2 Thessalonians · Chapter 1

Verse 1. Paul, and Silvanus, &c.] See Clarke’s notes on “1 Thessalonians 1:1”. This epistle was written a short time after the former: and as Silas and Timothy were still at Corinth, the apostle joins their names with his own, as in the former case.

Verse 1, 2. Paul, and Silvanus, [the Roman name of Silas] and Timotheus, to the church of the Thessalonians, in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The inscription is the same as in the first epistle. This was a very numerous and flourishing church, raised out of the dust in presence of their enemies. Those saints are not called the church of God, but the church in God, and in Jesus Christ, encircled in his bosom and shielded by his arm. The call and conversion of the gentiles was an emanation of God’s counsel and love from the beginning, and revealed at large to the prophets.

1. Paul—Introducing the same apostolic triad as 1 Thessalonians 1:1, (where see notes,) with the same omission of apostolic title. In God our Father and the (no article in Greek) Lord Jesus Christ—Not from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ; but from God, Father of us and of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Thanks for their progress and firmness in persecutions—which firmness is a premonition of divine justice at Christ’s coming, 3-6.

Verse 1, 2. Paul, and Silvanus, [the Roman name of Silas] and Timotheus, to the church of the Thessalonians, in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The inscription is the same as in the first epistle. This was a very numerous and flourishing church, raised out of the dust in presence of their enemies. Those saints are not called the church of God, but the church in God, and in Jesus Christ, encircled in his bosom and shielded by his arm. The call and conversion of the gentiles was an emanation of God’s counsel and love from the beginning, and revealed at large to the prophets.

3:1-5 To correct the disorderly, 6-16

V. The conclusion, 17,18

CHAPTER 1.

V. 3. It is highly observable, that the apostle wraps up his praise of men in praise to God; giving him the glory.

Your faith groweth-Probably he had heard from them since his sending the former letter.

Aboundeth-Like water that overflows its banks, and yet increaseth still.

Verse 3. Your faith groweth exceedingly] The word uperauxanei signifies to grow luxuriantly, as a good and healthy tree planted in a good soil; and if a fruit tree, bearing an abundance of fruit to compensate the labour of the husbandman. Faith is one of the seeds of the kingdom; this the apostle had sowed and watered, and God gave an abundant increase. Their faith was multiplied, and their love abounded; and this was not the case with some distinguished characters only, it was the case with every one of them.

Verses 3-5. We are bound to thank God — It is highly observable that the apostle here wraps up his praise of men in praise to God, giving him the glory of the increase of grace which was manifest in the Thessalonian believers. That your faith groweth exceedingly — Notwithstanding all that is done by your enemies to prevent its increase, and even to destroy it. Probably he had heard from them since he sent them the former letter. And the charity — Or love rather, of every one of you aboundeth — Like water that overflows its banks, and yet increases still more. Their faith, it appears, derived new confirmation from their sufferings, and their sense of them engaged them tenderly to pity, and do their utmost for the relief of, those who shared in those sufferings, and at the same time endeared to them that one body, that church of Christ, which the carnal world so cruelly hated, and so maliciously endeavoured to destroy. So that we ourselves glory in you — Or boast of you; in the churches of God — “This passage shows us what is a principal occasion of joy to faithful ministers; it is the faith and love, patience and constancy, of the people to whom they minister. The apostle’s address here is admirable. He excited the emulation of other churches by boasting of the Thessalonians to them. And he quickened the Thessalonians by telling them how much he had praised them in the hearing of the churches.” — Macknight. In all your persecutions and tribulations — Arising probably both from the Jews and their own countrymen. Concerning the particulars of these persecutions we have no information. Which is — Or shall be; a manifest token — Endeigma, proof, or demonstration, of the righteous judgment of God — Of the equity of the divine judgment, which shall be fully manifested in due time by God’s amply rewarding you, and punishing your enemies; that ye may be counted worthy — That it may appear by the integrity, faith, and patience, the meekness and superiority to this transitory world, which you manifest under these severe trials, that you are fit to be admitted into that glorious kingdom of God for which you suffer.

Ver. 3, 4. We are bound to thank God always for you, on seeing you stand fast in the Lord, amid the rage of complicated persecutions, and that you grow and flourish in all knowledge and understanding, and in all the hallowing forms of charity one towards another. In them the apostle saw the promise fulfilled, that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. Not only do we rejoice in you, but we also glory over you, and boast of you among the gentiles, as models of all the virtues which can animate and adorn the church of the living God.

3. Bound to thank—For abundant graces and progresses impose a weight of obligation to thank. Because—Depends upon meet. Faith—Firm conviction of the truth, and self-committal to the cause of Christianity. Groweth—Trial did but confirm faith, and unite them in closer charity (more truly love) to each other.

V. 4. Which ye endure-"That ye may be accounted worthy of the kingdom."

Verse 4. We ourselves glory in you in the Churches of God] We hold you up as an example of what the grace of God, can produce when communicated to honest and faithful hearts.

For your patience and faith] From Acts 17:5, 13, and from 1 Thessalonians 2:14, we learn, that the people of Thessalonica had suffered much persecution, both from the Jews and their own countrymen; but being thoroughly convinced of the truth of the Gospel, and feeling it to be the power of God unto salvation, no persecution could turn them aside from it. And having suffered for the truth, it was precious to them. Persecution never essentially injured the genuine Church of God.

Verses 3-5. We are bound to thank God — It is highly observable that the apostle here wraps up his praise of men in praise to God, giving him the glory of the increase of grace which was manifest in the Thessalonian believers. That your faith groweth exceedingly — Notwithstanding all that is done by your enemies to prevent its increase, and even to destroy it. Probably he had heard from them since he sent them the former letter. And the charity — Or love rather, of every one of you aboundeth — Like water that overflows its banks, and yet increases still more. Their faith, it appears, derived new confirmation from their sufferings, and their sense of them engaged them tenderly to pity, and do their utmost for the relief of, those who shared in those sufferings, and at the same time endeared to them that one body, that church of Christ, which the carnal world so cruelly hated, and so maliciously endeavoured to destroy. So that we ourselves glory in you — Or boast of you; in the churches of God — “This passage shows us what is a principal occasion of joy to faithful ministers; it is the faith and love, patience and constancy, of the people to whom they minister. The apostle’s address here is admirable. He excited the emulation of other churches by boasting of the Thessalonians to them. And he quickened the Thessalonians by telling them how much he had praised them in the hearing of the churches.” — Macknight. In all your persecutions and tribulations — Arising probably both from the Jews and their own countrymen. Concerning the particulars of these persecutions we have no information. Which is — Or shall be; a manifest token — Endeigma, proof, or demonstration, of the righteous judgment of God — Of the equity of the divine judgment, which shall be fully manifested in due time by God’s amply rewarding you, and punishing your enemies; that ye may be counted worthy — That it may appear by the integrity, faith, and patience, the meekness and superiority to this transitory world, which you manifest under these severe trials, that you are fit to be admitted into that glorious kingdom of God for which you suffer.

Ver. 3, 4. We are bound to thank God always for you, on seeing you stand fast in the Lord, amid the rage of complicated persecutions, and that you grow and flourish in all knowledge and understanding, and in all the hallowing forms of charity one towards another. In them the apostle saw the promise fulfilled, that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. Not only do we rejoice in you, but we also glory over you, and boast of you among the gentiles, as models of all the virtues which can animate and adorn the church of the living God.

V. 5. A manifest token-This is treated of in the sixth 2 Thessalonians 1:6 and following verses.

Verse 5. A manifest token of the righteousness judgement of God] The persecutions and tribulations which you endure, are a manifest proof that God has judged righteously in calling you Gentiles into his Church; and these sufferings are also a proof that ye are called in; for they who enter into the kingdom of God go through great tribulation; your going through that tribulation is a proof that ye are entering in, and God sees it right and just that ye should be permitted to suffer before ye enjoy that endless felicity.

The words, however, may be understood in another sense, and will form this maxim: “The sufferings of the just, and the triumphs of the wicked, in this life, are a sure proof that there will be a future judgment, in which the wicked shall be punished and the righteous rewarded. “This maxim is not only true in itself, but it is most likely that this is the apostle’s meaning. That ye may be counted worthy] Your patient endurance of these sufferings is a proof that ye are rendered meet for that glory on account of which ye suffer and, in a true Gospel sense of the word, worthy of that glory; for he who is a child of God, and a partaker of the Divine nature, is worthy of God’s kingdom, not because he has done any thing to merit it, but because he bears the image of God; and the image is that which gives the title.

Verses 3-5. We are bound to thank God — It is highly observable that the apostle here wraps up his praise of men in praise to God, giving him the glory of the increase of grace which was manifest in the Thessalonian believers. That your faith groweth exceedingly — Notwithstanding all that is done by your enemies to prevent its increase, and even to destroy it. Probably he had heard from them since he sent them the former letter. And the charity — Or love rather, of every one of you aboundeth — Like water that overflows its banks, and yet increases still more. Their faith, it appears, derived new confirmation from their sufferings, and their sense of them engaged them tenderly to pity, and do their utmost for the relief of, those who shared in those sufferings, and at the same time endeared to them that one body, that church of Christ, which the carnal world so cruelly hated, and so maliciously endeavoured to destroy. So that we ourselves glory in you — Or boast of you; in the churches of God — “This passage shows us what is a principal occasion of joy to faithful ministers; it is the faith and love, patience and constancy, of the people to whom they minister. The apostle’s address here is admirable. He excited the emulation of other churches by boasting of the Thessalonians to them. And he quickened the Thessalonians by telling them how much he had praised them in the hearing of the churches.” — Macknight. In all your persecutions and tribulations — Arising probably both from the Jews and their own countrymen. Concerning the particulars of these persecutions we have no information. Which is — Or shall be; a manifest token — Endeigma, proof, or demonstration, of the righteous judgment of God — Of the equity of the divine judgment, which shall be fully manifested in due time by God’s amply rewarding you, and punishing your enemies; that ye may be counted worthy — That it may appear by the integrity, faith, and patience, the meekness and superiority to this transitory world, which you manifest under these severe trials, that you are fit to be admitted into that glorious kingdom of God for which you suffer.

Ver, 5, 6. Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, which hangs over the heads of your persecutors. They see that you are invincible, that God is with you, that they are exalting you in the eyes of all virtuous men, and covering themselves with shame and eternal disgrace. It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, and to bring upon them all the visitations they wished to inflict on others. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. The Lord will, sooner or later, render to every one according to his deeds.

5. Which—Refers to their firm faith in the face of persecutions. It was a divine token, a premonition of the righteous judgment of God to be executed at the advent. That—To the end, or with the result that, so far as you are concerned, ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of glory.

V. 6. It is a righteous thing with God-(However men may judge) to transfer the pressure from you to them. And it is remarkable that about this time, at the passover, the Jews raising a tumult, a great number (some say thirty thousand) of them were slain. St. Paul seems to allude to this beginning of sorrows, 1 Thessalonians 2:16, which did not end but with their destruction.

Verse 6. Seeing it is a righteous thing] Though God neither rewards nor punishes in this life in a general way, yet he often gives proofs of his displeasure, especially against those who persecute his followers. They, therefore, who have given you tribulation, shall have tribulation in recompense.

Verses 6-8. Seeing it is a righteous thing — However men may judge of it; with God — To whom belongeth vengeance, (Romans 12:19,) and who will avenge his elect that cry unto him day and night; to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you — To remove the pressure from you to them. And it is remarkable that about this time, at the passover, the Jews raising a tumult, a great number, some say thirty thousand of them, were slain. St. Paul seems to allude to this beginning of sorrows, 1 Thessalonians 2:16, which did not end but with their destruction. And to you that are troubled — That suffer persecution; rest with us — If not in the present world, where we do not ourselves expect it, yet at last, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven. By the word anesiv, here rendered rest, or, as it more properly means, relaxation, the apostle does not mean deliverance from persecution. The believing Jews, with whom St. Paul here ranks himself, had no relaxation in that sense any more than the believing Gentiles. But he meant deliverance from the troubles of this life at death, and the enjoyment of eternal rest, the rest of God, partly entered into then, and more especially after the coming of Christ here spoken of. With his mighty angels — Who shall be the ministers of his power in the execution of this great and awful judgment. In flaming fire — To which the aerial heavens and the earth are reserved, (2 Peter 3:7, 10,) and by which they shall be destroyed; taking vengeance — Or inflicting punishment, as didontov ekdikhsin also signifies; see 1 Peter 2:14, where the same word is translated punishment. Does God, as some say, barely permit this punishment to come upon his enemies? or, as the Lord once rained brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, (Genesis 19:24,) does a fiery stream go forth from him? Who know not God — By an experimental and practical knowledge; who know him not so as, 1st, To be humbled before him, Job 40:4, 5; 42:5, 6; 2d, To trust in him, (Psalms 9:10Psalm 9:10,) namely, for pardon, holiness, and eternal life, being first truly penitent; 3d, To love him with a love shed abroad in their hearts, John 4:7; 4th, To keep his commandments, 1 John 2:3, 4; and, 5th, To be transformed into his image, 2 Corinthians 3:18. In which passages the fruits of the saving knowledge of God are designedly specified, and two of them at least, namely, love and obedience to God, declared to be absolutely essential to the true knowledge of him. Reader, examine thyself! Does thy knowledge of the one living and true God produce these fruits? Surely it cannot, unless he that commanded light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into thy heart, to give thee the knowledge of his glory in and by Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 4:6; unless the Son of God hath given thee an understanding to know him, 1 John 5:20. And who obey not the gospel — Who do not receive its truths and promises with a lively faith, productive of love and obedience, Christ being the author of eternal salvation only to those that love and obey him, 1 Corinthians 16:22; Hebrews 5:9. Believing the gospel is often termed by St. Paul the obedience of faith, both because God hath commanded men to believe it, and because it contains not only doctrines to be credited, threatenings to be revered, and promises to be trusted, but also a variety of precepts necessary to be obeyed. Probably in the former clause, who know not God, the apostle had chiefly the unbelieving Gentiles in view, and in this latter the unbelieving Jews.

Ver, 5, 6. Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, which hangs over the heads of your persecutors. They see that you are invincible, that God is with you, that they are exalting you in the eyes of all virtuous men, and covering themselves with shame and eternal disgrace. It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, and to bring upon them all the visitations they wished to inflict on others. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. The Lord will, sooner or later, render to every one according to his deeds.

6. Recompense—Repay, like for like. For the individual, retaliation is no law. But for government, divine or human, it is a measure of righteousness. Tribulation… trouble—The same word in Greek for both; God repays trouble for trouble. The sinner is paid in kind, to teach the universe that sin and misery are inseparably one.

2. Vivid description of the infliction of justice at the parousia, 7-10.

Verse 7. And to you who are troubled, rest with us] And while they have tribulation, you shall have that eternal rest which remains for the people of God.

When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed] But this fulness of tribulation to them, and rest to you, shall not take place till the Lord Jesus come to judge the world.

With his mighty angels] The coming of God to judge the world is scarcely ever spoken of in the sacred writings without mentioning the holy angels, who are to accompany him, and to form his court or retinue. See Deuteronomy 33:2; Matthew 25:31; 16:27; 26:64; Mark 8:38.

Verses 6-8. Seeing it is a righteous thing — However men may judge of it; with God — To whom belongeth vengeance, (Romans 12:19,) and who will avenge his elect that cry unto him day and night; to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you — To remove the pressure from you to them. And it is remarkable that about this time, at the passover, the Jews raising a tumult, a great number, some say thirty thousand of them, were slain. St. Paul seems to allude to this beginning of sorrows, 1 Thessalonians 2:16, which did not end but with their destruction. And to you that are troubled — That suffer persecution; rest with us — If not in the present world, where we do not ourselves expect it, yet at last, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven. By the word anesiv, here rendered rest, or, as it more properly means, relaxation, the apostle does not mean deliverance from persecution. The believing Jews, with whom St. Paul here ranks himself, had no relaxation in that sense any more than the believing Gentiles. But he meant deliverance from the troubles of this life at death, and the enjoyment of eternal rest, the rest of God, partly entered into then, and more especially after the coming of Christ here spoken of. With his mighty angels — Who shall be the ministers of his power in the execution of this great and awful judgment. In flaming fire — To which the aerial heavens and the earth are reserved, (2 Peter 3:7, 10,) and by which they shall be destroyed; taking vengeance — Or inflicting punishment, as didontov ekdikhsin also signifies; see 1 Peter 2:14, where the same word is translated punishment. Does God, as some say, barely permit this punishment to come upon his enemies? or, as the Lord once rained brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, (Genesis 19:24,) does a fiery stream go forth from him? Who know not God — By an experimental and practical knowledge; who know him not so as, 1st, To be humbled before him, Job 40:4, 5; 42:5, 6; 2d, To trust in him, (Psalms 9:10Psalm 9:10,) namely, for pardon, holiness, and eternal life, being first truly penitent; 3d, To love him with a love shed abroad in their hearts, John 4:7; 4th, To keep his commandments, 1 John 2:3, 4; and, 5th, To be transformed into his image, 2 Corinthians 3:18. In which passages the fruits of the saving knowledge of God are designedly specified, and two of them at least, namely, love and obedience to God, declared to be absolutely essential to the true knowledge of him. Reader, examine thyself! Does thy knowledge of the one living and true God produce these fruits? Surely it cannot, unless he that commanded light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into thy heart, to give thee the knowledge of his glory in and by Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 4:6; unless the Son of God hath given thee an understanding to know him, 1 John 5:20. And who obey not the gospel — Who do not receive its truths and promises with a lively faith, productive of love and obedience, Christ being the author of eternal salvation only to those that love and obey him, 1 Corinthians 16:22; Hebrews 5:9. Believing the gospel is often termed by St. Paul the obedience of faith, both because God hath commanded men to believe it, and because it contains not only doctrines to be credited, threatenings to be revered, and promises to be trusted, but also a variety of precepts necessary to be obeyed. Probably in the former clause, who know not God, the apostle had chiefly the unbelieving Gentiles in view, and in this latter the unbelieving Jews.

Ver. 7, 8. To you who are troubled, rest with us, who have also been your fellow-sufferers. The time is not yet come to visit the jews, though the balance begins to tremble, and their measure is nearly full. Time must be allowed for the spread of the gospel, and for the saints, incessantly persecuted, to escape out of Judea. Then “the day shall come that shall burn as an oven,” and when heaven will cut off at a stroke all the families, root and branch, that have shed the blood of the saints. Know also, oh Thessalonians, that those visitations on the jews shall only be the prelude of the final judgment, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, the gibborim, the cherubim which excel in strength, and the seraphim, the burning ones, which surround his throne. Yes, he shall come in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel.

These are strong words, words which belong to a scene, the sublime of terror. These are words which echo the denunciations of the ancient prophets on the rebels of future times, as may be seen in Psalms 50:3Psalm 50:3, and in Daniel 7:9, 10.

Who saw the Judge with fiery looks,

And bolts of vengeance hurled;

And all the wide extended books,

Indictments of a world.

7. And—It is rightful for God to repay to you who are troubled by persecutors, a rest, repose, a relaxation from an overstrain. The Greek word for rest is literally applied to the remission of a musical chord after it has been strained. Here it is applied to the repose of paradise after the overstrain, that is, the toils, the persecutions, the martyrdoms of Christian earthly life. It is the reposeful side of future blessedness, the active side of which is glory. Compare 2 Corinthians 2:13; 7:5; 8:13; and the analogous expression, Acts 3:19. With us—Your apostolic fellow-sufferers. When… from heaven—Literal Greek, at the revelation (apocalypse) of the Lord Jesus from heaven. The picture is, of the person of Christ as revealing itself through the opening sky to human eyes. It is vividly given by John, Revelation 1:7. Compare 1 Corinthians 1:7. Mighty angels—Greek, angels of his power. The might belongs not to the angels, but to him. They are the offspring and instruments of his power. Their glorious procession, as his advance hosts, is a display of his power. Note on 2 Thessalonians 4:16.

V. 8. Taking vengeance-Does God barely permit this, or (as "the Lord" once "rained brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven," Genesis 19:24) does a fiery stream go forth from him for ever? Who know not God-(The root of all wickedness and misery) who remain in heathen ignorance.

And who obey not-This refers chiefly to the Jews, who had heard the gospel.

