But the Greek terminology (and the Hebrew on which it is based) is much more vivid. Therefore, to be in the presence of the Lord is to be near God. In English, it appears to refer to that which is in proximity to God, or that which is near God. So what does the phrase “the presence of the Lord” mean? ![]() It is the preposition “from” (Gk., apō), and can refer to location or separation (away from), source or origin (comes from), instrument or cause (caused by), and time (from ages past).īut since the preposition introduces a longer phrase, we can know the proper meaning of the preposition by first understanding the phrase it introduces. Many books and articles focus primarily on the first word of this phrase. The phrase “from the presence of the Lord” is key to understanding Paul’s point. ![]() What does “from the presence of the Lord” mean? ![]() Yet it is critical to note that while the Isaiah text refers to the “terror” of the Lord, Paul removes the reference to terror and inserts the “presence” of the Lord instead. This first text refers to the “terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty” while the second refers to the destruction that comes upon those who sin against God. Since Paul is using similar imagery, he must have similar ideas in mind.įurthermore, when Paul writes about “the presence of the Lord and … the glory of His power,” he likely has texts such as Isaiah 2:19-21 (cf. Both of those passages refer to the destruction of nations and countries that ignore the ways of God and the plight of the needy in their midst. When Paul wrote these words, he expected his readers to bring to mind the images of fire and destruction that are found in various prophetic texts and the teachings of Jesus.įor example, the terminology and imagery used in the preceding verse about Jesus being “revealed from heaven with His mighty angels” (2 Thessalonians 1:7) brings to mind the similar imagery used by Jesus in Matthew 13:36-43 and Matthew 25:31-46. The first thing to consider is the numerous allusions and references in these verses to other passages of Scripture. Paul is Alluding to Numerous other passages in Scripture When considered by itself out of context, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 seems to conclusively state that God punishes and destroys people forever with flaming fire.Īs such, this text may be the strongest passage in Scripture to support the concept of eternal torment in fire for the unregenerate dead.īut an entirely different understanding emerges after a careful analysis of the text in its context and the numerous intertextual allusions to other passages in Scripture.Īnd since our previous studies on the topic of hell and everlasting fire have already considered numerous texts with similar terms and has shown that they do not refer to everlasting torture in the fires of hell but to some sort of temporal destruction, we are well-prepared to see what Paul meant when he wrote this text. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power … … in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This certainly sounds like a punishment of everlasting torture, doesn’t it? So what is Paul referring to? In this study, we will be looking at 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, which refers to flaming fire of vengeance and everlasting destruction coming upon those who do not obey the gospel. ![]() If you want to learn the truth about hell and what the Bible actually teaches about hell, make sure you get a copy of my book, What is Hell?Īlso, if you are part of my discipleship group, there will be an online course about hell as well. The studies look at the eight key terms that are often equated with hell, and about a dozen key passages that are thought to teach about hell. I am doing a series of podcast studies that focus on some of the content from the book. My book, What is Hell? is now available on Amazon.
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