I. THE JUDGMENT OF THE WICKED.

1. The revelation of the Judge. It is the Lord Jesus, who once was despised and rejected of men; he is ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. He shall come as God once came down on Mount Sinai, in the like awful glory.

(1) With the angels. They shall gather the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire. The angels will be the ministers of his justice - the blessed angels who are now the messengers of his love and grace. Now they rejoice over each sinner that repenteth; then they will cast the impenitent into the everlasting fire. We think of the angels as gentle, loving, holy, as our friends and guardians; they are so, so far as we are Christ's. They desire to look into the mysteries of redemption; they announced the Saviour's birth; they ministered to him in his temptation, his agony; they celebrated his resurrection and ascension. Now they are sent forth to minister for them that shall be heirs of salvation; they encamp round about those who fear the Lord, and deliver them. They help in carrying on his blessed work of love. But they are holy; they hate evil; they must turn away from those who have yielded themselves to the dominion of the evil one; they must execute at the last the awful judgment of God. Fearful thought, that the blessed angels, loving and holy as they are, must one day cast the hardened sinner into hell, as once they cast Satan out of heaven.

(2) In flaming fire. The Lord shall be revealed in flaming fire, in that glory which he had before the world was. His throne is fiery flame (Daniel 7:9). He himself is a consuming fire. The sight will be appalling to the lost, full of unutterable terror; "they shall say to the rocks, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us." "By thine agony and bloody sweat, by thy cross and passion, good Lord, deliver us."

2. The lost. Two classes are mentioned here.

(1) Those who know not God - the heathen. They might have known him. Some of them did know him. They had not the Law, the outward Law, but it was written in their hearts; God spoke to them in the voice of conscience. They listened; they did by nature the things contained in the Law. Such men, we are sure, God in his great mercy will accept and save. But, alas! the fearful picture drawn by St. Paul in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans represents with only too much truth the general state of the heathen world in the apostolic times. Their blindness was criminal; it was the result of willful and habitual sin; their ignorance was without excuse.

(2) Those who obeyed not the gospel. All, whether Jews or Gentiles, who had heard the preaching of Christ. They had heard, as we have, all that the Lord Jesus had done and suffered for us; they had had the opportunity of hearing his holy precepts. "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light." To know the gospel and not to obey it, to have the light around us and not to admit it into our hearts, not to walk as children of light - this must bring the judgment of God upon the disobedient. The greater the light, the heavier the responsibility of those who sin against light and knowledge.

3. The punishment. The Lord Jesus will award vengeance. "Vengeance is mine; I will recompense, saith the Lord." Terrible thought, that vengeance must come from him, the most loving Saviour, who loved the souls of men with a love so burning, so intense in its Divine tenderness! But it must be so. The exceeding guilt of sin is manifest in this; it turns the chiefest of blessings into an increase of condemnation; the cross is utter death to the impenitent and the ungodly. And that vengeance takes effect in destruction. The destruction is eternal; then it is not annihilation. It is the destruction of all gladness, hope, all that makes life worth living; it is the exclusion from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. Only the pure in heart can see God. The lost souls cannot see his face. The exclusion is eternal; is it endless? It continues through the ages; will those ages of misery ever end in restoration? Can a soul, once so hardened in guilt that it must be shut out of the presence of God, ever repent in that exclusion? It sinned obstinately against light during its time of probation; can it recover itself now that the light is withdrawn? It is hardened through the deceitfulness of sin and the power of evil habits; can it break those chains of darkness now? These are dark, awful questions. We may ask, on the other hand, how can "God be all in all," if sin is to exist forever? how can it be that "in Christ shall all be made alive," while there is still a hell in the universe of God? The subject is beset with difficulties and perplexities; it excites bewildering, harrowing thoughts. We must leave it where Holy Scripture leaves it. We would gladly believe, if it were possible, that there is hope beyond the grave for those who die unblest; but such an expectation has no scriptural authority beyond a few slight and doubtful hints. Who would dare to trust to a hope so exceeding slender? No; if we shrink in terror from the thought of being one day shut out of God's presence into the great outer darkness, let us try to live in that gracious presence now.

II. THE GLORY OF THE RIGHTEOUS.

1. Its time: when he shall come. They suffer now; sometimes they are persecuted, their name is cast out as evil. But they have their consolation; they see indeed through a glass darkly, but yet they do see by faith the glory of the Lord; they are changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the Lord the Spirit. They have a glory now; but it is an inner spiritual glory derived from the indwelling of the blessed Spirit whom the world seeth not, neither knoweth. Now they are the sons of God; when he shall appear, they shall be like him, for they shall see him as he is.

2. Its nature: the unveiled presence of Christ. He shall be glorified in his saints. "I am glorified in them," he said, when about to leave them. When he comes again, that glory shall shine forth in all its radiant splendour. He shall be admired in all them that believe. The glory of his presence abiding in them shall arouse the wondering admiration of all. The lost spirits will wonder; they will be amazed at the strangeness of the salvation of the blessed. "This is he" (Wisd. 5:3, 5) "whom we sometimes had in derision... how is he numbered among the children of God, and his lot is among the saints?" The very angels will wonder at the exceeding glory of the Lord shining in his saints. For he will change the body of their humiliation, and make it like the body of his glory.

LESSONS.

1. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; let us keep that awful day in our thoughts.

2. Think on the fearful misery of eternal separation from God; live in his presence now.

3. We hope to be like him in his glory; let us take up the cross. - B.C.C.

The Lord will come the second time. When, we cannot know. Angels do not know. But this does not detract from its certainty. To us individually His coming is virtually near. It is not long till we go hence, and time for us will be no more. Eternity begins; Christ, the Judge, deciding our state for happiness or misery. Therefore we need not put His coming far away in the future. We are graciously permitted to prepare for it, so that it may be to us an event of joy and not of terror.

