2 Thessalonians 1:8 (DRB)

Passage

In a flame of fire, giving vengeance to them who know not God and who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Nearby Context

2 Thessalonians 1:6 Seeing it is a just thing with God to repay tribulation to them that trouble you:

2 Thessalonians 1:7 And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with the angels of his power:

2 Thessalonians 1:8 In a flame of fire, giving vengeance to them who know not God and who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:9 Who shall suffer eternal punishment in destruction, from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his power:

2 Thessalonians 1:10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be made wonderful in all them who have believed; because our testimony was believed upon you in that day.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "flame", "fire", "giving", "vengeance", "obey", "gospel", "lord", and "jesus". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "flame" and "fire", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "And to you who are troubled rest..." into verse 9's "Who shall suffer eternal punishment in destruction...", so "flame" and "fire" belong inside that flow. In 2 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "flame" and "fire" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.