Since the content of 1 and 2 Thessalonians is similar, it is prudent to reconsider the primary teachings of the first epistle written to the church at Thessalonica. Paul commended the church for three necessary virtues: faith, hope and love (1 Thess 1:3; cf. 1 Cor 13:13). Without these qualities, a good pastor, good organization, good discipleship, and a good evangelistic outreach are worthless. In chapter 1 verses 4-9, Paul reminded the Thessalonians of the radical transformation they experienced because of the proclamation of the Gospel (which would have included essential teachings about the person, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ). In verse 10, he taught the church to “wait for His Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.” A major component of the Christian’s spiritual growth and purity of life is the result of anticipating the return of Christ.

Application of Prophetic Truth
Living in anticipation of the return of Jesus Christ certainly serves as an impetus for spiritual growth. The words “wait for His Son from heaven” (1:10) establish the tone for the remainder of the first epistle to the Thessalonians, and indeed establish the major theme. Their conversion was expressed by turning to God from idols, and their life transformation was by serving the living and true God. Waiting for God’s Son from heaven appears to have expressed itself in an attitude of anticipation that tended to be a significant inspiring factor in their new life. It appears that Paul identified this factor among several other possible factors, because he desired to build upon it and relate to it throughout his epistle. The spiritual growth of these new believers is described in two paragraphs: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 describe their work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope; and, verses 4-10 describe their increasing reputation for faith in God. Throughout the first epistle, living in anticipation of the return of the Lord is the theme. Both 1 and 2 Thessalonians are thematically similar. Paul’s reference to the persecution of the church and God’s judgment upon unbelievers in 2 Thessalonians 1:4-10 establishes the theme of encouragement in the second epistle (because the Lord Jesus Christ will return for His people). In 2 Thessalonians 1, the reader is instructed with regard to difficult times becoming encouraging experiences.

The word “tribulation” is not a technical term, which means it can have more than one meaning. Context will help determine whether the word is used with regard to general suffering (John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Rom 5:3; 12:12), to the seven years of Daniel’s seventieth week (Jer 30:7-9; Dan 9:24-27; 12:1), or to the second half of that week, the “great tribulation.” (Matthew 24:21 refers to the last half of Daniel’s seventieth week as the “great tribulation,” whereas Matthew 24:8 uses “beginning of sorrows” for the first half.) Daniel’s seventieth week (the seven-year tribulation) does not relate to God’s purpose for the church. The tribulation will come upon a world that is in rebellion against God (Rev 15:1; 16:1-21; 19:15) and will reveal Satan’s nature (12:7-12). During the tribulation, national Israel will come to repentance and faith in the Messiah in preparation for the millennium (Jer 30:7-9; Zech 12:9–14:5; Rev 19:1-6). It will also be a time of evangelism (Matt 24:14; Rev 6:9-11; 7:1-17; 11:2-14; 12:13-17; 13:7; 14:1-5, 12-13). Although the church may experience trials and tribulations, the tribulation is not in the future for Christians. Nevertheless, when we suffer as a result of our faith in God, or simply experience the troubles of this life, difficult times reveal who we are. It is in that sense that we can welcome difficulties as a means by which our faith in God is revealed.

Spiritual Growth through Difficulty
Second Thessalonians 1:1-2 is a typical salutation for a first-century letter to a local church. Therefore, the development of thought begins with verse 3. The Thessalonians were growing spiritually in spite of (or perhaps because of) persecution. Nevertheless, they needed encouragement. In verses 3-4, Paul expressed gratitude for their spiritual growth. All believers should be encouraged when their faith is increasing. The language that Paul used indicates a faith that was increasing “more and more.” The Greek word @uperauxanei, used in verse 3, indicates wonderfully vigorous growth, which was probably the result of the suffering. Indeed, faith often increases as the result of suffering.

Additionally, all believers should be encouraged when their love increases. The same word that Paul used in 1 Thessalonians 3:12 as his prayer, is seen here as reflecting God’s answer. Believers should also be encouraged because they endure (persevere) in faith. Perseverance means believers endure their trials and persecution in a godly manner, that is, without complaint. The word “persevere” (Gk. @upomonhs) in 2 Thessalonians 1:4 may be accurately translated “patience,” and literally means “to remain or abide under.” The preposition “under” (Gk. @upo), of course, is a prefix (i.e. attached to the beginning of the word to modify its meaning) to the word “abide.” A common word picture to convey this idea is one in which an individual is standing under an ominous threat or danger but not moving.

The church may be encouraged because of their faith, love, and endurance. However, a rather unexpected form of belief also encouraged these first century believers: God’s righteous judgment. Someday, those who persecuted them will be “persecuted” by God in the form of eternal punishment. Apparently, Paul considered the possibility that this generation could experience the return of Christ and this judgment would then occur to unbelievers who were living at the time. Verses 5-10 contain the next element of encouragement by way of vindication (ie. clearing someone of any wrong by showing they are justified or correct) of believers through the destruction of their enemies.

Confident Endurance because God Is Just
God will vindicate Himself and believers. The vindication is evidence of God’s righteous judgment that honors the confident endurance and patience of the church. God will vindicate Himself and those trusting in Him. The idea here is to declare the believer’s worth to be a partaker of the kingdom of God. The verb for “worthy” (Gk. kataxiwqhnai) means “to declare or count worthy,” not to “make worthy” (such as to justify or declare righteous). Therefore, believers are urged to regard their endurance as evidence of God working in them and assurance that He would keep His promises concerning their future place in the coming kingdom.

God will also repay every injustice. Paul wrote, “it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you” (1:6). Since God is just (righteous), He cannot allow evil to be unpunished. Those who persecuted the believers would experience the judgment of God. The Hall of Names at Yad Vashem (Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority) is a tribute to the victims of the Holocaust by remembering them not as anonymous numbers, but as individual human beings. To date Yad Vashem has computerized 3.2 million names of Holocaust victims, compiled from approximately two million pages of testimony and various other lists. The Hall of Names is Israel’s way of saying that none of the victims of the Holocaust will be left out. Not one act of injustice will ever be forgotten.

Scripture teaches the same in verse 6. Not one act of injustice upon believers will be forgotten. The righteous God of justice will repay every injustice with affliction. Certainly, this verse is teaching Christians something with regard to the nature of God. It is not just first century injustices that will be repaid. According to the Christian ministry Voice of the Martyrs, more Christians are being persecuted today than any other time in history. God will make every one of those injustices right someday, because it is consistent with His character to do so.

God will judge those who reject Him and rebel against His authority. The Lord Jesus will administer retribution to those who do not trust in Him alone for eternal salvation. In other words, the Lord Jesus will personally judge those who reject the Gospel message. All who do not have a faith relationship with God will receive His retribution. Some translations may read “vengeance.” The word does not mean revenge (which would be the satisfaction of a personal grudge). The word for “retribution” or vengeance (Gk. ekdikhsin) means God will satisfy His holy law. According to Romans 1:20, all humanity is accountable to God and without excuse for rejecting Him, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made.” Those who reject God this way are not innocent, but they “suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” If someone rejects the revelation of God, he or she will receive God’s retribution, that is, His judgment. It is for this reason that all local churches should support missions at home and abroad. All humanity is accountable to God, and therefore all believers should desire to preach the full revelation of God’s grace, so those who hear may believe and receive the gift of eternal life.

The Lord Jesus will also administer retribution to those who rebel against Him. The first group rejected what revelation they had received, while the second group heard the truth of God’s Word and rebelled against it. All who reject the Gospel and rebel against God will be accountable. Verse 9 reads, “These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” If by grace through faith, Christ alone does not pay the penalty for your sin, then you will “pay the penalty of eternal destruction.”

The relief here in verse 7 is not a reference to the rapture of the church, but the second coming of Christ after the seven-year tribulation. The Lord Jesus being revealed “from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire” is against the unbeliever on earth. The “relief” (rest) is “relief from affliction” (tension). The knowledge that God will judge wickedness should give believers relief in trials and even in persecution. Justice and righteousness will right all wrongs when God judges.

God will also enforce eternal punishment. The Bible does not teach that when the wicked die they are annihilated. The retribution of the wicked and unbelieving and the reward of the righteous are everlasting, and as the reward is conscious, so is the retribution. It is because God breathed into the nostrils of man the breath of life that he became a living being, and an eternal, immortal being; therefore, every human being will live forever in the presence of the Lord, or in the Lake of Fire separated from the presence of the Lord. Indeed, according to 2 Corinthians 6:2, “now is ‘THE DAY OF SALVATION.’”

Destruction in verse 9 means separation “from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,” which results in an eternity of woe or ruin. The thing ruined is the opportunity to ever be restored to fellowship with the Creator for eternity. It is the eternal ruin of everything worthwhile, including the purpose for which man was created. Asked the question of the purpose of man, the authors of the Westminster Confession responded, “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” The opportunity for those whom God will judge will be ruined and lost forever.

Moreover, “the presence of the Lord and . . . the glory of His power” will be displayed. What this means is that no one alive at this moment in time has experienced eternal separation from “the presence of the Lord and . . . the glory of His power.” Those who reject and rebel against God have no idea of what they are destined to experience for eternity. The Bible refers to this destiny as the second death in the Book of Revelation. The first death is the separation of one’s soul to heaven or hell from his or her body. The second death is the eternal separation from “the presence of the Lord and . . . the glory of His power.” These are sobering truths. However, there is a positive and encouraging aspect to God’s righteous judgment.

God will grant victory and glory to believers. As terrible as the judgment will be for the unbeliever, there is a positive side for the believer. Of course, it is not pleasurable to think of the ruin of the wicked, but it will be a reality and an incentive to do the work of an evangelist and be a witness of God’s saving grace. For the believer, though, there will be victory and glory.