I. TO UNBELIEVERS THE LORD'S COMING WILL BE AN INDESCRIBABLE TERROR. They rejected Him come to deliver them from sin. Now they must behold Him as their righteous Judge to pronounce upon them the condemnation of their own choosing. This is their condemnation — that they believed not on Him. Mercies slighted will make justice self-approved. Not mercy, then, but the" wrath of the Lamb" will be upon them.

II. TO BELIEVERS HIS COMING WILL BRING INCONCEIVABLE JOY. They have accepted Him in His mission of redeeming love in His first advent. At His coming to judge the world He will receive His own to Himself. Such a relation to Him carries with it a desire for His appearing, when they shall appear with Him in glory. "They rest from their labours, and their works do follow them."

III. POINTS FOR REMARKS.

1. Great is the mercy of God in extending to us present salvation through the mediation of Christ. Great is His mercy also in forewarning us of His coming again as the Judge.

2. Life appears short in view of the event of Christ's coming and the eternity awaiting us. How important this life is, considered as a preparation.

3. Terrible as must be the coming of Christ to the wicked, to the Christian it is a joyous anticipation. It has always been so. Christ is the chiefest among ten thousand, and the One altogether lovely. To see Him face to face and dwell with Him forever is heaven to the soul. This state may well awaken a desire to see Him.

(The Study.)

I. THERE IS A TIME COMING WHEN CHRIST SHALL BE FULLY REVEALED AND COME ALL HIS GLORY.

1. What is this revelation? The coming of Christ is set forth as an apocalypse and as an epiphany. The former is in the text, and in 1 Peter 1:13, 1 Corinthians 1:7, and means an unveiling; the latter is in 2 Timothy 4:8, Titus 2:13, and means a forth-flashing. The former is used because —(1) Many have never seen Him (Acts 3:21). This does not hinder His spiritual virtue and influence although it does the enjoyment of His bodily presence! (1 Peter 1:8).(2) His earthly state was obscure, His Godhead peeping through the veil in a miracle or so.(3) His spiritual glory is seen but in a glass darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12). Vision is reserved for heaven (John 17:24).(4) His kingdom is not always clear to the world (Luke 17:20).(5) His subjects are under a veil (Colossians 3:3; 1 John 3:2; Romans 8:19).

2. That this time is coming is evident from —(1) The promise of His coming. This ancient promise (Jude 1:14, 15) was ever kept afoot in the Church. The scoffers took notice of it (2 Peter 3:4). It has been revived by all the Lord's messengers. Moses, David, Samuel, Joel, Zechariah, Malachi, and more clearly by Christ (John 14:3). Christ would not flatter us into a fool's paradise.(2) His remembrancers in the Church (1 Corinthians 11:26; 2 Timothy 4:1).(3) Our inward pledge of it. At parting there is a giving of tokens. Christ has gone to make ready for the day of His espousals. To prevent suspicion He left His Spirit to stir up in us expectation of that day (Romans 8:23; Revelation 22:17).(4) Our constant experience of His love and care. There are frequent messages of love passing between us and Christ, in His word, prayer, sacraments, to show that He does not forget us.(5) The interest of Christ which is concerned in it.(a) Partly that the glory of His Person may be seen and fully discovered. His first coming was obscure, in the form of a servant, with a poor retinue, etc.; now He comes as the Lord of all in power and great glory.(b) That He may possess what He has purchased (1 Peter 1:18, 19; John 14:3; Hebrews 3:13).(c) That He may overthrow the wicked (Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:10, 11; Philippians 2:10).(d) That He may require an account of things during His absence (Matthew 25.).

II. WHEN CHRIST COMES HE WILL BRING HIS MIGHTY ANGELS WITH HIM.

1. Those angels are mighty (Psalm 103:20). One slaughtered many thousands of Sennacherib's army in a single night. Their greatness is mentioned to show the excellency of our Redeemer who is greater than all.

2. He will bring them —(1) To show His glory and majesty. The most excellent creatures are at His command (1 Peter 3:22; Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 1:4-7).(2) Because He has a service for them.(a) To gather the elect (Matthew 24:31). This shall complete their many services on His behalf and ours (Luke 2:18, 14; 1 Corinthians 11:10; 1 Timothy 5:21; Luke 15:7, 10; Hebrews 1:14; Psalm 34:7; Luke 16:22).(b) To execute His sentence on the wicked (Matthew 13:41, 42, 49).(c) To show that they are part of the army commanded by the Captain of our salvation. (Psalm 68:17).

(T. Manton, D. D.)

Paul, Silas, Silvanus, Thessalonians, Timotheus, TimothyThessalonicaAfflicted, Affliction, Angels, Attended, Blazing, Fire, Flames, Flaming, Grant, Heaven, Letter, Messengers, Mighty, Paul's, Power, Powerful, Re-appearing, Relief, Repose, Requite, Rest, Revealed, Revelation, Suffering, Timothy, Troubled1. Paul certifies the Thessalonians of the good opinion which he had of their faith, love, and patience;
11. and therewithal uses various reasons for the comforting of them in persecution.

2 Thessalonians 1:7

     1403   God, revelation
     2024   Christ, glory of
     4113   angels, agents of judgment
     9022   death, believers

2 Thessalonians 1:5-7

     9414   heaven, community of redeemed

2 Thessalonians 1:6-7

     5059   rest, eternal
     5350   injustice, hated by God
     5566   suffering, encouragements in
     9240   last judgment

2 Thessalonians 1:6-8

     8797   persecution, attitudes

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10

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

2 Thessalonians 1:7-8

     4826   fire
     9412   heaven, worship and service

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
     2565   Christ, second coming

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, …
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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. …
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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, …
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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 …
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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 …
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