2 Tessalonicenses 1
Steven Cole · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Tessalonicenses 1
Cole - The idea in verse 5 is not that suffering somehow qualifies us for being worthy of God’s kingdom. That would make salvation a matter of human works or merit. Rather, persevering in suffering is an evidence that God is working in us, preparing us for His eternal kingdom, when we will escape His righteous judgment through the blood of Christ, but unbelievers will be judged (Sermon) you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God - The NET version is not the best "To make you worthy of the kingdom of God” The idea is not to MAKE them worthy but to COUNT (deem, declare) them worthy. The idea is that in that they would be reckoned or declared worthy. Who is worthy of the Kingdom of God? Jesus says it is one who has been born again (John 3:3+), so when a person suffers in this world and supernaturally endures, he is shown to be a genuine believer, worthy of entering the Kingdom of God. In short, the perseverance and faith of the saints at Thessalonica are clear demonstration that on that future judgment day they will be found "worthy." Note that that will not be considered or counted worthy because they merited or earned that designation. They will be shown worthy (to enter the future Kingdom of God - in the same way they were saved (initially entered the Kingdom of God), by grace through faith. As Leon
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Cole adds "“Those who do not know God” does not refer to people who are innocently ignorant (ED: NO ONE IS INNOCENTLY IGNORANT BECAUSE OF GOD'S NATURAL REVELATION!), but rather to those who have willfully turned away from the revelation that God has given them. They have suppressed the truth in unrighteousness (Ro 1:18+). As Paul argues (Ro 1:20+), God has clearly revealed His invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature through His creation. He adds (Ro 1:21+), “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” So people who do not know God are culpable. They do not know God because of the hardness of their hearts (Eph. 4:18+). Because they love their sin, such willfully ignorant people “do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Th 1:8). Jesus preached (Mark 1:15+), “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” It wasn’t a helpful hint; it was a command. Paul told the Athenian philosophers (Acts 17:30-31+), “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” To repent and believe the gospel is to obey the gospel. Because it is “the gospel of our Lord Jesus,” believing the gospel entails obeying the Lord Jesus Christ. John 3:36+ equates believing in Jesus with obeying Jesus: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” Paul referred to “the obedience of faith” (Ro 1:5+; Ro 16:26+; cf. Acts 6:7+) (ED: SEE DISCUSSION OF "OBEDIENCE OF FAITH"). If someone claims to believe in Jesus as Savior but he isn’t submitting to Jesus as Lord, his claim is questionable. Those who (CONTINUALLY) live in disobedience to the Lord Jesus do not know Him and will face His judgment. So how can they know God in Romans and not know God in 2 Thessalonians? The simple answer is they ALL know Who God is from his natural revelation but they do not know who Christ is from His special revelation, the Gospel. In short they have no personal relationship with God the Father through Christ the Son enabled by God the Spirit. They know HIm as God but cannot truly call Him their Father (cf John 1:12-14+). In the context of the persecution in Thessalonica, there were both Gentile and Jewish adversaries, and strictly speaking the latter did have access to the special revelation in the Old Testament, but they failed to see (and obey) the Gospel of our Lord Christ which was present in those writings (cf Ge 3:15+ = the protoevangelium). Paul made it clear that "The Scripture (REFERS TO THE OLD TESTAMENT) foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” (Gal 3:8+) and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus - Obey is in the present tense so what Paul is saying is that these individuals habitually do not obey or generally do not obey the truths propounded in the Gospel. To obey the gospel is the same as believing the truths of the gospel by receiving them. The only one who could continually obey the gospel is one who had a circumcised heart and thus a new God given motivation to please God (Php 2:13+, Ezek 36:27+). John associates obedience with belief writing “He who believes (present tense) in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey (present tense) the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”(John 3:36+). Let's look at one example in Romans 8:12-14+ which shows those who in their daily practice do not obey and those who do obey the Gospel. Paul writes... So then, brethren, we (BELIEVERS) are under obligation, not to the flesh (SINFUL, FALLEN FLESH WHICH TEMPTS US AND TRIES TO ATTAIN RULERSHIP IN OUR LIFE), to live according to the flesh– 13 for (TERM OF EXPLANATION - PAUL EXPLAINS TWO DISTINCT LIFESTYLES) if you are living (PRESENT TENSE - HABITUALLY, CONTINUALLY) according to the flesh, you must (OR ARE ABOUT TO) die (THIS GROUP IS AN EXAMPLE OF THOSE WHO DO NOT OBEY THE GOSPEL); but (THE STRIKING CONTRAST) if by the Spirit (RELIANCE ON HIS SUPERNATURAL POWER) you are putting to death (PRESENT TENSE - AS YOUR GENERAL PRACTICE) the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led (PRESENT TENSE - HABITUALLY, CONTINUALLY) by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (THOSE WHO DO NOT OBEY THE GOSPEL ARE NOT CONTINUALLY LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD AND ARE NOT "SONS OF GOD" - IN OTHER WORDS THEY DO NOT KNOW GOD!) Obey (5219)(hupakouo from hupó = under and has the idea of submission + akoúo physical hearing and apprehension of something with the mind - akouo gives us our English acoustics - the science of design which helps one hear) (Click related noun hupakoe) literally means "under the hearing" or to listen under, listening with attentiveness and then responding positively to what is heard -- to obey what is heard. The sense is that one understands and responds accordingly. Hupakouo implies really listening with a readiness to execute (obey) what is requested or ordered. Gospel (2098)(euaggelion from eú = good + aggéllo = proclaim, tell) is literally good news or glad tidings. In secular Greek it originally referred to a reward for good news and later became the good news itself. The word euaggelion was commonly used in the first century as our words "good news" today. The idea then and now is something like this - “Have you any good news (euaggelion) for me today?” This was a common question in the ancient world. In ancient secular Greek euaggelion described good news of any kind and prior to the writing of the New Testament, had no definite religious connotation in the ancient world until it was taken over by the "Cult of Caesar" which was the state religion and in which the emperor was worshipped as a god (see more discussion of this use below). Our English word Gospel is from the Old English or Saxon word gōdspell (gōd = good + spell = message) which is literally "good tale, message". When I was a young man Godspell was actually the name of a popular musical play (See description). I wonder if they really understood the meaning of this word which is the very foundation stone of Christianity. The writers of the New Testament adapted the term Gospel as God's glorious message of salvation for lost otherwise hopeless, helpless sinners. Euaggelion is found in several combination phrases, each describing the gospel like a multifaceted jewel in various terms from a different viewpoint (from the NASB, 1977): the gospel of the kingdom (Mt 4:23+, Mt 9:35+, Mt 24:14+) the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mk 1:1+) because it centers in Christ the gospel of God (Mk 1:14+, Ro 15:16+, 2Co 11:7+, 1Th 2:2+, 1Th 2:8,9+, 1Pe 4:17+) because it originates with God and was not invented by man the gospel of the kingdom of God (Lu 16:16+) the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24+, Ro 1:1+), the gospel of His Son (Ro 1:9+) the gospel of Christ (Ro 15:19+, 2Co 2:12+, 2Co 9:13+, 2Co 10:14+, Gal 1:7+, Phil 1:27+, 1Th 3:2+) the gospel of the glory of Christ (2Co 4:4+) the gospel of your salvation (Eph 1:14+) the gospel of peace (Eph 6:15+) the gospel of our Lord Jesus (2Th 1:8+) the glorious gospel of the blessed God (1Ti 1:11+) In Ro 16:25, 26+ Paul called it “my Gospel” indicating that the special emphasis he gave the gospel in his ministry. An eternal gospel - Rev 14:6+ (Some writers such as C I Scofield interpret this as a "different gospel" than the other "gospels" mentioned above but I think such a distinction is incorrect and is poorly substantiated). For a rewarding study, study the preceding references in context making notation of the truth you observe about the gospel. If you would like a special blessing, take an afternoon to go through all 76 uses of euaggelion in context making a list of what you learn about the gospel. The Spirit of God will enlighten your heart and encourage your