and to you who are troubled, rest with us in the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His mighty angels,
Truth to Learn
Christians may be suffering now, but we will have eternal rest.
Behind the Words
Some translations start this verse off with, “and to give you …” The word “give” is not in the Greek text, but has been added by the translators. The grammatical construction of the Greek, however, indicates that the verb here is the same as the previous verse (repay). So the beginning of this verse could be translated as, “and to repay you…”
Anesis is the word translated “rest.” It is based on the verb aniēmi, a compound word made up of ana, meaning “up” or “back” and hiēmi, meaning “to send.” Thus, aniēmi means “to send back” or “to loosen” and anesis refers to “relief or rest.”
“Revelation” is from the Greek word apokalupsis, which is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and a form of the verb kaluptō, meaning “to cover.” Hence, apokalupsis refers to something being “uncovered” or “revealed.”
The word “heaven” is translated from ouranos, which is probably based on oros, meaning “a high place” or “a mountain.” Ouranos refers to the area above us. It can refer to the sky (the atmosphere around the earth), space (where stars and planets are located), or God’s dwelling place (sometimes called the third heaven).
The Greek word translated “mighty” is dunamis (from which we get our English word “dynamite”). This word refers to “power in action.” The Greek word ischus is similar, although it refers to the ability, whereas dunamis refers to the action.
Meaning Explained
Paul has prayed for the growth in faith and love of the Thessalonians and stated that this growth in the face of persecution and tribulation is an indication of God’s righteous judgment. In yesterday’s verse Paul told us that God’s judgment is righteous in the way He judges evil doers. He told them (and us) that he will repay those who persecute us with their own tribulation. We will see in tomorrow’s verse the kind of repayment they will receive.
We are now told how God’s judgment is righteous toward those of us who believe in God and who believe in His son Jesus Christ. Please note here that there is a difference between fairness and righteous judgment. If God were fair, we would receive from Him what we rightly deserve. We would receive His wrath because of our sinfulness. But, because God is righteous and has chosen to demonstrate His grace toward us, we will not experience God’s wrath. Instead, we are told here, He will give us relief from the tribulation that we suffer in this life. Keep in mind what Jesus told His disciples:
These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
Being a Christian does not mean that our life on earth will be easy. On the contrary, we will (and do) have tribulation. But, when this life is over we will have rest. Those who persecute us, however, will have tribulation beyond measure, eternally!
Application
Be of good cheer, my Christian friends; though your life may be difficult now, we will have eternal peace and rest!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved