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<p><em><a href='B:590 5:17'>1Th 5:17</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:720 1:20'>Jud 1:20</a></em>.</p><p><em>Pray without ceasing</em>- The allusion is to the unceasing sacrifices of the tabernacle, which could be understood as speaking of our prayers. When Paul wrote of praying "night and day”, it could be that he refers to his twice daily prayer times. For he was hardly praying 24/7. The idea is that we should live in an atmosphere of prayer, and not give up on an issue after a short time.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:590 5:18'>1Th 5:18</a></em>&nbsp;<em>In everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you</em>- God specifically wants us to be thankful, just as any parent seeks the virtue of gratitude in their children. Paul was again a word made flesh, for he has written earlier of his own constant thankfulness (<em><a href='B:590 1:2'>1Th 1:2</a></em>; <em><a href='B:590 3:9-10'>1Th 3:9-10</a></em>). The Thessalonians were "appointed" to tribulation (<em><a href='B:590 3:3'>1Th 3:3</a></em>), but the will of God was just as much for their final salvation and for their gratitude, therefore, for all things in life; knowing that they are all somehow working towards that great salvation which is God’s ultimate will.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:590 5:19'>1Th 5:19</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Do not quench the Spirit</em>- Verses 19-24 seem to mostly speak of the activity of the Spirit which was and is so central to the life of all believers and churches. All are given the gift of the Spirit on baptism, but this will not help us unless we allow it. Hence the Corinthians were given the gift but were "not spiritual" (<em><a href='B:530 3:1'>1Co 3:1</a></em>). We can in this sense "quench the Spirit". I noted earlier that chapters 4 and 5 are full of connections back to Matthew 24, 25, especially the parable of the foolish virgins. We may have another link here, in that "quench" is the same word used in "our lamps are gone out", 'quenched' (<em><a href='B:470 25:8'>Mat 25:8</a></em>). They had no oil- the Spirit. They were "not spiritual". <em><a href='B:560 4:30'>Eph 4:30</a></em> see note there puts it another way in appealing for us not to grieve the Spirit, not to frustrate God’s intention to transform us mentally now and physically at the Lord's return.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:590 5:20'>1Th 5:20</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Do not despise prophecies</em>- The gift of the Spirit is as real today as it was then, but in the first century there was the miraculous manifestation of the Spirit which was required for those times. The gift of prophecy was required in order to communicate God’s word to the new community; for the New Testament was not then written or at least not in circulation in its current form. The Thessalonians had warmly accepted Paul's preaching, impressed by his personal example and the congruence of his life with his message; but when their elders gave them prophetic words from the Spirit, there was a tendency to despise them. We noted on :12 and :13 that they were not as respectful to their elders as they might have been, and this was particularly serious when those elders were speaking to them by direct Spirit inspiration.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:590 5:21'>1Th 5:21</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:220 34:4-5'>Job 34:4-5</a></em>.</p><p><em>Test all things. Hold fast to what is good</em>- As noted on :20, there were gifts of prophecy available in order to teach the new, illiterate communities what was the Lord's word for them. But there were false prophets around, and so the various prophetic words had to be tested. There was apparently a Spirit gift specifically for this (<em><a href='B:690 4:1'>1Jn 4:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:530 14:29'>1Co 14:29</a></em> and see on <em><a href='B:520 9:1'>Rom 9:1</a></em>). When a prophetic word was authenticated as legitimate, they were to "hold fast" to it and to generally "what is good". And by doing so, they would "abstain from evil" (:22).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:590 5:22'>1Th 5:22</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Abstain from evil wherever it appears</em>- See on :21. This abstaining from evil may specifically refer to rejecting false prophecies. But we can also read this on a more general level; we should abstain from every appearing of sin; wherever it comes up, we should abstain (this verse&nbsp;<em>doesn't</em>&nbsp;mean 'don't do things which look as if they're sinful'). Whenever we hear of sin we should seek to cover it, not to show it forth more widely, and especially seek for it to be forgiven. By doing so we will reflect our own experience of how God has dealt with His knowledge of our sins:&nbsp; "A talebearer reveals secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit conceals (Heb. 'covers') the matter" (<em><a href='B:240 11:13'>Pro 11:13</a></em>). And it is the Spirit which is the context here in :19-24.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:590 5:23'>1Th 5:23</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:570 1:10'>Phi 1:10</a></em>.</p><p><em>Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ</em>- The context in :19-24 is of the work of the Spirit; and it is the Spirit which sanctifies or makes us holy (<em><a href='B:530 6:11'>1Co 6:11</a></em>). The Holy Spirit is literally 'the spirit of holiness / sanctification'; "sanctify" here is a form of the word for "holy". It is by the Spirit that we are made holy or sanctified. That work of sanctification affects every part of our lives and being- it operates upon us "completely". However the Greek translated "completely" is a unique word in the New Testament, and literally means 'complete to the end'. The Spirit works in our minds now to progressively transform us, and it is that same Spirit which shall transform our bodies physically at the last day into immortality (<em><a href='B:520 8:11'>Rom 8:11</a></em>). Paul has spoken earlier of the possibility of being alive at the Lord's return, and this was his great wish as it is ours. And it seems he has that in view here, in wishing that their whole spirit, person "soul" and even their body would be "preserved blameless" at the Lord's coming. We are or course sinful, but we are counted as "blameless"; as explained in Romans 8, the work of the Spirit is to make us in reality how we are counted by the grace of imputed righteousness. That grace has its outflow in the grace or gift of the Spirit in transforming us into that which we are counted as by status.</p><p>Paul at times quotes from or alludes to popular Jewish ideas with which he may not have necessarily agreed. The lack of quotation marks in New Testament Greek means that it’s hard for us at this distance to discern when he does this – but it seems to me that it’s going on a lot in his writings. Thus he uses the phrase “your whole spirit, soul and body”, a popular Jewish expression for ‘the whole person’ – but it’s clear from the rest of Paul’s writings that he didn’t see the body and soul as so separate.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:590 5:24'>1Th 5:24</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Faithful is He that calls you, who will also do it</em>- We are called to salvation. To get us there, as it were, the Spirit is being used to transform us and then to finally change us at the Lord's return from mortal to immortal; see on :23. Paul here simply states that we have been called to this, and He really will do it. This repeats the argument in Romans 8 - that we were called to be saved, and so the Spirit will work to transform the called into a position whereby they will actually be saved.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:590 5:25'>1Th 5:25</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Brothers, pray for us</em>- Paul's authority was strengthened by his openness and exposure of his vulnerability. He needed their prayers.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:590 5:26'>1Th 5:26</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss</em>- “A holy kiss” seems to have been the way of concluding a first century Christian meeting, in the same way as Paul ends some of his letters with this (<em><a href='B:590 5:26'>1Th 5:26</a></em>; <em><a href='B:520 16:16'>Rom 16:16</a></em>; <em><a href='B:530 16:20'>1Co 16:20</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 13:12'>2Co 13:12</a></em>; <em><a href='B:670 5:14'>1Pe 5:14</a></em>). It's hard to translate into our terms the huge meaning of this in the first century world. It would've been unthinkable for a slave to take such initiative to kiss their master, or indeed any free person. This practice of all kissing everyone else in the congregation would've been arresting and startling. Sociologically, it stood no chance of ever being done. And yet these social and inter-personal miracles were what made Christianity stand out so noticeably- and in essence, our overcoming of social and inter-personal barriers ought to do the same for our community in the present world. But does it? Are we&nbsp;<em>so</em>&nbsp;markedly different from others... ? Is our love and unity of such an evidently deep and different quality? The implication is that all these various slaves from different households did meet each other for fellowship. We can imagine the issues they faced with shifts, getting free time off, permission to leave the household etc. And the same effort is required by us to achieve face to face fellowship in Christ.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:590 5:27'>1Th 5:27</a></em>&nbsp;<em>I solemnly implore you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the brothers</em>- Revelation, Thessalonians and Colossians contain specific statements that the material was to be read out loud to the illiterate church members (<em><a href='B:730 1:3'>Rev 1:3</a></em>; <em><a href='B:590 5:27'>1Th 5:27</a></em>; <em><a href='B:580 4:16'>Col 4:16</a></em>); but the contents of those books require quite detailed analysis, which we tend to wrongly assume can only be given by reading the text. The processes of occasional listening to a text employed by most first century believers and reading a text employed by many twenty first century believers are quite different. We can go back to a text, re-read it, re-access it at will. Someone who occasionally hears a passage read, and who maybe only heard parts of the New and Old Testaments read once or twice in their lives, simply relates to the text differently. Further, the nature of the reading of the text, the delivery of the speaker, would've played an important part in the interpretation of it by the illiterate hearer- hence the greater responsibility of teachers in the first century than today. For the illiterate audience, the message was tied up with the messenger to a huge degree. Hence Timothy is told to pay attention to his public? reading, preaching and teaching (<em><a href='B:610 4:13'>1Ti 4:13</a></em>).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:590 5:28'>1Th 5:28</a></em>&nbsp;<em>The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you</em>- "Grace" often refers to the gift of the Spirit, the power of new life within the heart of the believer which is given by the Lord Jesus. "Be with you" can as well be translated "be within you", for this is where the Spirit most essentially operates. And such spiritual mindedness was Paul's greatest wish for all believers.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 1:1'>2Th 1:1</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ</em>- As the three of them were still together, we can assume that the second letter was written soon after the first. The emphasis upon "God" rather than the Lord Jesus continues, appropriate to the way they had converted to the one true God after being pagans (<em><a href='B:590 1:9'>1Th 1:9</a></em>).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 1:2'>2Th 1:2</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ</em>- There was real meaning and intention behind these greetings and farewells. Grace,&nbsp;<em>charis</em>, often refers to the gift of the Spirit, and peace, Biblically, refers to peace with God through forgiveness. And Paul believed that by his prayers and wish, these things could be true for the readership.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 1:3'>2Th 1:3</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Brothers, we are obligated to thank God always for you, as is appropriate, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other</em>- As in <em><a href='B:590 1:2-3'>1Th 1:2-3</a></em>, Paul talked to God about the Thessalonians, thanking God for their spirituality. We need to have this feature in our prayer life too. And yet in chapter 3 it is clear that all was not well with the community; those sponging off others were hardly abounding in their love toward the others. But Paul's positivism, and faith in their status in Christ and His grace, was such that he genuinely held this view of them. See on <em><a href='B:590 4:4'>1Th 4:4</a></em>.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 1:4'>2Th 1:4</a></em>&nbsp;<em>So that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure</em>- We recall Paul's boasting of the Corinthians' promised generosity to his Jerusalem Poor Fund. Despite all the betrayals and disappointments of his life, Paul's positivism about his converts- to God, to them and to others- is a real inspiration. The opposition to Paul during his brief visit had obviously continued, but those converts- who had had only three weeks of Paul's time and probably only a few real contact hours with him- were still enduring. This is the abiding power of true ideas, of the Gospel, and of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to those who believe it.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 1:5'>2Th 1:5</a></em>&nbsp;<em>These are proof that God’s judgment is righteous, and you are enduring them to the end you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer</em>- That "we must through much tribulation enter the Kingdom" was Paul's standard teaching (<em><a href='B:510 14:22'>Act 14:22</a></em>). We are only accounted worthy of the Kingdom by the grace of God’s plan of imputing righteousness to us. And yet because He counts us worthy, He works in our lives to make us in reality what we are by the status He has granted us. Romans 8 caps the previous teaching about imputed righteousness by teaching about the work of the Spirit in our hearts and the purpose of suffering- because these are the means by which we are brought in practice to that status of rightness with God which has been counted to us. And in <em><a href='B:600 1:11'>2Th 1:11</a></em> Paul uses the same word in praying that God would count them worthy of the calling he has given them; and this again is the language of Romans 8, where the predestined calling of God is cited as the great example of salvation by grace. This prayer for them to be 'counted worthy' as therefore uttered in full awareness that the process would require suffering on their part, which they had to endure. When we pray for another to be saved, to be in God’s Kingdom, we are in fact praying that they shall pass through and endure "much tribulation". This is why our response to suffering now is a foretaste of judgment. See on <em><a href='B:670 3:16'>1Pe 3:16</a></em>.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 1:6'>2Th 1:6</a></em>&nbsp;<em>It is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who afflict you</em>- The emphasis is that God and not us will repay evil with evil. Paul had had to teach them that before; see on <em><a href='B:590 5:15'>1Th 5:15</a></em>. God’s repayment of evil is just / righteous; whereas any human attempt to do so is unjust, because we fail to understand the complete picture which we are attempting to judge; and we too are sinners, in essence having committed whatever we would seek to condemn others for having done. "Afflict" is literally 'to narrow', and the same word is used of how only the narrow way shall lead to eternal life (<em><a href='B:470 7:14'>Mat 7:14</a></em>). The persecution they endured was a narrowing of their way- that they might enter the Kingdom.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 1:7'>2Th 1:7</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:470 24:28'>Mat 24:28</a></em>.</p><p><em>And to give relief to those who are afflicted (and to us too), when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire</em>- Paul saw the day of judgment as an "assurance", a comfort, a relief longed for, rather than an inevitable and dreaded event on the horizon of our existence (<em><a href='B:600 1:6-10'>2Th 1:6-10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 17:31'>Act 17:31</a></em>). &nbsp;Job and David speak of it likewise. Paul envisaged the persecution of the Thessalonians as continuing right up until the moment the Lord Jesus returned from Heaven. He believed that the latter day tribulation had begun, at the hands of the Jews and Romans who were doing the persecuting; although he believed that the antichrist had still to be revealed (chapter 2) and so the time of tribulation would continue for some time yet. And so often, Paul argues as if he and his readership were living in the last generation before the Lord would return; see on <em><a href='B:540 5:4'>2Co 5:4</a></em>. This is not to say he got it all wrong. The Lord's coming was indeed scheduled for some time in the first century, as the Olivet prophecy makes clear. But Bible prophecy is mostly conditional; preconditions must be met. And they weren't; there was not the repentance of enough Jews as required, the Gospel was not taken to the Gentiles as it should have been, the church was not spiritually fruitful enough to be harvested, and there was a falling away from the Faith. And so the Lord's return was delayed.</p><p>Note that the Lord Jesus will return to earth with His Angels, and this means that throughout eternity there will be Angels with us on the earth. This is something to take into account in our visions of the Kingdom age. It appears that they are more prominent in the setting up of the Kingdom, and that we will take over their role later on. They are the "reapers" sent forth to gather the saints, and that they will be responsible for punishing the nations (<em><a href='B:600 1:7-8'>2Th 1:7-8</a></em>):&nbsp; Initially, the Angels and the Lord Jesus will be physically together in the judgement of the world- the unrepentant worshippers of the beast "shall be tormented... in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb" (<em><a href='B:730 14:10'>Rev 14:10</a></em>). Presumably the individual beast worshippers will be brought together to one locality for this judgement- the literal location of Gehenna, where the unworthy saints will be punished? This gathering process will be by the Angels, as was that of the saints and of the nations to Armageddon (<em><a href='B:730 16:16'>Rev 16:16</a></em>).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 1:8'>2Th 1:8</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Rendering vengeance to them that do not acknowledge God and to them that do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus</em>- Those persecuting the Thessalonians were the Jews who had persuaded the Roman authorities to persecute the Christians (Acts 17). These Jews are described as not acknowledging God- whereas their much vaunted belief in God would make that seem a strange thing to say. But claiming belief in God is not very significant; He must be acknowledged, and that acknowledgment is through obeying the Gospel of His Son, who is the only way to the Father. To refuse to obey Jesus as Lord is effectively atheism; for such a person has not come to the Father. It is the Lord Jesus, and not apologetics, which leads to faith in God. We come to God through faith in Jesus, rather than coming to Jesus through faith in God. Some may disagree, but this is the Biblical position; and they would need to ask whether such 'faith in God' is legitimate and actual, rather than a mere intellectual statement. Acknowledging God and obeying the Gospel is language which tends to suggest that those in view were responsible to judgment- they had head the Gospel but refused to obey it. The reference would then be to the synagogue Jews in Thessalonica who had heard Paul preaching for three Sabbath days, and rejected the message. The same Greek phrase is used about the Jews not obeying the Gospel (<em><a href='B:520 10:16'>Rom 10:16</a></em>). Those Jews who happened to be at synagogue service those three weeks had heard the Gospel- and were therefore responsible to judgment. That might seem rather tough, seeing that in later life they may well have forgotten all about that unusual itinerant preacher who passed through and grabbed a bit of a following from amongst the Gentiles. But out of the billions who have lived on this planet never having heard the Gospel, those men were chosen to hear- and they rejected it. And so they are responsible to judgment. For them to receive the promised judgment of this passage, they will have to be resurrected and face the Lord whom they rejected.</p><p><em><a href='B:600 1:7-9'>2Th 1:7-9</a></em> speaks as if the judgment of the wicked and the coming of Christ from Heaven are simultaneous. If we could break this split second into real time, there would be the process of mortal emergence from the grave, judgment involving a period of time, then the righteous being grouped at Christ's right hand side, and then they would all be immortalised together. "Come... inherit the Kingdom" is spoken to the whole group of sheep; we will be immortalised together, at the same time. If we are all judged individually in real time, this is impossible. Some would be immortalised months or years after others. This collapsing of time at the Lord's return would explain why "the resurrection" is sometimes used as a description of the whole process of resurrection, judgment and immortality (even in the OT- <em><a href='B:230 1:5'>Psa 1:5</a></em> LXX; <em><a href='B:230 24:3'>Psa 24:3</a></em>).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 1:9'>2Th 1:9</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:730 14:10'>Rev 14:10</a></em>.</p><p><em>They shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might</em>- See on :8. The punishment is destruction; it is eternal in that it has eternal consequence. No second chance, no way to have another crack at the eternal future which they have missed. "From the presence of the Lord" envisages them appearing before His judgment seat and then going out from His presence- "these shall go away into..." destruction (<em><a href='B:470 25:46'>Mat 25:46</a></em>). Why the reference to them having to go away from "the glory of his might"? The "might" refers to His might which is given to us by the Spirit to transform us and lead us on the journey to transformation now and final salvation at the last day. The same word is used of this might in <em><a href='B:560 1:19'>Eph 1:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:560 6:10'>Eph 6:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:670 4:11'>1Pe 4:11</a></em>. Those who are rejected will have hidden their talent / gift, quenched the Spirit, grieved the Holy Spirit... and now they walk away from it all to eternal non-existence. We really must use it or lose it.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 1:10'>2Th 1:10</a></em>&nbsp;<em>When he shall come to be glorified in his saints-</em>&nbsp;We can live the Kingdom life now, in that this word is only used again in :12, where Paul wishes them to glorify the Lord now.</p><p><em>And to be marvelled at in all them that have believed in that day (because our testimony to you was believed)</em>- Our amazement and incomprehension at the judgment is brought out here, using a Greek word meaning 'to marvel at in incomprehension'. This praise will also be on account of our being "presented faultless" before the judgment (<em><a href='B:720 1:24'>Jud 1:24</a></em>). We will feel the wonder of it all. The Gospels often record the 'marvelling' of people at the Lord Jesus. We are to do that in this life, so that we shall do so at the day of His coming too; see on :12. And all this is because Paul's preaching to them was believed; and as explained on <em><a href='B:590 1:1'>1Th 1:1</a></em>, this testimony to them likely lasted only a few hours. This is the power of ideas, of the Gospel- that what can be explained and believed in a few hours now can lead to life eternal at the last day.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 1:11'>2Th 1:11</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:590 1:3'>1Th 1:3</a></em>.</p><p><em>To which end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling-&nbsp;</em>See on :5. Paul had the end in view for them, which was acceptance by the Lord at the last day; so that their calling to the Kingdom would come true in practice.</p><p><em>And fulfil every desire of goodness and work of faith, with power</em>- Paul assumed they had such spiritual ambition, desiring good news, and wanted to see it realized. Spiritual ambition means that we will desire to do some things which we can’t physically fulfil- and yet they will be counted to us and we will be empowered to do them. Abraham is spoken of as having offered up Isaac- his intention was counted as the act. And <em><a href='B:240 19:22'>Pro 19:22</a></em> RV appropriately comments: “The desire of a man is the measure of his kindness”. It is all accepted according to what a man has, not what he has not. And yet the filling "fulfil" with "power" speaks of the power of the Spirit to empower us to actually do the goodness which we in faith would like to achieve. It is God’s "desire" that we should be saved (<em><a href='B:560 1:5'>Eph 1:5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:560 1:9'>Eph 1:9</a></em> s:w:). If this is also our desire, then we will be empowered towards it. We are strengthened with "power" (s:w:) "by his Spirit in the inner man" (<em><a href='B:560 3:16'>Eph 3:16</a></em>), "the power (s:w:) that works within us" (<em><a href='B:560 3:20'>Eph 3:20</a></em>). If we desire goodness and believe God will empower us, then He will, through the gift of the Spirit. And that is in view too in the next verse (see note there). We know that it is God’s will for us to be spiritual and to be saved; and so in praying for things relating to that, we are praying according to His will and will be thus empowered.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 1:12'>2Th 1:12</a></em>&nbsp;<em>To the end that 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</em>- The grace of God often refers to His&nbsp;<em>charis</em>&nbsp;or gift of the Spirit. The same Spirit is at work now transforming our hearts as will transform our bodies at the last day (<em><a href='B:520 8:11'>Rom 8:11</a></em>). This is why we right now are to glorify the Lord Jesus, just as we will at His return (see on :10).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:1'>2Th 2:1</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Now brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, we urge you</em>- The false teaching that the Lord had already come (:2) obviated the need to be gathered together to Him, a phrase clearly taken from the Lord's teaching about our gathering to judgment. This is the problem with preterism and with any idea that the Lord has already come. We would then be effectively living with no accountability to a future judgment. And that false teaching would then tend to be reflected in lifestyle.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:2'>2Th 2:2</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Not to be quickly shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter appearing to be from us, as though the day of Christ had come</em>- The largely illiterate community converted by Paul after only a matter of hours of contact time (see on <em><a href='B:590 1:1'>1Th 1:1</a></em>) was going to be vulnerable to the attacks of the Jewish satan / adversary to Paul's churches; there was an organized opposition to his work. In Thessalonica, the Gentile converts had originally been synagogue attendees, and they mobilized the local Roman authorities against the fledgling church. There were false prophets who claimed to be speaking by the Spirit, and false letters claiming to be from Paul. This all indicates Judaist activity; they had elsewhere used the tactic of forging letters in Paul’s name (<em><a href='B:550 6:11'>Gal 6:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:650 13:22'>Heb 13:22</a></em>; <em><a href='B:530 16:2'>1Co 16:2</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 3:1'>2Co 3:1</a></em>). Thus Paul concludes this second letter to the Thessalonians with “the salutation of me Paul with mine own hand which is the token in every epistle, so I write” (<em><a href='B:600 3:17'>2Th 3:17</a></em>). Their reasoning was that the day of Christ, i:e. the Kingdom, was already present. This was a basically Jewish argument – hence the Judaist cancer at Ephesus had led to Hymenaeus and Philetus “saying that the resurrection (and therefore the Lord’s return) is passed already; and overthrown the faith of some” (<em><a href='B:620 2:18'>2Ti 2:18</a></em>). We see similarities with modern day preterism, which likewise posits that the Kingdom and return of Christ has already come.</p><p>The two 'problems' addressed in 2 Thessalonians are this idea that the Lord Jesus had already come; and the problem of refusing to work and expecting material support, which is addressed in chapter 3. The two problems are related. The refusal to work was associated with a wrong idea that they were somehow already in the Kingdom. I will suggest on 2 Thess. 3:8 that there were some who liked to believe that the curse on man in Gen. 3 had been lifted for some, and therefore they were free from the need to work, and they were effectively saying that the day of the Kingdom had already come (:2). This is in essence similar to the way this world reasons that the effects of the curse can likewise be ignored, through technology, early retirement, labour saving devices, medical science etc. They ignore the stark reality that death itself cannot be removed. But accepting the ties that bind, understanding they are but temporary, empowers us to live a life free of frustration with our humanity and that of others. </p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:3'>2Th 2:3</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Let no one beguile you in any way-&nbsp;</em>Paul read the prophecy of deceivers arising in the last days as referring to deceivers arising within the ecclesia, i:e. people who were already baptized, consciously deceiving the majority of the ecclesia. He repeats this conviction at least three times (<em><a href='B:470 24:4'>Mat 24:4</a></em> = <em><a href='B:560 5:6'>Eph 5:6</a></em>; <em><a href='B:580 2:8'>Col 2:8</a></em>; <em><a href='B:600 2:3'>2Th 2:3</a></em>). The Olivet prophecy had incipient, possible fulfilment in the first century; and a major fulfilment is ahead in our last days. Paul's allusion to it suggests the "man of sin" prophecy is to be read likewise.</p><p>There are some connections between Matthew 24 and 2 Thessalonians 2&nbsp; which show that the "man of sin" has specific reference to the last days, as Matthew 24 does:</p><table><tr><td></p><p>Matthew 24</td><td>2 Thessalonians 2</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Lawlessness will abound (<em><a href='B:470 24:12'>Mat 24:12</a></em>)</td><td>The man of lawlessness</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Men saying “Lo, here is Christ” (v:23)</td><td>“Be not soon shaken... by word... that the day of Christ is here” (<em><a href='B:600 2:2'>2Th 2:2</a></em> R:V:)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“Believe it not” (v:23)</td><td>“Let no man (of sin) deceive you” (v:3).</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders” (v:24).</td><td>“With all power and signs and lying wonders” (v:9)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“Insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (v:24); implying the non-elect&nbsp;<em>will</em>&nbsp;be deceived.</td><td>“All deceivableness... they (shall) believe a lie... but you, brethren beloved of the Lord, have from the beginning (been) chosen to salvation” (v:10,13) – i:e. it was impossible for&nbsp;<em>them</em>&nbsp;to be deceived.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“Behold, I have told you before” (v:25), as Christ prophesied His sufferings.</td><td>“When I was yet with you, I told you these things” (v:5)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“As the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (v:27)</td><td>“The brightness of his coming” (v:8)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“The Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven (Angels) with power and great glory” (v:30)</td><td>“With his mighty Angels... The glory of his power” (<em><a href='B:600 1:8-9'>2Th 1:8-9</a></em> cp. <em><a href='B:600 2:8'>2Th 2:8</a></em>)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“Shall gather together his elect” (v:31)</td><td>“Our gathering together unto him” (v:1)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“I am Christ... shall deceive many” (v:5)</td><td>“Strong delusion, that they should believe a lie... all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish” (v:11,10).</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“Iniquity shall abound” (Greek: ‘multiply’, i:e. convert more people to it)</td><td>“The mystery of iniquity does... work” (v:7)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“The love of many shall wax cold” (v:12)</td><td>“They received not the love of the truth” (v:9)</td><td></td></tr></table><p><em>For first of all must come the falling away and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of destruction</em>-&nbsp;<em>The</em>&nbsp;falling away, or apostasy, speaks of a loss of faith and collapse within the church. Paul had warned them before that there would come this great collapse (:5). But it was not inevitable for any of them on a personal level. The word in common Greek referred to a revolt or defection; and is used in the LXX of a falling away from God (<em><a href='B:300 29:32'>Jer 29:32</a></em> e.g.); and in <em><a href='B:650 3:12'>Heb 3:12</a></em> of how the Jewish believers were tempted to fall away. Paul envisaged a collapse in faith amongst the believers in the last days, followed by the revelation of a particular individual who would be supported by and in league with the Jewish 'satan' (:9). This combination of Jewish and Roman power was exactly the problem which the Thessalonians were up against, according to Acts 17 and the various hints at it throughout the Thessalonian letters. This is why Paul chose to explain to them of all the churches what was going to happen. But what he envisaged didn’t happen, even though Revelation likewise predicts the uniting of the Roman and Jewish forces of evil to persecute the fledgling church, to be destroyed by the Lord's return. I have elsewhere discussed and demonstrated at length the principle of conditional prophecy. Nineveh was to be destroyed in 40 days, with no mention of any conditions. But it was not, one possible path of fulfilment was replaced with another. Likewise with the prophecy of a grand temple to be built at the time of the restoration, with Messiah within it, in Ezekiel 40-48. This could have happened- but it didn’t. This is not to say that these prophecies shall never come true- their fulfilment was rescheduled. The essence will be fulfilled later, in the last days. And so it is with the scenario envisaged here and in Revelation. The Lord could have come in AD70, and many of the signs such as famines, wars etc. began to come true; but the other human preconditions, such as the repentance of Israel and the taking of the Gospel to all the world, were not. And so His coming has been rescheduled, until our last days. The "man of sin" prophecy can therefore be seen to have the beginnings of a possible fulfilment in the first century; but we are to look for a final fulfilment in our last days. The 'destruction' AV "perdition" of the man of sin would be the destruction of the apostate within the church and of those who had refused the Gospel; a related word is used for the perishing or destruction of this category in :10.</p><p>We can be sure that the Jewish opposition which attended Paul’s first visit to Thessalonica would have continued well after he left. They were under pressure from “them that trouble you” (<em><a href='B:600 1:6'>2Th 1:6</a></em>), who are defined in <em><a href='B:550 5:11-13'>Gal 5:11-13</a></em> as the Judaizers (“they... which trouble you”). The Thessalonians are comforted that these troublers would be destroyed by the Lord’s second coming in fire, “taking vengeance on them... that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (preferring that of Moses): who shall be punished with everlasting destruction (cp. Gehenna) from the presence of the Lord” (<em><a href='B:600 1:9'>2Th 1:9</a></em>). This sounds very much like the punishment of the responsible at judgment day (<em><a href='B:720 1:24'>Jud 1:24</a></em>) – and the Judaizers fit that category. Significantly, the only occurrences of the Greek idea of a “man of sin” in the LXX describe Jewish apostates (<em><a href='B:240 24:22'>Pro 24:22</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 57:4'>Isa 57:4</a></em>).</p><p>This prophecy speaks of a specific “man of sin” who would arise within the people of God be they Israel or the ecclesia. It seems that there may have been such an individual in the first century:<br/>– “You have heard that antichrist shall come” (<em><a href='B:690 2:18'>1Jn 2:18</a></em>)<br/>– “Who singular did hinder you… a little leaven that leaveneth the whole lump… he that troubles you..." (<em><a href='B:550 5:8-10'>Gal 5:8-10</a></em>)<br/>– “He that is of the contrary part” (<em><a href='B:630 2:8'>Tit 2:8</a></em>)<br/>– “Who (which individual) hindered you?... (Paul’s) letters, saith he, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible” (<em><a href='B:540 10:7'>2Co 10:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 10:10'>2Co 10:10</a></em> A:V. mg:).<br/>– The world – the first century Jewish world, in John’s usage of the term – was under the power of a ‘Satan’, a Prince or leader (<em><a href='B:500 12:31'>Joh 12:31</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 14:30'>Joh 14:30</a></em>; <em><a href='B:690 5:19'>1Jn 5:19</a></em>) – perhaps the High Priest?<br/>– A “stranger” to the flock and a “thief” would come to harm the flock of the Lord Jesus (<em><a href='B:500 10:5'>Joh 10:5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 10:10'>Joh 10:10</a></em>).<br/>– The existence of such an individual would make special sense of the Lord’s request for the Father to keep the disciples safe from “the evil one” (<em><a href='B:500 17:15'>Joh 17:15</a></em>). <em><a href='B:690 2:13-14'>1Jn 2:13-14</a></em> alludes to this prayer and shows it to have been fulfilled in the first century – the true believers had been kept safe from “the evil one”. And there appears some connection with the promise of <em><a href='B:730 3:10'>Rev 3:10</a></em>, given just prior to the cataclysm of AD70, to keep the brethren safe from “the hour of trial”.<br/>– John seems to speak, at least in the Greek text, of one specific individual – e.g. “The one singular saying he is in the light” (<em><a href='B:690 1:9'>1Jn 1:9</a></em>). “Who, then, is&nbsp;<em>the</em>&nbsp;liar?” (<em><a href='B:690 2:22'>1Jn 2:22</a></em>) has evident connection with the lying antichrist figure of <em><a href='B:600 2:8-9'>2Th 2:8-9</a></em>; and “the deceiver” (<em><a href='B:700 1:7'>2Jn 1:7</a></em>) connects with that same figure who will follow “deceit” (<em><a href='B:600 2:11'>2Th 2:11</a></em>). John saw the singular antichrist as being heralded by many antichrists who had, he felt, already arisen in the first century. They belonged to the Jewish world (<em><a href='B:690 4:5'>1Jn 4:5</a></em>) – an indication that the antichrist is somehow Semitic, at least in its first century application. John’s reference to “many false prophets” (<em><a href='B:690 4:1'>1Jn 4:1</a></em>) connects with <em><a href='B:470 24:11'>Mat 24:11</a></em>, which in an AD70 context predicts that “many false prophets shall arise”. This indicates to me that the singular antichrist had some fulfilment in the first century. And the same will be is? true in our last days. The likes of Saddam Hussein and Hitler are perhaps such antichrists who presage the coming of the specific person who will be the latter day antichrist. They had some similarities to him, but were not the actual person. Significantly, John seems to have understood this person as someone who would nominally accept Jesus, but deny that Jesus is the Christ, the anointed Messiah (<em><a href='B:690 2:22'>1Jn 2:22</a></em>). This would fit a Muslim position far better than it would a Catholic – for Catholics believe that Jesus is the Christ. Likewise in the first century, the Jewish antichrists believed Jesus had existed, but denied He was the Christ.</p><p>It is noteworthy that this individual is not named. Martin Hengel comments, correctly: “One of the riddles of Jewish and early Christian polemic is that it hardly ever really names its opponents, but tends to use derogatory paraphrases. This is also true of Essene polemic, which conceals its opponents in ciphers” (Martin Hengel,&nbsp;<em>The Johannine Question</em>&nbsp;(London: S:C:M:, 1996 ed:), p. 41). In this context we recall the references to Babylon and Egypt in the Old Testament as, e.g., “Rahab”. Paul likewise doesn’t seem to refer to his enemies by their names but rather hides behind almost taunt phrases (<em><a href='B:540 11:5'>2Co 11:5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 11:13'>2Co 11:13</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 12:11'>2Co 12:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:550 5:12'>Gal 5:12</a></em>; <em><a href='B:570 3:2'>Phi 3:2</a></em>; and see too <em><a href='B:550 1:7'>Gal 1:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:550 3:1'>Gal 3:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:550 3:10'>Gal 3:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:550 4:17'>Gal 4:17</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 2:17'>2Co 2:17</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 4:2'>2Co 4:2</a></em>; <em><a href='B:520 3:8'>Rom 3:8</a></em>; <em><a href='B:520 15:31'>Rom 15:31</a></em>). The references to the prophetess “Jezebel” in <em><a href='B:730 2:20'>Rev 2:20</a></em> and “the teaching of Balaam” (<em><a href='B:730 2:14'>Rev 2:14</a></em>) don’t actually name the individuals concerned, but rather give them a kind of code name. I would suggest however that the individual is not named because the prophecy did not come to full term in the first century, because of the delay of the Lord's return until our last days.</p><p>The Jewish nature of the man of sin which Paul warns the Thessalonians of is also suggested by a careful reflection upon <em><a href='B:690 2:11'>1Jn 2:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:690 2:19'>1Jn 2:19</a></em>: “He that hateth his brother... walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth... they went out from us, but they were not of us”. This is all alluding back to the example of Cain going out from God’s presence and wandering in the land of Nod with no direction to his life. Cain is a type of the Judaizers and the Jewish system (<em><a href='B:500 8:44'>Joh 8:44</a></em>); the primary reference of John’s letters was probably to the Judaizers. I note on <em><a href='B:600 3:14'>2Th 3:14</a></em> that the Judaizers within the Thessalonian church were to be 'marked' just as Cain was. These people are described in <em><a href='B:690 2:18'>1Jn 2:18</a></em> as “antichrists” whose presence heralded the full manifestation of “<em>the</em>&nbsp;antichrist”. This is why the New Testament repeatedly stresses that the appearance of false teachers and fake Christs will be a sign of the end. If these antichrists of the first century were Jewish, then “the antichrist” probably also was. There is ample evidence that John’s letters were primarily intended for ecclesias facing this Judaizer problem. The copious links with his Jewish–based Gospel should make this evident. Note too that the Qumran Essenes described the apostate High Priest as “the man of lies”. Tertullian’s interpretations of John’s letters clearly understood the “antichrists” to be referring to contemporary false teachers.</p><p>Paul warns that the Lord’s coming will not be until there has come a marked further apostasy, and the full public revelation of the man of sin, whose “mystery of iniquity” was already quietly at work. It would be fully revealed once God’s withholding patience had ended. At this stage the man of sin would show “lying wonders” which would deceive many; but he would soon be destroyed by “the brightness of (the Lord’s) coming”. This “mystery of iniquity” was the Judaist false doctrine undermining the ecclesia, resulting in many believers being influenced by them, until in the immediate prelude to Christ’s ‘coming’ in AD70 the Jewish system seemed to have the upper hand over the true believers. We know from Hebrews 6 and elsewhere that the Judaist elders were able to do miracles. Such a bout of impressive miracles to be done by false teachers in the last days is predicted in the Olivet prophecy and parts of Revelation. The events of AD70 then totally destroyed the Jewish system.</p><p>Our commentary seeks to interpret 2 Thessalonians 2 from these two perspectives – the possibility in the first century, and the major fulfilment in the last days.</p><p>Who Will He Be?