1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3We 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 toward one another abounds, 4so 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. 5This 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. 6For it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you, 7and 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, 8punishing those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus, 9who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10when he comes in that day to be glorified in his saints and to be admired among all those who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
11To this end we also pray always for you that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith with power, 12that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Heaven (Gk. οὐρανός, ouranos). (10:21; Matt 3:2, Acts 2:34; 4:2, Rom 1:18; Col 1:16; 1 Thess 4:16; Heb 1:10, Rev 5:13) Strong’s 3772
The term “heaven” in the NT is used in a variety of ways, referring to the sky or the part of creation above the earth, the dwelling place of God and the angels, the destiny of believers and it is even used as a circumlocution or substitute term for God. To speak of a reward in heaven, as in Mark 10:21, is to set attention on the spiritual realm, the afterlife, one’s eternal destiny and the presence of God. In this verse, “heaven” refers to the dwelling place of God and the destiny of believers. This rich man claimed to be a perfect follower of the law, but misses Jesus’ point when He says, “no one is good except God.” By asking him to sell all his property, Jesus is attempting to help him see that he is not quite as good or impressive as he might think. The rich man should not have evaluated and defined himself by his earthly existence, but by heaven. As much as he might consider himself a success in earthly terms, the better questions for the rich man are: How successful am I now in the eyes of heaven? How successful will I prove to be upon receiving my heavenly reward? Will I enjoy a heavenly arrival at all?