THE JUSTICE OF GOD (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10)
INTRODUCTION:
I made the following statement last week: “All of God’s wrath against sin was poured out upon Christ on the cross. Not part of it—all of it.” I want to qualify that statement in light of today’s message. When I made that statement, I was talking about those who have put their faith in the Lord’s Jesus Christ for salvation. That is the very thing that we are saved from—God’s wrath against sin. Christ’s death on the cross satisfied the justice of God concerning sin and when someone repents and by faith believes that Jesus Christ paid the full penalty for sin when He died and that God’s satisfaction with His Son’s sacrifice was demonstrated when Christ rose from the dead. When we believe this, there is no longer any wrath of God reserved for us because we have been declared righteous in the Lord Jesus Christ.
With that said, there is a future day of judgment for those who refuse to repent and receive the free gift of salvation offered through the death and resurrection of the Lord’s Jesus. Paul speaks of this future judgment as a way of encouraging the Thessalonian believers as they endured intense persecution and afflictions. Paul encourages them to continue to persevere and to be steadfast in hope of a coming rest. Let’s pray and then read our passage for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE
Turn in your Bibles this morning to 2nd Thessalonians 1:6-10. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
2nd Thessalonians 1:6-10,
“For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from 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 gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6–10, NASB95)[1]
THE RETURN OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (2nd Thessalonians 1:7b)
Paul in this passage reminded the Thessalonian believers that the Lord Jesus Christ would return someday. His return would be the climax of redemptive history and bring about God’s full purpose and the fulfillment of His redemptive plan. This reminder was to encourage the Thessalonians to continue to stand firm despite the intense persecution that they were undergoing. Paul wanted them to remain steadfast in the hope of the Lord Jesus’ sure return and the relief that will bring. Paul wanted them to understand that a day was coming when the Lord Jesus will be revealed, both to believers and to unbelievers.
Paul uses the Greek word parousia which means “coming” or “presence” in reference to the Lord Jesus coming to take believers into His presence to be with Him forever. But in verse 7 when Paul writes, “…when the Lord Jesus will be revealed…” (2 Thessalonians 1:7b, NASB95)[2] this word “revealed” is a different word, the Greek word apokalupsis which means “revelation,” unveiling,” or “uncovering.” It is a word that has the idea of revealing or uncovering something that was previously hidden or secret and is used by Paul when he is speaking of the return of the Lord Jesus in relation to unbelievers. The One who has been hidden will be revealed in all of His sovereign glory to a world that does not know or worship Him. He will be unveiled as the Judge, and when He is it will be the Day of the Lord.
At His first advent the reality of His deity was hidden, though Jesus was God incarnate. He was veiled in human flesh. That is why John writes in John 1:10, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.” (John 1:10, NASB95)[3] But when He is revealed at His second advent there will be no mistaking the reality of who Jesus Christ is, for the whole world will “… will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:30b, NASB95)[4] In describing the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul uses three phrases that confirm the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. First, Paul writes that the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven. Just as He ascended bodily into heaven, so the Lord Jesus will return from heaven visibly, bodily to the earth as our Scripture reading spoke of this morning, remember Peter reading the words of the two men who appeared to the disciples as they were watching Jesus Christ ascend into heaven. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11b, NASB95)[5] Jesus ascended into heaven and took His seat at the right hand of the throne of God. From this exalted position of power and honor, Jesus intercedes for His people and from that heavenly throne He will one day return to judge His enemies.
Second, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven on the Day of the Lord, He will not be alone. Paul writes that He will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels (or literally translated, the angels of His power.) Angels are heavenly beings through whom the Son’s power is delegated to accomplish His purposes, and in this case, it is to execute judgment. The New Testament teaches that the angels will accompany Jesus at His Second Coming. Jesus said in Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.” (Matthew 16:27, NASB95)[6] The angels’ task will be two-fold, Matthew 24:31 says, “And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” (Matthew 24:31, NASB95)[7] Not only will they gather the elect for blessing, but they will also gather unbelievers for judgment. Matthew 13:41-42 and verses 49-50 say, “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. …So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:41-42, 49–50, NASB95)[8]
Third and finally, when the Lord Jesus returns from heaven with His holy angels, Paul writes that He will be revealed in flaming fire. This fire is the fire of judgment. God is often associated with fire. When Moses saw the Angel of the Lord, He appeared to him in the blazing fire in the bush. Moses saw the bush burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. When God appeared on Mt. Sinai it was all smoke because the Lord descended on it in fire and the smoke it says ascended like smoke from a furnace. Hebrews 12:29 describes the Lord as a consuming fire.
These three phrases describing the revelation of the Lord Jesus at His second coming give us undeniable confirmation of the deity of Jesus Christ. He will return from heaven, where He is seated on the throne of God. He will return with the same mighty angels who attend and serve only God; and they are described as His angels. Finally, He will return in the same flaming fire that marked God’s glorious judgment presence. By describing the Son with the realities characteristic of the Father, Paul affirms the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Second Person of the Trinity.
Paul in this passage gives us the two-fold nature of Christ’s return—relief, rest, refreshment, and peace for believers, retribution, judgment, punishment, and vengeance for unbelievers. The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ will produce two radically different results: for unbelievers, the revelation of the Lord Jesus will bring bitter retribution; for believers, sweet relief.
THE JUDGMENT OF UNBELIEVERS (2nd Thessalonians 1:6, 8-9)
When the Lord Jesus is revealed, He will deal out retribution to unbelievers. This word retribution found in verse 8 means “to give full punishment” and the Greek word is translated several ways, such as, “justice,” “punishment,” “retribution,” “vengeance,” and “avenging of wrong.” God’s retribution is not like that of imperfect humans, whose unruly, hostile, selfish, sinful passion causes us to retaliate against others. God who is perfectly holy, completely just, and omniscient can render perfect judgment. Because of this, God reserves vengeance for Himself. Remember Paul’s words in Romans12:19, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19, NASB95)[9] The Bible teaches in both the Old and New Testament that God will deal out retribution to sinners. The subject of God’s retribution to sinners leads to three questions: why will Jesus deal out retribution, to whom will He deal out retribution, and how will He deal it out?
Why will Jesus deal out retribution? Verse six says, “For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,” (2 Thessalonians 1:6, NASB95)[10] Paul writes that it is only just for God to repay with retribution those who violate His law, as it is right and just to reward believers with the kingdom as we looked at last week in verse five. Paul here is stating a self-evident truth. The word translated “retribution” in verse eight is related to the word that means “just” or “right.” We must understand that God’s “retribution” is not produced by petty vindictiveness. God does not reach a certain level of exasperation or frustration, lose control, and explode in rage against sinners. God’s retribution is the calm, controlled just punishment that is dealt out by the perfectly righteous Judge to those who have sinned against Him. The threat of God’s vengeance, retribution and judgment is not only just but also a deterrent, a roadblock on the way to hell. Those who ignore that roadblock are without excuse.