Verse 8. In flaming fire] en flogi purov. In thunder and lightning, taking vengeance-inflicting just punishment on them that know not God-the heathen who do not worship the true God, and will not acknowledge him, but worship idols; and on them that obey not the Gospel-the Jews, particularly who have rejected the Gospel, and persecuted Christ and his messengers; and all nominal Christians who, though they believe the Gospel as a revelation from God, yet do not obey it as a rule of life.

Verses 6-8. Seeing it is a righteous thing — However men may judge of it; with God — To whom belongeth vengeance, (Romans 12:19,) and who will avenge his elect that cry unto him day and night; to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you — To remove the pressure from you to them. And it is remarkable that about this time, at the passover, the Jews raising a tumult, a great number, some say thirty thousand of them, were slain. St. Paul seems to allude to this beginning of sorrows, 1 Thessalonians 2:16, which did not end but with their destruction. And to you that are troubled — That suffer persecution; rest with us — If not in the present world, where we do not ourselves expect it, yet at last, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven. By the word anesiv, here rendered rest, or, as it more properly means, relaxation, the apostle does not mean deliverance from persecution. The believing Jews, with whom St. Paul here ranks himself, had no relaxation in that sense any more than the believing Gentiles. But he meant deliverance from the troubles of this life at death, and the enjoyment of eternal rest, the rest of God, partly entered into then, and more especially after the coming of Christ here spoken of. With his mighty angels — Who shall be the ministers of his power in the execution of this great and awful judgment. In flaming fire — To which the aerial heavens and the earth are reserved, (2 Peter 3:7, 10,) and by which they shall be destroyed; taking vengeance — Or inflicting punishment, as didontov ekdikhsin also signifies; see 1 Peter 2:14, where the same word is translated punishment. Does God, as some say, barely permit this punishment to come upon his enemies? or, as the Lord once rained brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, (Genesis 19:24,) does a fiery stream go forth from him? Who know not God — By an experimental and practical knowledge; who know him not so as, 1st, To be humbled before him, Job 40:4, 5; 42:5, 6; 2d, To trust in him, (Psalms 9:10Psalm 9:10,) namely, for pardon, holiness, and eternal life, being first truly penitent; 3d, To love him with a love shed abroad in their hearts, John 4:7; 4th, To keep his commandments, 1 John 2:3, 4; and, 5th, To be transformed into his image, 2 Corinthians 3:18. In which passages the fruits of the saving knowledge of God are designedly specified, and two of them at least, namely, love and obedience to God, declared to be absolutely essential to the true knowledge of him. Reader, examine thyself! Does thy knowledge of the one living and true God produce these fruits? Surely it cannot, unless he that commanded light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into thy heart, to give thee the knowledge of his glory in and by Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 4:6; unless the Son of God hath given thee an understanding to know him, 1 John 5:20. And who obey not the gospel — Who do not receive its truths and promises with a lively faith, productive of love and obedience, Christ being the author of eternal salvation only to those that love and obey him, 1 Corinthians 16:22; Hebrews 5:9. Believing the gospel is often termed by St. Paul the obedience of faith, both because God hath commanded men to believe it, and because it contains not only doctrines to be credited, threatenings to be revered, and promises to be trusted, but also a variety of precepts necessary to be obeyed. Probably in the former clause, who know not God, the apostle had chiefly the unbelieving Gentiles in view, and in this latter the unbelieving Jews.

Ver. 7, 8. To you who are troubled, rest with us, who have also been your fellow-sufferers. The time is not yet come to visit the jews, though the balance begins to tremble, and their measure is nearly full. Time must be allowed for the spread of the gospel, and for the saints, incessantly persecuted, to escape out of Judea. Then “the day shall come that shall burn as an oven,” and when heaven will cut off at a stroke all the families, root and branch, that have shed the blood of the saints. Know also, oh Thessalonians, that those visitations on the jews shall only be the prelude of the final judgment, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, the gibborim, the cherubim which excel in strength, and the seraphim, the burning ones, which surround his throne. Yes, he shall come in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel.

These are strong words, words which belong to a scene, the sublime of terror. These are words which echo the denunciations of the ancient prophets on the rebels of future times, as may be seen in Psalms 50:3Psalm 50:3, and in Daniel 7:9, 10.

Who saw the Judge with fiery looks,

And bolts of vengeance hurled;

And all the wide extended books,

Indictments of a world.

8. In flaming fire—Greek, in a fire (consisting) of flame; in a pure fiery flame. Not the penal fire of gehenna, but the resplendent and consuming blaze of his glorious epiphany. Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:8. Taking vengeance—More literally, administering retribution. Them—The troublers, who are divided (as the repeated Greek article shows) into two classes, the pagans who ignore God, and the Jews who reject his Son— Messiah. Know not God—Specifically applied to the Gentiles in 1 Thessalonians 4:5. They once in former ages knew God; they then began to bow in reverence to finite material or animal representatives of God; and they then lost sight of the Infinite in the finite, first forming finite living gods, as in classic mythology, and last, holding the worshipped object or idol as a god, as in fetichism. Obey not the gospel—Messiah’s glad announcement. Descriptive, especially, of the Jews rejecting their own Christ. Romans 10:3, 16, 21. Lord Jesus Christ—Repeated from verse 7. The rejected one is the avenging one.

