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Second Thessalonians, part 4, Unveiled Glory

2 Thessalonians 1:12 says,

¹² So that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, in accordance with the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the purpose of Paul’s prayer. He does not pray merely that the Thessalonians will escape persecution or receive personal honor. He prays that “the name of our Lord Jesus” will be glorified in them. In Scripture, a “name” represents character, authority, and reputation. To bear Christ’s name is to represent Him. His name is glorified when believers demonstrate His character, especially under pressure.

Christ Glorified in the Saints

Christ’s glory is not merely external light surrounding Him. It is His character and nature revealed through His people as a result of the law being written on their hearts. Paul later describes this transformation in Colossians 1:27, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

The divine purpose is to bring the inner presence of Christ to outward manifestation. The biblical type of this is seen in the various veils in the tabernacle and temple. The veils are designed to hide His glory until the time of open manifestation. The Apocalypse (“revelation”) actually means “unveiling.” The word comes from apo, “away from, off,” and kalypsis, “veil.” In other words, the book of Revelation is the Unveiling of Jesus Christ in us as well as from heaven.

His coming reveals what He has been forming within His saints since the beginning of time. The purpose of His coming is not only to be personally on earth to rule His Kingdom; it is to be the Head on the many-membered body, with each member essentially duplicating Him in glory. Hence, when Revelation 1:7 says, “every eye will see Him,” it does not necessarily mean that everyone on earth will see Jesus Himself. To see His body is also to see Him. This principle is set forth by Jesus Himself in John 14:8, 9,

⁸ Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

The Thessalonians’ present affliction was part of this process. The pressure exposed what was in their hearts and gave them opportunity to manifest Christ’s endurance and love.

And You in Him

There is a reciprocal glorification. Christ is glorified in His people because they display His character. His people are glorified in Christ because they share in His victory, authority, and life. For this reason, in John 17:10 Jesus prayed concerning His disciples,

¹⁰ All things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.

Paul expresses the same truth in Romans 8:17,

¹⁷ If indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

This does not place believers on an equality with Christ as the source of glory. As members of His body, they participate in the glory of the Head. Their glory is derived from union with Him. In order for the Head and the body to be joined, they must share the same DNA (substance). Otherwise, the great Head transplant at the feast of Tabernacles would fail.

Their suffering and glorification are connected. Suffering is not itself glorious, but faithful obedience under suffering prepares believers to share Christ’s glory.

All of this occurs “in accordance with the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The standard and source of fulfillment is divine grace, which is the work of God, as He changes our nature by writing His law upon our hearts. Attaining this glory does not originate with the will of man or in human ability and work. Paul’s prayer is that this grace would accomplish its full purpose, transforming the called ones until Christ’s character was unveiled in them.

God’s purpose is not merely to bring His people into glory, but to reveal Christ’s glory through them. The saints are prepared for this calling as grace empowers their faith, completes their good purposes, and forms the character of Christ within them.

Parousia Past and Future

After explaining these two main aspects of Christ’s parousia, 2 Thessalonians 2:1 says,

¹ Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming [parousia] of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him [i.e., in one body].

Paul now addresses the principal prophetic misunderstanding troubling the Thessalonian church. Some had been persuaded that “the day of the Lord” was already present. Some even now teach that the day of the Lord began with Christ’s crucifixion. Others teach that Pentecost in Acts 2 was the day of the coming of Christ.

Paul corrects this claim by identifying events that must occur before that day reaches its appointed manifestation. Pentecost did indeed bring Christ’s presence to the church, for He indwells us now as His temple. But this glory—this “treasure in earthen vessels”—is yet veiled by human flesh, even as Jesus’ glory was veiled. Hebrews 10:20 speaks of “the veil, that is, His flesh.” So also does our own flesh veil the glory that lies within us.

The real issue, then, is not whether or not we have the light of His glory in us today; the issue is whether or not that glory has been unveiled. The parousia of Pentecost is veiled; the parousia of Tabernacles is unveiled. Normally, Paul spoke of the parousia of Tabernacles.

2 Thessalonians 2:2 continues,

² That you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit, or a message, or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

The Thessalonians had apparently received the false teaching through one or more of three channels: “a spirit” through a claimed prophetic revelation, “a message” through an oral report or teaching, or “a letter as if from us,” a document falsely attributed to Paul or seriously misrepresented as his teaching.

The problem explains why Paul later authenticates the letter with his own handwriting. We read in 2 Thessalonians 3:17,

¹⁷ I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter.

The NASB says that they were told “the day of the Lord has come.” The Greek verb is enestēken, the perfect tense of enistēmi. It means “is present,” “has arrived,” or “is now here.” The King James Version renders it “the day of Christ is at hand,” but that wording can be misunderstood as meaning merely “near.” Paul was not denying that the day was approaching. He was denying that it had already arrived—presumably at Christ’s crucifixion.

The Thessalonians may have interpreted their severe persecution as proof that they had already entered the final day of judgment. Paul reassures them that their sufferings did not mean the prophetic program had reached that stage.

Recall what Paul had already written to them in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, “The day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.” In speaking of this as a future event, he made it clear that it had not already taken place. Paul’s concern was not simply chronological. If the day had already arrived, the Thessalonians might think they had missed the gathering to Christ or misunderstood everything Paul had taught them. Hence their alarm.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 says,

³ Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.

The words “it will not come” are supplied by the translators, but they correctly convey the sense. The day of the Lord cannot be present unless two developments occur first: the apostasy comes; and the man of lawlessness is revealed.