To whom will God deal out retribution? In verse six we are told that it is those who afflict believers. This is a broad category, including all who attack the people of God. Paul goes on in verse eight to describe those who will face God’s retribution and he does this by using two phrases. First, he describes those who will face God’s vengeance as “those who do not know God.” In other words, those who do not have a personal relationship with Him. They may know facts about God, and like Paul, some may even think they are serving God by persecuting God’s people, but they are in reality separated from Christ and they do not know God. The reason that they do not know God is not ignorance but wickedness that causes them to suppress the truth that they know. Paul wrote concerning this in Romans 1:18-21, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 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, so that they are without excuse. 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.” (Romans 1:18–21, NASB95)[11] God has put knowledge of Himself around and within every person, so that all are without excuse. Despite the abundance evidence all around and within people, evidence that should lead them to a true knowledge of God, people willfully refuse to believe. Second, Paul describes those who will face God’s retribution as “those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” (2 Thessalonians 1:8b, NASB95)[12] It is one thing to willfully reject the knowledge of God that is around us and in us, but what is described here intensifies the unbeliever’s guilt. The severest punishment is reserved for those who do not obey the gospel. When we repent and come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Salvation is a gift to be received, the gospel is a command to be obeyed. Paul declared in Acts 17:30, “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,” (Acts 17:30, NASB95) Paul understood that in view of this declaration his apostolic duty was as he writes in Romans 1:5, “…to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,” (Romans 1:5, NASB95) The result, for those who remain disobedient to the command to believe the gospel, will be to face God’s retribution. This retribution, this judgment of God is not rendered because God is angry at unbelievers for hurting His children but rather because these persecutors did not come in repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ and embrace His gospel. This Day of the Lord judgment comes in two phases on the ungodly. First, at the close of the seven-year Tribulation and second, at the end of the millennial kingdom. At the end of the millennial kingdom, it will then be the fate of all the ungodly of all the ages to be judged at the Great White Throne and sentenced forever to the lake of fire.
How will God deal out His retribution on the ungodly? In verse six, Paul writes that it is only just to repay the disobedient unbelievers who afflict God’s children with affliction. This word affliction can mean “trouble,” distress,” “difficult circumstances,” or “suffering.” Paul defines specifically what he means in verse nine, he writes, “These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,” (2 Thessalonians 1:9, NASB95)[13] The word translated “eternal” is a word that refers to things of endless duration, something that does not end but continues on. Which means that the word destruction which eternal modifies means the wicked will have no end to their destruction but that it will last forever. This word destruction does not mean annihilation but means ruination. It is not the cessation of existence but the loss of all that makes existence worthwhile. The lost will not cease to exist, but it will be a meaningless existence with no hope of ever escaping. They will be ruined forever. Paul in this verse gives two conditions under which the ungodly will serve their eternal sentence. First, they will be forever away from the presence of the Lord. James declared in James 1:17, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” (James 1:17, NASB95)[14] Since they will be away from the presence of the Lord there will be no goodness in hell, not even a hint or a trace, it will only be a distant memory of what once was. Second, the lost will also serve their sentence away from the glory of the Lord’s power. In several places in the Gospels Jesus describe hell as a place of darkness, cut off from the visible display of God’s splendor and majesty. There will be no end or relief from the horrors of hell, nothing of God’s glorious presence to bring even a hint of beauty, pleasure, joy, or peace. The ungodly will share hell with the devil and his angels, and it will be a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. John writes in Revelation 14:11, “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night…” (Revelation 14:11a, NASB95)[15] No words can truly express the misery of the reality of eternal destruction.
THE RELIEF OF BELIEVERS (2nd Thessalonians 1:6a, 7, 10)
The revelation of the Lord Jesus will not only bring retribution to unbelievers, but it will also give relief to believers. This word “relief” that is found in verse seven carries with it the idea of “relaxation,” loosening,” “easing,” “freedom,” “restoration,” and “rest.” The Bible promises three types of rest for the believer. First, there is the rest that salvation brings. Jesus promised in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28–29, NASB95)[16] Salvation brings rest from the crushing burden of sin. But salvation rest is not in view in this passage. Paul has two other kinds of rest in mind—both are also promised in Scripture, they are millennial rest when Jesus returns at the end of the Tribulation. At that time, He will establish His earthly kingdom, in which His people will enjoy rest and peace. At that time the earth will be restored, and the world will be somewhat as God originally intended it to be. The authority of Jesus will be absolute, and any rebels will be instantly and devastatingly dealt with.
Second, there is a final rest promised in Scripture it is the eternal rest the redeemed enter into at death. In the presence of God believers will find rest forever, rest from sin, temptations, trials, sorrows, and any other form of suffering. This truth also brings up three questions concerning rest and relief: why, who, and how.
