2 Thessalonians 1:9
They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might,
They will suffer the penalty
This phrase indicates a consequence or judgment that is both just and deserved. The Greek word for "penalty" is "δίκη" (dikē), which implies a legal retribution or a sentence that is fitting for the offense. In the context of 2 Thessalonians, this penalty is a divine judgment from God, underscoring the seriousness of rejecting the gospel and opposing God’s people. Historically, this reflects the early Christian understanding of divine justice, where God is seen as the ultimate judge who will right all wrongs.

of eternal destruction
"Eternal" comes from the Greek "αἰώνιος" (aiōnios), meaning everlasting or without end. "Destruction" is translated from "ὄλεθρος" (olethros), which can mean ruin or loss. This phrase does not imply annihilation but rather a perpetual state of ruin and separation from God. Theologically, this speaks to the permanence of the consequences of sin when one is unrepentant. It is a sobering reminder of the eternal nature of the soul and the everlasting impact of our earthly choices.

separated from the presence of the Lord
The word "separated" highlights a profound and tragic disconnection. The Greek "ἀπὸ" (apo) suggests a departure or removal. "Presence" is from "πρόσωπον" (prosōpon), which can mean face or countenance. This separation signifies a loss of fellowship and intimacy with God, which is the ultimate source of life and joy. Biblically, being in the presence of the Lord is associated with blessing and peace, as seen throughout the Psalms and other scriptures. Thus, separation from God is the ultimate form of spiritual death.

and the glory of His might
"Glory" in Greek is "δόξα" (doxa), referring to the majesty and honor of God. "Might" is from "ἰσχύς" (ischys), indicating strength or power. This phrase emphasizes the overwhelming and awe-inspiring nature of God’s power and presence. Historically, the glory of God was manifested in the Old Testament through theophanies and the temple, symbolizing His holiness and authority. In the New Testament, this glory is fully revealed in Jesus Christ. To be cut off from this glory is to be deprived of the ultimate source of life and light.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul
The apostle who authored the letter to the Thessalonians, providing guidance and encouragement to the early Christian church.

2. Thessalonica
A city in Macedonia where the church to whom Paul is writing is located. It was a significant urban center in the Roman Empire.

3. The Thessalonian Church
The recipients of Paul's letter, facing persecution and needing reassurance about the return of Christ and the fate of the wicked.

4. The Lord
Refers to Jesus Christ, whose presence and glory are central to the hope and faith of believers.

5. The Wicked
Those who reject the gospel and are destined for eternal separation from God as described in this passage.
Teaching Points
The Reality of Eternal Consequences
This verse underscores the seriousness of rejecting the gospel. It serves as a sobering reminder of the eternal consequences of our choices.

The Importance of God's Presence
Being separated from the presence of the Lord is the ultimate loss. This highlights the value of seeking and maintaining a relationship with God.

The Glory of His Might
Reflect on the power and majesty of God, which is both a source of comfort for believers and a warning for those who oppose Him.

Encouragement in Persecution
For the Thessalonians, this message provided hope that justice would be served. Believers today can find encouragement that God will ultimately right all wrongs.

Urgency of the Gospel
Understanding the eternal stakes should motivate believers to share the gospel with urgency and compassion.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the eternal consequences of rejecting the gospel impact your daily life and decisions?

2. In what ways can you cultivate a deeper awareness of God's presence in your life?

3. How does the concept of "eternal destruction" influence your perspective on sharing the gospel with others?

4. What are some practical ways you can encourage fellow believers who are facing persecution or hardship?

5. How can reflecting on the "glory of His might" enhance your worship and relationship with God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 25:41
This verse speaks of eternal punishment for the wicked, similar to the "eternal destruction" mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 1:9.

Revelation 20:10
Describes the final judgment and the eternal fate of those who oppose God, paralleling the theme of separation from God's presence.

Isaiah 2:10
Talks about hiding from the terror of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty, which connects to the idea of being separated from the glory of His might.

Romans 6:23
Discusses the wages of sin being death, which aligns with the concept of eternal destruction as a consequence of sin.

John 3:36
Highlights the contrast between eternal life for believers and God's wrath for those who reject the Son, echoing the separation from God's presence.
Banishment from God's PresenceJ. Garbett, M. A.2 Thessalonians 1:9
Hell, a Necessary TruthJ. Christen, D. D.2 Thessalonians 1:9
Punishment IrremediableJ. Christien, D. D.2 Thessalonians 1:9
The Glory of His PowerC. J. P. Eyro, M. A.2 Thessalonians 1:9
The Punishment of the Wicked2 Thessalonians 1:9
The Reality of PerditionT. De Witt Talmage.2 Thessalonians 1:9
Manifestation of Solemn InterestR. Finlayson 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
The Future Judgment as to its RighteousnessT. Croskery 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10
The Judgment DayW.F. Adeney 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10
Joy and Terror in the Coming of the LordThe Study2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
The Coming of Christ with His AngelsT. Manton, D. D.2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
The Great DayB.C. Caffin 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
People
Paul, Silas, Silvanus, Thessalonians, Timotheus, Timothy
Places
Thessalonica
Topics
Age-during, Banished, Destruction, Eternal, Everlasting, Exclusion, Face, Glorious, Glory, Justice, Majesty, Pay, Penalty, Power, Presence, Punished, Punishment, Reward, Shut, Strength, Suffer
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Thessalonians 1:9

