THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO Timothy Chapter 1 "Private and Personal Letter to Timothy." This Bible Study is
written by Roger Christopherson, and made available with
written permission by http://www.theseason.org This second epistle [letter] to Timothy is the last of all Paul's writings. It was written during his second imprisonment at Rome, within a short time of his martyrdom, as we will read in 4:6. This letter was written about the end of 67 A. D., or the first part of 68. Timothy, it was thought, was at Ephesus when Paul was writing, and wished dearly that he could see his "dearly beloved son" in the Lord, before he was put to death. The strongest feature of this is the "church's" departure from the truth; (see 1.15; 2:17; 3:8; and 4:4). This was the time when "all they which are in Asia be turned away from" Paul, and this is why Paul urged Timothy to "therefore be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus". Though the churches were being turned from the truth of God's Word, when you study, teach. and share the Word of God with others, the Holy Spirit will make the very Scriptures themselves come alive. The Word "quickens" them and it makes the Word of God the Living Word that is fulfilling. The Word will quench the thirst of those that thirst after righteousness and allow them to fine contentment, and the peace of mind. When Paul wrote this book, or letter he knew that he would be martyred for the sake of the Gospel. He was in prison when he wrote this letter and this letter is comparing Timothy to other preachers that are straying from the truth, and he is giving Timothy advice as to how the church should function, and how a Pastor should give advice and counsel to the congregation. This then is probably the best set of rules anywhere as to how the church that you attend should act before the world, as well as to our Heavenly Father; bringing forth the Gospel of Christ, and the commandments of our Father. II Timothy 1:1 "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus," "An apostle" is "one sent" by Jesus Christ, by the will of God. This is the highest credentials that you can have as a minister and teacher. "The promise of life" spoken of here is not talking about your flesh life, but your spiritual life and the promise that God gives us, when by faith we believe and accept forgiveness through repentance in Jesus name. This "life" that Jesus gives is "eternal life", and it should be what you and I seek, or we simply will not exist after judgment day. All those that do not participate in eternal life, quite frankly, and blotted out from the book of life. II Timothy 1:2 "To Timothy, by dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord." Timothy was Paul's spiritual son, in as much as Paul converted him through teaching and instruction. However the seeds were planted, and Christian love was taught in Timothy's home by his mother and grandmother, who had trained Timothy well in the Word and teachings of Jesus Christ. These women were two fine disciplined women. II Timothy 1:3 "I thank God, Whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that with out ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day," Timothy was a student of Paul's, and the closeness in their attachment was as a father and son. Paul had trained Timothy to be able to handle a congregation, not only in person, but by his letter we read called the first book of Timothy. Timothy was in Paul's prayers specifically, and for the work that he was doing. II Timothy 1:4 "Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;" Paul could remember back to the time when Timothy had been called into the ministry, and the tears of joys that came over him at Timothy's commitment to Jesus Christ. Naturally that would bring joy to Paul as he was in prison in Rome. Paul never had to worry about Timothy bringing forth the Word of God exactly as it is written. It is easy for a person to say they want to be a minister, and when they join an organization they become bound to the few doctrines allowed within that church denomination. That minister that is bound to a church system would then be prevented by that system from teaching the entire God's Word completely. God instructed how the Word should be studied, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, as the Holy Spirit guides them, and not through some church quarterly, or restricted by a church board. This ultimately ends up by locking the pastor into a church system, which at times turns him away from the truth of God's Word. It causes him to spend all his time on other things and duties away from the meat of God's Word. II Timothy 1:5 "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also," Here Paul mentions Timothy's mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois, who were helpers of Paul when he was with them. Paul knew their love for the Gospel of Christ, and the faith that these two ladies had, and he knew that Timothy's faith was just as true and committed. Their minds were set in the Word of God, and Timothy as a child had a lot of help and encouragement in his walk in the ministry. II Timothy 1:6 "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands." Paul is saying that he wanted to bring a fresh flame to Timothy's spirit, and this is what "by putting on of my hands" is in reference to. I'm sure that God granted Paul's prayer given here for Timothy. II Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." God doesn't call wimps into His service, he doesn't call men and women with the spirit of cowardice in their mind, but He calls men and women of a sound spiritual mind. Men and women that have and demonstrated the love of God, and have the backbone to stand their ground when necessary. They know the value of God's Word, and they never apologize for the truths of within the Word. They know enough to stay away from the doctrines and traditions of men, and stick to the Word of God, because that is where the power of God is from. Remember when Jesus sent forth the seventy to teach and preach in Luke 10? Those sent forth saw the power of God as the Holy Spirit used them. Luke 10:17 "And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, "Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through