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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadWilliam Burkitt Notes and Observations - 2 Thessalonians 1:7 - 1:7
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That is,"As God will certainly punish your persecutors, so he will ere long give rest to you his sufferers, together with us who are companions with you in the same sufferings; you that are troubled shall have rest with us, his persecuted apostles: you shall have rest as well as we, and you shall have rest together with us."
Blessed be God that there is a day undoubtedly coming, when all the troubles of his people shall be ended indeed, and all his suffering saints shall be fully and finally rewarded for all their services and sufferings; and this distribution of rewards and punishments shall be in the presence of the whole world, at the great day, for the glory of divine justice. Then all those, who doubt or complain of God's justice, shall awfully admire and adore it. To you that are troubled, rest with us.
Where note, 1. That the present time is a time of trouble to the people of God: their time of rest hereafter.
2. That Almighty God alloweth his troubled saints a liberty to comfort themselves with the expectation and hope, that their troubles shall shortly end, and their everlasting rest begin.
3. That it addeth much to the excellency of that rest which the troubled saints expect, that it shall be enjoyed, not by a few of the most eminent sufferers, but by all of them: All you that are troubled shall rest with us.; with us apostles, with all the prophets and faithful servants of God.
Hail, happy day! when all the saints shall sing and rejoice together; when there shall be not one wicked person among them to damp their mirth, or to diminish their joy. How desirable is the communion of saints here! How happy do they esteem themselves when they can get together by themselves! But how joyful will the time and place be, when they get to heaven, where none shall interrupt their quiet, nothing shall disturb their rest! God will recompense tribulation to them that trouble you: and to you who are troubled, rest with us.
When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In these words we have an awful description of the day of judgment, and of the process of that solemn day.
Where observe, 1. The judge described, The Lord Jesus, he shall be revealed from heaven: since his ascension, the heavens have contained him, and concealed him also from our sight and senses; but he shall then visibly appear, and locally descend from the highest heavens into the region of the air. He shall come in the clouds, and every eye shall see him.
Observe, 2. His noble attendants; the mighty angels, every one stronger than an host of armed men. As the work Christ comes about is a great and mighty work, so he will have instruments strong and mighty, sufficient for that work; yet doth Christ make use of the angels, not for necessity, but for majesty, he can do his work without them.
Observe, 3. The manner of his coming: in flaming fire, by which the heavens and the earth shall be burnt up, and in which the damned shall be eternally tormented.
Observe, 4. The end of his coming: to take vengeance on the ignorant, and on the disobedient, on such as knew not God, and on them that do know, but obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Learn hence, 1. That it greatly tends to the comfort and support of persecuted Christians, that Christ their righteous judge will come: He shall be revealed, and nobly attended; he shall come as an exalted king, accompanied with a glorious train of mighty angels.
Learn, 2. That the dread and terror of the day of judgment, will be matter of comfort to the godly, no ways terrifying. Those very flames which shall set the heavens and the earth in a blaze, and occasion dreadful consternation and fear to the wicked and impenitent world, shall be a comfortable sight to the godly, and the fore-thoughts of them may and should yield comfort to them under their present troubles.
Learn, 3. That ignorance, whether in pagans or in Christians, doth very much, but disobedience to the gospel doth very much more, expose persons, and lay them open to the vengeance of the great day: If Christ will render vengeance to them that know him not, much more to them that do know, but obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus.