2 Thessalonians 1:9-12 (NKJV) These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.
11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
V9 “These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power…” The Greek word “punished” is a phrase, δικην τισουσιν, with two Greek words: 1) (G1349) δίκη dikē and 2) (G5099) τίνω tínō. These two words have the idea of punish, pay the penalty. Sin has consequences. The consequence of sin is death, which is a separation. The physical separation is soul from flesh. The flesh then composts. The nonmaterial soul and spirit are still separated from God and from eternal life. The Greek word for “destruction” is (G3639) ὄλεθρος ólethros, which means ruin and destruction. It is not used for annihilation. There is eternal, never ending, punishment of torment and distresses. Note the separation. This punishment excludes being in the presence of God and His glory.
V10 “…when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.” What is “that Day?” It is a day when those who BELIEVE will admire the Lord Jesus. It seems most reasonable that this refers to the Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation. Those who do NOT believe will be judged. The punishment is the Sheep & Goat judgment. This judgment is to separate all living people when Jesus comes to set up His kingdom. The sheep are believers who will enter the Millennium in their natural bodies to repopulate the earth. The goats are unbelievers who will be judged and sent to Hades/hell. The reason for the difference is faith. Paul and his team preached the Good News about Jesus Christ and His salvation. Those who believe have everlasting life; those who do not believe have everlasting punishment.
The glory of the Lord Jesus is the glory few have seen. Our imagination can only guess at His glory, but when we see Him, it will be beyond anything we could imagination. The believers are the one’s who rejoice in His glory. Nonbelievers will dread it, for it is their judgment day. The admiration refers to His greatness of being, power, authority, royalty, His royal court, His kingdom, worldview, character traits, lifestyle and servants. We have only a few descriptions from the prophets (1 Kings 22:19, Isaiah 6:1-7, and Ezekiel 1:4-28). The people of Israel being saved from Egypt saw His power for Israel and against Egypt (Exodus 14:30-31). They saw His power of fire in the sacrifice (Leviticus 9:24, Judges 13:20, and 1 Kings 18:39). The disciples saw His transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-7).
Again, note the importance of believing, faith, and trust. It is those who glory and admire.
V11 “Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power…” The only worthiness of a believer is our faith (Romans 8:1). The calling is the work of the Holy Spirit to open a person’s heart and mind to understand the truth of a person’s sinful, depraved, evil nature. God frees the will to believe. Most people reject because of pride (I’m a good person, or I’ve done more good than bad). The other reason is the love of sin (Proverbs 2:14, John 3:19, and 2 Thessalonians 2:12. Compare Romans 1:26-32. Why are we worthy? Because the Lord Jesus died for our sins, we believed, and He regenerated us to new life. God predestinated us (believers) to be conformed to His image. We are to seek (pray) and apply God’s truths found in the Scriptures enabling us to fulfill His good pleasure. The work of faith is not referring to saving faith but a living, working faith as salt in the earth and lights set on a hill (Matthew 5:13-16).
V12 “…that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus will be glorified by who we are (in Christ) and by our deeds (as a witness) and our message. All people can see a Christian living THE Christian life. Living this way is a testimony to God’s great person and laws. Many people have become believers by seeing a person’s changed life. For some Bible characters there are Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33:1-20), Rahab (Joshua 6:17 and James 2:25), and Paul, the Apostle who assisted those who killed Stephen (Acts 7 and Acts 9:1-23).