V. 9. From the glory of his power-Tremble, ye stout-hearted. Everlasting destruction-As there can be no end of their sins, (the same enmity against God continuing,) so neither of their punishment; sin and its punishment running parallel throughout eternity itself. They must of necessity, therefore, be cut off from all good, and all possibility of it. From the presence of the Lord-Wherein chiefly consists the salvation of the righteous. What unspeakable punishment is implied even in falling short of this, supposing that nothing more were implied in his taking vengeance!

Verse 9. Who shall be punished] What this everlasting destruction consists in we cannot tell. It is not annihilation, for their being continues; and as the destruction is everlasting, it is an eternal continuance and presence of substantial evil, and absence of all good; for a part of this punishment consists in being banished from the presence of the Lord-excluded from his approbation, for ever; so that the light of his countenance can be no more enjoyed, as there will be an eternal impossibility of ever being reconciled to him.

The glory of his power] Never to see the face of God throughout eternity is a heart-rending, soul-appalling thought; and to be banished from the glory of his power, that power the glory of which is peculiarly manifested in saving the lost and glorifying the faithful, is what cannot be reflected on without confusion and dismay. But this must be the lot of all who acknowledge not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verses 9, 10. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction — Not the annihilation, but the perversion and utter ruin of all their powers of body and mind, so that those powers become instruments of torment and sources of misery to them in all possible ways. As there can be no end of their sins, (the same enmity against God continuing,) so neither of their punishment: sin and its punishment running parallel through eternity itself. They must of necessity therefore be cut off from all good, and all possibility of it. From the presence of the Lord — Wherein chiefly consists the salvation and felicity of the righteous. What unspeakable punishment is implied even in falling short of this, supposing that nothing more were implied in the punishment here spoken of! But this phrase, destruction from the presence, or face, of the Lord, as Bishop Hopkins justly observes, expresses not only that they shall be expelled from that joy and glory which reigns in the presence of God and of Christ, but that his presence shall appear active in the infliction of their punishment, so that they shall find his wrath issuing forth like lightning to appal and torment their spirits, while his power glorifies itself in their ruin and misery. When he shall come to be glorified in his saints — For his wonderful glory shall shine forth in them, and he will manifest the greatness of his power in rendering them glorious; and to be admired in all them that believe — With respect to the efforts of his almighty power and love for their complete salvation. Or, they shall be filled with wonder at what is done by Christ for and upon them, so far exceeding their most sanguine expectation. Because our testimony, &c. — As if he had said, I reckon you of this number because of the credit which you gave to our preaching.

Ver. 9. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord. The figure may be derived from the burning of Sodom, of which St. Jude says, that it endured the vengeance of eternal fire. This St. Paul calls a righteous thing, a sentence which shall be inflicted by the angry Judge. They had burned his martyrs in the flames; now their dwelling must be with devouring fire. The victims are persecutors who knew not God, but who scorned to know him, and to bear his yoke; the very men who despised the riches of his goodness, which would once have led them to repentance.

9. Who shall be punished—Shall satisfy justice. The verb tisousin is in the active voice. It signifies: 1. To honour, to reverence. 2. To honour by making atoning, satisfying compensation. 3. To satisfy judicially, by undergoing (dikhn, the noun here) justice. Who shall undergo justice, namely, everlasting destruction; standing in opposition with, as explanatory of, the suffered justice or punishment. Destruction is not annihilation, that is, of the ultimate particles or essence of an object. Its normal meaning, however, is such a separation of the parts or constituents of the individual as to result in the cessation of his organic, individual existence. From the presence—Beware of understanding the destruction as issuing from his person, or produced by its blazing splendour, or executed by his hand. This is not that mystical descent to the earth, as warrior and destroyer, in Revelation 19:11-21, but the judicial coming of Matthew 25:31-46, and Revelation 20:11. The from, therefore, is identical with that of “depart from me, ye cursed,” etc., Matthew 25:41. Banishment from the gracious face of the Redeemer is the doom of the reprobate. From the glory of his power—That glory which is manifested in the exertion and exhibition of his power in raising the dead, judging the world, and bestowing eternal life on all his saints. Far removed alike from his smiling face and his glorious manifestation of power, the reprobate’s doom is in distance and darkness.

V. 10. To be glorified in his saints-For the wonderful glory of Christ shall shine in them.

Verse 10. When he shall come to be glorified in his saints] As the grace of God is peculiarly glorified in saving sinners and making them into saints, this gracious power will be particularly manifested in the great day, when countless millions will appear before that throne who have come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

And to be admired] oaumasqhnai. To be wondered at among and on the account of all them that believe. Much as true believers admire the perfections of the Redeemer of mankind, and much as they wonder at his amazing condescension in becoming man, and dying for the sins of the world; all their present amazement and wonder will be as nothing when compared with what they shall feel when they come to see him in all his glory, the glory that he had with the father before the world was. In reference to this we may apply those words of St. John: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2.

Instead of toiv pisteuousin, them that believe, toiv pisteusasin, them that have believed, is the reading of ABCDEF, many others, the later Syriac, Slavonic, Vulgate, and Itala, with most of the Greek fathers. This reading is undoubtedly genuine.

