Since it is a righteous thing with God
to repay with tribulation
those who trouble you,
and to give you who are troubled
rest with us when the Lord Jesus
is revealed from heaven with his might angels,
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.
These shall be punished
with everlasting destruction
from the presence of the Lord
and from the glory of His power,
when He comes, in that Day,
to be glorified in His saints
and to be admired among all those who believe,
because our testimony among you was believed.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-10, NKJV
By the time Timothy arrived back in Thessalonica with Paul's first letter, which contained the Apostle's answers regarding those who died believing in Jesus, there was a whole other issue now disturbing the Thessalonian church. Someone had come preaching a message that was contrary to what Paul had preached. Confused at best, intentionally false at worst, some traveling preacher had come into the church at Thessalonica, heard what Paul had taught, and said, "No, no, no, no, no. Paul has it all wrong. He's telling you Jesus will come back to get before the Day of the Lord. But look around. The Day of the Lord is already upon us. We are going to have to endure the wrath and judgment of God." Not only did someone preach that, but they may have produced written documentation purported to be from Paul stating as much. They may even have jerked their head, dipped their shoulder, kicked their leg out with kimmiosee, thus says the Lord, and delivered an utterance as if through the Spirit, telling them judgment was already upon them and there was no rescue.
Talk about being upset! These new believers had no Bible to go to, no chapter-and-verse to quote. Many of them were Gentiles with no Scriptural foundation whatsoever, and these conflicts were causing no small amount of confusion among them. First Paul says we're not going to die, and then some who had believed died. Paul also said we wouldn't have to suffer tribulation, but these new guys are just as convincing telling us we are going to have to suffer tribulation. And looking around at the things going on in the world and the way we are being persecuted for our faith, we think they might be right. Maybe Paul didn't know what he was talking about after all.
So leaving the first letter for the church to read, Timothy hurries back to Corinth with the new controversy, and Paul gives the church his second Thessalonian letter to reassure them that they will indeed escape the wrath of God. We are not appointed to wrath, he had written before, but to obtain salvation! The message of Jesus Christ is one of hope, not despair.
36. There is a difference between the tribulation the world heaps upon believers, and the tribulation God will heap upon the world. Tribulation is trouble, trial, testing. In the Greek is literally a pressing, like grapes or olives in a press. It is true Christians will suffer through tribulation on this planet. Jesus Himself said, "In this world you have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." John will later write, "This is the victory that overcomes the world; your faith." The Christian life is not an easy one, for we face the opposition of the world around us--which hates Jesus because they do not know Him, neither do they have His Spirit in them--and from the devil and his kingdom--who is on his way to hell and wants to take us all down with him. But there is coming a time of tribulation upon the earth, the source of which will not be the world or the devil. This tribulation will come from God Himself during that time called by the prophets The Day of the Lord. And about that Day, we don't have to worry. Because we aren't going to be here.
37. God will repay with tribulation those who trouble believers. This is why He says, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." When the Revelation describes those days of tribulation, it repeatedly records the worship of heaven which declares that God's judgment is always right and just and fair. He is storing wrath up for the wicked, but He is also giving them plenty of time to turn away from their sin and turn toward Him. He doesn't want them to perish, but when they finally do, they will be without excuse.
38. God will give believers rest from their troubles. Like the persecuted church at Smyrna, we may have to endure "ten days" of testing, but when those days are ended, we will find eternal rest in the presence of the Lord.
39. Tribulation for the wicked and rest for the righteous will be given by Jesus when He comes from heaven with His mighty angels.
40. Jesus is coming in flaming fire.
41. Jesus is coming to take vengeance. There are two groups of people upon which tribulation wrath will be heaped: those who don't know God and those who don't obey the gospel. These two groups will include those who heard and did not believe, as well as those who heard and said they believed, but they didn't continue to live according to the Word of God.
42. The unbelieving and the disobedient will be punished with everlasting destruction.
43. This everlasting destruction comes from the Lord--from His presence and the glory of His power.
44. This everlasting destruction comes when He comes.
45. Jesus is coming on The Day of the Lord.
46. Jesus is coming to be glorified in His saints.
47. Jesus is coming to be admired among all who believe.
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