Jesus was to be revealed in blazing fire

JESUS WAS TO BE REVEALED IN BLAZING FIRE
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
2 Thessalonians1:6-7 6God is just: He will pay back
trouble to those who troubleyou 7and give relief to
you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will
happen when the LORD Jesus is revealedfrom heaven
in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The GreatDay
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
B.C. Caffin
I. THE JUDGMENT OF THE WICKED.
1. The revelation of the Judge. It is the Lord Jesus, who once was despisedand
rejectedof men; he is ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. He
shall come as God once came down on Mount Sinai, in the like awful glory.
(1) With the angels. Theyshall gather the wickedfrom among the just, and
shall castthem into the furnace of fire. The angels will be the ministers of his
justice - the blessedangels who are now the messengersofhis love and grace.

Now they rejoice overeachsinner that repenteth; then they will castthe
impenitent into the everlasting fire. We think of the angels as gentle, loving,
holy, as our friends and guardians; they are so, so far as we are Christ's. They
desire to look into the mysteries of redemption; they announcedthe Saviour's
birth; they ministered to him in his temptation, his agony;they celebratedhis
resurrectionand ascension. Now they are sentforth to minister for them that
shall be heirs of salvation;they encamp round about those who fear the Lord,
and deliver them. They help in carrying on his blessedwork of love. But they
are holy; they hate evil; they must turn away from those who have yielded
themselves to the dominion of the evil one; they must execute at the last the
awful judgment of God. Fearfulthought, that the blessedangels, loving and
holy as they are, must one day castthe hardened sinner into hell, as once they
castSatanout of heaven.
(2) In flaming fire. The Lord shall be revealedin flaming fire, in that glory
which he had before the world was. His throne is fiery flame (Daniel 7:9). He
himself is a consuming fire. The sight will be appalling to the lost, full of
unutterable terror; "they shall say to the rocks, Fallon us; and to the hills,
Coverus." "By thine agonyand bloody sweat, by thy cross andpassion, good
Lord, deliver us."
2. The lost. Two classes are mentioned here.
(1) Those who know not God - the heathen. They might have known him.
Some of them did know him. They had not the Law, the outward Law, but it
was written in their hearts;God spoke to them in the voice of conscience.
They listened; they did by nature the things containedin the Law. Such men,
we are sure, God in his greatmercy will acceptand save. But, alas!the fearful
picture drawn by St. Paul in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans
represents with only too much truth the generalstate of the heathen world in
the apostolic times. Their blindness was criminal; it was the result of willful
and habitual sin; their ignorance was without excuse.
(2) Those who obeyednot the gospel. All, whether Jews orGentiles, who had
heard the preaching of Christ. They had heard, as we have, all that the Lord
Jesus had done and suffered for us; they had had the opportunity of hearing

his holy precepts. "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world,
and men loved darkness rather than light." To know the gospeland not to
obey it, to have the light around us and not to admit it into our hearts, not to
walk as children of light - this must bring the judgment of God upon the
disobedient. The greaterthe light, the heavier the responsibility of those who
sin againstlight and knowledge.
3. The punishment. The Lord Jesus will award vengeance."Vengeanceis
mine; I will recompense, saiththe Lord." Terrible thought, that vengeance
must come from him, the most loving Saviour, who loved the souls of men
with a love so burning, so intense in its Divine tenderness!But it must be so.
The exceeding guilt of sin is manifest in this; it turns the chiefestof blessings
into an increase ofcondemnation; the cross is utter death to the impenitent
and the ungodly. And that vengeance takeseffectin destruction. The
destruction is eternal; then it is not annihilation. It is the destruction of all
gladness, hope, all that makes life worth living; it is the exclusion from the
face of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. Only the pure in heart can
see God. The lost souls cannotsee his face. The exclusionis eternal; is it
endless? It continues through the ages;will those ages ofmisery ever end in
restoration? Cana soul, once so hardened in guilt that it must be shut out of
the presence ofGod, everrepent in that exclusion? It sinned obstinately
againstlight during its time of probation; canit recoveritself now that the
light is withdrawn? It is hardened through the deceitfulness ofsin and the
powerof evil habits; can it break those chains of darkness now? These are
dark, awful questions. We may ask, onthe other hand, how can "Godbe all in
all," if sin is to exist forever? how can it be that "in Christ shall all be made
alive," while there is still a hell in the universe of God? The subject is beset
with difficulties and perplexities; it excites bewildering, harrowing thoughts.
We must leave it where Holy Scripture leaves it. We would gladly believe, if it
were possible, that there is hope beyond the grave for those who die unblest;
but such an expectationhas no scriptural authority beyond a few slight and
doubtful hints. Who would dare to trust to a hope so exceeding slender? No; if
we shrink in terror from the thought of being one day shut out of God's
presence into the greatouter darkness, letus try to live in that gracious
presence now.

II. THE GLORY OF THE RIGHTEOUS.
1. Its time: when he shall come. They suffer now; sometimes they are
persecuted, their name is castout as evil. But they have their consolation;they
see indeed through a glass darkly, but yet they do see by faith the glory of the
Lord; they are changedinto the same image from glory to glory as by the
Lord the Spirit. They have a glory now; but it is an inner spiritual glory
derived from the indwelling of the blessedSpirit whom the world seeth not,
neither knoweth. Now they are the sons of God; when he shall appear, they
shall be like him, for they shall see him as he is.
2. Its nature: the unveiled presence ofChrist. He shall be glorified in his
saints. "I am glorified in them," he said, when about to leave them. When he
comes again, that glory shall shine forth in all its radiant splendour. He shall
be admired in all them that believe. The glory of his presence abiding in them
shall arouse the wondering admiration of all. The lost spirits will wonder; they
will be amazed at the strangenessofthe salvationof the blessed. "This is he"
(Wisd. 5:3, 5) "whomwe sometimes had in derision... how is he numbered
among the children of God, and his lot is among the saints?" The very angels
will wonder at the exceeding glory of the Lord shining in his saints. For he will
change the body of their humiliation, and make it like the body of his glory.
LESSONS.
1. We must all appearbefore the judgment seatof Christ; let us keepthat
awful day in our thoughts.
2. Think on the fearful misery of eternalseparationfrom God; live in his
presence now.
3. We hope to be like him in his glory; let us take up the cross. - B.C.C.

Biblical Illustrator
When the Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealedfrom heaven
Joy and terror in the coming of the Lord
The Study.
The Lord will come the secondtime. When, we cannot know. Angels do not
know. But this does not detract from its certainty. To us individually His
coming is virtually near. It is not long till we go hence, and time for us will be
no more. Eternity begins; Christ, the Judge, deciding our state for happiness
or misery. Therefore we need not put His coming far awayin the future. We
are graciouslypermitted to prepare for it, so that it may be to us an event of
joy and not of terror.
I. TO UNBELIEVERS THE LORD'S COMING WILL BE AN
INDESCRIBABLE TERROR. TheyrejectedHim come to deliver them from
sin. Now they must behold Him as their righteous Judge to pronounce upon
them the condemnationof their own choosing. This is their condemnation —
that they believed not on Him. Mercies slightedwill make justice self-
approved. Not mercy, then, but the" wrath of the Lamb" will be upon them.
II. TO BELIEVERS HIS COMING WILL BRING INCONCEIVABLE JOY.
They have acceptedHim in His mission of redeeming love in His first advent.

At His coming to judge the world He will receive His own to Himself. Such a
relation to Him carries with it a desire for His appearing, when they shall
appear with Him in glory. "Theyrest from their labours, and their works do
follow them."
III. POINTS FOR REMARKS.
1. Greatis the mercy of God in extending to us presentsalvation through the
mediation of Christ. Greatis His mercy also in forewarning us of His coming
againas the Judge.
2. Life appears short in view of the event of Christ's coming and the eternity
awaiting us. How important this life is, consideredas a preparation.
3. Terrible as must be the coming of Christ to the wicked, to the Christian it is
a joyous anticipation. It has always been so. Christ is the chiefestamong ten
thousand, and the One altogetherlovely. To see Him face to face and dwell
with Him forever is heavento the soul. This state may wellawakena desire to
see Him.
(The Study.)
The coming of Christ with His angels
T. Manton, D. D.
I. THERE IS A TIME COMING WHEN CHRIST SHALL BE FULLY
REVEALED AND COME ALL HIS GLORY.
1. What is this revelation? The coming of Christ is set forth as an apocalypse
and as an epiphany. The former is in the text, and in 1 Peter1:13, 1
Corinthians 1:7, and means an unveiling; the latter is in 2 Timothy 4:8, Titus
2:13, and means a forth-flashing. The former is used because —(1)Many have
never seenHim (Acts 3:21). This does not hinder His spiritual virtue and
influence although it does the enjoyment of His bodily presence!(1 Peter
1:8).(2) His earthly state was obscure, His Godheadpeeping through the veil
in a miracle or so.(3)His spiritual glory is seenbut in a glass darkly (1

Corinthians 13:12). Vision is reservedfor heaven(John 17:24).(4)His
kingdom is not always clearto the world (Luke 17:20).(5)His subjects are
under a veil (Colossians3:3; 1 John 3:2; Romans 8:19).
2. That this time is coming is evident from —(1) The promise of His coming.
This ancient promise (Jude 1:14, 15)was ever kept afootin the Church. The
scoffers took notice ofit (2 Peter3:4). It has been revived by all the Lord's
messengers. Moses, David, Samuel, Joel, Zechariah, Malachi, and more
clearly by Christ (John 14:3). Christ would not flatter us into a fool's
paradise.(2)His remembrancers in the Church (1 Corinthians 11:26;2
Timothy 4:1).(3) Our inward pledge of it. At parting there is a giving of
tokens. Christ has gone to make ready for the day of His espousals.To
prevent suspicionHe left His Spirit to stir up in us expectationof that day
(Romans 8:23; Revelation22:17).(4)Our constantexperience of His love and
care. There are frequent messagesoflove passing betweenus and Christ, in
His word, prayer, sacraments, to show that He does not forget us.(5) The
interest of Christ which is concernedin it.(a) Partly that the glory of His
Personmay be seenand fully discovered. His first coming was obscure, in the
form of a servant, with a poor retinue, etc.;now He comes as the Lord of all in
powerand greatglory.(b) That He may possess whatHe has purchased (1
Peter1:18, 19;John 14:3; Hebrews 3:13).(c)That He may overthrow the
wicked(Isaiah45:23; Romans 14:10, 11;Philippians 2:10).(d) That He may
require an accountof things during His absence (Matthew 25.).
II. WHEN CHRIST COMES HE WILL BRING HIS MIGHTY ANGELS
WITH HIM.
1. Those angels are mighty (Psalm103:20). One slaughteredmany thousands
of Sennacherib's army in a single night. Their greatness is mentioned to show
the excellencyofour Redeemerwho is greaterthan all.
2. He will bring them —(1) To show His glory and majesty. The most excellent
creatures are at His command (1 Peter3:22; Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 1:4-
7).(2) BecauseHe has a service for them.(a) To gather the elect(Matthew
24:31). This shall complete their many services onHis behalf and ours (Luke
2:18, 14;1 Corinthians 11:10; 1 Timothy 5:21; Luke 15:7, 10;Hebrews 1:14;

Psalm34:7; Luke 16:22).(b) To execute His sentence onthe wicked(Matthew
13:41, 42, 49).(c)To show that they are part of the army commanded by the
Captain of our salvation. (Psalm 68:17).
(T. Manton, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(7) Restwith us.—Why “with us”? It shows sympathy in their present trials,
for it implies that the writers themselves had earned or were earning (see Acts
18:12)that rest by the like trials. The word “rest” (orrelaxation) is the
opposite of the “strain” at which the persecutionkept them. Such “rest” is not
to be expectedin its fulness till the judgment day.
From heaven.—St. Paul seems to delight in calling attention to the quarter
from which “the Lord Jesus”(the human name, to show His sympathy with
trouble) will appear. (See 1Thessalonians1:10, 1Th_4:16.)
With his mighty angels.—Literally, with the angels of His power—i.e., the
angels to whom His poweris intrusted and by whom it is administered. The
angels do not attend merely for pomp, but to execute God’s purposes. (See
Matthew 13:41; Matthew 13:49;Matthew 24:31.)
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
1:5-10 Religion, if worth anything, is worth every thing; and those have no
religion, or none worth having, or know not how to value it, cannotfind their
hearts to suffer for it. We cannot by all our sufferings, any more than by our
services, merit heaven; but by our patience under sufferings, we are prepared
for the promised joy. Nothing more strongly marks a man for eternal ruin,

than a spirit of persecutionand enmity to the name and people of God. God
will trouble those that trouble his people. And there is a rest for the people of
God; a rest from sin and sorrow. The certainty of future recompence is
proved by the righteousness ofGod. The thoughts of this should be terrible to
wickedmen, and support the righteous. Faith, looking to the greatday, is
enabled partly to understand the book of providence, which appears confused
to unbelievers. The Lord Jesus will in that day appearfrom heaven. He will
come in the glory and powerof the upper world. His light will be piercing, and
his powerconsuming, to all who in that day shall be found as chaff. This
appearance will be terrible to those that know not God, especiallyto those
who rebel againstrevelation, and obey not the gospelof our Lord Jesus
Christ. This is the greatcrime of multitudes, the gospelis revealed, and they
will not believe it; or if they pretend to believe, they will not obey it. Believing
the truths of the gospel, is in order to our obeying the precepts of the gospel.
Though sinners may be long spared, they will be punished at last. They did
sin's work, and must receive sin's wages. Here Godpunishes sinners by
creatures as instruments; but then, it will be destruction from the Almighty;
and who knows the powerof his anger? It will be a joyful day to some, to the
saints, to those who believe and obey the gospel. In that bright and blessed
day, Christ Jesus will be glorified and admired by his saints. And Christ will
be glorified and admired in them. His grace and powerwill be shown, when it
shall appear what he has purchased for, and wrought in, and bestowedupon
those who believe in him. Lord, if the glory put upon thy saints shall be thus
admired, how much more shalt thou be admired, as the Bestowerof that
glory! The glory of thy justice in the damnation of the wickedwill be admired,
but not as the glory of thy mercy in the salvation of believers. How will this
strike the adoring angels with holy admiration, and transport thy admiring
saints with eternal rapture! The meanestbeliever shall enjoy more than the
most enlargedheart can imagine while we are here; Christ will be admired in
all those that believe, the meanestbeliever not excepted.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
And to you who are troubled - That is, "it will be a righteous thing for God to
give to you who are persecutedrest in the lastday." As it will be right and
proper to punish the wicked, so it will he right to reward the good. It will not,

however, be in precisely the same sense. The wickedwill deserve all that they
will suffer, but it cannot be said that the righteous will deserve the reward
which they will receive. It will be right and proper, because:
(1) there is a fitness that they who are the friends of God should be treated as
such, or it is proper that he should show himself to be their friend; and,
(2) because in this life this is not always clearly done. They are often less
prospered, and less happy in their outward circumstances,than the wicked.
There is, therefore, a propriety that in the future state God should manifest
himself as their friend, and show to assembledworlds that he is not indifferent
to character, or that wickedness does notdeserve his smiles, and piety incur
his frown. At the same time, however, it will be owing wholly to his grace that
any are ever admitted to heaven.
Rest- The future happiness of believers is often representedunder the image
of rest. It is rest like that of the wearylaborer after his day of toil; rest, like
that of the soldierafter the hardships of a long and perilous march; rest, like
the calm repose ofone who has been rackedwith pain; see the notes on
Hebrews 4:9. The word "rest" here (ἄνεσις anesis)means a letting loose, a
remission, a relaxation; and hence composure, quiet; 2 Corinthians 2:12; 2
Corinthians 7:5.
With us - That is, with Paul, Silas, and Timothy; 2 Thessalonians 1:1. It would
increase the comfortof the Thessaloniansderived from the anticipation of the
future world, to reflectthat they would meet their religious teachers and
friends there. It always augments the anticipated joy of heaven to reflectthat
we are to share its blessednesswith them. There is no envy among those who
anticipate heaven;there will be none there. They who desire heaven at all,
desire that it may be sharedin the highest degree by all who are dearto them.
When the Lord Jesus shallbe revealedfrom heaven - Shall appear; shall come
from heaven; see the notes, 1 Thessalonians 4:6.
With his mighty angels - Margin, "angels ofhis power." So the Greek. The
sense is, that angels ofexalted rank and glory will accompanyhim; see the 1
Thessalonians 4:16 note; Matthew 24:31;Matthew 25:31 notes.

Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
7. rest—governedby "to recompense"(2Th1:6). The Greek is literally,
"relaxation";loosening ofthe tensionwhich had preceded;relaxing of the
strings of endurance now so tightly drawn. The Greek word for "rest," Mt
11:28, is distinct, namely, cessationfrom labor. Also, Heb 4:9, "A keeping of
sabbath."
with us—namely, Paul, Silas, and Timothy, the writers, who are troubled like
yourselves.
when—atthe time when … ; not sooner, not later.
with his mighty angels—ratheras the Greek, "withthe angels of His might,"
or "power," that is, the angels who are the ministers by whom He makes His
might to be recognized(Mt 13:41, 52). It is not their might, but His might,
which is the prominent thought.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Having spokenof the recompence of the troublers, here of the troubled: and
in this we may observe a parallel, as in the former. The recompence to these is
expressedby rest; in the Greek, dismission, orcessationfrom labour or
trouble; as Hebrews 4:9: There remaineth a rest to the people of God, where
the word is, keeping a sabbath, importing a restfrom labour, as this text doth
speak of a restfrom trouble. And though the word rest is properly negative,
yet under it the apostle comprehends all the felicity of the future state;
elsewhere calleda crown, a kingdom, an inheritance, glory, salvation, eternal
life, yea, it contains in it the perfectsatisfactionofthe soul in the fruition of
God, &c. And this is saidto be given them by way of recompence, as
tribulation is to their troublers; though there is no parity betweentheir
trembles and the rest, that is, their recompence, yetit is a proper recompence;
and therefore the grace and mercy of God will be much manifestedtherein,
though it is said to come from God’s righteousncss inthe text. The
righteousness ofGod dispensethboth these recompences;but yet the
righteousness in both is not alike;akribodikaion, strictjustice, dispenseththe
one, and the punishment of the wickedriseth from the nature of their sin, and

the merit of it; but it is only epieikeia, equity, that dispenseth the other, and
that not so much with respectto the nature of the saints’duties or sufferings,
as the promises and ordinance of God, and the merit of Christ for them. And
this restthe apostle sets forth before them, under a twofold circumstance:
1. Restwith us. Us, the apostles and ministers of Christ, we and you shall rest
together;as we have partakenof troubles together, so we shall of rest. And
you shall enjoy the same felicity with the apostles themselves, inthe same state
of rest. And though now place doth separate us, yet we and you shall rest
together, which will the more sweetenthis rest to you and us.
2. When the Lord Jesus shallbe revealedfrom heaven;the other
circumstance. This is the time of their entering into this rest. Christ’s coming
is sometimes calledhis epifaneia, appearing, 2 Timothy 4:8, or shining forth;
sometimes, fanerwsiv, his manifestation, 2 Corinthians 4:2 1Jo 3:2;
sometimes, apokaluqiv, his revelation, as in the text. Now the heavens contain
him, but he will come in person, and his glory shine forth: though before that
their souls shall be at rest in heaven, and their bodies in the grave, yet not till
then shall their persons be at rest. And as Christ himself is alreadyentered
into his rest, Hebrews 4:10, so he will come againto take his people into the
same rest with him.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And to you who are troubled, rest with us,.... This is another branch of the
justice of God, in rendering to them who are afflicted and persecutedfor
righteousness sake, "rest";a relaxationor rest from persecutions, fora while
at least;as the churches of Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had, from that
persecutionraisedat the death of Stephen, Acts 9:31 and as the Christians
had at the destructionof Jerusalem;which though it was a day of vengeance
to the unbelieving Jews, were times of refreshing to the saints, who were now
delivered from their persecutors:or rather this designs a rest which remains
for the saints after death in the grave, and at the coming of the Lord, and to

all eternity; when they shall restfrom all their toil and labour, and be freed
from sin, and all disquietude by it, and from the temptations of Satan, and
likewise from the persecutions ofmen; see Job3:17. And this will be enjoyed
in company with the apostles, andother believers;and as it is some alleviation
to the sufferings and afflictions of saints now, that the same are accomplished
in others, so it will enhance the heavenly glory, rest, and felicity, that they will
be partners and sharers in it with the apostles ofChrist Jesus, andhave the
same crown of glory they have; and indeed their company and conversation
will be a part of their happiness.
When the Lord Jesus shallbe revealedfrom heaven; then will the justice of
God take place in both the above branches and instances of it, rendering
tribulation to persecutors, andrest to the persecuted. Christ, eversince a
cloud receivedhim out of the sight of the apostles up to heaven, has been, as it
were, hid, and has not been seenwith corporealeyes by men on earth ever
since, but by a very few, as Stephen, and the Apostle Paul; he has only been
seenby an eye of faith; at his secondcoming there will be a revelation of him,
and every eye shall see him: and this revelationof him will be "from heaven":
thither he was receivedat his ascension, andthere he now is; and here he is
received, and will be retained until the end of all things; and from hence the
saints expect him, and from hence will he descendin person, and then he will
be revealed, and appear to the view of everyone:and that
with his mighty angels;which will add to the glory, majesty, and solemnity of
that appearance:these are calledhis angels, becausehe is the Creatorof them,
and the object of their worship and adoration, and he is the Lord and head of
them, and they are ministering spirits to him and his; and "mighty" angels,
because they excelall other creatures in strength; a remarkable instance of
the might and strength of angels is in 2 Kings 19:35. The words from the
original text may be rendered, "with the angels ofhis power";as they are by
the Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, for they will be the ministers
of the powerof Christ in gathering the electfrom the four winds, and all
nations, before Christ; and in taking out of his kingdom all that offend, and
do iniquity; and in severing the righteous from the wicked;and in casting the
latter into the furnace of fire. The Syriac version reads the words, "with the
powerof his angels".

