2 Thessalonians 1:6,7

Text (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7)

6 if so be that it is a righteous thing with God to recompense affliction to them that afflict you, 7 and to you that are afflicted rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire,

Translation and Paraphrase

6.

(We say that your endurance will work out to this happy result,) assuming (as we do) that it is a righteous (and therefore a predictable) thing on the part of God, to repay affliction to those who are afflicting you,

7.

And (to repay) rest to you who are being afflicted (along) with us. (And this will be done) at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven (when He comes) with his mighty angels.

Notes (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7)

1.

God is going to recompense (or repay) two things:

(1)

Affliction to those who afflict you.

(2)

Rest to you that are afflicted.

2.

God has always repaid people according to their works. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works. Revelation 18:6; Revelation 20:12. Those who afflict will receive affliction. Those that take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Matthew 26:52. See Joshua 6:25. Who can doubt that it is a righteous thing with God to recompense affliction to those who afflict his people?

Some people argue that God is too kind and loving to punish anyone. But the truth is that God could not be righteous and let sin and cruelty go unpunished. Those who cause you to suffer must be repaid for their wrongs if God is just and righteous.

3.

There is a similarity in some words in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7 which is not brought out by the King James text, but is very plain in the American Standard Version:

If so be that it is a righteous thing with God to recompense affliction to them that afflict you, and to you that are afflicted rest.

Thus also the New English Bible:

It is surely just that God should balance the account by sending trouble to those who trouble you, and relief to you who are troubled. (Copyright, Oxford University and Cambridge University, 1961)

4.

We must leave to God the work of taking vengeance. Romans 12:19: Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. This verse gives us encouragement that all sin will be justly punished, and also keeps in check our own poorly informed and poorly controlled instincts for punishing others.

5.

Rest shall be given to the children of God when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven. Our eternal life is a time of rest, as well as service. Revelation 14:3: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours. Hebrews 4:9: There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God. We must work now. The rest will come later.

6.

Rest (Gr., anesis) means a loosing, relaxing, relief, rest. (Thayer). The slackening of strings that have been pulled tight. (Preacher's Homiletic Commentary)

7.

The parousia of the Lord is described in this verse as not only a coming, but a revelation of the glory and judgment of the Lord. (For the meaning of parousia see notes on 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, par. 7.)

This word revelation (Gr., apokalupsis) means an uncovering, a laying bare, instruction in things before unknown, manifestation, appearance, (Thayer) It is applied to the coming of the Lord in 1 Corinthians 1:7; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:7; 1 Peter 1:13; 1 Peter 4:13.

8.

We notice that BOTH the rest and the tribulation which the Lord Jesus shall recompense will be given at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven.

This cancels out the idea that the saints will have been taken out of the earth to be with the Lord several years before Christ appears in glory to all mankind. For BOTH the saints and the sinners will receive their due recompense at the revelation of the Lord. The saints are not to receive their rest several years before the sinners get their tribulation, but both will receive what they have coming at the revelation of the Lord, (For more about this, see Special Studies II and IV on pages 242 and 247.

9.

The Lord Jesus is to be revealed along with his mighty angels, Angels are indeed mighty; they even excel in strength. Psalms 103:20, Numerous Scripture passages teach that the Lord will come with his angels, his holy ones (or saints). See Matthew 24:31; Matthew 25:31, and article IV in Appendix.

If one angel laid 185,000 Assyrians low in a single night, the coming of the angels should be terrifying to sinners. Isaiah 37:36.