Thy name." The devils spoken of here are demons, the evil spirits. Luke 10:18 "And He said unto them, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." The "serpents" are the "children of Cain", the son that was born through the sexual union between Satan and Eve in the garden of Eden. They are called the "Kenites", the very ones that infiltrated into the priesthood during the time of captivity in Babylon, and took over the duties of the scribes. The "scorpions" are the "fallen angels", which came prior to the flood of Noah, and shall come again when Satan is cast out upon the earth. And of course Jesus told us in Matthew 13:39 who the enemy was; "The enemy that sowed them is the devil..." who is Satan. To overcome the dark spiritual forces of Satan and his realm stated here, we need the power of the Holy Spirit of God that can only come to those that are partakers of the gospel of Christ. The power is where the blessings of God come from. When you fall outside the power of God you lose the power that you need to defeat Satan and his realm. You simply can't defeat Satan on your own strength, but you must draw your strength from the power that we receive from the offices of the Godhead. God has never given us the spirit of fear, and those places in the Old Testament that say, "Fear God", are saying "give reverence to God". II Timothy 1:8 "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God." Paul was in prison at the time of this writing. He is urging Timothy to reach out and take hold of the power that comes from following the Gospel, which gives you the strength to serve God. Paul is saying that when you rely on the Holy Spirit and the strength that He gives, you can handle the task that is before you. If you stick strongly to God's Word and teach it as it is given from the manuscripts, there will be things said about you. As a minister, you will step on many false traditions that men and women like to hang on to. Don't worry, in time they will get over whatever discomfort you put in their minds. If they are truly seekers of the Word of God, they will be studying with you, though they may be talking about you at the same time. The only thing that matters is that God's Word is being taught. For those that don't speak or read the language of the manuscripts, it will take time to look up the meanings of the words, idioms, and subject of what it is written, whereby the full weight of God's Word can be understood. The Word will come alive and be meaningful to the student you are teaching when you strive to teach with understanding. You must be in God before you can receive the strength and power that comes from His Spirit, for you cannot draw your strength from any system, but your strength and knowledge must come from the Holy Spirit. If you draw your strength from a system, then you become powerless when you go outside that system. You become limited in your knowledge to that church system's doctrines only. There are many religious systems today that are so binding, that if one of their Pastors step outside of their teaching limits, they would kick you out of their system. II Timothy 1:9 "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began," This verse is going to a deeper level, and many that try to teach simply don't understand here. First of all, the one calling us is Jesus Christ, for He paid the price for our sins and it is through Him only that we are saved. Christ Jesus is the one that called Paul on the road to Damascus, and Christ also is the one that calls you if you are called into the higher service for the Lord. The part of this verse that is overlooked are the last four words of this verse; "...before the world began," Today many people have difficulty with the idea of three earth ages, the earth age before the one we now live in; the age of the flesh that we live in now; and the eternal kingdom that shall follow very shortly, where by all souls will exist in their spiritual bodies. Paul spoke of the choosing of God's elect in this earth age, as having taken place in the first earth age. This is written in Ephesians 1:4. Ephesians 1:4 "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:" The "foundations of the world [age]" were laid before the beginning recorded in Genesis 1:2, and that is when the reconstruction of the earth as we know it today began. The choosing of God's elect was after the fall of Satan, when Satan drew one third of all the angels to follow him, and because of that fall came the plan of God. That plan was for this earth age of the flesh, which would give all those that were deceived by Satan in the first earth age a way back to God. So it was prior to the age of the flesh that "He hath chosen us", the "elect", that we "should be holy and without blame before Him in love". God did the choosing, and those He chose were chosen to do a task for him in this earth age. Man's soul living in a flesh body is for only the world age that we are in now. This is not reincarnation, for it is appointed for each of us go through this earth age of the flesh once and only once. We read in Hebrews 9:27; "...it is appointed unto men once to die [in the flesh], but after this judgment." This appointing and choosing took place before the flesh life was created for this second earth age [cosmos] that we now live in existed. "Without blame" refers to the fact that God intercedes in certain peoples lives. Certain people have "free will", while certain others are of God's "election". However, God doesn't play favorites. Christ died for the sins of all who will repent; for the chosen and the free-will alike. All souls must repent for sins they commit and love the Lord Jesus Christ, to have the hope of His glory. Ephesians 1:5 "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will," "Predestined" means "from a prior time", or "required to do a certain thing in advance", in the Greek text. You have a choice of loving God, or loving Satan. God will not interfere with your free-will to make that choice. However, there are certain souls that proved themselves during the overthrow of Satan, in that first earth age, and were "justified", or "earned the right to be called