NT Text: 2 Thessalonians 1:9
OT Source(s):
Source: Beale & Carson (eds.), Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (2007); Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Longitudinal Theme
Significance: Paul's phrase "from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might" echoes Isaiah 2:10, 19, 21, where people flee "from the presence of the fear of the Lord and from the glory of his might" on the day of Yahweh's judgment. Paul's omission of "fear" creates cleaner parallelism while the two prepositional phrases remain in synonymous parallelism, expressing eternal exclusion from the glorious and powerful presence of the Lord. Paul's dramatic christological claim applies to Jesus what Isaiah said about Yahweh—the "Lord" from whose presence the wicked are excluded is Christ himself, demonstrating that Jesus exercises divine prerogatives and embodies the divine presence. This contrasts sharply with believers who "will always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:17), showing that the same glorious presence constitutes judgment for the wicked and salvation for believers, providing comfort that their vindication consists in enjoying what their persecutors eternally lack.