</p><p>We have seen that the latter day man of sin will have some association with the people of God, after the pattern of Judas. He may be partly Jewish. He may even have Christian connections. Or it may be that he is an Arab, a half Jew, who will enthrone himself as the head of the Islamic beast and make his capital and temple in Jerusalem. <em><a href='B:410 1:15'>Nah 1:15</a></em> RV describes the leader of the Assyrian invasion as “the wicked one”, the “wicked counsellor” (<em><a href='B:600 1:11'>2Th 1:11</a></em>), “<em>he</em>&nbsp;that dashes Israel in pieces” (<em><a href='B:410 2:1'>Nah 2:1</a></em>). Further evidence for a charismatic Islamic antichrist is provided in my study of the revival of latter day Babylon in&nbsp;<em>The Last Days</em>. Of particular significance is the way that the man of sin exalts himself “against all that is called God or that is an object of worship” (<em><a href='B:600 2:4'>2Th 2:4</a></em> RV mg:). This is exactly relevant to Islam, whose insistent belief in one God leads them to be aggressively against any icon, idol or object of worship. This is the very opposite to the Catholic way of venerating objects of worship.</p><p>The following table shows the evident links between the personal “man of sin” spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2, and the beast systems of Revelation:</p><table><tr><td></p><p>2 Thessalonians 1, 2</td><td>Revelation</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><em><a href='B:600 2:3'>2Th 2:3</a></em> – son of perdition (see also <em><a href='B:500 17:12'>Joh 17:12</a></em>)</td><td><em><a href='B:730 17:8'>Rev 17:8</a></em> – Beast goes into perdition</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><em><a href='B:600 2:7'>2Th 2:7</a></em> – mystery of iniquity (Gk:&nbsp;<em>anomia</em>)&nbsp;<em>(a reference to the son of perdition)</em></td><td><em><a href='B:730 17:7'>Rev 17:7</a></em> – Babylon associated with mystery</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><em><a href='B:600 2:8'>2Th 2:8</a></em> – wicked (lit. ‘lawless’ – Gk:&nbsp;<em>anomos</em>) one revealed (see also v. 7 where “iniquity” = Gk:&nbsp;<em>anomia</em>)</td><td><em><a href='B:730 1:1'>Rev 1:1</a></em> – The revelation of Jesus Christ</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><em><a href='B:600 2:8'>2Th 2:8</a></em> – Lord consumes him the wicked one with the spirit of his mouth (cp. Is. 11:4)</td><td><em><a href='B:730 19:11'>Rev 19:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 19:15'>Rev 19:15</a></em> – Christ destroys the beast&nbsp;<em>(ref. To </em><em><a href='B:290 11:4'>Isa 11:4</a></em><em>)</em></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><em><a href='B:600 1:8'>2Th 1:8</a></em> – Lord Jesus in flaming fire</td><td><em><a href='B:730 19:12'>Rev 19:12</a></em> – Christ’s eyes “as a flame of fire”</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><em><a href='B:600 2:11'>2Th 2:11</a></em> – those who perish believe a lie&nbsp;<em>(</em>a reference to the wicked one of 2:8)</td><td><em><a href='B:730 19:20'>Rev 19:20</a></em> – “false (or lying) prophet”</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><em><a href='B:600 2:11'>2Th 2:11</a></em> – strong delusion (or working of deceit) (a reference to the wicked one of 2:8)</td><td><em><a href='B:730 13:14'>Rev 13:14</a></em> – deceive</p><p style='margin-left:1:135em'><em><a href='B:730 19:20'>Rev 19:20</a></em> – deceive</p><p style='margin-left:1:135em'><em>(references to the second beast and the false prophet)</em></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><em><a href='B:600 2:9'>2Th 2:9</a></em> – signs (Gk:&nbsp;<em>semeion</em>) (a reference to the wicked one of 2:8)</td><td><em><a href='B:730 13:13'>Rev 13:13</a></em> – wonders (Gk:&nbsp;<em>semeion</em>)</p><p style='margin-left:1:135em'><em><a href='B:730 19:20'>Rev 19:20</a></em> miracles</p><p style='margin-left:1:135em'>(Gk:&nbsp;<em>semeion</em>)&nbsp;<em>(references to the second beast and the false prophet)</em></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><em><a href='B:600 2:4'>2Th 2:4</a></em> – temple</td><td><em><a href='B:730 11:2'>Rev 11:2</a></em> – temple</td><td></td></tr></table><p>It is rasonable to equate this “man” with the specific “antiChrist” of <em><a href='B:690 2:18'>1Jn 2:18</a></em>. The beast / horn system is also an imitation of Christ. It breaks in pieces the whole earth (<em><a href='B:340 7:23'>Dan 7:23</a></em>) – the same word used in <em><a href='B:340 2:40'>Dan 2:40</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 2:44'>Dan 2:44</a></em> to describe Christ’s breaking in pieces of the nations at his return. The little horn will “think to change times and laws”. This is clearly alluding to <em><a href='B:340 2:21'>Dan 2:21</a></em>, where God alone is described as changing the times and seasons. The little horn thus makes himself as God – the man of sin “as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (<em><a href='B:600 2:4'>2Th 2:4</a></em>). This man of sin will be destroyed by the brightness of the Lord’s second coming (<em><a href='B:600 2:8'>2Th 2:8</a></em>). He will therefore be actively in existence in the last days. This man of sin will be revealed during a falling away from the Truth just prior to the return of Christ (<em><a href='B:600 2:2-3'>2Th 2:2-3</a></em>). Thus whatever fulfilments of this power there may have been over history, it has to be accepted that it will have a particular manifestation in the last days.</p><p>The man of sin is “the son of perdition”, clearly alluding to Judas (<em><a href='B:500 17:12'>Joh 17:12</a></em>). This associates this power with the apostate element within the ecclesia, who in the first century were Jewish. Through infiltrating the ecclesia, he will sit “in the temple of God” (<em><a href='B:600 2:4'>2Th 2:4</a></em>), i:e. the ecclesia. Judas was a betrayer; we have seen from the Olivet prophecy that there will be betrayers within the ecclesia in the tribulation period. The link with Judas surely teaches that there will be a ‘Fifth column’ within the latter day church, who are connected with the latter day Babylon / beast / man of sin.</p><p>However, it is possible that these prophecies refer to a specific individual who claims that he is Christ – a real ‘antiChrist’, possibly associated with a renegade Christian (after the pattern of Judas being one of the twelve). It may even be that he builds a literal temple, which would then be the abomination which makes desolate standing in the holy place. Remember that the horn / beast blasphemes the temple (<em><a href='B:730 13:6'>Rev 13:6</a></em>), and in their manifestation as the King of the North, “he shall plant the tabernacle of his palace... In the glorious holy mountain” of Zion (<em><a href='B:340 11:45'>Dan 11:45</a></em>). <em><a href='B:600 2:8-9'>2Th 2:8-9</a></em> point the contrast between the Lord’s coming and that of the man of sin – as if the latter is a replica of the former. This new power will break in pieces opposing nations just like Christ will (<em><a href='B:340 7:23'>Dan 7:23</a></em> cp. <em><a href='B:340 2:44'>Dan 2:44</a></em>); he will institute a new set of laws world–wide as if he has God’s authority (<em><a href='B:340 7:25'>Dan 7:25</a></em> cp. <em><a href='B:340 2:21'>Dan 2:21</a></em>).</p><p>Some may be duped into thinking that Christ has come back, when actually it is the ‘antiChrist’ of the beast. The beast may have its adherents within the ecclesia who will promulgate this view. The beast has a mouthpiece in another beast that speaks like a dragon – i:e. like the beast – but has horns like a lamb, i:e. a fake Christ. This beast “does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on earth in the sight of men (i:e. this is conscious exhibitionism), and deceives... by the means of these miracles which he had power to do” (<em><a href='B:730 13:11-14'>Rev 13:11-14</a></em>). Bringing fire from Heaven means that this is a conscious imitation of Elijah, implying that the Elijah ministry is active during the tribulation. It will be opposed by the publicity stunts of the beast system.</p><p>The idea of an anti–Christ as a replica of the real Christ also occurs in Proverbs, where there is a designed contrast between the woman of wisdom (representing Christ, the seed of the woman, <em><a href='B:530 1:24'>1Co 1:24</a></em>), and the “foolish woman” who does the same external things as “wisdom” (e.g. <em><a href='B:240 9:1-5'>Pro 9:1-5</a></em> cp. <em><a href='B:240 9:14-17'>Pro 9:14-17</a></em>). This prototype antiChrist is a whore, which is a symbol associated with the dragon / Babylon / beast of Revelation. Thus the antiChrist and the beast are closely linked. Because of the false miracles, the weak believer will worship the image of the beast and join the 666 system (<em><a href='B:730 13:14-18'>Rev 13:14-18</a></em>). This is based on the image in the plain of Dura, which many of God’s people were duped into worshipping. Only the three friends seem to have refused to do so. Perhaps the furnaces which were the means of punishment for those who refused to worship the image are related to the furnaces of the concentration camps, which we may well see repeated in the future.<br/><br/>“A time of trouble”</p><p>We have suggested that the blasphemous power building his palace on the temple mount in <em><a href='B:340 11:45'>Dan 11:45</a></em> is the man of sin of 2 Thessalonians 2, and thus also the little horn power. This is immediately before the second coming of Christ and resurrection described in <em><a href='B:340 12:2'>Dan 12:2</a></em>. It is during this period that “there shall be a time of trouble such as never was” for God’s people, natural and spiritual – the time of Jacob’s trouble that occurs after Israel’s present regathering to the land. “That day is great, so that none is like it” (<em><a href='B:300 30:7'>Jer 30:7</a></em>). Those who are written in the book experience it, but are saved from it. This group must surely be true believers. Seeing that this will be a time of trouble for God’s people such as never was, the previous sufferings of the Jews and the tribulation of the second world war will be nothing compared to this. It will be so bad that it will seem that every one of us will perish – “there should no flesh be saved” (<em><a href='B:470 24:22'>Mat 24:22</a></em>). But for those who doggedly hold on to the patience and faith of the saints, the glorious, miraculous deliverance will come. Even an Angel was so amazed by the extraordinary nature of this time of trouble that he asked: “How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?”. The answer was “For a time, time and an half (i:e. three and a half years); and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished” (<em><a href='B:340 12:7-8'>Dan 12:7-8</a></em>). The Hebrew for “the holy people” is literally ‘the people of the holy ones’ – i:e. all those among natural and spiritual Israel who belong to their holy guardian Angels. “All things” being fulfilled in <em><a href='B:340 12:8'>Dan 12:8</a></em> is probably alluded to in the fig tree parable – the generation that see the revival of Israel (fruit instead of leaves on the tree, as a result of Christian preaching) during that three and a half year tribulation will live to see the end of all things. The holy people are to be scattered (<em><a href='B:340 12:7'>Dan 12:7</a></em>). The Hebrew means ‘to break in pieces’, and is also used regarding the beast / horn breaking in pieces the whole earth / land (<em><a href='B:340 7:23'>Dan 7:23</a></em>). As it treats God’s people, so it will be judged, seeing that the little stone breaks in pieces the beast / image.</p><p>The horn who scatters God’s people in the last days, the “he” of <em><a href='B:340 12:7'>Dan 12:7</a></em> is the “King of the North” of <em><a href='B:340 11:45'>Dan 11:45</a></em> – suggesting that the beast / horn has something to do with latter day Assyria and Babylon, the historical / Biblical “King of the North”. The faithful will be “tried” (<em><a href='B:340 12:10'>Dan 12:10</a></em>) by this invader, as Israel were by the Babylonian invasion of the past (<em><a href='B:300 9:7'>Jer 9:7</a></em>). The same word is used in <em><a href='B:450 13:9'>Zec 13:9</a></em> and <em><a href='B:460 3:2'>Mal 3:2</a></em> concerning the faithful remnant in Jerusalem enduring their future sufferings.<br/><br/>There are a number of similarities between Daniel 11 and the prophecies concerning the persecution of the saints by the horn / beast / man of sin:</p><table><tr><td></p><p><em><a href='B:340 11:31-38'>Dan 11:31-38</a></em></td><td>The Latter Day Tribulation</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>v:31 “Shall pollute the sanctuary”</td><td>The beast’s blasphemy against the temple</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>v:32 “Such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries”</td><td>Some of those in the covenant will be deceived by the flatteries of the beast (cp. <em><a href='B:340 8:25'>Dan 8:25</a></em>)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“Such as do wickedly”</td><td>“The wicked shall do wickedly” (<em><a href='B:340 12:10'>Dan 12:10</a></em>)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>v:32,33 “The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits... instruct many”</td><td>Zealous preaching by the faithful during persecution.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>v:33 “They shall fall by the sword”</td><td>The beast kills the saints with the sword and leads them into captivity in the tribulation (<em><a href='B:730 13:10'>Rev 13:10</a></em>). “They shall fall by the sword” is quoted in <em><a href='B:490 21:24'>Luk 21:24</a></em> concerning the tribulation.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“Many days”</td><td>1260 days</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>v:35 “Some of them of understanding shall fall” (in death)</p><p>“To try them, and to purge, and to make them white”</p><p>“Even to the time of the end; because it is yet for a time appointed”</td><td>“Some of you shall they cause to be put to death” (<em><a href='B:490 21:16'>Luk 21:16</a></em>) – the faithful remnant are characterized by their “understanding” – of the prophecies?</p><p>“ Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried” (<em><a href='B:340 12:10'>Dan 12:10</a></em>)</p><p>The tribulation continues right up to the end – the Lord’s coming. The time appointed – 3:5 years of <em><a href='B:340 12:7'>Dan 12:7</a></em>?</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p>v:36 “The King…shall exalt himself”</td><td>As the horn did over the other horns. If this verse is a continuing description of Antiochus Epiphanes, then it just isn’t all true. Rather it seems do we have another gap / jump in chronological fulfilment, as happens elsewhere in Daniel, until the latter day antichrist.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>“And magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods”</td><td>The man of sin exalts himself above all that is called God (<em><a href='B:600 2:4'>2Th 2:4</a></em>); the horn speaks blasphemy against God.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>v:38 “He shall sit in the seat of the Almighty God” (A:V. mg:)</td><td>Sitting as God in God’s temple (<em><a href='B:600 2:4'>2Th 2:4</a></em>)</td><td></td></tr></table><p>There are too many similarities here for this to all be coincidental. The primary fulfilment of Daniel 11 appears to be in the persecution of the Maccabees. The effective tribulation which they went through then, preparing as it did a faithful remnant who accepted Jesus as Messiah at His first coming, must be a dim shadow of what the church and natural Israel are to undergo in the last days. Note that <em><a href='B:340 11:33'>Dan 11:33</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 12:10'>Dan 12:10</a></em> emphasize that only those who understand will spiritually survive the persecution. This should serve as the ultimate inspiration to zealously apply ourselves to the study of prophecy, rather than give up because it seems too difficult. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.</p><p>The Old Testament Basis</p><p>In searching for an Old Testament basis for “that wicked one”, we find that very phrase used in the Septuagint of <em><a href='B:190 7:4'>Est 7:4</a></em> to describe Haman. He too was ‘revealed’ for who he was – the Persian leader plotting the total destruction of Jewry, from which they were saved by grace. The entire story of Esther can be read as a detailed type of Israel’s latter day weakness, persecution and deliverance by grace. The idea of a “man of sin” within the temple of God surely has its source in the Ezekiel passages (e.g. <em><a href='B:330 8:8-16'>Eze 8:8-16</a></em>) which describe the idolatry (“abomination”) which occurred within the temple in the days just prior to the invasion of Israel by the Babylonians. These passages lead up to the vision of the purged, perfected temple of the Messianic Kingdom in Ezekiel 40-48. The ‘men of sin’ which Ezekiel saw within the temple were the “elders of the house of Israel”, the corrupted priesthood. The connection with 2 Thessalonians 2 suggests that in the last days, before the final neo–Babylonian holocaust, the elders of both natural and spiritual Israel will practice corruption in the temple / ecclesia of God.</p><p>There is an incident in the experience of Nehemiah, Governor of Jerusalem (a type of Christ, <em><a href='B:470 2:6'>Mat 2:6</a></em>) which points forward to all this. Nehemiah (cp. Jesus) returned to the Emperor to have his authority over Jerusalem confirmed (cp. Christ to God, <em><a href='B:470 25:19'>Mat 25:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:490 19:12-13'>Luk 19:12-13</a></em>). He then returned to the holy land, to find Israel indifferent to the state of God’s house, taken up with the petty materialism of daily life, with the result that the Arab Tobiah had been permitted by the elders of Israel to live in the chambers of the house of God (<em><a href='B:160 13:6-9'>Neh 13:6-9</a></em>). Nehemiah in fury expels him and “cleansed the chambers”, throwing out all his things, after the pattern of Christ cleansing the temple (<em><a href='B:470 21:12'>Mat 21:12</a></em>). Along with the type of Moses returning from the mount to a corrupted Israel, this points forward to the state of affairs at Christ’s return. <em><a href='B:290 8:5'>Isa 8:5</a></em> speaks of an “image of jealousy” being placed in the temple by the Jews just prior to the Babylonian invasion. This was the original image behind the Lord’s prophecy of the abomination of desolation being placed in the temple by the Romans. And yet His prophecy has a distinct latter day reference. All this points to a similar literal fulfilment in some way, in a literal latter day temple.</p><p>“The son of perdition” was Judas (<em><a href='B:500 17:12'>Joh 17:12</a></em>), the epitome of sin and the Jewish Devil (<em><a href='B:500 6:70-71'>Joh 6:70-71</a></em> cp. <em><a href='B:500 8:44'>Joh 8:44</a></em>). We will see that throughout 2 Thessalonians 2 there is frequent reference to the events surrounding our Lord’s suffering and death; as we also note in the Revelation passages concerning the saints’ final sufferings. Judas was concealed among the disciples until he finally flew his true colours at his betrayal of Christ, which marked the beginning of His passion. The Judaizers were only revealed for what they really were in the traumas of AD69/70. And if the man of sin has a latter day equivalent, this group of false teachers will only show their hand immediately prior to the second coming, at the beginning of the tribulation, which matches the beginning of Christ’s final sufferings which began after Judas’ betrayal. This indicates that any witch hunt for this group is doomed to failure. The disciples tried to expose Judas, “the man of sin”, before his proper time to be manifested; and ended up accusing each other of fitting the role. Such is the inability of human nature to make accurate judgment in this respect. There were three and a half days from the time of Judas being openly revealed for what he was to the end of Christ’s sufferings, marked by the resurrection. It may be that there will be a three and a half year tribulation period for the latter day believers, beginning with the open revealing of the “man of sin”.</p><p>The N:I:V. (correctly) translated “man of sin” as “man of lawlessness”, highlighting the contradiction in the fact that the law–crazy Judaists were actually law<em>less</em>. Because lawlessness abounds in the last days, the majority of the ecclesia will lose their love (<em><a href='B:470 24:12'>Mat 24:12</a></em>). The beast is epitomized by a man – “the number of the beast... is the number of a man” (<em><a href='B:730 13:18'>Rev 13:18</a></em>), in the same way as the system described in 2 Thessalonians 2 is personified as a man of sin. The figure of <em><a href='B:730 13:5-6'>Rev 13:5-6</a></em> is clearly based around an Old Testament ‘man of sin’, Goliath – a real, historical person. <em><a href='B:730 11:4'>Rev 11:4</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 11:13'>Rev 11:13</a></em> draw a contrast between a god of the earth / land of Israel, and the true God of Heaven. The “god of the earth” has two olive trees and two candlesticks standing before him, with evident allusion back to <em><a href='B:450 4:14'>Zec 4:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:450 6:5'>Zec 6:5</a></em>, where the Lord / King of the earth / land appears to refer to the King of Babylon.</p><p>These passages all imply that there may well be one specific “man of sin” in the last days. Judas, the prototype “son of perdition”, influenced the other disciples, as shown by the complaint concerning Mary’s ‘waste’ of ointment being described as made by Judas in <em><a href='B:500 12:4'>Joh 12:4</a></em>, but by the whole group in <em><a href='B:470 26:8'>Mat 26:8</a></em>. Jude’s letter is a warning against the Jewish–influenced apostasy of the first century. He cites “the gainsaying of Korah” as typical of the false teaching that was infiltrating the ecclesias. He could have spoken of “Korah, Dathan and Abiram”, but instead he focuses on Korah, as if he was the outstanding influence. By doing so, was Jude suggesting that there was one specific individual in the “last days” who was to be resisted?</p><p>The connection with Judas would suggest that the man of sin being in the temple may refer to the presence of this individual or system within the ecclesia. But there is a clear link with <em><a href='B:470 24:15'>Mat 24:15</a></em>, concerning the abomination of desolation standing in the temple as a clear sign that Christ’s return is imminent, just as Paul says the man of sin in the temple is the clear sign of the second coming (<em><a href='B:600 2:3'>2Th 2:3</a></em>). The Lord’s words are looking back to Daniel’s prophecy that a desolator (RV) is to appear in the temple, and also to Jeremiah’s description of Nebuchadnezzar as a ‘desolator’ of God’s people and His cities, who achieves his ‘desolation’ by a fake theophany, coming with clouds and chariots just as the Lord Jesus will (<em><a href='B:300 4:7'>Jer 4:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:300 4:13'>Jer 4:13</a></em>). The language used by Jeremiah in that section is very similar to that used in Ezekiel 38 about the individual named as ‘Gog’. The abomination that desolates is at the hands of an individual desolator – the man of sin of 2 Thessalonians 2. The likely application to an abomination within the ecclesia notwithstanding, one is tempted to look for a physical temple to be built in Jerusalem in order to ease the fulfilment of this prophecy. It cannot be insignificant that the right wing Rabbis are enthusiastic for this,&nbsp;<em>and have already drawn up the plans for one</em>&nbsp;It could be that <em><a href='B:730 13:14-15'>Rev 13:14-15</a></em> predict that the man of sin will set up a literal image of himself there in the temple. And as has been pointed out, Caligula had ordered a statue of himself to be erected in the temple, and although this never actually happened, this would’ve been an enduring memory amongst the New Testament readership. This background again points to the personality cult of a specific individual being developed in the temple.</p><p>Paul was an enthusiast for living as if we know the Lord's return is imminent; but he told the Thessalonians that that blessed day wouldn't come immediately, because some prophecy still had to be fulfilled (<em><a href='B:600 2:3'>2Th 2:3</a></em>). This, I suspect, is the situation we are in now: living&nbsp;<em>as if</em>&nbsp;we expect the Lord imminently, but recognizing that we don't&nbsp;<em>know</em>&nbsp;whether his return is imminent, and&nbsp;still looking for some prophecy to be fulfilled:&nbsp;<br/><em><a href='B:600 2:3'>2Th 2:3</a></em> RV speaks of "<em>the</em>&nbsp;falling away" which must come as the final, crystal clear sign that the Lord's return is imminent. It sounds as if Paul treated this as an obvious, well known thing amongst the believers. In the context, he's saying: 'How ever can you believe this idea that the day of Christ is here now (RV)? As you know thoroughly well, the great apostasy from the truth in the ecclesia must come, and only&nbsp;<em>then</em>&nbsp;will the Lord come, to save the elect within his corrupted ecclesia'. The idea of latter day weakness in the ecclesia is taught explicitly and implicitly throughout the Scriptures. Both natural and spiritual Israel have to be almost pleaded with to come out from among the beast system of the last days (<em><a href='B:730 18:4'>Rev 18:4</a></em>), implying that somehow they become part of it- although ideally they should never have become involved with it. Israel being tempted by Balaam and the Moabite women at the very end of the wilderness journey looks forward to the tendency of latter day spiritual Israel to mess up on the eve of the Kingdom. A fair case can be made for thinking that Adam sinned at the end of the sixth day, on the eve of the Sabbath of rest (cp. the Millennium). See on <em><a href='B:610 4:1'>1Ti 4:1</a></em>.</p><p>The accounts of the latter day invasion of Israel all feature a single charismatic individual, who will be destroyed personally by the Lord Jesus at His coming. This is Paul’s “man of sin”, Daniel’s aggressive king of fierce countenance, Ezekiel’s Gog, the chief prince. It is also the person referred to by Micah: “And this man Messiah shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land” (<em><a href='B:400 5:1-2'>Mic 5:1-2</a></em>). The Lord Jesus will save His people in the latter days from an “Assyrian”. It has been shown that Assyria and Babylon are used almost interchangeably in Scripture. Gog was a Jew who apostatized and went to live in Assyria / Babylonia, according to 1 Chronicles 5. This is why he has the appearance of spirituality; and he may even be a middle Eastern Christian. I say this because 2 Thessalonians 2 describes him as “the son of perdition”, exactly the phrase used about Judas, the false disciple of Jesus.</p><p><em><a href='B:600 2:3'>2Th 2:3</a></em> is clear enough that the “man of sin” will arise in the last days immediately before the Lord’s return. We need not think that Christ is about to return until we see this person gloriously enthroned “as God”. This is what Paul seems to be saying. And when the Lord was asked for the signs of His coming, he started off by warning that false Christs would come (<em><a href='B:470 24:4-5'>Mat 24:4-5</a></em>). <em><a href='B:690 2:18'>1Jn 2:18</a></em> says just the same: “It is the last time RV “hour”: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time”. This was true in the run up to AD70, and it will be true in the ultimate last hour too. Ezekiel 38 likewise speaks of a man called ‘Gog’, a “chief prince”, who would come against God’s people at the time of the end. This is the man of whom <em><a href='B:340 8:25'>Dan 8:25</a></em> speaks- “he will destroy many and will stand up against the Prince of princes”, the Lord Jesus.</p>


text:
<p><em><a href='B:600 2:4'>2Th 2:4</a></em>&nbsp;<em>He that opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits in the temple of God, setting himself up as God</em>- I suggested on :3 that the situation envisaged was of a joining together of the Jewish and Roman opposition to Christianity. This would result in a specific individual enthroned in the Jerusalem temple, and also in the temple in the sense of the church of God. The language used here is very similar to the cult of Caesar worship; Nero especially set himself up as God. As explained on :3, this scenario did not come about in the first century although an incipient fulfilment was seen in the events of AD70. We look to a future fulfilment in our days.</p><p>"He that opposes" was clearly the Jewish satan, to which Paul alludes in most of his letters; an organized network of opposition to his missionary work. The word and idea is used in concerning the Judaizers and Jews in <em><a href='B:490 13:17'>Luk 13:17</a></em>; <em><a href='B:490 21:15'>Luk 21:15</a></em>; <em><a href='B:530 16:9'>1Co 16:9</a></em>; <em><a href='B:570 1:28'>Phi 1:28</a></em>; <em><a href='B:620 2:25'>2Ti 2:25</a></em> and <em><a href='B:610 5:14'>1Ti 5:14</a></em>. This opposition to the Gospel in the Thessalonian context has already been established as coalition of Jewish and Roman forces of evil (see on <em><a href='B:590 2:18'>1Th 2:18</a></em>). Their arrogance is well described as exalting themselves above anything that is ‘worshipped’, whether Christian or otherwise. This is the same word as “devotions” in <em><a href='B:510 17:23'>Act 17:23</a></em> concerning pagan idols. The forces of Jewish and Roman evil were to unite to set up an entity which would be above any idol. They made themselves “as God”, perhaps by imitating Moses, the god of this (Jewish) world” (<em><a href='B:540 4:4'>2Co 4:4</a></em> and context); <em><a href='B:660 4:11-12'>Jas 4:11-12</a></em> is just one example of the Judaist–influenced eldership making themselves equal to Moses. There are two Greek words translated “temple”, one referring more to the physical building and the other to the spiritual dwelling place of God, i:e. the ecclesia (<em><a href='B:610 3:15'>1Ti 3:15</a></em>). It is this latter one which is used here – the man of sin sits down (Gk. ‘takes his place’) in the ecclesia, showing himself (Greek ‘demonstrating’) that he is God. This word is translated “approved” in <em><a href='B:510 2:22'>Act 2:22</a></em> concerning Christ’s approval as God’s representative by His miracles. This indicates that the man of sin is an imitation of Christ – a true antiChrist. The showing that he is God would be through the pseudo miracles of v:9 – in the same way as Moses was made as God to Pharaoh through the miracles he did (<em><a href='B:20 7:1'>Exo 7:1</a></em>). The Judaist–influenced elders of the Jewish ecclesias seem to have retained the power of the miraculous gifts for a short time after their apostasy (<em><a href='B:650 6:4-6'>Heb 6:4-6</a></em>); the Jews also had their false miracle workers (<em><a href='B:510 13:6'>Act 13:6</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 19:14'>Act 19:14</a></em>). The beast of Revelation also works impressive miracles. Thus as the man of sin did false miracles in the first century through the Jewish miracle workers and their Judaist friends within the ecclesia, so both in the beast system of the last days as well as in the ecclesia, the latter day “man of sin” will work false miracles.