Geneva Study Bible
And to you who are troubled rest{4} with us, {5} when the Lord Jesus shallbe
revealedfrom heaven with his mighty angels,
(4) He strengthens and encouragesthem also along the way by this means,
that the condition both of this present state and the state to come, is common
to him with them.
(5) A most glorious description of the secondcoming of Christ, to be set
againstall the miseries of the godly, and the triumphs of the wicked.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
2 Thessalonians 1:7. Θλιβομένοις is passive. Bengelerroneouslyconsiders it as
middle.
ἄνεσις] from ἀνίημι, denotes the relaxing which follows exertion, the ἐπίτασις
(Plat. Rep. i. p. 349 E: ἐν τῇ ἐπιτάσει καὶ ἀνέσει τῶν χορδῶν. Plutarch, Lyc.
29: οὐκ ἄνεσις ἦν ἀλλʼ ἐπίτασις τῆς πολιτείας) passing overto the idea
comfort, refreshment, rest. Comp. 2 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 7:5; 2
Corinthians 8:13, and the analogous expressionἀνάψυξις, Acts 3:19. Here
ἄνεσις characterizes the glory of the kingdom of God according to its negative
side as freedom from earthly affliction and trouble.
μεθʼ ἡμῶν] along with us. From this it follows that the apostle and his
companions belongedto the θλιβόμενοι. μεθʼ ἡμῶν accordinglycontains a
confirmation of the notice containedin 2 Thessalonians3:2. Others (as
Turretin, comp. also de Wette)understand μεθʼ ἡμῶν entirely generally: with
us Christians in general. But the ἄνεσις which will likewise be imparted to the
ἡμεῖς presupposes a preceding θλίψις, that is, according to the context,
persecutionby those who are not Christians. But such persecutions do not
befall Christians everywhere. Strangely, Bengel(and also Macknight), μεθʼ

ἡμῶν denotes:“nobiscum i. e. cum sanctis Israelitis.” Ewald:“with us, i.e.
with the apostles andother converted genuine Jews ofthe Holy Land, so that
they shall have no preference.”
ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ]a statement of the time when
ἀνταποδοῦναι willtake place, equivalent to ὅτανἀποκαλυφθῇ ὁ κύριος
Ἰησοῦς. ἀποκάλυψις (1 Corinthians 1:7) is a more definite expressionfor
παρουσία. The return of Christ is the period at which He, so long hitherto
concealed, will as Ruler and Judge be manifested, will publicly appear.[37]
ἈΠʼ ΟὐΡΑΝΟῦ ΜΕΤʼἈΓΓΈΛΩΝ ΔΥΝΆΜΕΩς ΑὐΤΟῦ] a specificationof
the mode of the ἈΠΟΚΑΛΎΨΕΙ.
ἈΠʼ ΟὐΡΑΝΟῦ]see on 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
ΜΕΤʼἈΓΓΈΛΩΝ ΔΥΝΆΜΕΩς ΑὐΤΟῦ] with the angels of His power, i.e.
through whom His power manifests itself, inasmuch as the angels are the
executors of His commands, by their instrumentality e.g. the resurrection-call
to the dead is issued(1 Thessalonians 4:16). Calvin: Angelos potentiae vocat,
in quibus suam potentiam exseret. Angelos enim secum adducet ad
illustrandam regni sui gloriam. Oecumenius, Theophylact, Piscator, Benson,
Flatt, and others erroneouslyexplain it: “with His mighty angels;” still more
erroneouslyDrusius, Michaelis, Krause, Hofmann, and others: “with His
angelic host.” Forthis the Hebrew ‫צ‬ ָ‫ב‬ ָ‫ם‬ is appealedto. But ΔΎΝΑΜΙς never
occurs in this sense in the N. T.; the proofs to the contrary, which Hofmann
finds in Luke 10:19, Matthew 24:29, Mark 13:35, Luke 21:26, are entirely
inappropriate. It would then require to have been written ΜΕΤᾺ
ΔΥΝΆΜΕΩς ἈΓΓΈΛΩΝ ΑὐΤΟῦ. It is a wanton error, proceeding from a
want of philologicaltact, when Hofmann separates ΑὐΤΟῦ from the words
ΜΕΤʼἈΓΓΈΛΩΝ ΔΥΝΆΜΕΩς, refers this pronoun to God, and joins it with

ΔΙΔΌΝΤΟς ἘΚΔΊΚΗΣΙΝ into a participial clause, of which ἘΝ Τῇ
ἈΠΟΚΑΛΎΨΕΙ Κ.Τ.Λ. forms the commencement. Granted that ΜΕΤʼ
ἈΓΓΈΛΩΝ ΔΥΝΆΜΕΩς, without the additional ΑὐΤΟῦ, might denote with
an angelic host, yet Paul, in order to express the thought assignedto him by
Hofmann, if he would be at all understood, would at leasthave entirely
omitted αὐτοῦ, and would have put the dative διδόντι instead of the genitive
διδόντος.
[37] That also we are not here to think, with Hammond, on the destruction of
Jerusalemis evident.
Expositor's Greek Testament
2 Thessalonians 1:7. After noting the principle of recompence (2
Thessalonians 1:5-7 a), Paul proceeds (7b–10), to dwell on its time and setting,
especiallyin its punitive aspect. He consolesthe Thessaloniansby depicting
the doom of their opponents rather than (9c, 10) their own positive relief and
reward. The entire passage breathes the hot air of the later Judaism, with its
apocalyptic anticipation of the jus talionis applied by God to the enemies of
His people;only, Paul identifies that people not with Israel but with believers
in Christ Jesus. He appropriates Israel’s promises for men and womenwhom
Israelexpelled and persecuted.—The ἄγγελοι are the manifestation of Christ’s
δύναμις, as the ἅγιοι (saints not angels)are of his δόξα (2 Thessalonians 1:10);
the position of ἀγγ. (cf. Win., § 80, 12b) tells againstHofmann’s interpretation
of δυν. = “host” (‫צ‬ ָ‫ב‬ ָ‫,ם‬ so LXX). Here and in the following verses the divine
prerogatives (e.g., fiery manifestationand judicial authority) are carried over
to Jesus.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
7. restwith us] St Paul’s was a life full of harassmentand fatigue, and the
hope of rest was sweetto him (note the outburst of Galatians 6:17). Men of an
easyuntroubled life miss the delight of the thought of Heaven.

But in his visions of future joy his children in Christ always shared. Comp. 2
Corinthians 4:14, “Godwill raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with
you;” again in 2 Timothy 4:8, “the crown of righteousness,whichthe Lord,
the righteous Judge (comp. 2 Thessalonians 1:5 above), shall give me at that
day—and not to me only, but also to all who love His appearing.”
when the Lord Jesus shallbe revealedfrom heaven] Lit., in the revelation of
the Lord Jesus from heaven. His advent is His people’s deliverance; it
guarantees, andvirtually contains in itself the relief for which they sigh.
Note, once again, the prevalence of the title Lord Jesus in these letters—the
designationof the returning, triumphant Saviour. Compare notes on 1
Thessalonians 2:15;1 Thessalonians 2:19.
Here and in 1 Corinthians 1:7 (so in 1 Peter1:7; 1 Peter1:13; 1 Peter4:13)
Christ’s secondcoming is calledHis revelation;for it will exhibit Him in
aspects ofmajesty unknown and inconceivable before. In like manner there
will be a “revelationof the sons of God,” and “ofthe righteous judgement of
God” upon the wicked(Romans 8:19; Romans 2:5); those events, along with
this, certified beforehand, but in their form and nature beyond our present
conception. The “coming” of Antichrist is also foretoldas a “revelation” (ch. 2
Thessalonians 2:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:6;2 Thessalonians2:8, see notes). So this
revelation comes—
from heaven] comp. 1 Thessalonians 1:10 (see note); 1 Thessalonians 4:16;
Php 3:20, “from whence we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ;” and
the very definite promise of Acts 1:11. It will be the unveiling of Christ in His
glory (descending)from heaven;whereas His previous coming was in the form
of a lowly man on earth.

with his mighty angels]Lit., with angels ofHis power: i.e. “attended by angels
as signs and instruments of His power.” Comp. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 (and
note) for the office of the angels in Christ’s advent; and for their relation to
Divine Power, Psalm103:20, “Ye angels, mighty in strength, that fulfil His
word.” Their presence suits the majesty in which He comes as the Judge of
mankind, “in his Father’s glory, with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38); and they
are, perhaps, the agents of those changes in material nature by which it will be
accompanied. Comp. Deuteronomy 33:2, Psalm 68:17, for older theophanies.
New and severe features are added to the picture of the Advent in the next
verse:
Bengel's Gnomen
2 Thessalonians 1:7. Καὶ ὑμῖν, and to you) To this refer 2 Thessalonians1:10-
11.—τοῖς θλιβουμένοις,who are afflicted) In the middle voice, who endure
affliction; comp. 2 Thessalonians1:4, at the end.—ἄνεσιν, rest) θλίψις,
affliction, and ἄνεσις, rest, are opposedto eachother with greatpropriety, 2
Corinthians 7:5; 2 Corinthians 8:13. Moreoverrestincludes also abundance
of goodthings, 2 Thessalonians 1:10.—μεθʼἡμῶν)with us, i.e. with the saints
of Israel, 2 Thessalonians1:10, note. Comp. 1 Thessalonians2:14.—μετʼ
ἀγγέλων δυνάμεως, with angels of might, mighty angels)The angels serve
Christ in the putting forth of His power.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 7. - And to you who are troubled - afflicted - rest. The word "rest" here
is a noun in the accusative, nota verb, as English readers might at the first
glance suppose. It literally denotes relaxation, case. The meaning of the
passageis that it is a righteous thing with Godto recompense restto you who
are afflicted. The recompense ofthe persecutors - those who afflict, is
affliction; the recompense ofthe persecuted - the afflicted, is rest (comp.
Matthew 11:28, 29). The rest or relaxation here mentioned is that which
awaits believers, not in this world, but in the next, "where the wickedcease
from troubling, and the weary are at rest" (Job 3:17). "There remaineth a

rest for the people of God" (Hebrews 4:9). The happiness of heaven on its
negative side, as freedom from earthly affliction and persecution, is here
stated. It is rest to the weary, freedom to the enslaved, release fromsorrow,
suffering, and pain, relaxation from toil, ease from noise and turmoil, the
quiet haven of peace afterbeing tossedabout in the tempestuous ocean. With
us; that is, not with us believers in general, or with us the apostles, the
champions of the faith, and still less with us Jews, the saints of israel;but with
us, the writers of this Epistle, namely, Paul and Silas and Timothy. When the
Lord Jesus shallbe revealed;or, more literally, at the revelationor
apocalypse ofthe Lord Jesus. The advent of Christ is generallyexpressedby
another word, parousia, denoting "presence;" here the word is apocalypse,
bringing before us in a more vivid manner the visible manifestation of Christ.
The advent of Christ is the period when he who has hitherto been concealed
will be manifested as the supreme Ruler and Judge of the world. From
heaven; where now he is concealedfrom human view, seatedatthe right hand
of God. With his mighty angels;not with his host of angels, but, as it is in the
margin of our Bibles, "with the angels ofhis power" - serving his powerand
proclaiming his might. It is the uniform declarationof Scripture that Christ
will come to judgment attended by his holy angels (Matthew 16:27;Matthew
24:31;Jude 1:14). And these angels are "the angels of his power," sentforth
to execute his commands. By their instrumentality the dead shall be called
from their graves, and the wickedseparatedfrom among the just (1
Thessalonians 4:16;Matthew 13:49).
Vincent's Word Studies
Rest(ἄνεσιν)
See on liberty, Acts 24:23. With this exceptiononly in Paul.
With us
According to Paul's habit of identifying his experience with that of his
Christian readers. See 1 Corinthians 4:8; Romans 8:23; Philippians 1:29,
Philippians 1:30; Philippians 2:18; Philippians 3:20, Philippians 3:21; 2
Corinthians 1:7.

When the Lord Jesus shallbe revealed(ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει τοῦ κυρίου Ἱησοῦ)
Lit. in the revelation of the Lord Jesus. For ἀποκάλυψις revelation, see on
Revelation1:1.
With his mighty angels (μετ' ἀγγέλων δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ)
Lit. with the angels ofhis power.
PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
PURPOSE OF PROPHECY
Dr. W. A. Criswell
2 Thessalonians 1:7
4-27-58 10:50 a.m.
You are listening to the services ofthe First Baptist Church in Dallas. This is
the pastorbringing the eleveno’clock morning messageentitled Purpose in
Prophecy. In our preaching through the Word of God, we have come to one
of the great, greatapocalyptic passagesin the New Testament. It begins at the
seventh verse in the first chapter of the secondThessalonianletter, and it
continues through the secondchapter. Before entering into that passage, I
have paused for this morning’s hour to present a sermon on prophecy as such.
And the reasonI have done it is this: there are so very many, and especially
theologians, who look with supercilious, contemptuous superiority upon
prophecy as though only fools and fanatics were interested in it or moved by
it. So before the presentationof the sermons in SecondThessalonians, Ijust

stopped and prepared this address and this message onGod’s purpose in
prophecy, for this is plainly a prophecy. I shall read part of it, the one that we
have now come to in our preaching through the Word of God. Paulsays that:
In all your persecutions and tribulations, we are praying that you might
endure:
Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that
trouble you
– God’s going to: a prophecy –
And to you who are troubled restwith us, when
– and this is His prophecy –
when the Lord Jesus shallbe revealedfrom heavenwith His mighty angels,
In flaming fire taking vengeance onthem that know not God, and that obey
not the Gospelof our Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall be punished with everlasting destructionfrom the presence ofthe
Lord, and from the glory of His power;
When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all
them that believe (because ourtestimony among you was believed) in that day.
[2 Thessalonians1:4, 6-10]
Then he continues, and, especiallyfor a long passagein the secondchapter, he
reveals the time of the end and the consummation of this age and the coming
of our Lord. So we shall just begin there. We shall just stop there, and we
shall say words concerning this thing of prophecy in the Bible, both the Old
and the New Testaments. And I could pray God will help me to present this
plainly and clearly and that God will give us open hearts and open minds as
we listen to the truth of God.

Now to begin. There has always beenan undying desire in the heart of
mankind to look into the future, to know the future. It is inescapable. It is
born with us. Here Paul speaks ofthese ThessalonianChristians. Theyare
persecuted;they are suffering; they are enduring tribulation [2 Thessalonians
1:4]. At the same time in Thessalonicawere pagan, heathen, cruel tyrants
who were flourishing in greatsplendor and affluence and power.
Is that to continue forever – the righteous suffer and the wickedto reign? Is
that a projectionfrom now until infinity? Is it true? Any thinking man
wonders. He cannot help it if he thinks. Any thinking man wonders if there is
purpose and plan and program and consummationin history and in time. Is
all that we see, allthat we endure, is it fortuitous circumstance? Is it happen-
so, and does the world go on and on without any guiding intelligence? Is there
no consummating purpose? Does life and history have any meaning? Does it
reachout toward some greatand final end? Does it? I say any thinking man
cannot help but fall into those thoughts and meditations.
There are many prosaic, utilitarian purposes why men scanthe future. A
nation will do it with their finest genius in order to prepare againstan
inevitable day. Justmilitary preparedness, if nothing else, woulddictate to a
nation that they try to foresee the future. Economic projections do the same
thing: plant expansions, the getting ready for the exigencies ofa tomorrow.
But all of that is minutiae, insignificance, comparedto the greatinterest in the
human heart, for mankind has always believed – ridicule cannotdestroy it,
and scorncannot slayit – mankind has always believed in a life beyond the
grave. And the same mankind that believes in immortality has an insatiable
desire to look into the mysteries of that life. What is there to come? We stand
on the shores of the ultimate sea and look into the vast vistas of the cloud in an
uncertain distance beyond trying to see. Is there a light on anothershore? Is
there a haven of rest? Is there an ultimate destiny and final home? And
especiallyis that true in the lifetime of people as we grow in experience, and in
age, and, finally, in years. Standing on the shores of that ultimate sea, we look
at friends and friends and friends who leave us and depart. And finally, it will
come to the circle of home and family. And finally, the beckonand the
summons will come to us.

As I stand by the cross onthe lone mountain`s crest,
Looking over the ultimate sea,
In the gloomof the mountain a ship lies at rest,
And one sails awayfrom the lea:
One spreads its white wings on the far-reaching track,
With pennant and sheetflowing free;
One hides in the shadow with sails laid back, –
That’s the ship that is waiting for me!
Lo! in the distance the clouds break away,
The Gate`s glowing portals I see;
And I hear from the outgoing ship in the bay
The song of the sailors in glee.
And I think of the footprints that bore
The comfort o`er dark Galilee,
And I wait for the summons to go to the shore,
To the ship that is waiting for me.
["The Two Ships," by Francis Bret Harte, date unknown]
All of us face that inevitable hour, and we cannot but wonder at the journey
we are to make. It cannot die. It won’t die – the desire of the man as he gazes
into the dark of the future.

Now, there are many methods that men have devisedto divine the future. As
far back as you canstudy, back to the dawn of the story of the human race,
you will find this thing of divination – seeking to know the future. Those
ancient Egyptians, and Chaldeans, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans – all of them
back there – createda vast, vast literature divining the future. For example,
there’s a greatliterature on orniscopy. Diviners said they could foretell the
future by observing the flight of birds. They went to the right or they flew to
the left or up or down, and all of it had a meaning. And the diviners proposed
to foretell the future by the flight of the birds.
Another so-calledsciencethey had in ancient days was [haruspicy], extispicy:
the foretelling of the future by the examination of the viscera of sacrificial
animals. And a greatliterature was createdin that foretelling, that divination
by examining the insides of the sacrificialvictim.
Another way of telling the future was through oracles, suchas the Pythian
oracle at Delphi. A great, greattemple was erectedover it, and the king or the
merchant man went to the oracle and askedthe priest a question. He handed
it down to the priestess – at Delphi, they calledher a pythonist – who saton a
tripod in the midst of a vast cave and made her oracularresponse, the oracles
foretelling the future.
Another ancient, ancient so-calledscienceand divination was that of
astrology, horoscopy, horoscopes. It’s with us today. Mostof the newspapers,
I suppose, of the world carry daily articles on astrology:your horoscope,
foretelling the future for you by the planets and the situation of the stars at
the time of your birth and at any given hour. Then, of course, there are those
who proclaim the future by the spirit of divination. You’d call it spiritism.
They are mediums. They are in contactwith the dead – necromancy,
foretelling the future by communication with the deceased. Then, ofcourse,
there are your philosophicalspeculations – the dreamers like Plato in his
Republic [380 BCE]or Sir Thomas More in his Utopia [1516], orHarrington
[James Harrington] in his Oceana [1656], orFrancis Baconin his The New
Atlantis [1627].

It is endless. It is endless. All of it, without exception, all of it coming to
futility and disappointment and despair. There is no such thing as a mere
man divining the future whereby consultationwith priestess in oracle, or
orniscopy, or necromancy, or mediums, or astrology, orhoroscopes. Theyall
lead to disappointment and disillusionment and despair. I could not describe
it better than Rudyard Kipling [1865-1936]did in one of his famous poems
["En-Dor," 1919]describing the visit of King Saul to Endor – the witch who
conjured up Samuel from the dead that Saul might ask of the battle of the
morrow [1 Samuel 28:1-25]. This is a part of Kipling’s poem:
The road to En-dor is easyto tread
For Mother or yearning Wife.
There, it is sure, we shall meet our Dead
As they were even in life.
Earth has not dreamed of the blessing in store
For desolate hearts on the road to En-dor in hope.
Whispers shall comfort us out of the dark –
Hands – oh God! – that we knew!
Visions and voices – look and hark! –
Shall prove that the tale is true,
And that those who have passedto the farther shore
May be hailed – at a price – on the road to En-dor.
O the road to En-dor is the oldest road
And the emptiest road of all!

