2 Thessalonians 1

This is the first of the three chapters of 2 Thessalonians. After a greeting and thanksgiving, it speaks of God's righteous judgment and the revelation of the Lord Jesus. In encouraging a persecuted church, it continues the themes of 1 Thessalonians, and it lays the groundwork for the discussion of "the day of the Lord" in chapter 2.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy greet the church in Thessalonica and wish them grace and peace.
• Verses 3–4 They thank God that the believers' faith is growing exceedingly and that their love for one another abounds. They say that they boast of the Thessalonians among the churches, because they have held fast to their patience and faith amid persecutions and tribulations.
• Verses 5–10 The writers explain that these sufferings serve to count the believers worthy of the kingdom of God. God repays with tribulation those who trouble them, and with rest those who are troubled. When the Lord Jesus is revealed with his mighty angels in flaming fire, those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel will be punished with everlasting destruction. On that day the Lord will be glorified in his saints.
• Verses 11–12 They pray that God will count the believers worthy of their calling and fulfill the work of faith with power, so that the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in them.

Key Verses

• 2 Thessalonians 1:3 "your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth" — portrays a church in which faith and love grow together.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:7 "when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire" — depicts the Second Coming as a time of both judgment and comfort.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:9 "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction" — frequently cited in discussions of the nature of the final judgment.

People and Places

• Paul — the sender of the letter.
• Silvanus — a coworker of Paul. He is generally identified with Silas of the Book of Acts.
• Timothy — a coworker of Paul.
• Thessalonica — a port city in Macedonia and home of the church that received the letter.

Points for Reflection

• Everlasting destruction: Most Protestant denominations read verse 9 as eternal punishment, a separation from the Lord following the Last Judgment. The Seventh-day Adventist Church and others understand "destruction" as annihilation, the cessation of existence, and cite this verse as one of their grounds.
• The timing of the Second Coming: Verse 7 says that afflicted saints receive rest when the Lord is revealed. Those who hold that the Second Coming follows the tribulation cite this verse in support. Dispensational premillennialism explains this "revelation" as a public Second Coming distinct from the Rapture.
• Retribution and justice: The statement that God will repay is read alongside Romans 12:17–21, which instructs believers not to avenge themselves but to leave vengeance to God.
• Authorship: The church has traditionally received this letter as Paul's. Since the modern period, some scholars have regarded it as a later work, pointing to differences in style and eschatology from 1 Thessalonians.
• The Second Coming scene is read together with 1 Thessalonians 4 and Matthew 24:30–31.