</p><p>In the last days context, the ecclesia will be infiltrated by a "man of sin" who appears to be an apostle, and who in league with the beast, the power dominating the world, corrupts the ecclesia. He is an anti-Christ, a false God. His sitting in the temple of the ecclesia is matched by Tobiah the Arab having rooms in the temple- rooms which should have been symbolic of the dwelling place of God’s people with Him (<em><a href='B:160 7:13'>Neh 7:13</a></em> cp. <em><a href='B:500 14:1-3'>Joh 14:1-3</a></em>). He will get this place, as Tobiah got his place, because the ecclesia has failed to grasp the rigid line of demarcation between the things of God’s Kingdom and those of Satan's. They will have been deceived by the apparent similarity between the two Kingdoms. The presence of antiChrist within the ecclesia will be the sign "whereby ye know that it is the last time" (<em><a href='B:690 2:18'>1Jn 2:18</a></em>); and <em><a href='B:600 2:3'>2Th 2:3</a></em> and <em><a href='B:480 13:5'>Mar 13:5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:480 13:14'>Mar 13:14</a></em> say the same thing. The recognition of the presence of such false teaching within the ecclesia will be what tells the faithful remnant that the Lord's return really is imminent. If the "man of sin" is to be connected somehow with the Muslim beast as we have suggested elsewhere, it may be that the vague, outline similarities between Islam and the One Faith are what are capitalized upon in order to make the differences seem minimal. Thus Muslims tenaciously believe in one God and a restored paradise on earth, and Shi'ite Muslims (comprising 99% Iranians and 60% Iraqis) look for the return of the 12th Imam (who they believe has ascended to Heaven) to rule the world. Muslim mosques are fake temples of God, designed as they are around an outer court and two sanctuaries. As Adam desired equality with God (see the allusions to his fall in Philippians 2) and was punished with an inability to hide, shame and nakedness as a result, so Edom will be punished in precisely the same way (<em><a href='B:300 49:10'>Jer 49:10</a></em>)- because they too desire equality with God, as Babylon did in <em><a href='B:290 14:13'>Isa 14:13</a></em>, and as the man of sin will attempt (<em><a href='B:600 2:4'>2Th 2:4</a></em>). The connection between Babylon, Edom and the man of sin's blasphemy suggests that he is connected with radical Islamic religious blasphemy.</p><p>The antichrist is a mimic of the true Christ; his kingdom is a parody of God’s Kingdom. And the King of Babylon claiming&nbsp;“I am and none else beside me” are the very words of Yahweh- the King of Babylon is clearly to be identified with the man of sin, who sits as God in God’s temple (2 Thessalonians 2). The “man of sin” will sit in the temple of God and proclaim that he is God. This is surely the “abomination that maketh desolate” that the Lord Jesus predicted would sit in the temple just prior to His return. The abomination makes “desolate”, clearly referring to&nbsp;<em>Jerusalem</em>&nbsp;being made desolate by Babylonian / Iraqi invaders (<em><a href='B:340 9:2'>Dan 9:2</a></em>; <em><a href='B:340 9:17'>Dan 9:17</a></em>). <em><a href='B:490 21:20'>Luk 21:20</a></em> parallels “the abomination that maketh desolate” in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 with “the desolation of Jerusalem”:&nbsp;The abomination / abominator will stand “where&nbsp;<em>he</em>&nbsp;ought not” (<em><a href='B:480 13:14'>Mar 13:14</a></em> RV). He is the “one that maketh desolate” (<em><a href='B:340 9:27'>Dan 9:27</a></em> RV). A specific individual is clearly implied. <em><a href='B:340 8:13'>Dan 8:13</a></em> RV describes this person as “the transgression that maketh desolate”- yet it is the abominator that makes Jerusalem desolate. Therefore “the transgression” is surely being put by metonymy for a man, who will sit in the Most Holy place and make Jerusalem desolate. And 2 Thessalonians 2 says just the same- “the man of sin / transgression”. The whole tenor of the Daniel prophesies is that they refer to an individual who will arise in the last days- not someone like a Pope sitting in St. Peter’s for centuries. The vision of the 2300 days of abomination- the days during which the abominator will make Jerusalem desolate- “belongs to the latter days” (<em><a href='B:340 8:26'>Dan 8:26</a></em>). These are the days during which the sanctuary and the host of God’s people will be “trodden under foot”; interpreted by the Lord as Jerusalem being trodden down of the Gentiles until “the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled”.</p><p>It is quite clear that the leadership of Israel's fiercest enemies would dearly love to sit and stand in the Sanctuary if they could get their hands on Jerusalem as they vow they will. He will sit there “as God”. Another&nbsp;place where we read of a man sitting in the temple proclaiming that he is God is in <em><a href='B:330 28:2'>Eze 28:2</a></em>, where the King of Tyre proudly says that he sits as God ruling the seas of the people. The King of Tyre was a prototype for the latter day man of sin. The King of Tyre was “in Eden the garden of God” where he was “anointed” and beautifully adorned (<em><a href='B:330 28:12'>Eze 28:12</a></em>; <em><a href='B:330 28:14'>Eze 28:14</a></em>). These descriptions may be further information about the serpent in Eden, although omitted from the Genesis account; and of the idol cult of Tyre being established in the Jerusalem temple in Ezekiel's time. In this case, the fake-Christ anointed one is “the old serpent”, just as the latter day beast leader will be (Revelation 12). The beast is so often paralleled with its leader, just as the little horn seems to refer to both a leader and a nation / political system. The sudden destruction that comes upon Antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2 is the same kind of thing spoken of in <em><a href='B:590 5:3'>1Th 5:3</a></em> - “When they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh”. The saying of peace and safety is exactly the language of Daniel regarding the false peace produced in the very last days by Antichrist. It could well be that under Babylon’s domination there is a brief boom period for the entire world. This ensures his political survival, and explains why all the world’s merchants will weep at his fall. This sorrow by the traders hardly seems likely to happen if the Vatican was destroyed:&nbsp;This person will accuse the brethren of Christ before the throne of God (<em><a href='B:730 12:10'>Rev 12:10</a></em>), but will be thrown down by the Lord’s return and the establishment of the Kingdom. This is exactly the language of 2 Thessalonians 2 about the antichrist who is to be destroyed by the Lord’s coming. Yet the idea of a false accuser of the brethren before the throne of God takes us back to Job’s satan- who seems to have been a pseudo-disciple, bringing down the outpouring of vial-like judgments upon God’s people (cp. the scene in Revelation). Antichrist, the man of sin, sitting in the temple of God, is surely the abomination that Jesus said is to be in the temple in the last days, leading to the final desolation. Isaiah 14 describes the rise and fall of the King of Babylon; he too desired to set himself as God in the temple of God, having first terrorized the nations that dwell on the ‘earth’, those situated in the land promised to Abraham between the Nile and Euphrates. This seems so on the cards for latter day Babylon- to terrorize the Middle Eastern world into accepting her leadership, and then to seek to set up the King of latter day Babylon on “the mount of God”, Zion. Finally, Nahum speaks of how there was one specific Assyrian leader who was to be destroyed by the coming of Messiah. The phrasing is so similar to that found about the “man of sin”: “There is one gone forth out of thee, that imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor… behold upon the mountains the feet of him Messiah that bringeth good tidings… the wicked one shall no more pass through… he is utterly cut off. He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face” (<em><a href='B:410 1:11'>Nah 1:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:410 1:15'>Nah 1:15</a></em>; <em><a href='B:410 2:1'>Nah 2:1</a></em> RV).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:5'>2Th 2:5</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Have you forgotten that when I was still with you I told you these things?</em>- Paul was only with them for three Sabbath days. He had little contact time with them, and yet he warned them of future tribulation at the hand of Jewish and Gentile forces of evil, to result in a "man of sin" being enthroned in the Jerusalem temple. And yet from 1 Thessalonians 4 it is clear that they were still ignorant of basic theology about the resurrection. Clearly Paul considered practical warnings as to the difficulty of the path ahead as being more important than theology.</p><p>In <em><a href='B:590 5:3-5'>1Th 5:3-5</a></em> they had been told that the pre-eminent sign of the Lord’s coming is the “peace and safety” cry within the ecclesia. Now in 2 Thessalonians 2 Paul puts it another way: “that day shall not come, except there come a falling away&nbsp;<em>first</em>”, or most importantly, as the most obvious sign.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:6'>2Th 2:6</a></em>&nbsp;<em>And now you know what is restraining him now, that he may be revealed in his own time</em>- This restraining influence was known by the Thessalonians; it lay within the range of their experience. That is significant in our attempt to interpret this difficult question as to who or what the restraining influence refers to.</p><p>“Restraining” is also translated as “stand fast” and also “keep hold”, often in the context of resisting Judaist infiltration by retaining true doctrine. This would imply that the spiritually strong within the ecclesias were withholding the revealing of the man of sin and the Lord’s return (“that he might be revealed in his time” can neatly refer to either, cp. <em><a href='B:610 6:15'>1Ti 6:15</a></em>). However, it was only a matter of time before the falling away was so widespread that they would be “taken out of the way”; “for the mystery of iniquity (literally ‘law–breaking’, another pun on the Judaizers’ position) doth already work” (v:7). This is the opposite to “the mystery of Godliness” (<em><a href='B:610 3:16'>1Ti 3:16</a></em>), and refers to the Judaizers claiming to be so spiritually deep that the Truth was a “mystery” known only to them (cp. <em><a href='B:720 1:19'>Jud 1:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 2:24'>Rev 2:24</a></em>). That which hindered the revealing or coming (cp. <em><a href='B:600 1:7'>2Th 1:7</a></em>; a false second coming) of the man of sin would be taken out of the way. “Out of the way” here is normally translated “from among them” – the spiritually minded members of the ecclesia were to be taken away, so that God’s punishments could come upon the rest of them. In the first century this was shown in the command for the faithful to flee the Jerusalem ecclesia (<em><a href='B:490 21:21'>Luk 21:21</a></em>), to come out of Babylon (<em><a href='B:730 18:4'>Rev 18:4</a></em>), which is a common symbol of Israel and apostate Jewry in the prophets. The word for “mystery” is also used in a negative sense in <em><a href='B:730 17:5'>Rev 17:5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 17:7'>Rev 17:7</a></em> concerning the woman of sin riding the beast – hinting at a specific individual who will be the figurehead of the beast?</p><p>I suggested on :3 that what is in view, initially, in the first century context, was a coalition between Jewish and Roman forces of evil, culminating in the enthronement of a Nero like figure in the Jerusalem temple, proclaimed as the only object of worship, and thus closing down all the various idol cults. This coalition of Jews and Gentiles against the church would be a repetition of what happened to bring about the Lord's death, and the church would therefore fellowship His sufferings in this way. But that was restrained by the strong paganism of the population. Perhaps it was this which was initially in view; as well as political opposition to such an extent of Caesar worship and deification within the Roman leadership. There was indeed a movement against this development. But this was to be taken out of the way. The restraining nature of Roman civil law as it was then practiced was well known to the Thessalonians, for it was this which had saved Paul from being lynched at Thessalonica (<em><a href='B:510 17:6'>Act 17:6</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 17:9'>Act 17:9</a></em>).</p><p>We can only speculate what the restraining influence may be in the last days. It could simply be God’s desire to delay the Lord's coming so that more may get a chance to repent. Even in the first century, there was this element of Divine delay (<em><a href='B:680 3:9'>2Pe 3:9</a></em>).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:7'>2Th 2:7</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so, until he is out of the way</em>- The "mystery" could refer to the false teaching of the Judaizers, or to the development of the imperial Caesar cult. See on :6 and :7. "The mystery" in the New Testament refers to the mystery of the Kingdom, of the Gospel; and the Gospel likewise was "at work" through the Spirit in believers. But the man of sin is a fake Christ, and is associated with a false Gospel and another spirit and mystery. The 'working' is defined as "the working of satan" (:9), and I have noted that the great satan or adversary to the Lord was the Judaist movement. This is termed lawlessness because as Paul often shows, Judaism was effectively anti God’s true Law. By not obeying the Gospel they were effectively not knowing God (see on <em><a href='B:600 1:8'>2Th 1:8</a></em>).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:8'>2Th 2:8</a></em>&nbsp;<em>And then shall be revealed the lawless one-&nbsp;</em>The revealing of this individual would be at the time of the revealing of the Lord Jesus (<em><a href='B:600 1:7'>2Th 1:7</a></em>). The revealing of this individual is therefore a mimicry of the Lord's revealing from Heaven. And the true Christ shall clearly be shown. Just as Judas was revealed for who he was ("the son of perdition", :3, = <em><a href='B:500 17:12'>Joh 17:12</a></em>), so this latter day individual would be revealed.</p><p>"The lawless one" of <em><a href='B:600 2:8'>2Th 2:8</a></em> alludes to “the wicked one” of <em><a href='B:290 11:4'>Isa 11:4</a></em> LXX, who is “the Assyrian”. So it would appear very likely that the latter day antichrist figure comes from ‘Assyria’. And what’s going on in the territory of ‘Assyria’ right now is gripping the whole world’s attention:&nbsp;See on <em><a href='B:730 19:20'>Rev 19:20</a></em>.