saints". "Sanctified" thee is to "set aside, or apart for a certain purpose". Sins still have to be repented by the elect and the free-will. However to the "chosen" or elect, God can make their life very miserable to force them back into His will for them, when they have strayed, until the have repented. God is always fair. God knew you, and what you were in that first earth age; and then [in that first earth age] God prearranged the destiny for His elect or chosen for this age of the flesh. That destiny is to make us conform, or be like His Son, Jesus Christ. Though Jesus Christ is the first fruits to overcome death, there are many that have that victory over death, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:28 "And we now that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:29 "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." Romans 8:30 "Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He called: and whom He called: He also justified: and whom He justified, them he glorified." "Justified" in the Greek text mean "judged"; God judged them there in that first earth age, and that is why God can and does intercede in the chosen or elect's lives. The "justified" are the priests of the Zadok in the Millennium age of Ezekiel 40, for the word Zadok come from the Hebrew word meaning "the just". Romans 8:31 "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" What things? The things mentioned in verses 28-30. The knowledge that God has judged the overcomers, and chose them for the purpose of fulfilling His plan; then predestined those overcomers, or elect to a service for God. To serve not only in this flesh age, but the Millennium age of Jesus Christ's kingdom to come. The elect will also be the priests [Zadok]. Ephesians 1:6 "To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved:" The "Beloved" is Jesus Christ, who is the first fruits, and first born into the Heavenly kingdom of God. Ephesians 1:7 "In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace," So we see that God did His choosing before the foundation of this world age. Why? It was at Satan's rebellion. God created all souls including Satan's, and when Satan rebelled, one third of all of God's created souls follow Satan and the others did not. Those that did not but took a stand against Satan are the elect of this earth age. God doesn't do His choosing based on fleshly attributes, and the gifts that He places in each of us is decided by Him. So some souls were called before this world age began, and what they are assigned to do is in accordance of His eternal plan. Those that are selected were chosen because of their deeds already accomplished, and they were judged then before this earth age even began. If it is still confusing, don't worry about it, for in time and with study, the Spirit of God will reveal it to you. II Timothy 1:10 "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:" It is the first advent that is spoken of here, that was made manifest or known by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came into this world age, born as a tiny baby to his virgin mother Mary. Then when Jesus went to the cross faithfully, His death abolished death. I Corinthians 15:55 "O death, were is thy sting, O grave, where is thy victory?" Christ defeated death who is Satan. Hebrews 2:14 "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He [Jesus Christ] also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death , that is, the devil." Jesus Christ defeated "death" who is Satan, and brought immortality and life to the lives of our souls through the Gospel. The "Gospel" is the good news of the coming of Jesus Christ, His life, His death and His resurrection from the dead. It is through His resurrection that gives us our power over Satan, and brings us into eternal life. In this generation we know live in; this is what is most important to center you mind on, for we have been warned and foretold of all the things that are going on now to set up the coming of Satan and his role of the Antichrist, and of the events of these final days of this earth age. We are living in the generation of the fig tree, and this is the final generation before the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of the "son of perdition", who is Satan, is coming in our generation, and the world is preparing itself for his coming. Those that are called with that "holy calling" have much work to do as servants of Jesus Christ. We are to be ready to join that army that Jesus will bring with Him, to defeat Satan at the seventh trumpet. II Timothy 1:11 "Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles." This commission that Paul is speaking of here is written in Acts 9:15, and 16. Acts 9:15 "But the Lord said unto him [Ananias], "God thy way: for he [Paul] is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:" Acts 9:16 "For I will shew him [Paul] how great things he must suffer for My name's sake." Paul was given a mission directly by God [Jesus Christ], to witness for Him to three different peoples. Those peoples were the Gentiles, the kings [including Caesar], and the children of Israel, the ten tribes that had been scattered and migrated throughout Europe and the world by the Assyrians about 745 to 722 B.C. So Paul is speaking basically of three levels, and that is why as a teacher you have to go from one level to another, or teach all levels at the same time. You teach on the level of the ones that you are teaching. Therefore the Gospel approaches all people at the same time. Our Father's Word is beautiful the way that it was given to Paul. II Timothy 1:12 "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed; for I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." Keep in mind that Paul was in prison, and the cause that brought him there was the preaching and teaching of the Gospel. Even while Paul was sitting in prison in chains, it didn't matter, for there was no shame in being there for it was because of his stand for the Gospel of Christ. Paul knew that the Father will protect him, he knew of God's protection before he started the ministry, he knew it at the time of this writing. Paul knew that at his death his soul would go immediately to be with