Straight it runs to the Witch’s abode,
As it did in the days of Saul,
And nothing has changedof the sorrow in store
For such as go down the road to En-dor!
[from "The Road to En-dor," by Rudyard Kipling, 1919]
It is the prerogative of God to know the future, and it is the prerogative of
God alone. It is the unique characteristic ofthe Book I hold in my hand that
it alone foretells the future. There is no such thing in any other faith, in any
other religion, as this thing of prophecy. There is no prophecy in Buddhism.
There is no prophecy in Islam, Mohammedanism. There is no prophecy in the
religions made by man for they could not and they cannot. The future is
veiled to the human mind. It is the prerogative of God. It is the distinction of
God that God alone knows the future, and it is only in the revelationof God
that any man could ever know what is to come to pass.
In the forty-sixth chapterof the Book of Isaiah:
For I am God, and there is none else . . .
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that
are not yet done, saying, "My counselshall stand, and I will do all My
pleasure:"
I have spokenit, I will bring it to pass;I have purposed it, I will also do it.
[from Isaiah 46:9-11]
That is the prerogative of the Lord God alone. He says there is a purpose.
There is a plan. There is a meaning in all history, and God is bringing to pass,

in history, these greatpurposes that He sees from the beginning: that end and
final consummation.
A secondthing: it is the purpose and plan of God to revealwhat God shall do
to His servants and to His prophets. In the third chapter of the Book of
Amos: "Surelythe Lord God will do nothing, but He revealethHis secretunto
His servants the prophets" [Amos 3:7]. Like in the eighteenth chapter of the
Book ofGenesis:"The Lord God said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham this thing
that I do?’" [Genesis 18:17]. WhatGod proposes to do, He reveals to His
friends, His servants, His prophets. That thing is said so many times in the
secondchapterof Daniel:
Daniel answeredin the presence ofthe king, and said, "The secretwhich the
king hath demanded cannotthe wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the
soothsayers, shew unto the king;
But there is a God in heaven that revealethsecrets, andHe makethknown to
Nebuchadnezzarwhat shall be in the latter days."
[Daniel 2:27-28]
The greatexponent of the revealedmessageofGod is the GreatProphet
spokenof by Moses whenin Deuteronomy Moses said:"The Lord thy God
will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst thee, of thy brethren, like
unto me; unto Him shall ye hearken" [Deuteronomy18:15]. And three times
is it expressly saidin the New Testamentthat that Great Prophet spokenof by
Moses,the man of God, is Jesus Christour Lord [Luke 24:44;John 1:45,
5:46]. And He unveiled, pulled back awaythe veil from the future: in the
greatparables in the thirteenth of Matthew;in the incomparably meaningful
apocalyptic discourse in twenty-four and twenty-five of Matthew;in the great
apocalypse – the Greek word that we translate "the revelation," which is the
unveiling of the future – given to Jesus Christ of God; the Holy Spirit in the
sixteenth chapter of the Book ofJohn when Jesus saidthat it is expedient for
Him to go awaythat the Holy Spirit might come [John 16:7]. "And when He .

. . is come . . . He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoeverHe shall hear,
that shall He speak:and He will show you things to come" [John 16:13].
It is one of the marks of the inspiration that in the Word of God there is the
unveiling of the future, the things that are to come. It is the prerogative of the
inspiration, of the presence of the Spirit of God: "And He shall show you
things to come" [from John 16:13]. As I hold in my hand the Word of the
Lord, God’s Book, if I could describe it as one thing above anything else, I
would call it a prophecy – an unfolding of the greatwork and purpose of God
in human history.
In the beginning, in the third chapter of the Book ofGenesis, the first great
prophecy: "The serpent shall bruise Thy heel, but Thou shalt crush, bruise,
the head of the serpent" [from Genesis 3:15]. Who? The seedof the woman –
that He should be born of a virgin [Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23]. The seedof
the womanshall bruise, shall crush, the serpent’s head: a prophecy made in
the dim beginnings of the dawn of the story of the human race, and it unfolds,
and it unfolds. And God speaks to Abraham and promises him greatthings
[Genesis 15:1-7]. And God speaks to Moses [Deuteronomy18:15-19],and
God speaks to David [2 Samuel 7:8-16], and God speaks to Jeremiah
[Jeremiah 30:1-24], and God speaks to Isaiah[Isaiah 53:1-12], and God
speaks to Micah[Micah 1:1-6] and to Zechariah [Zechariah 14:1-20]– all the
Bible, an unfolding of the greatprophetically announced purposes of God.
Then, finally, God spake to us by the GreatProphet, Jesus our Lord [Hebrews
1:1-2]. Then through the Holy Spirit [2 Peter1:20-21], God spake to us
through the inspired writings of Peter[2 Peter3:3-10] and of Paul [2
Thessalonians 2:1-12]and of John [Revelation1:1-3].
The whole Book is a book of the great prophetic purposes of God revealedto
His servants. The very language ofthe Bible is the language ofprediction and
foretelling and prophecy: "the end," "the time of the end," "the
consummation of the age," "until" – how many times that word "until."
"Jerusalemshallbe trodden down until the times of the Gentiles be past, until
Israelshall be cut off, taken out like an olive tree with a branch cut off, and
we, a branch grafted in until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" [from Luke
21:24 and Romans 11:13-27]. Until: "Foras often ye eatthis bread, and

drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death until He come" [1 Corinthians
11:26]. "And . . . He took bread, and blessedit," and He gave of the fruit of
vine and they sharedit, and He said, ‘I will not drink henceforthof this fruit
of the vine, until I drink it new with you in the kingdom of God’" [from
Matthew 26:26-29], atthe Marriage Supper of the Lamb [Revelation19:7-10].
All of our faith, all of our religion, is posited on a great, revealedpurpose of
God made known in the Holy Scriptures that I hold in my hand.
Now, may I come to a thing that is very patent in this present hour and this
present day? We live – we live in an awful and meaningful hour. And in the
description of this day and this hour in which we live, there is a vast literature
createdby the explosionof the atomic and the hydrogen bombs and all of
these elemental fissions by which we are releasing the very secretofthe power
of God’s universe.
In what language does the modern-day author and writer describe this age
and this time in which we live? I went down to speak one time, some time ago,
and saw a picture showing, advertised and thereafter much spokenof, entitled
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse [1921]:the white horse, the red horse,
the black horse, the pale horse [Revelation6:1-8]. Why do they not use the
language ofPlato [c. 428-348 BCE]orof Aristotle [384-322 BCE]orof Seneca
[Lucius Annaeus Seneca, 4 BCE-65 CE], orof the fathers or of the Orient or
of modern literature? When you come face to face with the greatpurposes of
God revealedin life, you have no other recourse but to turn to the apocalyptic
language ofthe Book that I hold in my hand.
For example, in Fortune magazine in recent days, Dr. Ridenour [Louis N.
Ridenour, 1911-1959], physicistof the University of Pennsylvania and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had a fearful and a one-actplay. I
haven’t time to describe it. It is entitled "PilotLights of the Apocalypse"
[1945]. John McCullough, Washingtonbureau for the Inquirer [Philadelphia
Inquirer], after witnessing the Bikini [Bikini Atoll] atomic tests wrote, "This
atomic energyfor military purposes is the fifth beastof the Apocalypse." Dr.
Frederick L. Schumann [Frederick Lewis Schumann, 1904-1981], the
Woodrow WilsonProfessorofGovernment at Williams College,wrote the

greatestbook ofthis generationon Soviet Russia entitled SovietPolitics at
Home and Abroad [1946]. I quote from him:
Atomic energypromises a new epoch of abundance for all, but its immediate
impact confirms the fears of Tertullian
– who lived eighteenhundred years ago –
Tertullian who predicted that "wickedangels," in bringing to man knowledge
of the elements, would bring woe along with the wisdom. In [Old] Mexico the
site of the test-explosion, the first atomic bomb was called"The Journey to
Death." Nuclearfissionsuggests less the conversionof the earth into a
paradise than the opening of the Sixth Sealof the Last Judgment when "there
was a greatearthquake;and the sun became black as sackclothofhair; and
the moon became as blood." [Revelation6:12].
That’s not some fanaticaltrying to weave into the hearts of people fool ideas
about prophecy. Brother, that’s your greathistorian talking about the
implications of this present time. Listen to him again:
Bolshevismis not the Beastof Revelation, as many outragedChristians and
capitalists have long assumed. But the atomic bomb already recalls the fire of
wrath poured out by the Fourth Angel: "And power was given unto him to
scorchmen with fire. And men were scorchedwith great heat, and
blasphemed the name of God." [Revelation16:9]
All of that is Bible language! You can’t express it any other way. When you
come to the final, ultimate, consummating days of the age, it is Godalone who
can sayit. Denis de Rougemont[1906-1985], brilliant French writer, in one of
his recentbooks entitled it The Last Trump [1947] – that’s Bible. "The

bitterness of dying also springs from the thought of missing the next
installment of history," he says in that book:
That is, perhaps, why the first Christians, believing in the imminent
judgment, died gladly under the reign of the tyrants. Saint Paul wrote to the
faithful in Corinth, "Behold"
– now look at this in a modern book;I don’t even know whether the man’s a
Christian or not –
"Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the lasttrump.’" [1
Corinthians 15:51, 52]
Do you know what the Greek text says where the French translation reads "in
an instant?" It says in en atomō, "in an atom." And I lookedit up in my
Greek. I don’t know why in the world I had never seenit. First Corinthians
15:52 is that: "in an instant." It is translated: "in an atom." The Greek says
en atomō, the dative form, "in an atom, in an instant," translated, "in an
atom." It overwhelms you.
Now, I must close. The whole purpose of the messageis this. Why does God
prophesy the future? Why does God reveal the future? Why? He does it for
hope, for light, for encouragement, for victory, for optimism, for assurance to
His people [1 Thessalonians 4:18]. I never heard of a student of God’s Book, I
never heard a man who gave himself to the study of prophecy, I never heard
of a man who believed the Word and the revelation of God who ever fell into
despair and into disillusionment and into disappointment. I never heard of it.
On the other hand, on the other hand, all of the prophets of this world using
divinations of their own choice, eitherphilosophical speculation, or wishful
thinking, or dreaming dreams, or howeverthey do – they all fall into
bitterness, into rancor, into disillusionment and despair.

Could I take an example of the best? Alfred Lord Tennyson [1809-1892], poet
without peer, when he was about thirty years of age, published "Locksley
Hall" [1835]. And there’s not a schoolboyin this earth that has not quoted a
part of that poem:
Men, my brothers, men, the workers, everreaping something new:
That which they have done but earnestof the things they yet shall do:
For I dipt into the future, far as human eye could see,
Saw the Vision of the world, and all the wonders that would be;
Till the war-drum throbb’d no longer, and the battle-flags were furl’d
In the Parliament of man, the Federationof the world.
Man, haven’t we quoted that? When Tennysonwas seventy-nine years old
[1888], towardthe end of his life, he wrote another long poem entitled
"LocksleyHall – Sixty Years After." Listen to Tennyson sixty years later:
I myself have often babbled doubtless of a foolish past;
Babble, babble; our own England may go down in battle at last.
Fires that shook me once, but now to silent ashes fall’n away.
Cold upon the dead volcano sleeps the gleamof a dying day.