</p><p><em>Whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the powerful glory of his coming</em>- The Spirit and brightness of the Lord’s coming parallels the description of judgment on the Judaizers in <em><a href='B:600 1:6-9'>2Th 1:6-9</a></em>: “…mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance... punished... from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power”. This judgment is against “them that trouble you” (<em><a href='B:600 1:6'>2Th 1:6</a></em>), i:e. the false Judaist ‘brethren’ who were leading the early church astray (<em><a href='B:550 1:7'>Gal 1:7</a></em>). The link with <em><a href='B:600 2:8'>2Th 2:8</a></em> shows that it is such false brethren<em>&nbsp;within the ecclesia</em>&nbsp;(temple) who are “the wicked one” which will be destroyed by the second coming; along with the "man of sin" system of the world. On :3 I suggested there is a religious and secular element to the system in view. <em><a href='B:600 1:6-9'>2Th 1:6-9</a></em> also recalls the description of coming judgment on the apostate Jews in <em><a href='B:520 1:18'>Rom 1:18</a></em>: The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all unGodliness, and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness”. Paul’s words in Thessalonians can also be traced back to <em><a href='B:290 11:4'>Isa 11:4</a></em>: “He (Christ) shall smite the earth (Heb. ‘<em>eretz</em>’ – land, of Israel) with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked” in Israel, primarily. The Greek for “wicked” is translated “without law” in Romans, again making a play on the Judaizers who were claiming to keep the Law. There is a parallel between “the mystery of iniquity” in v:7 and the “wicked one” of v:8 – the revealing of “that wicked” is therefore the revealing of a mystery, which mimics the ‘revealed mystery’ of the true Gospel (<em><a href='B:520 16:25'>Rom 16:25</a></em>; <em><a href='B:560 3:3'>Eph 3:3</a></em>; <em><a href='B:560 6:19'>Eph 6:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:580 1:26'>Col 1:26</a></em>). The wicked one was to be “destroyed”, the Greek for which is also translated “abolish”, “do away”, “make of no effect”, “vanish away”, “make void” etc:, all in the context of the doing away of the Jewish Law and the system which supported it. This was only fully done with the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in AD70.</p><p>“The spirit of his mouth” looks forward to <em><a href='B:730 19:15'>Rev 19:15</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 19:21'>Rev 19:21</a></em> concerning Christ’s destruction of the beast at the last day, which has close links with the man of sin. The emphasis on the destruction of the man of sin by Angels and fire recalls <em><a href='B:340 7:10-11'>Dan 7:10-11</a></em> concerning the beast’s destruction by the Lord’s return. Perhaps the man of sin will appear associated with the latter day ecclesia, the temple of God, but he will be linked with the political ‘beast’ which will then be in control of the world.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:9'>2Th 2:9</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But the coming of the lawless one will be according to the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders</em>- However we understand the “working of Satan” (<em>energeian tou Satana</em>) in <em><a href='B:600 2:9'>2Th 2:9</a></em>, it was under the control of God – for it was part of the “strong delusion” (<em>energeian planes</em>) which&nbsp;<em>God</em>&nbsp;sent (<em><a href='B:600 2:11'>2Th 2:11</a></em>). The repetition of the word&nbsp;<em>energeian</em>&nbsp;is missed through the mask of translation through which most read this passage, but in the original Greek it stands out clearly. The ‘Satan’ isn’t working&nbsp;<em>against</em>&nbsp;God but is being used by God in&nbsp;<em>His</em>&nbsp;working in the lives of others. It is “evil” and “the work of Satan” which deceives the wicked (<em><a href='B:600 2:9-10'>2Th 2:9-10</a></em>); but God works through this, it is&nbsp;<em>He</em>&nbsp;who sends the delusion... an indication that ‘Satan’ here is not radical evil, i:e. evil that is free and independent from God, lurking free in the cosmos as it were, but is sent by God, under His control. But of course, we want to know more about this ‘Satan’; and clearly the Jewish opposition to the Christian Gospel was a significant adversary or ‘Satan’ in the first century.</p><p>‘Satan’ in the New Testament frequently refers to the Jewish system. We noted on :3 the idea of a coalition between Jewish and Gentile forces of evil. The envisaged new religious order would be supported by the Jewish satan, who would perform false miracles to give it credibility:&nbsp; “Coming” can be translated ‘coming in’, referring to the subtle entry of Judaist agents and ideas into the ecclesia (<em><a href='B:550 2:4'>Gal 2:4</a></em> etc:). The coming of Christ was associated with miracles, and this would be matched by ‘Satan’s’ miracles at&nbsp;<em>his</em>&nbsp;‘coming’. The Greek for “working” is often used concerning the working of the Holy Spirit. “Power, signs and wonders” is a phrase always used concerning the preaching of the Gospel (<em><a href='B:510 2:22'>Act 2:22</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 2:43'>Act 2:43</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 4:30'>Act 4:30</a></em>; <em><a href='B:520 15:19'>Rom 15:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:650 2:4'>Heb 2:4</a></em>); and in <em><a href='B:540 12:12'>2Co 12:12</a></em> concerning the qualifications of an apostle. This would portray the man of sin as a false apostle (cp. <em><a href='B:540 11:13-15'>2Co 11:13-15</a></em>) doing false miracles to accompany a false Gospel; he is “the son of perdition” after the pattern of Judas. The Greek for “lying” is used about the apostate Jews in <em><a href='B:500 8:44'>Joh 8:44</a></em>; <em><a href='B:520 1:25'>Rom 1:25</a></em>; <em><a href='B:690 2:21'>1Jn 2:21</a></em>.</p><p>Jannes and Jambres were another prototype of these Judaizers (<em><a href='B:620 3:8'>2Ti 3:8</a></em>). Perhaps these magicians who replicated Moses’ miracles were apostate Jews. Israel’s experience in Egypt points forward to ours at the time of the second coming. Perhaps the beast, symbolic ‘Egypt’ of the last days, will also have a group of renegade Jews in tow, who match the miracles performed by the latter day Moses. Showing “signs and lying wonders” is an evident allusion back to <em><a href='B:470 24:24'>Mat 24:24</a></em>, concerning this happening in the last days of AD70 and our own times. If the miraculous gifts are possessed by some of the faithful in the last days, e.g. In connection with the Elijah ministry, the ability of the apostate believers to do miracles will seem the more credible. There are many links between 2 Thessalonians 2 and the Olivet prophecy, as noted on :3.</p><p>The description of those deceived in 2 Thessalonians 2 is amplifying that of the judgment seat in <em><a href='B:600 1:6-9'>2Th 1:6-9</a></em>, which is concerning those responsible to judgment, i:e. those who know Christ. We therefore conclude that the many who are deceived by false claims of miracles are actually within the ecclesia. Only the elect will not be deceived. This was what happened in the run up to AD70, and must presumably be seen in our last days too. The establishment of the beast’s power in Jerusalem, accompanied by powerful miracles and the support of some Judas–like brethren within the ecclesia for it, will persuade some in the church to think that Christ is back. The connections between Matthew 24 and 2 Thessalonians 2 indicate that many (Gk. the majority, <em><a href='B:470 24:12'>Mat 24:12</a></em>) within the ecclesia will be deceived, egged on by a subtle group of false Christians who will be the counterpart of the first century Judaizers.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:10'>2Th 2:10</a></em>&nbsp;<em>And with all unrighteous deceit of them that perish. Because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved</em>- The deceit refers in the first century context to the work of the Judaizers (s:w. <em><a href='B:680 2:13'>2Pe 2:13</a></em>); "unrighteous" is used about the Jews in <em><a href='B:520 1:18'>Rom 1:18</a></em>; <em><a href='B:520 1:29'>Rom 1:29</a></em>; <em><a href='B:520 2:8'>Rom 2:8</a></em>; <em><a href='B:650 8:12'>Heb 8:12</a></em>; <em><a href='B:680 2:13'>2Pe 2:13</a></em>). Paul insists that his preaching at Thessalonica was not of deceit (<em><a href='B:590 2:3'>1Th 2:3</a></em>)- unlike, by implication, that of the Judaizers who stirred up persecution for him there. There will be&nbsp;a conscious program of deceit orchestrated in the last days too, and according to the Olivet Prophecy and the implications here in 2 Thessalonians 2, many shall be taken in by it. Loving the truth doesn't simply mean that they have a love of truth in the sense of wanting to find the right interpretation of the Bible. "Truth" here is being placed in opposition to the deceit and lies coming from the coalition between the "man of sin" and the Jewish satan. It is not academic truth which shall save, but "truth" in the sense of living relationship with the Lord Jesus. This is why :12 speaks of loving unrighteousness instead of loving the truth; there is clearly a moral dimension to "truth" in how Paul uses the term here. The same ideas are found in :13; we are the 'loved' of the Lord if we believe the 'truth' which is the Lord Jesus. The truth in this sense elicits love (<em><a href='B:670 1:22'>1Pe 1:22</a></em>; <em><a href='B:700 1:1'>2Jn 1:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:710 1:1'>3Jn 1:1</a></em>). This love which comes from truth is to be 'received' rather than cultivated by steel will. This is the word used frequently for 'receiving' the Gospel; the Jews in Thessalonica did not "receive" the word of the Gospel (<em><a href='B:510 17:11'>Act 17:11</a></em> s:w:), and the Thessalonians to whom Paul is writing are commended for having 'received' (s:w:) the Gospel (<em><a href='B:590 1:6'>1Th 1:6</a></em>; <em><a href='B:590 2:13'>1Th 2:13</a></em>). The group in view here are therefore those who had heard the Gospel but refused to receive it, meaning that they did not live in love and truth but rather in deceit and hatred towards the Lord's people. All this was within the direct experience of the Thessalonian readership.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:11'>2Th 2:11</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:600 2:7'>2Th 2:7</a></em>.</p><p><em>For this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie</em>- "Strong delusion" is literally the energy of delusion; just as God can work within the minds of believers according to His&nbsp;<em>energeia</em>&nbsp;by His Spirit (<em><a href='B:560 1:19'>Eph 1:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:560 3:16-20'>Eph 3:16-20</a></em>), so those who refuse to believe have another spirit sent to work within them, deluding them into believing the lie. "The lie" refers to the "delusion"; and in the first century context, that delusion was the words of the Judaizers, framed as they are as the serpent in Eden and Cain who told the first lies (the same Greek word for "delusion" is used about the Judaizers who sought to delude the believers in <em><a href='B:560 4:14'>Eph 4:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:680 3:17'>2Pe 3:17</a></em>; <em><a href='B:720 1:11'>Jud 1:11</a></em> cp. <em><a href='B:500 8:44'>Joh 8:44</a></em>). John contrasts a love of the truth (cp. :10) with "the spirit of error s:w. "delusion"", which operated through the false Judaist prophets / teachers infiltrating the churches (<em><a href='B:690 4:1'>1Jn 4:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:690 4:6'>1Jn 4:6</a></em>). Psychological confirmation of disbelievers is a feature of God’s working with men (<em><a href='B:290 6:9-10'>Isa 6:9-10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:520 1:24-28'>Rom 1:24-28</a></em>), and God even sends false prophets or teachers as part of this process (<em><a href='B:110 22:22-23'>1Ki 22:22-23</a></em>; <em><a href='B:330 14:9'>Eze 14:9</a></em>; <em><a href='B:220 12:16'>Job 12:16</a></em>). If a prophet is deceived, God has deceived that prophet (Ez. 14:9), although Ez. 13 is clear the prophet will be judged by God for the deception. So again we conclude that the operation of God's Spirit does not remove human freewill, but rather confirms us in the way we ourselves wish to go. Likewise with Ahab being deceived by the false prophets who were controlled by God's Angel in 1 Kings 22:22,23. He was being confirmed in what he already had set his heart upon doing, which was to go and fight at Ramoth Gilead. Romans 1 has more of the same. God gives men over to the lusts of their hearts / minds, to passions, and "to a depraved mind" (Rom. 1:24,26,28). This is what will particularly happen in the last days (<em><a href='B:610 4:1'>1Ti 4:1</a></em>), just as it did in the collapse of Christian faith which was seen in the run up to the events of AD70. The contrast is in :13, where "but... for you" there is sanctification, holiness, brought about by the Spirit of God, but again confirming those who wish for holiness. This sanctification by the Spirit is in terms of the comfort [by the Spirit Comforter] of our hearts / minds, and establishing them in the mindset we wish for (:16,17). This all serves to magnify the huge importance of the human decision and desire. We are left utterly alone to decide whether we wish above all things for God's Kingdom, or for the things of the flesh. Just as the Lord was in Gethsemane, to the point of feeling forsaken by God.. This is why His struggle in the garden was more poignant than His actual death on the cross, which was simply the path of total surrender which He had chosen in Gethsemane. But that aloneness then fades once we decide rightly, and the Spirit confirms us in our path. </p><p>This passage explains clearly why the Bible is so confusing. God plagued the first century ecclesia with false brethren who could work impressive miracles; because "they received not the love of the truth (they treated it as a hobby)... God shall send them strong delusion, that they might believe a lie". God deceived brethren in the run up to AD70- it's that plain. And the events of AD70 are typical of our last days. 2 Thessalonians 2 has many connections with the Olivet Prophecy, as noted on :3. The idea of brethren being deceived at the time of Christ's "coming" connects with <em><a href='B:470 24:5'>Mat 24:5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:470 24:11'>Mat 24:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:470 24:24'>Mat 24:24</a></em> describing 'the majority' (Gk:) of the latter day ecclesia being "deceived". <em><a href='B:600 2:11'>2Th 2:11</a></em> says that this deception is sent by God because they refuse to love the Truth. The conclusion is hard to avoid: in our last days, the majority of us will be deceived because we don't "love the truth" - it's no more than a hobby. Whether we have yet reached that situation must remain an open question. God worked false miracles at the time of AD70, according to <em><a href='B:600 2:9-11'>2Th 2:9-11</a></em>. This means that the 'miracles' claimed by some false religions may be actual miracles; God allows them to be done because He wishes to deceive such people. &nbsp;</p><p>This same word for “lie” is used in :9 about “lying wonders”. This implies that the beast / false prophet / man of sin is somehow allowed by God to do the lying wonders; they will be sent by God to test the faithful. God deluded the unfaithful within the first century ecclesia into false doctrine and alienation from Him; and it seems, if we are interpreting correctly, that He will do the same in these last days.