2 Thessalonians 1:5 (WEB)

Passage

This is an obvious sign of the righteous judgment of God, to the end that you may be counted worthy of God’s Kingdom, for which you also suffer.

Nearby Context

2 Thessalonians 1:3 We are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers, even as it is appropriate, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of each and every one of you towards one another abounds;

2 Thessalonians 1:4 so that we ourselves boast about you in the assemblies of God for your perseverance and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you endure.

2 Thessalonians 1:5 This is an obvious sign of the righteous judgment of God, to the end that you may be counted worthy of God’s Kingdom, for which you also suffer.

2 Thessalonians 1:6 Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you,

2 Thessalonians 1:7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "obvious", "sign", "righteous", "judgment", "counted", "worthy", "kingdom", and "suffer". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "obvious" and "sign", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "so that we ourselves boast about you..." into verse 6's "Since it is a righteous thing with...", so "obvious" and "sign" 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 "obvious" and "sign" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.