The Second Advent of Jesus Christ in 2 Thessalonians 1.7-10 (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Wednesday October 2, 2024

The Day of the Lord Series: The Second Advent of Jesus Christ in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10

Lesson # 42

There are three major passages in the New Testament epistles, which discuss the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, namely Romans 11:25-27, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, 2:8 and Jude 14-15.

The next passage which we will consider, which discusses the Second Advent of Christ in the New Testament epistles is 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.

2 Thessalonians 1:7 Correspondingly, to pay back rest for the benefit of each and every one of you who are regularly experiencing adversity along with each one of us at the revealing from heaven of our one and only Lord Jesus with His mighty angels. (Author’s translation)

Paul asserts that God the Father is righteous to pay back with rest each member of the Thessalonian Christian community who were regularly experiencing adversity in the form of persecution at the hands of unregenerate Gentiles in Thessalonica when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.

This revelation will take place at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:8 contains two statements.

2 Thessalonians 1:8 The one who will as a certainty cause those who do not possess a personal knowledge of God to experience retribution by means of flaming fire. Specifically, to the detriment of those who do not obey the one and only gospel about the Lord Jesus. (Pastor’s translation)

The first asserts that the Lord Jesus will as a certainty cause those who do not possess a personal knowledge of God the Father to experience retribution by means of flaming fire.

The second identifies specifically these individuals who do not know the Father personally and asserts that the Lord will as a certainty cause those who do not obey the one and only gospel about the Lord Jesus to experience retribution.

Therefore, the second statement defines not knowing the Father personally as not obeying the message of the gospel about Jesus Christ.

A sinner comes to know the Father personally through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ as one’s personal Savior.

Both these statements in 2 Thessalonians 1:8 describe the Lord Jesus Christ exacting retribution against every unrepentant, unregenerate person who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ, which would include the unrepentant, unregenerate Gentiles of the city of Thessalonica who persecuted the Thessalonian Christian community.

Ultimately, He will judge every unrepentant, unregenerate person who persecute those who trusted in Him as their Savior.

When the apostle Paul speaks of the Lord Jesus causing those who do not know God personally because of their rejection of the gospel to experience retribution by means of flaming fire, he is not speaking of the rapture.

Rather, he is referring to the last three and a half years of the seventieth week of Daniel as well as the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

This is indicated by the contents of 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10.

In verse 8, Paul asserts that the Lord will mete out judgement on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In verse 9, he asserts that these individuals who do not know God and obey the gospel will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His strength.

In verse 10, Paul asserts that the Lord will come glorified among his saints and admired on that day among all who have believed and believe the apostles’ testimony about Jesus.

The New Testament does not teach that any of these things will take place at the rapture since at the rapture the Lord will not manifest His presence to the inhabitants of planet earth and judge unrepentant unregenerate human beings.

Rather, He comes to the earth to remove the church so that she will not experience His wrath which He will exercise during the seventieth week of Daniel and His Second Advent.

He comes to the earth at the rapture to give resurrection bodies to the members of the church and to take His bride to the Father’s house in heaven.

None of this is mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10.

Therefore, the contents of 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10 will find their fulfillment during the seventieth week of Daniel when the Lord will exercise His wrath through the seven seal, trumpet and bowl judgments which are recorded in Revelation 6-18.

The contents of this passage will also find their fulfillment with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ when He will exercise His wrath by destroying armies of the Tribulational, kill the Antichrist and the False Prophet and have them thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 19:11-19).

He will also imprison Satan and the fallen angels for a thousand years.

At that time, He will kill every unrepentant, unregenerate person on the face of the earth and have them thrown into torments and from there they go to the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-14) where their sentence to be cast into the lake of fire forever is executed.

Paul would appear to be telling the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 that God will give them justice by judging those who persecuted them through the judgments of the seventieth week and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

He could be expressing the fact that he believed that the rapture was imminent and could happen in his lifetime as well as the eschatological day of the Lord, which is the seventieth week of Daniel and Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

The rapture would be immediately followed by the eschatological day of the Lord.

So therefore, Paul thought both the rapture and this eschatological day of the Lord were imminent.

However, he could also be telling the Thessalonians that God will give them justice by judging those who persecuted them through the Second Advent of Jesus Christ because at the Second Advent, the Lord Jesus will kill or have removed from the earth all those who reject Him as Savior and King.

At that time, all of the Lord’s enemies will be removed from the earth by either killing them or removing them with the elect angels.

These would include those who persecuted those who believe in the Lord Jesus.

They will either be gone from the earth either through death or by the elect angels removing them and casting them into torments in Hades.

In other words, Paul is comforting and assuring the Thessalonians by teaching them that ultimately the Lord Jesus will kill or have removed from the earth by the elect angels every unrepentant, unregenerate person including those who persecute Christians like themselves.

This would comfort and assure the Thessalonians because the Second Advent of Jesus Christ ushers in His millennial kingdom, which the Thessalonians would take part in as members of the bride of Christ.

Thus, the reference to the seventieth week of Daniel and the Second Advent of Christ in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 would serve as a reminder and comfort and assurance for the Thessalonian Christian community that that those who persecuted them and those who persecute any member of the body of Christ will ultimately be judged by the Lord Jesus.

The Second Advent will complete the destruction of the Lord’s enemies and thus the enemies of His bride, the church.

Also, the reference to the Second Advent of Christ in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 would serve as a reminder and comfort and assurance for the Thessalonian Christian community that they will ultimately be rewarded by the Lord for their faithfulness to Him in the midst of persecution.

He will reward them by having them reign with Him over the entire earth during His millennial reign.

2 Thessalonians 1:9 These who are characterized by disobedience will suffer a righteous punishment, namely, eternal destruction away from our Lord’s presence, specifically away from His glory, that is, the manifestation of His victorious power. (Pastor’s translation)

In 2 Thessalonians 1:9, the apostle Paul solemnly communicates to the Thessalonian Christian community another prophetic statement as it relates to those mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 1:8, who we noted were unrepentant, unregenerate people who will living during the seventieth week of Daniel and Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

He asserts that these individuals who are characterized by disobedience to the gospel about Jesus Christ will as a certainty suffer a righteous punishment, which he defines as being eternal destruction away from the Lord’s presence.

He then uses another prepositional phrase to define or specify what he means by the previous prepositional phrase.

He asserts that every unrepentant, unregenerate person living during the seventieth week of Daniel and Second Advent of Christ will as a certainty suffer a righteous punishment away from the manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ’s victorious power over sin, Satan and his cosmic system.

2 Thessalonians 1:10 on that day when He has returned in order to be greatly honored by the saints. In fact, in order to be marveled at by each and every one who has believed. Also, by means of each and every one of you because our testimony was believed by each one of you. (Pastor’s translation)

This verse asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ will return at His Second Advent in order to be greatly honored by His saints, which is designed to encourage the Thessalonian Christian community that they will honor and marvel at the Lord at His Second Advent.

The emphasis is not if the Lord will return at His Second Advent but that He will return and be honored by the Thessalonians and He will be marveled at by them.