2Th 1:3-12 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 2Thess 1:3-10: 1:3-10 After thanking God for the Thessalonian church (1:3-4 ), Paul writes about persecution (1:4 ), which had intensified since his first letter (1 Thes 1:6 ; 2:14 ; 3:3-4 ). God will relieve their suffering (2 Thes 1:5-10 ) and judge their persecutors. 1:3 Dear brothers and sisters: Greek adelphoi , a generic term that refers to members of the same family, both male and female. • thank God: Paul begins with thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ faith , love , and “endurance” (1:4 ). These fundamental Christian virtues (see 1 Cor 13:13 ; Col 1:4-5 ; Heb 10:21-24 ; 1 Pet 2:1-22 ) were maturing in the church despite the persecution they endured (2 Thes 1:5 ).

Summary for 2Thess 1:3-10: 1:3-10 ^a After thanking God for the Thessalonian church (1:3-4 ^b), Paul writes about persecution (1:4 ^c), which had intensified since his first letter (1 Thes 1:6 ^d; 2:14 ^e; 3:3-4 ^f). God will relieve their suffering (2 Thes 1:5-10 ^g) and judge their persecutors. 1:3 ^h Dear brothers and sisters: Greek adelphoi, a generic term that refers to members of the same family, both male and female.

• thank God: Paul begins with thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ faith, love, and “endurance” (1:4 ⁱ). These fundamental Christian virtues (see 1 Cor 13:13 ^j; Col 1:4-5 ^k; Heb 10:21-24 ^l; 1 Pet 2:1-22 ^m) were maturing in the church despite the persecution they endured (2 Thes 1:5 ⁿ).
1:4 ^o Paul’s boasting to other churches about the Thessalonians’ endurance and faithfulness would stimulate the church’s resolve to endure and remain faithful in the face of great hostility (1 Thes 2:14 ^p; 3:3-4 ^q).
1:5 ^r Those called by God to enter his Kingdom will suffer for it (Acts 14:22 ^s; 1 Thes 2:12 ^t).
1:7 ^u rest: Relief from suffering.

• Elsewhere, Paul speaks of Christ’s “coming” (2:1 ^v; 1 Thes 2:19 ^w; 3:13 ^x; 4:15 ^y; 5:23 ^z); here, he speaks of the event as the “appearing” or “unveiling” of the Lord Jesus, who cannot currently be seen physically (cp. 1 Pet 1:7-8 ^aa; 4:13 ^ab).
1:9 ^ac They will be punished for rejecting the message about Christ (1:8 ^ad).

• Eternal destruction (see 1 Thes 5:3 ^ae; 1 Tim 6:9 ^af) is irrevocable.

• Separated from the Lord refers to the source of the judgment to come (Isa 2:10 ^ag, 19 ^ah, 21 ^ai).
1:10 ^aj that day: The day of the Lord (2:2 ^ak; 1 Thes 5:2-4 ^al; see thematic note for The Day of the Lord at end of chapter).
Summary for 2Thess 1:11-12: 1:11-12 ^am Paul assures the Thessalonian believers of God’s promised justice, both for them and their persecutors (1:5-10 ^an). Because future deliverance means carrying out present responsibilities, Paul prays that they will be found worthy at Christ’s return. 1:11 ^ao enable you to live a life worthy of his call: Paul had previously reminded the Thessalonians that God called them to conduct themselves “in a way that God would consider worthy” (1 Thes 2:12 ^ap; see also Eph 4:1 ^aq; Phil 1:27 ^ar; Col 1:10 ^as).

• Paul prayed that God would give the Thessalonian Christians power to live and work in a manner that would please God.
1:12 ^at Though the name of our Lord Jesus was rejected by the Thessalonians’ persecutors (1:8 ^au), Jesus will ultimately be glorified because of the lives of the believers. Further, they will be honored along with him (2:14 ^av; 1 Thes 2:12 ^aw; cp. Rom 8:17-18 ^ax; Col 3:4 ^ay). Cp. Isa 66:5 ^az.

Thematic note: The Day of the Lord
The expression day of the Lord refers to a time of retribution when God judges his enemies in wrath and fury. The ungodly receive the punishment they deserve, while the righteous enter into their full salvation (see Isa 3:16–4:6 ^ba). On the day of the Lord, God manifests his awe-inspiring lordship over creation. When God comes in glory, humans experience terror (2:10 ^bb, 19 ^bc, 21 ^bd) because all human support structures (religious, economic, military, social) come under his scrutiny.
This expression first appeared in the prophecy of Amos (Amos 5:18 ^be), but evidently it did not originate with him. Amos was correcting a popular misunderstanding that the Israelites already held. They believed that the day of the Lord would be a joyous day of salvation when God would intervene in the world to judge Israel’s enemies and reestablish Israelite rule over all of greater Canaan. But Amos warned the Israelites that the day of the Lord would not be light for them, but darkness, for they were in rebellion against him (see Amos 5:10-12 ^bf, 21-27 ^bg). Self-confident Israelites assumed that God was always on their side, but their sins had, in fact, made them God’s enemies, and they deserved his full punishment.
The expression became part of the standard vocabulary of the prophets, often being referred to simply as “that day” (e.g., Isa 2:11 ^bh; 27:1 ^bi; Zeph 1:8 ^bj). In light of God’s warnings and the people’s sinfulness, the prophets envisioned that day as imminent (see, e.g., Joel 1:15 ^bk; 2:1 ^bl). As such, they hoped that their warnings would spur repentance among God’s people (see Zeph 2:1-3 ^bm). Unfortunately, their warnings largely fell on deaf ears. The day of the Lord came for the northern kingdom when Assyria destroyed Samaria; it came for the southern kingdom when Babylon invaded in 605–586 BC and destroyed Jerusalem.
While the day of the Lord is catastrophic for the ungodly—Joel compares its devastation to that of a locust plague (Joel 1:1–2:11 ^bn)—it provides assurance to God’s people that God is sovereign and just, and it serves as a day of salvation for those who have listened to the prophets and turned to the Lord (see Joel 2:31-32 ^bo). The same God who would bring devastation upon his enemies would be a refuge and a fortress for his people (Joel 3:11 ^bp). And the nations that were used by God to bring his judgment upon Israel and Judah would later face their own day of the Lord (see, e.g., Isa 13:4-22 ^bq; Ezek 30:1-5 ^br; Obad 1:15-16 ^bs).
While the judgment referred to by the Old Testament prophets was largely realized in the Exile, New Testament writers picked up the expression day of the Lord to speak of the return of Christ as judge of all the earth. That day will come “as unexpectedly as a thief” (2 Pet 3:10 ^bt; see also 1 Thes 5:2-4 ^bu), so God’s people must be prepared—or else face a similar fate to those who failed to heed the warnings of the prophets.

Passages for Further Study
Isa 2:10-22 ^bv; 4:1-6 ^bw; 13:4-12 ^bx; Ezek 30:1-5 ^by; Joel 1:13-15 ^bz; 2:1-11 ^ca, 28-32 ^cb; 3:9-16 ^cc; Amos 5:18-24 ^cd; Obad 1:15-16 ^ce; Zeph 1:2-18 ^cf; Mal 4:1-5 ^cg; 1 Cor 1:8 ^ch; 5:5 ^ci; 1 Thes 5:2 ^cj; 2 Thes 2:2 ^ck; 2 Tim 1:18 ^cl; 2 Pet 3:10 ^cm; Rev 20:1-15 ^cn