Why are we promised relief and rest? Just as God’s justice demands that He bring retribution on unbelievers, so also it is only just for Him to give relief to those who have put their faith in Him, those He has redeemed. Why is this so? Because Jesus paid for our sins on the cross, suffering the just judgment of God in our place. God is just and the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus. The penalty required for sin has been paid by the Lamb of God, God’s divine justice has been satisfied by Christ’s death for sinners; the believer’s eternal rest is secure in Christ.
Even though our final rest is still future, life will not be all suffering and afflictions, there will be times of relief even in this life. Peter wrote in 1st Peter 5:10, “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” (1 Peter 5:10, NASB95)[17] Believers can as James wrote, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2–4, NASB95)[18] Paul by way of encouragement wrote in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18, NASB95)[19] He added these words in 2nd Corinthians 4:17, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,” (2 Corinthians 4:17, NASB95)[20]
Who are those who are promised relief and rest? God promises eternal rest to all believers, but as believers we must expect to be afflicted during our lifetime. Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12, NASB95)[21] Suffering for the Lord is a mark of a true Christian, those whose faith is not genuine will not survive persecution and will fall away. But those who have counted the cost of following Christ and willingly take up their cross to follow Him, they will enter into the eternal rest promised by the Father.
How will this relief and rest come about? When the Lord Jesus comes, two things will happen that will bring relief to those who are belong to Him. First, Christ will be glorified in His saints on that day verse ten informs us. There is a coming day in which God will be glorified in believers in a manner never before seen. We are called in this life to display the glory of the indwelling Christ by doing all to the glory of God. We are to obey Jesus’ command in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, NASB95)[22] In this life, we can only do this imperfectly, but as Paul writes in Philippians 3:20-21, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Philippians 3:20–21, NASB95)[23] We will then be pure vessels through which the glory of God will perfectly shine. This glorious manifestation of God’s glory is what Paul was writing about in Romans 8:18-19, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:18–19, NASB95)[24] This glorification will be the final and full redemption of all believers alive when Jesus Christ comes in glory. Let me explain. Some believers will already be in the glorified state, having been raptured and resurrected before the Tribulation. They will have been in heaven with the Lord Jesus in the place He prepared for them. They will return with Christ when in comes to the earth for the Millennium, to join the saints still alive on the earth. At that time the Tribulation saints and the Old Testament saints will be raised and fully glorified to join those descending from heaven. All the living believers who enter the kingdom will see the glorified saints.
The second thing that will happen when Christ returns is believers will be marveled at among all who have believed. Since only believers enter the kingdom, as the judgment of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31-46 makes clear, the redeemed will wonder and marvel at the glory of Christ that is fully revealed in the resurrected saints. Paul ends by assuring the Thessalonians that they will enjoy this eternal relief and rest when Christ returns. Paul reminds them that they will be among the glorified saints because Paul writes, “our testimony to you was believed.” (2 Thessalonians 1:10b, NASB95)[25] The Thessalonian believers had believed Paul, Silas, and Timothy’s preaching of the gospel, because of their belief they will never face retribution, but they will experience the blessed relief of glory that awaits those who know God and have obeyed the gospel of the Lord Jesus.
CONCLUSION:
In this passage Paul speaks of the justice of God at the revealing of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire. God’s justice will be fulfilled as those who do not know God and have not obeyed His gospel are fully repaid for their willful rejection of Jesus Christ. Their penalty will be eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. God’s justice will also be fulfilled for those who are the redeemed as He grants them relief and eternal rest when He is glorified in His saints, and they marvel at His glory on display by all who have believed. These are the only two destinies for all of mankind, the destiny of eternal destruction or the destiny of eternal rest and glorification. Which destiny have you chosen?
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[15]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[16]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[17]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[18]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[19]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[20]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[21]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[22]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[23]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[24]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[25]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.