2nd Thessalonians 1:5-12(ESV)

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5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Commentary
            “In this first section of 2nd Thessalonians Paul transitions from thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ perseverance in persecutions to a Theological reflection on the meaning of their suffering.”1  
V5. Paul continues his thanksgiving in verses 5-10 and ends with a prayer 11-12. “After his greeting and thanksgiving section, Paul jumps immediately into the business at hand, addressing the suffering of the Thessalonians. Technically, all of 1:3 – 10 is part of the thanksgiving section since it is all one sentence”.2 Fortunately our modern translators have broken up the sentence for ease of understanding. Paul goes on in verse 5-6 to discuss the Thessalonians suffering under persecution.
V6. The thought from verse 5 continues to verse 6 where Paul announces that God considers it just to repay those who are making lives difficult for the Thessalonians. Thus, the church can be comforted knowing that their suffering will not last forever, and they will see their persecutors punished.
V7-8. Looking forward now to the return of the Lord. The day when the Thessalonian believers will see Jesus return as was predicted in the Prophet Isaiah “See, the LORD is coming with fire,
and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword
the LORD will execute judgment on all people,
and many will be those slain by the LORD”. (Isaiah 66:15-16 ESV)
            The future of those who trouble the Thessalonians is assured the Lord will win the victory for them. “So, the Thessalonians are told that their roles and the roles of the persecutors will be reversed at the Advent of Christ; their persecutors will receive the judgement which their conduct deserves, while they themselves will enjoy relieve and reward.3 “
V. 9-10. Paul indicates in these verses that those who trouble the church will suffer “eternal destruction”-v.9 and eternal separation from God and heaven. They will not see the Lord coming with his heavenly hosts. They will not see the church be glorified because they believed the Gospel that Paul and the others had testified to for their salvation.
V. 11-12.  “The last two verses of the chapter supply the intercessory prayer one would normally expect to see immediately after the thanksgiving.”4         Paul then prays that the Thessalonians will be found worthy of their calling and fulfill every good work in the Lord.  That the church will be glorified in Christ as they glorify Christ each day of their lives.

            Paul now moves on to the man of “lawlessness” in the next chapter.



1Gupta, Nijay, 1-2 Thessalonians (New Covenant Commentary Series) (p,123) Cascade Books 2016.

2Byron, John. 1 and 2 Thessalonians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (p. 231). Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition.
3Bruce, F.F. 1&2 Thessalonians (Word Bible Commentary) (p. 155) Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 1982.
4 D. Michael Martin, 1, 2 Thessalonians, vol. 33, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 216.





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