Gone the cry of "Forward, Forward,"lostwithin a growing gloom;
Lost, or only heard in silence from the silence ofa tomb.
Authors — essayists, atheists, novelists, realists,rhymesters, play your part,
Paint the mortal shame of nature with living hues of Art.
Do your bestto charm the worst, to lowerthe rising race of men;
Have we risen from out the beast, then back into the beastagain?
Warless? wars willdie out late then. Will it ever? late or soon?
Can it, till this outworn earth be dead as yon dead world the moon?
A critic when that poem was published, who lived at that time, said, "The
eagerimpulse to advance is lostwithin a growing gloomas the wise, old poet
contemplates a nation fallen on evil times." I have to quit.
After H. G. Wells [Herbert George Wells, 1866-1946]forover forty years had
published literature, greathistoricalcontribution, in greatoptimism and
persuasionof the goldendays and the GoldenAge, when World War II came,
and especiallythe explosionof the atomic bomb, every dream that he had was
shatteredto the earth. And in his old age before he died, he wrote one of the
most fearfully, awfully pessimistic, despairing pieces ofliterature ever penned
entitled Mind at the End of Its Tether [1945].
It’s all that way. It’s all the same fabric. When the man looks, it ends in
disillusionment and despair. When the man prophesies, his hopes turn to dust
and to ashes. Butwhen Godprophesies and when the Lord speaks through
His prophets, and when the Lord reveals His purposes in His Book, the man
may be imprisoned, and the prophet may be in his own blood, and His people

– like wolves ravage a flock – His people may be decimated by the swordof
the tyrant. They may be standing in a coliseumfacing hungry wild beasts.
They may be in sheepskins andin goatskins, wandering destitute, afflicted,
tormented in the earth, but if he’s a prophet of God, he’ll die triumphantly
[Hebrews 11:36-40]. And above the smoke and the war and the blood and the
sword, he’ll see the triumphant victory of Jesus our Lord coming in glory and
in power [Acts 7:54-60].
Brother, that’s the faith, and that’s why God wrote it large in the Book – that
we might not despair, but that we might live in hope. We have a more sure
word of prophecy [2 Peter1:19]. While the prophecy of the Scripture is of no
private interpretation, there’s no such thing as one of them just standing alone
and by itself [2 Peter 1:20-21]. It all is a pattern of the greatpurpose of God,
for, "the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man" [from 2 Peter
1:21]. He had nothing to do with it. Prophecyis the prerogative of God. "But
holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" [2 Peter1:21]
who shows us things to come [John 16:13].
Rev. David Holwick ZJ
First Baptist Church
WestLafayette, Ohio
October16, 1988
HELL AND ETERNALDAMNATION
I. The Dilemma of Hell.

A. GreattheologianKarl Barth asked, "Do you believe in Hell?"
1) Answer - "No, I believe in Jesus Christ."
2) Goodpoint - Our commitment is not to a doctrine of
eternal punishment, but to Jesus Christ, our divine
Lord and Savior.
B. God himself wants all to be saved:
1) 2 Peter3:9 - "Godis patient with you, not wanting
anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
2) But God does not always choose to bring his divine wishes
into reality.
C. Hard to digest for modern people.
1) Testimony of greattheologians: [ NOT USED IN SERMON ]
a) Paul Tillich - all humanity will eventually be
absorbedinto God, "the eternal ground of being."
b) Nels Ferre - in the end, love must dissolve all evil.
c) Rudolf Bultmann - vague final triumph beyond human
history.
d) Emil Brunner - compromises with annihilation of
unsaved. (Jehovah Witnesses agree.)
e) Karl Barth - Bible verses on hell are only threats
from God to keepus from arriving at such a destiny.

2) Problems: What about non-christians? Goodpagans?
a) We rub shoulders with non-believers every day.
b) Some of them are in our families, or close friends
II. Testimony of Jesus Christ.
He must answerthe all-important religious question of
our eternaldestiny.
A. He refers to hell more than any other personin Bible.
Typical passage -Matthew 25:31-33,41,46.
1) Even if the Gospels are only a dim reflectionof
the life and teaching of Jesus (which they are
not), they show that hell is one of his deepest
convictions.
2) If the Gospels are wrong on this point, they are
wrong on everything.
B. But Jesus does notstress gory details.
1) Opposite approach: JonathanEdwards -
"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", 1741.
"The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds
a spider, or some loathesome insect, overthe fire,
he hates you, and is dreadfully provoked.

His wrath towards you burns like fire.
He looks upon you as worthy of nothing else but to be cast
into the fire.
O sinner, you hang by a slender thread, with the flames of
divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to
singe it, and burn it in two."
2) Employer at Wheaton -
Heard hellfire at revivals as a youth.
Scaredhim to death.
C. Jesus preachedhell to bring people to a decision.
1) Judgment is a fact, and it is coming.
2) Two destinies face all people.
3) We must decide to acceptGod's gift, or rejectit.
III. Purpose of Hell.
A. Not God's glee at our suffering.
B. True love and freedom requires a choice.
1) God does not want any to perish - 2 Peter3:9.
2) But his desire canbe thwarted by people.

C. C.S. Lewis - if doors of hell are locked, they are locked
from the inside.
IV. When do we face Hell?
A. Hell is here on earth (pagans). [expand details on hard life,
due to bad choices, sin]
1) Some truth to it - condemnationcan be a present reality.
B. We face Hell at death.
C. At the end of time, hell will be castinto Lake of Fire.
1) Eternal condition of condemnation, parallel to
New Jerusalem.
V. What is Hell like?
A. Variety of descriptions are used.
1) Place ofdarkness.
2) Fire, sulphur and brimstone.
3) Lake of Fire.
4) Outside of God's city.
B. Emphasis is on exclusionfrom God's Kingdom. Horrible.

VI. How long does Hell last? (Eternal Torment or Annihilation?)
A. Arguments for annihilation:
1) Biblical images suggestannihilation.
a) Fire.
b) Destruction.
2) "Eternal" may mean permanent results, not permanent
punishment.
3) Some Bible images go beyond literalness - Satanand people are
thrown into the Lake of Fire, but so is Death and Hell
itself.
B. Arguments for eternal punishment:
1) Plain meaning of the Bible passages.
a) Hell is eternal, just as heaven is eternal.
- Matthew 25:31-33,41,46.
b) "Destruction" in 2 Thess 1:9 means a state of
conscious ruin, not annihilation.
C. If not annihilation, then universalism?
1) Secondchance for salvation, even in hell.
2) Hell exists, but is empty.
3) All are savedthrough cross.
a) Appealing to sensitive Christians.

D. Universalism is unbiblical.
1) Not taught in Scripture.
2) Bible teaches one chance:
a) Hebrews 9:27 - "It is appointed unto man once to
die, and then to face judgment."
3) God's justice requires an eternal sentence.
VII. Basis of Condemnation.
A. Wickeddeeds: Selfish, unloving attitude in life.
B. Expressedin disregardfor poor, needy people.
C. Ultimately signifies rejectionof relationship with God
through Christ.
VIII. Conclusion.
A. If Jesus Christ is Lord of our life and thought, then we
who are Christians should be committed to what he clearly
believed and taught.
B. C.S. Lewis -
"There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove

from Christianity than the doctrine of hell, if it lay
in my power.
But it has the full support of Scripture and, especially,
of our Lord's own words;it has always been held by the
Christian Church, and it has the support of reason."
C. A belief in hell should motivate us to make our personal
salvationsure.
D. We should also witness to those around us.
Their eternity depends on it.
God's righteous judgment is beyond doubt (2 Thess. 1:6)
Paul picks up the theme of the righteousness, justice, orrighteous judgment of
God.
"Forafter all it is only just" = Here Paul uses a 1stclass conditionalclause
which indicates that the objectis assumedbeyond doubt to be true.
Repay = to pay back in kind. Literally Paul says, "To the ones afflicting you,
affliction." He uses the Greek word thlipsis in both casesto show the idea of
payment in kind.
If there were any doubts that Godwould repay those who persecute His
children, Paul puts it to rest here. There will be a future judgment of the
wicked!
When will this judgment take place? (2 Thess. 1:7)

Reliefis also guaranteedfor the persecuted. Just as it is right to punish the
wicked, so it is also right to give rest to the afflicted.
Relief(anesis)= letting loose;relaxing the pressure. This is a fitting antidote
to thlipsis (pressure; oppression). Paulhimself also desires this kind of relief.
It will not happen until a future event which has four characterics:
The revelation(unveiling; manifestation) of the Lord Jesus (see Lk 17:30).
From heaven (see Acts 1:11).
With the angels ofHis power (see Mt 13:41-43;16:27; 25:31).
In flaming fire (see Is 66:15;Dan 7:9-10).
This description cannotbe referring to the "Rapture" when Church-age
saints will be resurrectedand meet the Lord in the clouds. This description
clearly points to the SecondComing of Christ at the end of the Tribulation to
judge the wickedand to establishHis millennial kingdom on the earth. At that
time all of the wickedwill be put to death, and ultimately all of the wicked
dead will be resurrectedto stand before the GreatWhite Throne judgment
(Rev 20:11-15). There they will be eternally condemned and castinto
everlasting fire.
What will happen at this judgment? (2 Thess. 1:8-9)
"Dealing out" = giving. "Retribution" = a just punishment; a penalty that is
deserved.
There are two classes ofpeople who will experience this retribution:
Those who do not know God. To know God is to know His holy character, His
will, his hatred of sin, and His saving grace towardmankind. Many people
have kept themselves completelyignorant and have none of this knowledge of
God.
Those who do not obey the gospel. Otherpeople do know something about
God and His plan for saving mankind, but they do not acton this knowledge
by submitting to the gospeland receiving God's free gift of salvation.

These people will pay the penalty. Eternal destruction is not annihilation, but
living in a state of complete ruin.
There are two things these people will be separatedfrom:
The presence (face)ofthe Lord = a relationship with the actual personof God.
The glory of His power. This poweris His internal, inherent power that
manifests itself outwardly in glorious ways at His coming.
What else will happen at His coming? (2 Thess. 1:10)
When (hotan) is indefinite, indicating that the exact time of His coming is not
known.
Two additional descriptions apply to that day when He comes:
He will be glorified in His saints. At that time the world will see His glory
manifested in the ultimate redemption of His saints.
He will be marveled at among all who are believers. All believers will finally
see Him in all His glory (see 1 Jn 3:2)
The lastphrase could be translated: "Among all who have believed (and
therefore among you), for you believed our testimony." The Thessalonians
themselves were in this categoryofpeople who have believed.
Paul's prayer to summarize and close this chapter (2 Thess. 1:11-12)
There are four things Paul asks in his prayer:
That God will count you worthy of your calling. Paul asks that God would
enable them to "walk worthy of the calling" they have already received(see
Eph 4:1), so in that future day this would be acknowledged.
That God would fulfill with power:
Every desire for goodness = goodnessofwill; every goodresolve that leads to
goodactions.
Every work of faith = that God would continue to empowerthem to
accomplishworks which further His will and plan (see 1 Th 1:3).