Because our testimony-was believed in that day.] The members of this sentence seem to have been strangely transposed. I believe it should be read thus: “In that day, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and admired among all them that have believed; for our testimony was believed among you.” The Thessalonians had credited what the apostles had said and written, not only concerning Jesus Christ in general, but concerning the day of judgment in particular.

Verses 9, 10. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction — Not the annihilation, but the perversion and utter ruin of all their powers of body and mind, so that those powers become instruments of torment and sources of misery to them in all possible ways. As there can be no end of their sins, (the same enmity against God continuing,) so neither of their punishment: sin and its punishment running parallel through eternity itself. They must of necessity therefore be cut off from all good, and all possibility of it. From the presence of the Lord — Wherein chiefly consists the salvation and felicity of the righteous. What unspeakable punishment is implied even in falling short of this, supposing that nothing more were implied in the punishment here spoken of! But this phrase, destruction from the presence, or face, of the Lord, as Bishop Hopkins justly observes, expresses not only that they shall be expelled from that joy and glory which reigns in the presence of God and of Christ, but that his presence shall appear active in the infliction of their punishment, so that they shall find his wrath issuing forth like lightning to appal and torment their spirits, while his power glorifies itself in their ruin and misery. When he shall come to be glorified in his saints — For his wonderful glory shall shine forth in them, and he will manifest the greatness of his power in rendering them glorious; and to be admired in all them that believe — With respect to the efforts of his almighty power and love for their complete salvation. Or, they shall be filled with wonder at what is done by Christ for and upon them, so far exceeding their most sanguine expectation. Because our testimony, &c. — As if he had said, I reckon you of this number because of the credit which you gave to our preaching.

Ver. 10. He shall come to be glorified in his saints, in their conversion and sanctification, and in all their sufferings. The expression coincides with the words of our Saviour to Peter, when he signified by what death he should glorify God. The saints have already glorified him on earth, by fidelity in bonds, in theatres fighting with wild beasts, in the midst of burning faggots, and in deaths oft; now he shall be glorified in their redemption from the grave, and their being made to bear the image of the heavenly.

10. Shall come to be—This is the primary purpose of his coming, salvation to the saints; the previous execution of wrath is in their and his own vindication. Glorified in his saints—In and for the glory with which he invests them. The glory he sheds upon them reflects back in his being glorified in them. To be admired—To be gazed upon with enraptured wonder as the most glorious object in the universe. In all them that believe—Not among those that believe, nor in the hearts of those that believe; but in the glory he confers on them that believe. Because— Explaining his special allusion to them that believe, and thus bringing the whole scene home to the Thessalonians. Our testimony—To the Messiahship, the gospel, and final advent of Jesus. Was believed—When first we brought it to Thessalonica, it was rejected by many, but accepted by you. In that day—When these great events shall be transacted.

3. Prayer for their salvation, 11, 12.

V. 11. All the good pleasure of his goodness-Which is no less than perfect holiness.

Verse 11. We pray-that our God would count you worthy] It is our earnest prayer that God would make you worthy, axiwsh, afford those continual supplies of grace by his Holy Spirit, without which you cannot adorn your holy vocation; you are called into the Christian Church, and, to be proper members of this Church, you must be members of the mystical body of Christ; and this implies that you should be holy, as he who has called you is holy.

Fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness] 1. The goodness of God-his own innate eternal kindness, has led him to call you into this state of salvation. 2. It is the pleasure of that goodness to save you unto eternal life. 3. It is the good pleasure; nothing can please God more than your receiving and retaining his utmost salvation. 4. It is all the good pleasure of his goodness thus to save you; this he has amply proved by sending his Son to die for you, beyond which gift he has none greater. In this, all the good pleasure of his goodness is astonishingly manifested. 5. And if you be faithful to his grace, he will fulfil-completely accomplish, all the good pleasure of his goodness in you; which goodness is to be apprehended and is to work by faith, the power of which must come from him, though the act or exercise of that power must be of yourselves; but the very power to believe affords excitement to the exercise of faith.

Verses 11, 12. Wherefore — In regard of which, as we rejoice in what is already done, and have the most earnest concern that the precious seed we have sown may answer the hope with which we see it springing up, and may at length advance to full maturity; we pray always for you — We are incessant in our supplications to God; that he would account you worthy of this calling — That is, would make you meet for the glory to which you are called; see Ephesians 4:4; and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness — Which is no less than perfect holiness: that he would produce in you all those amiable and happy affections and tempers, which his paternal regard for our happiness engages him to recommend and require. “This,” observes Mr. Blackwall, (Sac. Class., vol. 1. p. 184,) “is the shortest and the most charming emphatical representation that is anywhere to be found, of that immense graciousness and admirable benignity of God, which no words can fully express, but was never so happily and so fully expressed as here.” And the work of faith with power — That faith which is his work, wrought by his almighty power, Ephesians 1:19, 20; that is, that he would perfect your faith in Christ and in his gospel, and by it your holiness in all its branches. That the name — The love and power; of our Lord Jesus Christ — While you act in a manner so suitable to the relation in which you stand to him; may be glorified — Gloriously displayed; in you — That is, in these works of his grace and power wrought in and by you; and ye in him — May also be glorified, may have the honour of approving yourselves his true, faithful, obedient servants; the excellent of the earth, and may for ever share in the glory he hath prepared for such in heaven; according to the grace — The free, unmerited favour and love of our merciful God and the Lord Jesus Christ — By whom that grace is so fully manifested to, and so plentifully bestowed upon us.