spirit in a very special way...and you'll want to share the "good news" with someone because of your "discoveries"! Euaggelion - Matt. 4:23; Matt. 9:35; Matt. 24:14; Matt. 26:13; Mk. 1:1; Mk. 1:14; Mk. 1:15; Mk. 8:35; Mk. 10:29; Mk. 13:10; Mk. 14:9; Mk. 16:15; Acts 15:7; Acts 20:24; Rom. 1:1; Rom. 1:9; Rom. 1:16; Rom. 2:16; Rom. 10:16; Rom. 11:28; Rom. 15:16; Rom. 15:19; Rom. 16:25; 1 Co. 4:15; 1 Co. 9:12; 1 Co. 9:14; 1 Co. 9:18; 1 Co. 9:23; 1 Co. 15:1; 2 Co. 2:12; 2 Co. 4:3; 2 Co. 4:4; 2 Co. 8:18; 2 Co. 9:13; 2 Co. 10:14; 2 Co. 11:4; 2 Co. 11:7; Gal. 1:6; Gal. 1:7; Gal. 1:11; Gal. 2:2; Gal. 2:5; Gal. 2:7; Gal. 2:14; Eph. 1:13; Eph. 3:6; Eph. 6:15; Eph. 6:19; Phil. 1:5; Phil. 1:7; Phil. 1:12; Phil. 1:16; Phil. 1:27; Phil. 2:22; Phil. 4:3; Phil. 4:15; Col. 1:5; Col. 1:23; 1 Thess. 1:5; 1 Thess. 2:2; 1 Thess. 2:4; 1 Thess. 2:8; 1 Thess. 2:9; 1 Thess. 3:2; 2 Thess. 1:8; 2 Thess. 2:14; 1 Tim. 1:11; 2 Tim. 1:8; 2 Tim. 1:10; 2 Tim. 2:8; Phlm. 1:13; 1 Pet. 4:17; Rev. 14:6 PRACTICAL APPLICATION - The tragedy of this verse is that in their self-deception many even today (even in so-called evangelical circles-see this article) claim to know Christ and even claim to obey His Gospel but will one day be shocked by the words of the Lord Jesus... Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ (THIS WOULD IMPLY THEY THINK THEY "KNOW" HIM) will enter the kingdom of heaven (BE GENUINELY SAVED), but he who does (present tense = as their general lifestyle = direction, not perfection) the will of My Father Who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many (NOTE THIS ADJECTIVE - NOT "FEW") will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ (THEY CLAIM THEY HAD "RELIGIOUS WORKS" AND THEY MAY HAVE) 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never (AT ANY TIME) knew you; DEPART (COMMAND TO BE OBEYED IMMEDIATELY!) FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE (present tense = as their general lifestyle) LAWLESSNESS (WHICH IS SIN - 1 John 3:4+).’ (Mt 7:21-23+) Related Resources: What is general revelation and special revelation? | GotQuestions.org 2 Thessalonians 1:9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, NET 2 Thessalonians 1:9 They will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength, NLT 2 Thessalonians 1:9 They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. ESV 2 Thessalonians 1:9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, NIV 2 Thessalonians 1:9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power GNT 2 Thessalonians 1:9 οἵτινες δίκην τίσουσιν ὄλεθρον αἰώνιον ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ, KJV 2 Thessalonians 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; YLT 2 Thessalonians 1:9 who shall suffer justice -- destruction age-during -- from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength, ASV 2 Thessalonians 1:9 who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, CSB 2 Thessalonians 1:9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord's presence and from His glorious strength NKJ 2 Thessalonians 1:9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, NRS 2 Thessalonians 1:9 These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, NAB 2 Thessalonians 1:9 These will pay the penalty of eternal ruin, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, NJB 2 Thessalonians 1:9 Their punishment is to be lost eternally, excluded from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength GWN 2 Thessalonians 1:9 They will pay the penalty by being destroyed forever, by being separated from the Lord's presence and from his glorious power. Will pay the penalty: Isa 33:14 Isa 66:24 Da 12:2 Mt 25:41,46 26:24 Mk 9:43-49 Lu 16:25,26 Joh 5:14 Php 3:19 Heb 10:29 2Pe 2:17 3:7 Jude 1:13 Rev 14:10,11 20:14 21:8 22:15 away from the presence of the Lord: Ge 3:8 4:16 Job 21:14 22:17 Ps 16:11 51:11 Mt 7:23 22:13 25:41 Lu 13:27 the glory: 2Th 2:8 De 33:2 Isa 2:10,19,21 Mt 16:27 24:30 Tit 2:13 *Gr: Rev 20:11 2 Thessalonians 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries ETERNAL PUNISHMENT -- NOT ANNIHILATION BUT RUINATION! These - Those who do not know God and who do not obey the Gospel of the Lord Jesus. In short, every unregenerate soul. In context, this sad truth would serve to encourage the saints at Thessalonica not to seek retaliation against those who persecute them. They could rest fully assured that a payday was coming someday for their persecutors and therefore they needed to leave room for the wrath of God (Ro 12:19+). Will pay the penalty of eternal destruction - The verb will pay (tino) is used only here in the Bible and speaks of a penalty and in regard to punishment means to undergo it or to experience retribution. Tino means means to pay a price by way of recompense (as when one settles a debt), and in this case will be an eternal recompense. It is worth noting that the Greek word for penalty (dike - see below) comes from the same root as the word righteous (dikaios), the implication being that the penalty is right and is deserved by those penalized! The punishment meted out meets God's standard fo perfect justice!