That the characterand behavior of the believers would bring glory to the
name of the Lord.
That these believers would also benefit from the glory of the Lord.
Points of Application:
Since the final judgment of unbelievers is an establishedfact, this should
motivate believers to continue sharing the gospelmessagewith those God
brings into our lives.
Believers should continue to keeptheir destination firmly in view. when
Christ returns at His SecondComing, we will be with Him to see the
fulfillment of what Paul has talkedabout in this sectionof Scripture!
We should always make it our ambition to walk worthy of the calling of God
on our lives so that His name would be glorified. We should continue to
cooperate withthe Holy Spirit who empowers us to contribute to the
fulfillment of His plan in our lifetime.
© 2004 by Steve Lewis
High Peaks Bible Fellowship
Our primary purpose is to uphold the truths of the Word of God.
I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the
household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and
support of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15)
Our primary responsibility is to equip the saints for the work of ministry.
And He gave some as apostles, andsome as prophets, and some as evangelists,
and some as pastors and teachers, forthe equipping of the saints for the work
of service, to the building up of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-12)

JOHN MACARTHUR
Let's open our Bibles to 2 Thessalonians chapter1. Jesus Christis coming
back. Thatclimactic reality is the theme of the text before us. The
Thessalonians were enduring persecutionas Christians. They were under
pressure. And they had been faithful and persevering and steadfast. The
persecutionwas intensifying. In order to encourage them to continuing
endurance, Paul reminds them of the coming of Jesus Christ, their greathope.
Notice verse 6. "Forafter all, it is only just for Godto repay with affliction
those who afflict you and to give relief to those who are afflicted and to us as
well, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealedfrom heaven with His mighty
angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God
and to those who do not obey the gospelofour Lord Jesus. And these will pay
the penalty of eternaldestruction, awayfrom the presence ofthe Lord and
from the glory of His powerwhen He comes to be glorified in His saints on
that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed. Forour
testimony to you was believed."
The keystatement in this text is in verse 7, "The Lord Jesus shallbe
revealed." The Lord Jesus shallbe revealed. Verse 10 says it in a briefer
way, "WhenHe comes." The SecondComing of Jesus Christis then the
theme here. Ever and always the Christian reads the Scripture and it points
to the climax of history being the return of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus, as
He is calledthere in verse 7, is now at the right hand of God. He has been
exalted as the sovereignLord of the church, as the faithful High Priestunto
God for His people. But the day is coming when He shall be revealed.
Currently He is hidden. He is so much hidden now that the majority of the
world probably believes that He is not even alive. But He shall be revealed.
Presentlywe love Him though we have not seenHim. Some day we will see
Him and love Him fully.
Now when Paul speaks aboutthe Lord Jesus, he speaks aboutHis revelation
and His coming. In verse 10 he speaks aboutthe factthat He is coming. The
coming of Jesus Christ, or as Paul likes to use the Greek word, the parousia,

primarily is relatedto believers. The common term that Paul uses in
discussing the return of Christ is parousia, and it means the coming or the
arrival or the presence. And most of the time Paul uses that because mostof
the time He is referring to the coming of Christ in relationship to Christians.
In that sense it is a coming of One whom we know. It is the arrival of One
whom we love. It is the presence ofOne that we have come into relationship
with. And so there's a sense in which Jesus Christ is not hidden to us. We
have not seenHim but we know Him. We have not seenHim but we love
Him. And with the eye of faith and the illuminating ministry of the Spirit of
God, we know Him. We know Him by a comprehensionof the Old Testament
prophecies. We know Him by comprehensionof the gospelrecord. We know
Him by the elucidation of the epistles. We know Him in anticipation by that
which is in the book of Revelationwhich is made clearto us by the ministry of
the Spirit of God.
So there's a sense in which when we look at the return of Christ, it is for us a
coming. It is for us an arrival. It is for us the presence of one who is already
known to us. But for unbelievers, it is an apocalypse. Itis an apokalupsis, it is
an unveiling, it is the appearing of someone whom they have not known, who
is hidden to them.
And so, when Paul choosesto use the word apokalupsis or “unveiling,” he has
in mind primarily the coming of Jesus Christ to a world that does not know
Him, does not see Him, does not perceive Him. The word then "shallbe
revealed" in verse 7 is apokalupsis. The Lord Jesus shallbe unveiled. The
Lord Jesus shallbe made visible. The One who has been hidden will come out
into the open. The One who has lived in secretwill be made public.
Now this word "unveiling" also is used by Paul a number of times to refer to
Scripture. Scripture is also an apokalupsis, it's a revelation, it's a disclosure
of what otherwise would be hidden. But here he's not talking about the
Scripture, the written Word, he's talking about Christ the living Word. And
because he wants to emphasize the coming of Christ in relationship to non-
believers, as well as believers, he chooses thatbroader term of the unveiling,
or the revealing of the One who to the world has been up to now hidden. So
Paul is promising what one commentatorcalled"a supernatural invasion

from outer space." Emphasizes the unveiling aspectbecause Jesus is going to
be other than the world imagines and He is going to do other than the world
imagines. When Jesus comes the secondtime, He will come in full, unveiled,
divine glory. He will come as the sovereignKing of kings and Lord of lords to
rule the earth with a rod of iron, as we saw in the psalm earlier, and to crush
His enemies like a clay pot.
The first time He came, the reality of who He was, was hidden. In fact, in
John 1 it says, "The world knew Him not." And they still don't. The second
time He comes He will not be hidden, He will be revealed, and the world will
see Him. Every eye will see Him and everyone will know exactly who He is.
Were you to have gone into the stable in Bethlehem and lookedinto the crib,
you would have seena baby. There would have been nothing in that baby's
form to have revealedto you who it was. Were you to have lived in a village
calledNazareth and to have knowna carpenter and his wife by the name of
Josephand Mary and their boy by the name of Jesus, youwould have seena
boy, perhaps an unusual boy, but there was nothing you would have seenin
Him that would have revealedto you who He really was, the creatorof the
universe. Were you to have been on those hillsides and along those dusty
paths in Galilee ordown in Judea when Jesus was ministering as an adult, you
would have seena man, you would have heard a man, a man who walkedand
talkedand slept, a man who ate, and you would have not knownby looking at
that man who He was, for it was veiled. Were you to have seenand heard
Him teaching, no matter how profound the things that He said, there would
have been nothing on the surface to have proven to you that this was an
eternal being, the God of creation. Were you to have stoodon a hillside called
Golgotha and watcheda man nailed to a cross, bloodstreaming from His
body, there would have been nothing that you would have seenwith your
visual eye that would have indicated to you that this was eternal Godwho
could never die.
That's because the first time He came He was veiled. The first time He came
the reality of the fullness of His personwas hidden. The next time He comes,
it won't be. The next time there will be no Bethlehem, there will be no stable,
there will be no manger, there will be no carpentershop, there will be no

humble village. There will be no poverty, no dusty roads to walk, no sinners
to attack Him and grieve Him, no false religious leaders to oppose Him.
There will be no demons who will stalk His steps, no soldiers to pound nails
into His hands and thorns into His brow. There will be no spearrun into His
side. There will be no cross, notthe next time. The next time He comes it is
the unveiling. There will be no humble form. There will be no servant form.
There will be no human form alone, but only that glorified God-Man in full
blazing Shekinahpresence.
It never ceasesto amaze me how false religious leaders throughout all of
history continue to claim that they are the Messiah. Jesus saidmany false
christs will come. And they do and they come along and they announce that
they are Jesus Christ returning. But they, frankly, don't come even remotely
close to demonstrating the kind of unveiling that will occurwhen the real
Christ comes back. So much so that the whole world will know who He is. So
you canchalk it up. No Messiah, no claimant to the Messianic title, no Christ
or claimant to be Christ is who he claims unless the whole world knows it.
Now the apocalypse is describedhere by three prepositional phrases. The
coming of Jesus Christ is describedsimply as "from heaven," "with His
mighty angels," and"in flaming fire." That is not a description of what He
does, that is a descriptionof what He is in His appearing. And if we just look
at those three we can see something of the wonderof this great event. First of
all, it says, "The Lord Jesus shallbe revealedfrom heaven." Obviously the
first time He came He came from heaven but He came through the miracle of
birth and there was no ability to see Him moving from heaven to earth. The
next time He comes it will be visibly. He will come from heaven. Acts chapter
1 verse 9 records the ascensionofJesus at the end of His ministry on earth,
when He left. It says, "He was lifted up while they were looking on and a
cloud receivedHim out of their sight." They were there on the Mount of
Olives talking with the Lord, His disciples, and all of a sudden He beganto
ascendand He was lifted up all the way to heaven as a cloud received Him out
of their sight.
Two angels appearin verse 11 and tell them this, "Jesus,the same one who
has been takenup from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you

have watchedHim go into heaven." Visibly, physically, in a cloud, He went.
Visibly, physically, in a cloud He will return. He ascendedinto heaven.
Hebrews chapter 1 tells us that having gone into heavenHe “satdown at the
right hand of the majesty on High.” He took His place at the right hand,
that's the powerside of God, on the throne of God. Hebrews 8:1: "He took
His seatat the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens." A
minister in the sanctuary. He took His place in God's heavenly holy temple,
sitting at the right hand of God. That's where He is right now. He is there
interceding for us. He is there functioning at the Father's right hand.
Now the Thessalonians knew this. Chapter 1 of 1 Thessalonians, itsays that
Paul told them, "I know you are waiting for His Son from heaven." They
knew that Jesus had ascendedinto heaven. Theyknew He was coming back
from heaven and that's the way He will come. John 14 says that He is there
now also preparing a place for us so that He can come and get us and take us
to be with Him in heaven, which He calls the Father's house.
The Lord then, is in heaven. And He will come to earth from heaven. If you
study the SecondComing of Christ you will study some of the amazing,
amazing things that take place at that very juncture. In Matthew 24:30 you
will read that when all the earth has gone dark because allof the stars and
celestialbodies have been turned down to zero and everything is but blackness
and Revelationtalks about the same thing, at that particular point the sign of
the Sonof Man appears in heaven. That's where He's coming from.
Secondlyit says, He not only comes from heaven, but He comes with His
mighty angels. And this too is a common description of the coming of Christ
to any Bible student. When He comes back He's not coming by Himself. He's
coming, literally the Greek says, "Withthe angels of His power." The word
"His" the pronoun "His" modifies power, not angels. It is not His mighty
angels, technically, it is the angels of His power. The point being that angels
are not in themselves powerful but are only instruments through which the
powerthat He has is mediated, manifest, revealedor displayed. He comes
with the angels who manifest His power, angels having powerdelegatedto
them by Him, mediated through them to accomplishHis purposes.

