2 Thessalonians 1:5
Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
Patient faith and endurance amid persecution, tribulation, and oppression for the kingdom of God is a manifest sign, a clear token and evidence, of God's righteous judgment that the sufferers may be counted worthy of the kingdom for which they suffer. Patient endurance of oppression and persecution for that kingdom is itself the manifest token of that righteous judgment. Suffering borne for God's kingdom marks those who endure as those to be counted worthy of it. Growing faith and abounding love, charity toward one another under trial, give cause for thanksgiving and for glorying and commendation. Being counted worthy involves attaining the holiness the kingdom requires, and practical godliness prepares a person for a place there.
Trials do not excuse neglect in guarding the soul or in honoring God, but call for strong faith, lively hope, courage, discipline, and love for one another. The passage serves as fitting and appropriate counsel for the church, assuring that God's promises are sure and urging believers to help one another keep His law. For workers who see unbelief coming into the churches and who face opposition, the verse calls for keeping the mind stayed upon the Lord, girding on the armor of the Lord, refusing discouragement when opposition comes, resting the whole matter with God and leaving unclear ways with Him, and encouraging in the heart the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. The verse stands within the hope that Christ's return will bring rest to the troubled and judgment upon those who reject God.
The oppression and persecution endured at Thessalonica point to similar trials awaiting believers in this age. The same work of oppression and persecution suffered by the saints in Paul's day will soon come upon all who believe in this age through laws exalting Sunday and putting human inventions in the place of God's holy day.