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Cole says the phrase “away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,” comes from the LXX of Isaiah 2:10, 19, 21+, where it is repeated three times. Each time, Isaiah adds the description, “from the terror of the Lord and the majesty of His power.”....All of this tells us that hell is not going to be a wild, eternal party, as the world often portrays it! All of the language of the Bible indicates that hell will be eternal, awful, conscious torment. No one spoke more about hell than Jesus. He spoke of the rich man in hell who was in torment and cried out (Lk 16:24), “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.” Using the imagery of Isaiah 66:24, Jesus also referred to hell as, “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mk 9:48). If you ask, “Are the flames of hell literal?” my answer is, “I don’t know, but I don’t want to find out!” The language Jesus used is horrifying! He repeatedly referred to the final state of unbelievers as the place of “outer darkness,” where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30). Some try to argue that “eternal” in the Bible doesn’t always mean “forever and ever.” But Jesus referred to it (Mt. 25:41) as “the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” He added (Mt. 25:46), “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” If eternal life lasts forever, then eternal punishment must also be forever. We dare not use softer language than our Savior did with regard to the eternal punishment of those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus! There is nothing but really bad news for all who reject Jesus Christ! Isaiah 59:2 says "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear." “Heaven is primarily the presence of God. Hell is the loss of that presence.” -- E J Bickness Presence (face) (4383)(prosopon from pros = towards + ops = eye, the part around the eye and so the face) means literally toward the eye or face. TDNT - The basic sense of prosopon is “face,” “countenance.” Glory (1391)(doxa from dokeo = to think) in simple terms means to give a proper opinion or estimate of something. Glory is something that is a source of honor, fame, or admiration. It describes renown, a thing that is beautiful, impressive, or worthy of praise. It follows that the glory of the Lord expresses all that He is in His Being and in His nature, character, power and acts. He is glorified when He is allowed to be seen as He really is and only believers will be privileged to witness this incredible resplendent display of His glory. To be where God is will be glory. To be what God intended will be glory. To do what God purposed will be glory. I like the way Puritan writer Thomas Watson described God's glory - Glory is the sparkling of the Deity… We may see God's glory blazing in the sun and twinkling in the stars (Ps 19:1)… A sight of God's glory humbles. The stars vanish when the sun appears." Little wonder that Revelation 22:5+ says "need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they (ALL BELIEVERS) will reign forever and ever." Glory of God expresses the sum total of the divine perfections. -- Marvin Vincent Power (2479)(ischus) (see note by Wayne Barber ischus) refers to “power as an enduement.” Ischus is the inherent ability which stresses the factuality of the ability, not necessarily the accomplishment. Ischus is inherent power or force. A muscular man’s big muscles display his might, even if he doesn’t use them. It is the reserve of strength. Ischus therefore conveys the sense of endowed power or ability. The idea is that it is the active efficacy of the might that is inherent in God, His indwelling strength. Ischus is that strength which one has in possession or ability. One might think of ischus as God's latent power. It is His capability to function effectively. He is able! Generally it may be said that while both ischus and dunamis include the idea of manifestation or of power in action, ischus emphasizes the outward, physical manifestations, and dunamis the inward, spiritual or moral virtue.