Now I need to just mention a couple of things so that you'll understand this.
When it says "He comes with angels,"it doesn't mean there's going to be two
or three of them with Him. It means that there's going to be a massive
number of them, well might include all of the holy angels. We shouldn't be
surprised to see angels returning with Jesus Christ since in the Old Testament
at various times when God appeared, angels also appearedwith Him. If you
go back, for example, into Genesis and you will remember when God came to
visit Abraham, He brought with Him some angels. Youwill remember when
you move into the book of Exodus chapter 19 as God comes to bring the law, it
is with angels in Exodus 19:13, 16 and 19. The presence of Godis
accompaniedby powerful trumpet blasts, no doubt being blown by some
angelic creature.
As God moves in the Old TestamentHe does not move alone. Psalm68 is a
very, very important text in this regard. Verse 17, it says, "The chariots of
God... The chariots of God are ten thousand times ten thousand and
thousands upon thousands. The Lord is among them as at Sinai in holiness."
When God moves, He moves among angels, ten thousand times ten thousand
and thousands of thousands of them. He is among them as at Sinai when He
gave the law in holiness.
So in the Old TestamentGod moved in the company of thousands and
thousands of angels. And by the way, the reasonit says "ten thousand times
ten thousand and thousands of thousands," and it says it againin the New
Testament, is because ancientlanguages didn't count higher than that. Today
the writer might use a different expressionwere he to want to generally
enumerate the vast number of holy angels. We don't know the exactnumber,
but God moves among His holy angels.
In the New Testament, Jesus atHis appearing will be accompaniedin the
same way. Again I comment on Matthew chapter24 because it's essentialto
this text. The signof the Son of Man appears in the sky, all the tribes of the
earth mourn, they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the skywith
powerand greatglory and He'll send forth His angels and they move to
gather the electfrom the four corners of the earth.

In chapter 25 of Matthew, further in the sermon on His own SecondComing,
Jesus says, "Whenthe Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with
Him." That's why I say, it is possible that the "all" means all the angels.
Some would argue that it might mean all the angels that are with Him are
with Him, others might argue that it might mean all the angels that are with
Him are all the angels there are. But He's going to be coming with all the
angels.
Matthew chapter 16 Jesus basicallysays essentiallythe very same thing.
Verse 27; "The Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Fatherwith
His angels." In chapter 13 you'll remember that those parables that talk
about the kingdom and the judgment at the end of the kingdom have the
angels involved in the reaping, Mark 8:38, passagesin Luke.
So God appears in the Old Testamentin the company of His angels. Christ
appears at His SecondComing in the New Testamentin the company of His
angels. In His humiliation, that was veiled. In His humiliation, do you
remember, He said, "If I wanted to I could call for a legion of angels." ButHe
had chosenin His humiliation not to be attended by angels, with the exception
of the time, you'll remember, that He was tempted by Satan after forty days of
fasting and the Father sentsome angels to minister to Him. But that was
because He came veiled, He came alone, He came in humiliation. The next
time He comes as God in full blazing glory, accompaniedby all the angels.
Thirdly, it says He comes not only from heaven with His mighty angels, but in
flaming fire. Again note there will be fire in the judgment which He affects,
but that is not the fire spokenof here initially. This is the fire of His coming,
or the fire of His presence, or the fire of His glory, not the holocaustas
describedsay in 2 Peter, chapter 3 verse 10 when the elements melt with
fervent heat at the heat of His fury, the fire of His judgment. This fire of His
presence becomes the fire of His judgment, but here the apostle Pauldescribes
the glorious Shekinahblazing light of His emanating presence, His holy fire.
The kind of fire that you see in the Holy Spirit's arrival at Pentecost, as cloven
tongues of fire, as it were, settleddown on an individual. That fire which
represents the presence of God, not necessarilythe judgment of God. It is the
same kind of fire that Moses sawin Exodus chapter 3, verse 2 when the angel

of the Lord came and was presentin the bush, perhaps a pre-incarnate
appearance ofChrist, and it was a flaming fire and the bush was not
consumed. It is that fire which does not consume but is the emanating glory
of His holy presence. Itis that same fire in Exodus chapter 19 verses 16 to 20
that appears as God moves down on the mount to put forth His law. It is that
fire of Deuteronomychapter 5 and verse 4. And perhaps you can sum it all up
in Psalm 104:4 in the description that the psalmist gives there which includes
God's presence as fire. He says, "He makes the winds His messengers,
flaming fire His ministers." Godis associatedwith fire. He moves in a blaze,
as it were.
Now there is a time and there is a place where that flaming essence becomes a
consuming judgment. The burning holy fire becomes a burning judgment
fire. But here it is an indication of His deity. Here we find Jesus Christ being
presentedas God. That's the point here. The Lord Jesus coming from heaven
where He has been seatedonthe very throne of God, coming with mighty
angels, which means He moves in the same company that God moves in,
coming in flaming Shekinah, blazing glory.
What Paul is saying here is that in every sense this is God, the Son, returning.
He comes from heaven where God dwells. He comes with mighty angels who
are God's ministers. He comes in flaming fire which is the manifest essence of
God's own glory.
And I just point up to you again, there are always foolishpeople who deny the
deity of Jesus Christ and yet when you look at the Word of God, you see a text
like this that is such a powerful indicator of His deity, as Paul moves easily
from things that are true about God in the Old Testamentto saying the same
things are true about Jesus in the New. And there's no need to somehow try
to explain all of that. He just easilywith facility attributes to Jesus exactly
what has always beenattributed to God. Thus does Paul remind us that when
Jesus comes, He comes as Godand revealedas God.
We live in the light of that greatreality. As Christians, that is our shining
hope. And Paul is saying to the Thessalonians, "Look, no matter what you go
through, look to this greatevent and be encouraged." Jesusis coming in

unimaginable power, in unbelievable, inexplicable glory with His angels and
everyone is going to see Him at His unveiling.
Beloved, this is not speculation. This is not wishful thinking. This is not
dreaming. This is prewritten history. Now this event will produce two results,
two results. Verse 6: "It is only just for God to repay." Verse 7: "And to give
relief." Verse 8: "Dealing out retribution." Verse 10: "To be glorified in His
saints." You see the two things?
Let's sum them up in two words: Reliefand retribution, relief and retribution.
This whole passage fromverse 6 to 10 collects around those two poles. You
see, whenthe apostle John in chapter 10 of Revelationwas having a vision
about future judgment, in this vision he ate a book, a book about judgment
and it was both sweetand bitter. Sweet, becausewhenJesus comes and sets
up His glorious kingdom, that is relief to the saints. Bitter, because whenHe
comes it is retribution to the ungodly. And that is the SecondComing of
Christ. It is relief, it is retribution.
Those of us who are Christians understand the relief part. Notice in verse 7,
"To give relief." That word "relief," anesis, has the idea of the absence of
tension, the absence oftrial. It means to let up. It's the word a Greek would
use if he bent his bow and releasedthe string, relaxed it, relief from pressure,
relief from trials, relief from hardship, relief from sin. Some translators even
translate it with the word "peace." Thatis not the most common translation
but that certainly expressessomething of the sense of it. Some would translate
it "rest." That's the idea.
When Jesus comes for some people it will be relief. Deathwill be done with.
Sin will be over with in terms of their life. Sorrow will be gone. All will be joy
and blessedness. There willbe no problems, no pain, no suffering, no disease;
relief. The tightness of life, the pressure, the tension, the squeeze will be
relaxed in eternal joy.
But for others: Retribution. And while Paul is telling the Thessalonians to
endure and persevere and wait for relief, he can't just give that side, he has to
turn it over and tell the whole story. And so he says, "God's going to repay,"

in verse 6. And then in verse 8, "Dealing out retribution." And then in verse
9, "These willpay the penalty."
The word "retribution" is kind of a big word. You know what it means? To
pay back, basically, with vengeance, to punish. That's exactlywhat's going to
happen when Jesus comes. ForChristians, relief;no more injustice, no more
sin, no more persecution, no more suffering, no more trials, no more sorrow,
no more sickness, no more death. Fornon-Christians, very different, just the
eternal escalationofevery imaginable pain, retribution.
Does that seeminconsistentwith your understanding of Jesus Christ? To you,
what is Jesus Christ like? You canhandle the part that He could come back
and bring relief, but canyou handle the part that He's going to come back and
bring retribution? The word “retribution” there in verse 8 basicallymeans
along with the way it's expressed, giving full vengeance, giving complete
punishment. And it reminds us that no view of Godor Christ is correctunless
you understand what it says in Isaiah66 verse 15, "The Lord is the avenger."
The Lord will bring vengeance onsinners, on those who rejectHim and His
Word. In Isaiah59:17 it describes God. "He put on righteousness like a
breastplate, He put on a helmet of salvationon His head, and He put on
garments of vengeance forclothing." Pretty strong. Ezekiel25:14 speaks
about God, the God of vengeance pouring out vengeance onEdom. God is a
God of vengeance.
Now this vengeance is not like the unruly, hostile, selfish, sinful passionthat
makes human beings seek to injure others. It is not sinful vengeance. When
we seek vengeanceforour own personalreasons out of our ownpersonal
passions becausewe have been offended, such vengeance is not just because
we are not so holy as God, because we are not omniscient and cannotknow
motives, because we are not perfect and cannotrender perfectjudgment. And
so the Bible says, "Leave vengeanceto God." It is true we can be wrong. It is
true we are wrong. But it is also mandated that we seek no vengeance.
In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:38 to 48 Jesus deals with
vengeance. He says, "If someone slaps you, let them slapyou again. If
someone takes a piece of your clothing, give them another piece. If someone

asks you to go a mile, go another mile." Whateveryour enemies do to you,
don't persecute them, love them in return. You're not to take vengeance. I'll
do that. There will be a day for that. There will be a time for that. And when
it happens it will be done right. Romans 3:5, "The God who inflicts wrath is
not unrighteous." The man, on the other hand, who afflicts wrath inevitably
is unrighteous. But not God, leave it to Him.
His vengeance is not the vengeance ofincited passion. It is not the vengeance
of the surge of emotion. It is the settled actionof perfect, just holiness. And in
verse 9 he says, "And these will pay the penalty." That's a promise, folks.
That's an absolute promise. Theywill pay. There is no escape. Itwill
happen. It is deserved. It will come. Godis a God of vengeance. There is no
way to escape that.
Maybe one way to look at it that puts a little window for you to see Godmore
clearly would be to see it this way. Before sin there would be no need for
vengeance. Hadthere been no sin it never would have been manifest. In the
Psalms you read things like this, "The righteous will rejoice when he sees the
vengeance. He will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. Godwill shatter
the heads of His enemies. Add to them punishment upon punishment. May
they have no acquittal from Thee." The psalmistprays, "Return seven-fold
into the bosom of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted
Thee, oh Lord." He prays, "Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor
any pity to his fatherless children." "Happy shall he be who takes your little
ones and dashes them againstthe rock." "Do notI hate them that hate Thee,
oh Lord,” he says, “and do not I loathe them that rise up againstThee. I hate
them with perfect hatred. I count them my enemies." So says the psalmist in
a righteous mood.
John Wenham, a writer in England, wrote a book calledThe Goodness of
God, says, "Earlierthis year fourteen church study groups in Woodford
lookedat the Old TestamentPsalms and concluded that eight-four of them
were not fit for Christians to sing. Too much vengeance,too much fury, too
much wrath."

Jesus was to be revealed in blazing fire

Jesus was to be revealed in blazing fire

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