The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is the subject of verse 10. While the unbeliever will experience judgment and retribution, the believer will experience victory and glory. The church will have been removed from earth to heaven before God’s wrath begins, and will return with Him to earth when His wrath is concluded. In heaven, reigning with Christ during the millennium and into eternity, the saints of God will forever be trophies of God’s grace, and the glory of Christ will be revealed in the redeemed of all ages. The glory of the Creator is revealed in the disciples He produces, and so Christ’s glory will be revealed in the victorious believers who accompany Him when He returns to earth to rule and reign. It will be a glorious sight to behold those whom Christ has redeemed and who radiate His glory.

Conduct Yourself Worthily
The next element of encouragement is to conduct oneself worthily during difficulties. The final manner in which Paul encourages believers is through his prayers. Christians should pray to be worthy. Persecution did not produce godly believers per se, nor do trials determine the character of believers. Instead, persecution of believers and the troubles that Christians endure demonstrate one’s character. Paul did not pray for the persecution to cease, but instead prayed that the believers would be counted worthy to endure suffering for Christ! Those who are worthy of the calling of Christ will persevere for His glory, and their faith is revealed as committed and strong when difficulties arise. Paul’s prayer was that the Christians would be worthy to endure reproach in Christ’s name. How do you respond in the trials of life? Is your faith worthy to endure hardships for Christ? Do you see trials as opportunities to show forth your calling in your moral and spiritual life, and that God would empower you in this important function? Trials and temptations are certain to come if we belong to God, but believers should rise to the occasion and manifest God’s effective calling.

Paul also prayed for the church to “fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power.” His prayer was that the church would be fruitful during trials. Often when troubles arise, Christians retreat from service to the Lord, and pray the difficulties disappear. However, there are many in the church today who do not yield to that temptation, but serve God willingly in the midst of many difficult circumstances. The trials and temptations of life may tempt us to retreat from service to the Lord, but where would be the evidence of “the work of faith with power”? Paul’s prayer was that believers would be fruitful in the midst of troubles.

Lastly, Paul prayed that the church would be faithful, and that the grace of God would cause their lives to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. God has designed a plan whereby He uses limited and weak earthen vessels to accomplish His work. Second Corinthians 4:7-11 is an example of the kind of faith of which Paul prayed. Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians and 2 Thessalonians remind us that even in the most difficult situation that you can imagine, God’s will is working to bring glory to His name through the faithfulness we show as His people. Our response should be as this first century church: a life of faith, increasing love, and hope that glorifies Christ. By being in Jesus, we are also gloried, and set forth to receive an honor not self-generated, but given to us by our relationship with Him.

Count Yourself Worthy
As will be evident in the next chapter of 2 Thessalonians, the church received a letter from someone claiming to be the Apostle Paul. The letter stated that the seven-year tribulation had arrived, and that the church was living in that period. The trials and tribulations of the church were said to be evidence that the tribulation had already begun, and therefore the Christians had not been taken in the rapture. Paul corrected such thinking by indicating events that must occur prior to the beginning of the tribulation. Second Thessalonians was written to correct this erroneous teaching among the church. The church was indeed experiencing difficult times, but this was not because the rapture had already occurred and they somehow missed the event. Therefore, the opening chapter of 2 Thessalonians provides encouragement to the church. Their difficulties were not the prophesied events of the tribulation, and therefore, they should thank God for the opportunity to be counted worthy to suffer for His glory.

Faith, love, and hope are essential virtues in the life of every believer. Considering the example given to us, our faith should be working and ever strengthening. Our love should be increasing. When we suffer or see others suffering, it is an opportunity to give empathy and understanding, and to increase our love. Our hope should be persevering. Trials provide opportunities to endure with hope of future victory and glory at Christ’s return. Though our trials as the church will not include the coming wrath of God in the tribulation, we still need to thank God that He counts us worthy to suffer for Him. Our prayer should model the Apostle Paul’s, in that we should ask God that He would count us worthy through our trials, to bring forth fruit in the midst of the trial, and to increase our personal faith and the faith of the church around us.

In this opening chapter of 2 Thessalonians, we have seen a two-fold source of God’s grace and peace: from the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The fountain of grace is God the Father, and His grace is mediated through the Lord Jesus Christ, and may also be said to come from Him. Let us pray each and every day that God would fully glorify Christ in us, His saints, as we in turn receive our glory from Him in accordance with the gracious calling of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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* Dr. Ron J. Bigalke is the Georgia state director for Capitol Commission (capitolcom.org), and serves as missionary with Biblical Ministries Worldwide (biblicalministries.org). His teaching ministry—through speaking and writing—is Eternal Ministries (eternalministries.org). Dr. Bigalke also serves as professor of Bible and theology and member of the doctoral committee for Tyndale Theological Seminary (tyndale.edu), and is the general editor of the seminary’s theological quarterly, the Journal of Dispensational Theology.