the Father. Paul will be in that group of believers that return to earth with Jesus Christ at the seventh trump, and all the saints will be here to fulfill their duties in the Millennium age. God chose Paul to write those many letters of which the books of Timothy are two of, and those letters comprise over half of the New Testament. Paul was trained and persuaded and that means beyond any shadow of a doubt, that God would keep His entire Word. II Timothy 1:13 "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." This is where a lot of people get into trouble, and Paul repeated this many times. "Hold fast the form of sound words", and the "sound Words" are the Words from God. When it is written in God's Word, it is something that you have your hands on that you can believe and count on. When you study God's Word and place it in your mind and act on those Words, then God will bless you. It is from His Word that all blessings from God flow. Troubles that enter your life comes when you turn away for the things that are written in His Word. The strengths of the world give you a roller-coaster ride, for at times you are up, and then you hit the bottom, but in Christ we have continually peace of mind. "Peace of mind" comes from you knowing assuredly what you are going to do, how the events of this world will come out, and His Word guides you to success. The basic fear within man is the unknown. When you remove the unknown factor, for in the Word you have been foretold all things, then there is no guessing games with your life. It is just plain human nature that when you know that something is coming to pass, you will prepare for what ever it is. You will equip yourself to handle the situation, either by overcoming it, or preparing yourself to adopt yourself for the thing or happening whatever it is. This is why it is important for us to know God's Word, for God has revealed to His children exactly what we can expect in our lives in this final generation. This is why God's elect and those sealed with "seal of God in their minds" will not be deceived when Satan and his fallen angels are cast out onto this earth shortly. Knowing the events of our day, and watching and identifying them as they come to pass, prevents you from the unknown and replaces fear with peace of mind. When Satan comes in the role of Antichrist, the false christ, the destruction that takes place is a spiritual destruction, for he is trying to cause you to believe that he is the true Christ. The destruction is a spiritual destruction that causes the death of your soul. Revelation 9:4 "And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." The "seal of God" is what is written in God's Word, and your mind is in your forehead. The Sealed are those with God's Word written in their minds, and God commanded Satan and his locust army of fallen angels to leave them alone. All the others, Christians alike will be turned over to Satan, and this will happen in our generation. By "turning over to Satan", means that they will be deceived by Satan into believing Satan is Jesus Christ, and they will worship him as God. They will stop taking Communion, and they will willingly and faithful serve Satan in ignorance. This is why the rapture doctrine is so bad for it trains Christians to receive the false christ Satan. The prophecies of God's Word have instructed us completely concerning the "one world movement", called the "New World Order" which we identify today as the United Nations. We have been instructed how the deception will take hold through the four hidden dynasties, that of Education, Politics, Religion and Economics, and by using all of these sources, the world will be brought under a world wide system, and presented to Satan at his coming. We are to listen only to the sound doctrine of the Word of God, and not work out a set of rules on our own. When men set up these church systems that go against God's Word, they are playing right into the hands of Satan and his offspring the Kenites. It is from the instructions within the Word of God that our peace of mind comes. Peace of mind brings happiness to you and to your family. II Timothy 1:14 "That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost [Spirit] Which dwelteth in us." "Ghost" is something unknown in the Greek tongue, and it is not found in the manuscripts, we are talking about a real known person and He is the Holy Spirit of God. So we see here that Paul is passing the authority of His ministry on to Timothy. II Timothy 1:15 "This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes." It didn't bother Paul if the Christian people in Asia had turned away from him, for fair weather friends are not worth having anyway. The two men that Paul names here are Christians that turned against Paul and God's Word when things got a little tough. II Timothy 1:16 "The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain," Paul gives special mention to Onesiphorus, and dear Christian who stayed with Paul and supported the work even when Paul was in prison. Just because Paul was sent to prison for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, Onesiphorus held fast to this Gospel, which was not popular in the world. Teaching the Word of God as it ought to be taught is not popular even at this present time. Onesiphorus was not afraid of hurting his reputation. II Timothy 1:17 "But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me." When Onesiphorus was in Rome, he went to a great deal of trouble to seek Paul out until he found Paul in prison. II Timothy 1:18 "The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well." Evidently Onesiphorus brought a great deal of comfort and help to Paul while Paul was ministering at Ephesus, and in prison there. It is interesting how God provides those that would give his ministers comfort. It was through men like Luke, Onesiphorus and many others that would help Paul write down the words of the letters, and take them to those churches that they were written to, and we are reading them today. So in a way we are having an association with this prisoner, but the main thing that Paul was a prisoner of was that he was a prisoner of the Lord.
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