11. Wherefore—Rather, To which end; that is, the end of Christ’s being finally admired in you. Also we pray… for you—As well as glory in you, ver. 4. This calling—The calling to be glorified in, and to glorify, Christ at his coming. This calling was first a call to repentance; next, in consequence of their obedience to the call, it was a calling to holiness and heaven. Good pleasure—Right-seeming. His goodness—From which your calling, election, and glorification result. Work of faith—In which both God and you co-work. With power—To produce holiness here, and holiness and glory hereafter.

V. 12. That the name-The love and power of our Lord may be glorified-Gloriously displayed in you.

Verse 12. That the name of our Lord] This is the great end of your Christian calling, that Jesus who hath died for you may have his passion and death magnified in your life and happiness; that ye may show forth the virtues of him who called you from darkness into his marvellous light. And ye in him] That his glorious excellence may be seen upon you; that ye may be adorned with the graces of his Spirit, as he is glorified by your salvation from all sin.

According to the grace] That your salvation may be such as God requires, and such as is worthy of his grace to communicate. God saves as becomes God to save; and thus the dignity of his nature is seen in the excellence and glory of his work.

1. IT is an awful consideration to the people of the world, that persecutions and afflictions should be the lot of the true Church, and should be the proof of its being such; because this shows more than any thing else the desperate state of mankind, their total enmity to God; they persecute, not because the followers of God have done or can do them hurt, but they persecute because they have not the Spirit of Christ in them! Men may amuse themselves by arguing against the doctrine of original sin, or the total depravity of the soul of man; but while there is religious persecution in the world, there is the most absolute disproof of all their arguments. Nothing but a heart wholly alienated from God could ever devise the persecution or maltreatment of a man, for no other cause but that he has given himself up to glorify God with his body and spirit, which are his.

2. The everlasting destruction of the ungodly is a subject that should be continually placed before the eyes of men by the preachers of the Gospel. How shall a man be induced to take measures to escape a danger of the existence of which he is not convinced? Show him the hell which the justice of God has lighted up for the devil and his angels, and in which all Satan’s children and followers must have their eternal portion. All the perfections of God require that he should render to every man his due. And what is the due of a sinner or a persecutor, of one who is a determinate enemy to God, goodness, and good men? Why, everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power. And if God did not award this to such persons, he could not be the God of justice.

3. The grand object of God in giving his Gospel to mankind is to save them from their sins, make them like himself, and take them to his eternal glory. He saves according to the measure of his eternal goodness; the scanty salvation contended for and expected by the generality of Christians, it would be dishonourable to God to administer. He saves according to his grace. His own eternal goodness and holiness is the measure of his salvation to man; not the creeds and expectations of any class of Christians. To be saved at all, we must not only be saved in God’s way, and upon his own terms, but also according to his own measure. He who is not filled with the fulness of God cannot expect the glory of God.

4. Another proof of the fall and degeneracy of men is, their general enmity to the doctrine of holiness; they cannot bear the thought of being sanctified through body, soul, and spirit, so as to perfect holiness in the fear of God. A spurious kind of Christianity is gaining ground in the world. Weakness, doubtfulness, littleness of faith, consciousness of inward corruptions, and sinful infirmities of different kinds, are by some considered the highest proofs of a gracious state; whereas in the primitive Church they would have been considered as evidences that the persons in question had received just light enough to show them their wretchedness and danger, but not the healing virtue of the blood of Christ.

II THESSALONIANS

Verses 11, 12. Wherefore — In regard of which, as we rejoice in what is already done, and have the most earnest concern that the precious seed we have sown may answer the hope with which we see it springing up, and may at length advance to full maturity; we pray always for you — We are incessant in our supplications to God; that he would account you worthy of this calling — That is, would make you meet for the glory to which you are called; see Ephesians 4:4; and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness — Which is no less than perfect holiness: that he would produce in you all those amiable and happy affections and tempers, which his paternal regard for our happiness engages him to recommend and require. “This,” observes Mr. Blackwall, (Sac. Class., vol. 1. p. 184,) “is the shortest and the most charming emphatical representation that is anywhere to be found, of that immense graciousness and admirable benignity of God, which no words can fully express, but was never so happily and so fully expressed as here.” And the work of faith with power — That faith which is his work, wrought by his almighty power, Ephesians 1:19, 20; that is, that he would perfect your faith in Christ and in his gospel, and by it your holiness in all its branches. That the name — The love and power; of our Lord Jesus Christ — While you act in a manner so suitable to the relation in which you stand to him; may be glorified — Gloriously displayed; in you — That is, in these works of his grace and power wrought in and by you; and ye in him — May also be glorified, may have the honour of approving yourselves his true, faithful, obedient servants; the excellent of the earth, and may for ever share in the glory he hath prepared for such in heaven; according to the grace — The free, unmerited favour and love of our merciful God and the Lord Jesus Christ — By whom that grace is so fully manifested to, and so plentifully bestowed upon us.

12. Name… glorified in you—By your examples inducing thousands to turn to Christ. Ye in him—By the beauty of holiness conferred on you here, and glory hereafter.