     1090   God, majesty of
     1230   God, the Lord

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10

     5110   Paul, teaching of
     5493   retribution
     8729   enemies, of Christ

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

     2224   Christ, the Lord
     9105   last things

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10

     2051   Christ, majesty of
     2309   Christ, as judge

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

     1075   God, justice of
     5295   destruction
     5484   punishment, by God
     5955   strength, divine
     6645   eternal life, nature of
     8718   disobedience

2 Thessalonians 1:8-10

     4915   completion
     5398   loss
     6183   ignorance, of God
     9512   hell, experience

2 Thessalonians 1:9-11

     1105   God, power of

Library
Sanctification
TEXT: "This is the will of God, even your sanctification."--1 Thess. 4:3. It is quite significant that the Apostle Paul writes explicitly concerning sanctification to a church in which he had such delight that he could write as follows: "Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the Church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet,
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot

Twenty Sixth Sunday after Trinity God's Judgment when Christ Returns.
Text: 2 Thessalonians 1, 3-10. 3 We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, even as it is meet, for that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the love of each one of you all toward one another aboundeth; 4 so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye endure; 5 which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God; to the end that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Christ Glorified in Glorified Men
'He shall come to be glorified in His saints; and to be admired in all them that believe.'--2 THESS. i. 10. The two Epistles to the Thessalonians, which are the Apostle's earliest letters, both give very great prominence to the thought of the second coming of our Lord to judgment. In the immediate context we have that coming described, with circumstances of majesty and of terror. He 'shall be revealed . . . with the angels of His power.' 'Flaming fire' shall herald His coming; vengeance shall be
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Worthy of Your Calling
'We pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power; 12. That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in Him.'--2 THESS. i. 11, 12. In the former letter to the Church of Thessalonica, the Apostle had dwelt, in ever-memorable words--which sound like a prelude of the trump of God--on the coming of Christ at the end to judge the world, and to gather His servants into
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Lecture for Little-Faith
And now, beloved, having thus given you two thoughts which seemed to me to arise naturally from the text, I shall repair at once to the object of this morning's discourse. The apostle thanks God that the faith of the Thessalonians had grown exceedingly. Leaving out the rest of the text, I shall direct your attention this morning to the subject of growth in faith. Faith hath degrees. In the first place, I shall endeavor to notice the inconveniences of little faith; secondly, the means of promoting
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

Approbation and Blessing.
"Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power: that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."--2 THESS. i. ii, 12. Two words sum up the Christian life--Grace and Glory; and both are associated with the two Comings of the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace particularly with the first Coming,
W. H. Griffith Thomas—The Prayers of St. Paul

Meditations for the Morning.
1. Almighty God can, in the resurrection, as easily raise up thy body out of the grave, from the sleep of death, as he hath this morning wakened thee in thy bed, out of the sleep of nature. At the dawning of which resurrection day, Christ shall come to be glorified in his saints; and every one of the bodies of the thousands of his saints, being fashioned like unto his glorious body, shall shine as bright as the sun (2 Thess. i. 10; Jude, ver. 14; Phil. iii. 21; Luke ix. 31;) all the angels shining
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Of the Practice of Piety in Holy Feasting.
Holy feasting is a solemn thanksgiving, appointed by authority, to be rendered to God on some special day, for some extraordinary blessings or deliverances received. Such among the Jews was the feast of the Passover (Exod. xii. 15), to remember to praise God for their deliverance out of Egypt's bondage; or the feast of Purim (Esth. ix. 19, 21), to give thanks for their deliverance from Haman's conspiracy. Such amongst us is the fifth of November, to praise God for the deliverance of the king and
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

How the Forward and the Faint-Hearted are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 9.) Differently to be admonished are the forward and the faint-hearted. For the former, presuming on themselves too much, disdain all others when reproved by them; but the latter, while too conscious of their own infirmity, for the most part fall into despondency. Those count all they do to be singularly eminent; these think what they do to be exceedingly despised, and so are broken down to despondency. Therefore the works of the forward are to be finely sifted by the reprover, that
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Perfect in Parts, Imperfect in Degrees.
And the very God of peace sanctify, you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. -- 1 Thess. v. 23. The Scriptural doctrine that sanctification is a gradual process perfected only in death must be maintained clearly and soberly: first, in opposition to the Perfectionist, who says that saints may be "wholly sanctified" in this life; secondly, to those who deny the implanting of inherent holy dispositions in God's children.
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

"There is Therefore Now no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who Walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. "
Rom. viii. 1.--"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." There are three things which concur to make man miserable,--sin, condemnation, and affliction. Every one may observe that "man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward," that his days here are few and evil. He possesses "months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed" for him. Job v. 6, 7, vii. 3. He "is of few days and full of trouble," Job xiv.
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Sanctions of Moral Law, Natural and Governmental.
In the discussion of this subject, I shall show-- I. What constitute the sanctions of law. 1. The sanctions of law are the motives to obedience, the natural and the governmental consequences or results of obedience and of disobedience. 2. They are remuneratory, that is, they promise reward to obedience. 3. They are vindicatory, that is, they threaten the disobedient with punishment. 4. They are natural, that is, happiness is to some extent naturally connected with, and the necessary consequence of,
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Extracts No. X.
"Dear sir and brother--In remarking on your reply to my 8th number, as in a former case I shall follow the arrangement which you have made; taking up the articles in the same order. "1st. I did not suppose but that the method which I proposed to account for the absence of the body of Jesus would be liable to serious objections; and these objections are increased by connecting with them, circumstances which, if the resurrection be false, must be considered equally false. Because, if the resurrection
Hosea Ballou—A Series of Letters In Defence of Divine Revelation

"And the Life. " How Christ is the Life.
This, as the former, being spoken indefinitely, may be universally taken, as relating both to such as are yet in the state of nature, and to such as are in the state of grace, and so may be considered in reference to both, and ground three points of truth, both in reference to the one, and in reference to the other; to wit, 1. That our case is such as we stand in need of his help, as being the Life. 2. That no other way but by him, can we get that supply of life, which we stand in need of, for he
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Greatness of the Soul,
AND UNSPEAKABLENESS 0F THE LOSS THEREOF; WITH THE CAUSES OF THE LOSING IT. FIRST PREACHED AT PINNER'S HALL and now ENLARGED AND PUBLISHED FOR GOOD. By JOHN BUNYAN, London: Printed for Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682 Faithfully reprinted from the Author's First Edition. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Our curiosity is naturally excited to discover what a poor, unlettered mechanic, whose book-learning had been limited to the contents of one volume, could by possibility know
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Of Meditating on the Future Life.
The three divisions of this chapter,--I. The principal use of the cross is, that it in various ways accustoms us to despise the present, and excites us to aspire to the future life, sec. 1, 2. II. In withdrawing from the present life we must neither shun it nor feel hatred for it; but desiring the future life, gladly quit the present at the command of our sovereign Master, see. 3, 4. III. Our infirmity in dreading death described. The correction and safe remedy, sec. 6. 1. WHATEVER be the kind of
Archpriest John Iliytch Sergieff—On the Christian Life

Wisdom and Revelation.
"Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness
W. H. Griffith Thomas—The Prayers of St. Paul

Paul a Pattern of Prayer
"Go and inquire for one called Saul of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth."--ACTS ix. 11. "For this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting."--1 TIM. i. 16. God took His own Son, and made Him our Example and our Pattern. It sometimes is as if the power of Christ's example is lost in the thought that He, in whom is no sin, is not man as we are. Our Lord took Paul, a man
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

Of the Nature of Regeneration, and Particularly of the Change it Produces in Men's Apprehensions.
2 COR. v. 17. 2 COR. v. 17. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. THE knowledge of our true state in religion, is at once a matter of so great importance, and so great difficulty that, in order to obtain it, it is necessary we should have line upon line and precept upon precept. The plain discourse, which you before heard, was intended to lead you into it; and I question not but I then said enough to convince many, that they were
Philip Doddridge—Practical Discourses on Regeneration

Growth in Grace
'But grow in grace.' 2 Pet 3:38. True grace is progressive, of a spreading and growing nature. It is with grace as with light; first, there is the crepusculum, or daybreak; then it shines brighter to the full meridian. A good Christian is like the crocodile. Quamdiu vivet crescit; he has never done growing. The saints are not only compared to stars for their light, but to trees for their growth. Isa 61:1, and Hos 14:4. A good Christian is not like Hezekiah's sun that went backwards, nor Joshua's
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

How to Make Use of Christ, as Truth, for Comfort, when Truth is Oppressed and Born Down.
There is another difficulty, wherein believing souls will stand in need of Christ, as the truth, to help them; and that is, when his work is overturned, his cause borne down, truth condemned, and enemies, in their opposition to his work, prospering in all their wicked attempts. This is a very trying dispensation, as we see it was to the holy penman of Psalm lxxiii. for it made him to stagger, so that his feet were almost gone, and his steps had well nigh slipt; yea he was almost repenting of his
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

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