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Cole comments that "We will marvel at the glory of the Lord and give Him all praise when we see Him. But also, as His bride adorned for the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:5–8), we will actually share His glory throughout all eternity!" Ray Stedman on to be marveled at - He describes the glory of Jesus that will be seen "in his saints," and the way they cause people to marvel at what God has done in human lives. It is not Jesus himself and his glory that is described, but the saints reflecting the glory of Jesus. That is what causes the whole universe to marvel. That is what Paul is describing in this wonderful picture. The Apostle John says in his first letter, "It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is," (1 John 3:2). That is what Paul calls in Chapter 8 of Romans, "the day of the manifestation of the sons of God," (Romans 8:19 KJV). When the curtain is lifted on what God has been doing with his people through all these years, how he has been changing them inside, at last the world will see what God has been accomplishing. I remember singing as a young Christian, Holy, holy, holy, is what the angels sing, And I expect to help them make the courts of heaven ring. But when we sing redemption's story, they must fold their wings, For angels never felt the joy that our salvation brings. There is a glory, a joy, that only the redeemed know. That marvelous manifestation of the grace and glory of God will be evident in those who have been changed by his grace. That is what this day is describing. (Sermon) Matthew
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Cole adds that "It is significant that in writing to new believers who were going through persecution, Paul never writes, “I pray that your persecution will end soon.” Rather, his prayers are focused on their growth in godliness and on the furtherance of God’s kingdom and glory through their perseverance in persecution." TWO PRAYER SATURATED EPISTLES - As an aside you might want to review all of the many times Paul prays or alludes to prayer in these two short epistles to the Thessalonians - 2 Th 1:11; 1 Th 1:2; 1 Th 2:13; 1 Th 3:9–13; 1 Th 5:17; 1 Th 5:23; 1 Th 5:25; 2 Th 1:3; 2 Th. 1:11–12;: 2 Th. 2:13; 2 Th 2:16–17; 2 Th. 3:1–2; 2 Th. 3:5; 2 Ths. 3:16: Steven Cole observes that "In our text, Paul prays that God will do what it is certain that He will do, namely, that He will be glorified in these believers when Jesus returns. In Philippians 1:6+, Paul wrote, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” So, if Paul was confident that God would perfect those whom He called to salvation, why did he pray for that very thing? This is the mystery of interaction between God’s sovereignty and our responsibility. Why pray, if God has predestined everything? Why witness, if God has already chosen who will believe? It’s really no different, though, than the request in the Lord’s Prayer, “Your kingdom come.” God has predestined that Christ’s kingdom will come. But He tells us to pray that it will happen. Hasn’t the Lord promised that He will build His church? Yes, but when we serve Him, we should pray that He will use our efforts to build His church. Frequent prayer should undergird and permeate all that we do for the Lord (Ps. 90:17). David
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Cole adds that "It’s important to keep in mind that being counted (or, “made,” ESV) worthy is a result of God’s effectual call to salvation, not the cause of it. The point is, we don’t walk worthily to obtain or merit salvation, but rather because God has graciously saved us." Paul again alludes to a worthy walk again in Ephesians Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, (Eph 4:1+) As John
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Cole - This looks at our motive for serving the Lord. The aim of knowing and serving the Lord is to glorify the name of the Lord Jesus. To “glorify” the Lord means to make Him look as good as He really is. “Name” refers to all of the Lord’s attributes and character. Regarding our service for the Lord, Peter writes (1 Pet. 4:10–11): “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” So the aim of Paul’s prayer is that, as Leon Morris (p. 211) puts it, “The Thessalonians will be such a bright and shining testimony to the reality of their salvation that the Savior will be seen to be the wonderful Being He is.” Grace (favor) (5485) see preceding discussion of charis Father (3962) see preceding discussion of pater Lord (2962) see preceding discussion of kurios