2 Thessalonians 1:7

“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”

“And to you”: Notice that the wicked and the righteous are both rewarded or recompensed at the same time. In the New Testament we only find one future coming of Christ, which involves all mankind (John 5:28; 1 Thessalonians 4:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:1). “Rest”: Relaxation and rest. “Means ‘a loosing, relaxing, relief. The slackening of strings that have been pulled tight'” (Fields p. 172). “Freedom from tensions, relaxation and ease” (Denton Lectureship p. 234). See Hebrews 4:9; Revelation 14:3. The word "rest" infers that God is not. slave-driver, and God wants to see people “at ease”, and “free from the troubles of this earthly existence”. God wants people to be happy and fulfilled. Heaven includes the absence of those things which bring tension and stress (Revelation 21:4), and there are no frustrations in heaven. “With us”: Paul, Silvanus and Timothy (2 Thessalonians 1:1). “A little touch which reminds his readers that he is not delivering an academic disquisition on the nature of suffering and recompense. He is speaking out of his own difficult situation” (Morris p. 201).

“At the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven”: The term “revelation” here means. disclosure, appearing, coming or manifestation.

The Second coming will be. revealing of Himself to the world, which means it will be. revelation of His glory and power. “Now the Lord is hid from the view of the world, and it is even possible for men to deny His existence. But in that day He will be revealed in all His glory. He will be shown to be what He is” (Morris p. 202). Compare with1 John 3:2 “We shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is”.

“With the angels of His power in flaming fire”: Compare with Matthew 13:41; Matthew 25:31; Judges 1:15). Or, His mighty angels (Isaiah 2:36). “In flaming fire”: “A regular biblical symbol of the holy, consuming nature of God's presence (Exodus 2:2; Exodus 2:22; Exodus 2:18)” (Stott p. 148). “Some commentators prefer to take ‘in flaming fire' with what follows as indicating the manner in which the vengeance spoken of will be visited on the wicked. It seems preferable to take it with the preceding, and as being the third in the series of prepositional phrases describing the Lord's revelation” (Morris p. 203).