here? The steadfastness and faith mentioned in vs. 4? That is evidence of God's righteous judgment? That doesn't seem to fit. Or perhaps the evidence is "worthiness" n vs 5, worthy because of their suffering. Hmm...again, we see that it is "worthy of the kingdom". The spiritual or the physical Millennial kingdom?
2022 - Perhaps we can read it this way...The rapture occurs, and the church goes to heaven. While there, those left behind are repaid with affliction for afflicting the church. So far, this makes good sense. The church will be severely persecuted prior to the rapture, and after rapture, wrath begins, afflicting those not saved. Thought of this way, Paul to this point has in view the "future" of the church people he is addressing. If we take the position that both Paul and the Thessalonians (we know for sure they did from 1 Thess...) expected the second coming in their lifetimes (remember that Paul had to tell them in 1 Thess about the rapture - they did not understand the rapture, but were expecting to go straight to the second advent and the physical kingdom) then we can understand "relief" to mean relief from current persecution. BUT, vs 7b is pretty clear that the relief comes only AFTER Jesus' appearance. So that last phrase of vs 7 is where this line of thinking breaks down....
Vs 9 is clearly the punishment handed down after a judgment. So the second advent takes place, Jesus wipes out the army of Antichrist at Armageddon, and then there is the judgment of the sheep and goats. At that judgment, those who don't know God, and/or those who do not obey the gospel, are sent to hell.
I think the only way we can understand this is that relief for both the Thessalonicans and for Paul is about the rapture. But that DOES NOT fit end times chronology. So. All I can do is fall back on the idea that Paul's letter is not written as a clarification of end times chronology. That is not his subject, so we shouldn't try to enforce an end times rigidity on it. Paul is speaking generally. Nothing he says is "wrong", nothing is "contradiction", but we can't really even expect that he is laying things out chronologically. His point in this passage is to encourage the Thessalonicans that their persecution will be avenged by God, and they themselves will be relieved from it.
On last idea. I looked up the meaning of the word translated "relief". It is the Greek word "anesis". Looks a little like where "anesthesia" comes from. Here is how it is used in the Bible:
a loosening, relaxing
spoken of a more tolerable condition in captivity, to be held in less vigorous confinement
relief, rest, from persecutions
So maybe Paul is just telling them that things won't always be this bad. That the "level of persecution" they are currently experiencing is at a peak, and he is assuring them - based on the level of persecution in other places - that there will be some relief. And ultimately, when Jesus returns, the perpetrators get what is coming to them here - at Armageddon - and then ALL the losers will be thrown into hell.
2022 - Ok, wait...here it is:
This is evidence of God's righteousness when he judges (two things):
Since we know that God will afflict those who are doing the persecuting at his second coming, we know that he judges them for their wrong in that they should NOT be persecuting God's people, and he counts affliction suffered to the credit of the sufferers, and
At the judgment following his appearance, God sends those who persecuted straight to hell, but those who remained faithful even during that intense period of persecution will be granted relief in that they WILL NOT go to hell...at least for now. I think that makes the best sense so far. We just have to remember that Paul is expanding on the idea of God's righteousness in judgment, and NOT on end times eschatology. (I made a note in Rev 20 and the "resurrection count".