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:12'>2Th 2:12</a></em>&nbsp;<em>That they all might be condemned who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness</em>- See on :10. "Truth" clearly has a moral aspect here. To not love or believe the truth means that one has pleasure in unrighteousness rather than pleasure in or love of the truth (:10). Truth, even on an academic, intellectual level, is often rejected because of a subconscious desire to walk in unrighteousness and to dodge the moral demands of God’s truth. This is why every false doctrine has a moral basis to it, a widening of the narrow way in practice, or some implied excuse for not living in the Spirit as we should.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:13'>2Th 2:13</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But, brothers, we are obligated to give thanks to God always for you, beloved of the Lord, for God chose you from the beginning to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth</em>- This final section down to :17 emphasizes the work of the Spirit in confirming the believers, because we have been reading that those who refuse to believe are confirmed in their unbelief by another spirit sent from God to psychologically confirm them in their path; see on :11. As also explained in Romans 8, God’s election of us is part of His grace, and if we believe the truth of Christ, He will sanctify us by the gift of His Spirit in our hearts. We can resist that process, quench or grieve the Spirit, limit the Holy One of Israel. The Judaizers taught that Israel were the chosen people; the same word for "chose you" is used in the LXX of Israel (<em><a href='B:50 7:7'>Deu 7:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:50 10:15'>Deu 10:15</a></em>). But the new Israel in Christ are the chosen ones, "the beloved of the Lord". The Jews had chosen not to "believe the truth" of Christ (:12); those who do believe the truth are the chosen. It is by such belief that we make our "calling and election sure" (<em><a href='B:680 1:10'>2Pe 1:10</a></em>). Those who do not believe nullify their calling; they become those whose names were not written in the book from the beginning (<em><a href='B:730 13:8'>Rev 13:8</a></em>) and are therefore destroyed because of it. Our having been chosen from the beginning was so that we might be holy or sanctified (<em><a href='B:560 1:4'>Eph 1:4</a></em>); if we refuse to be holy then we are annulling our calling. But if we wish to be holy, then the gift of the Spirit will work in our hearts to sanctify or make us holy in practice. The Spirit working in our hearts can sanctify us, make us holy and acceptable to God. This is a common theme. "The Gentiles might be made acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:16; 1 Pet. 1:2), our spirit / mind / heart is sanctified by God, this is something psychologically done to us, an operation performed upon us (1 Thess. 5:23); and it begins at baptism: "you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:11). To live an unholy life, one which is not sanctified, is to despise "the spirit of grace" or gift (Heb. 10:29). </p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:14'>2Th 2:14</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Unto which He called you through our preaching of the gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ</em>- Paul was only with the Thessalonians three weeks at most, during which time he worked day and night to support himself, dodged and endured persecution, and they also had to work. So the number of contact hours was very small (see on <em><a href='B:590 1:1'>1Th 1:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:590 1:9'>1Th 1:9</a></em>). And yet through that brief witness, they heard their calling, which had been prepared for them from before the beginning (:13) and which if followed, would lead them to obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus. The glory of the Lord Jesus is His moral perfection; and the gift of the Spirit to those who believe the truth and accept the calling was intended to make them holy in their hearts and practice (:13), so that at the last day they would be made fully like the glory of the Lord Jesus.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:15'>2Th 2:15</a></em>&nbsp;<em>So then, brothers, stand fast, and hold to the teachings which you were taught, whether by word, or by our epistle</em>- Seeing the great process which was going on with them, begun by their responding to the brief message preached to them (see on :14), they were to hold on to the teaching received, remain within the process of being sanctified by the Spirit (see on :13).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:16'>2Th 2:16</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace</em>- "Grace" often refers to the gift of the Spirit (see on :13). The love of the Lord Jesus was in dying for us (<em><a href='B:520 8:37'>Rom 8:37</a></em>; <em><a href='B:550 2:20'>Gal 2:20</a></em>), and His death was likewise the Father's love for us (<em><a href='B:500 3:16'>Joh 3:16</a></em>). It was through that death that the Comforter, the Spirit which would abide eternally, was given (John 14-16). The ideas here are all connected together in <em><a href='B:520 5:5'>Rom 5:5</a></em>: "Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us". The gift of the Spirit in our hearts, the Comforter, sanctifies us and propels us on the journey towards salvation (:13)</p><p><em>Everlasting consolation-&nbsp;</em>This comfort has been given us, and yet Paul prays they might have this comfort (:17). Clearly enough he realized that so much potential spiritual help is available, but it doesn’t come automatically into our lives in practice; it must be perceived, desired and prayed for. Thus Paul prays that the Lord Jesus would “establish” them in their works (cp. <em><a href='B:230 90:17'>Psa 90:17</a></em>) and then confidently proclaims in <em><a href='B:600 3:3'>2Th 3:3</a></em> that He will indeed do this for them- so confident was he that his prayer for their innermost strengthening would be heard. The eternal nature of the Holy Spirit comforter is in that we are now being sanctified, made holy (:13), transformed into the kind of characters we shall eternally be. In this sense the Comfort would abide with us for ever (<em><a href='B:500 14:16'>Joh 14:16</a></em>).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 2:17'>2Th 2:17</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:600 2:7'>2Th 2:7</a></em>.</p><p><em>Comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word</em>- This is another call for direct action upon the hearts of believers by the Father and Son; and they have promised to do this through the work of the Comforter, the power of the Spirit within our hearts. We will be established in whatever good work or word we speak or teach; whatever we put our hands too in His service will be blessed and established. The establishing is at the last day (<em><a href='B:590 3:13'>1Th 3:13</a></em> s:w:); the good works and words of this life all form part of a spiritual character which shall be set in stone eternally, as it were, at the last day. "Good work" is the same phrase as in Eph. 2:10, where we are to do the good works which were "beforehand prepared" for us. "Beforehand prepared" suggests we were prepared for the performing of our good works from a specific beginning point. And that surely was at 'the beginning'. Our entire genetic history, the nature of our early childhood experiences and surrounding family, was prepared so that we would be born with the wiring required to do the works intended. To turn away from those works, through disinterest, laziness, wilful lack of perception, self absorption... is to waste so much. We on our side must be prepared unto every good work (2 Tim. 2:21); "be eagerly ready [s.w. prepared] unto every good work" (Tit. 3:1). We are to abound in good works (s.w.) because of God's abounding grace to us (2 Cor. 9:8). The good works are therefore a way of life and not some occasional good charitable deeds. We will be 'established' in this life of good works (2 Thess. 2:17); we are to "follow every good work" (1 Tim. 5:10), a strange phrase until we undertsand that the good works were prepared for us ahead of time, and we are to follow after them. We are to be on the look out, prepared, for those good works. </p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:1'>2Th 3:1</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:490 18:1'>Luk 18:1</a></em>.</p><p><em>Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, even as also it is with you</em>- Paul's frequent requests for prayer show his need, vulnerability and equality with his converts. We ought to unashamedly ask others for their prayers if we too believe that the prayers of third parties really can influence our path and the success of our preaching work. The word of the Lord was glorified when people believed it (<em><a href='B:510 13:48'>Act 13:48</a></em>), but Paul believed that the prayers of others could somehow influence whether individuals believed it or not.<em><br/></em><br/>There is an idiom in Scripture which concerns running. To ‘run’ is sometimes used to describe a man’s response to God’s word (<em><a href='B:230 119:32'>Psa 119:32</a></em>; <em><a href='B:230 119:60'>Psa 119:60</a></em>; <em><a href='B:230 147:15'>Psa 147:15</a></em>; <em><a href='B:370 8:11-12'>Amo 8:11-12</a></em>; <em><a href='B:420 2:2'>Hab 2:2</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 8:37'>Joh 8:37</a></em> RV; <em><a href='B:600 3:1'>2Th 3:1</a></em> Gk:)-&nbsp; it must be a running, active, speedy response. <em><a href='B:340 12:4'>Dan 12:4</a></em> seems to imply that in the last days, God’s word will be clearly understood by the brotherhood and therefore many will “run to and fro” in response. The more clearly we understand and perceive God’s word, the faster we will ‘run’ in response. We cannot separate our Bible study from our actions. This is why we should not only do our Bible readings daily, but study and pray and strive to understand… so that we will be the more motivated in practice. It is all too easy to be apparently zealous for good causes, as are many unbelievers, because of the needs of the moment, because we are in a situation where we would feel awkward not to enthusiastically respond… but the only true and lasting motivation for good works is an understanding, a purely personal understanding, of God’s will for us. When the shepherds were told that Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, they “quickly” went there- for they believed what they had understood (<em><a href='B:490 2:16'>Luk 2:16</a></em>). Paul “immediately” went to preach in Macedonia after seeing the vision suggesting he do this (<em><a href='B:510 16:10'>Act 16:10</a></em>), just as he “immediately” began his initial preaching commission after receiving it (<em><a href='B:550 1:16'>Gal 1:16</a></em>).</p><p>The word of the Lord was glorified in the Thessalonians- so Paul sincerely felt. But he goes on to speak of weakness amongst them. But he sees the cup half full rather than half empty, and never seeks to give the impression that he is addressing only some within the community he is enthusing about.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:2'>2Th 3:2</a></em>&nbsp;<em>And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men. For all do not have faith</em>- These surely refer to the Judaists, whose schemes to stop the spread of the Gospel were Paul's constant headache. "All do not have faith" may be a way of saying that this group of people appeared to have faith but did not; they were the false brethren who posed as converts of <em><a href='B:550 2:4'>Gal 2:4</a></em>.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:3'>2Th 3:3</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you and guard you from the evil</em>- <em><a href='B:470 13:19'>Mat 13:19</a></em> describes the evil one taking away the word out of&nbsp;our heart. However can we resist that evil one? Paul had his eye on this question in <em><a href='B:600 3:1'>2Th 3:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:600 3:3'>2Th 3:3</a></em>, where he speaks of the word being&nbsp;<em>with them</em>, and also of the&nbsp;Lord keeping them from the evil one. Paul knew that the Lord (Jesus) will help us in keeping the word in our hearts, if we allow him to; he saw the Lord's power as greater than the schemes of the Judaizers to upset their faith (see on :2). &nbsp;</p><p>"Establish you" translates Greek meaning ‘to turn in a direction, to confirm’. The Lord confirms us in the path we wish to go; He has the ability to turn human hearts by His direct operation upon us (:5; <em><a href='B:240 21:1'>Pro 21:1</a></em>). The theme continues in :5, where we read that the Lord directs our hearts; and see on <em><a href='B:600 2:17'>2Th 2:17</a></em>. But this turning or establishing of the human heart is often done by the Lord through a human mechanism; the same word for “establish” is found in <em><a href='B:490 22:32'>Luk 22:32</a></em>, where Peter is told to “strengthen” his brethren, in <em><a href='B:520 1:11'>Rom 1:11</a></em> where Paul speaks of his strengthening of the Roman believers through his personal presence with them and teaching the Gospel to them (<em><a href='B:520 16:25'>Rom 16:25</a></em>), and in <em><a href='B:590 3:2'>1Th 3:2</a></em> where Timothy’s visiting of brethren would strengthen them (Paul goes on to say that&nbsp;<em>the Lord&nbsp;</em>would strengthen them, <em><a href='B:590 3:13'>1Th 3:13</a></em> - working through Timothy to do so, we can conclude). Likewise in :5 when we read that the Lord will “direct” their hearts, the only other time Paul uses this word is in <em><a href='B:590 3:11'>1Th 3:11</a></em> where he speaks of how God will direct his journey so that he visits the Thessalonians. God’s confirming of His children in their way to Him can operate through the agency of our pastoral efforts for others, our physical presence with them through visiting them, our sharing of the Gospel with them.</p><p>They could be 'guarded' or 'kept' from the forces of evil, the Judaizers associated with "the man of sin" in chapter 2. This implies direct psychological action upon them by the Lord Jesus; and clearly He uses His Spirit to achieve this. Thus the same word is used of "the Holy Spirit which dwells within us" empowering Timothy to keep or guard what had been entrusted him (<em><a href='B:620 1:14'>2Ti 1:14</a></em>).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:4'>2Th 3:4</a></em>&nbsp;<em>And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you both do, and will do, the things which we command</em>- Why "confidence in the Lord", rather than 'confidence in you'? The Greek strictly means 'to be persuaded'. Paul was persuaded of their current and future obedience because they were "in Christ". Time and again, this was the basis for his positivism about others. They were in Christ and counted as Him. And so he assumes their current and future compliance with His will, knowing that the Spirit would be working to make them in reality what they were counted as by status.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:5'>2Th 3:5</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:500 5:42'>Joh 5:42</a></em>.</p><p><em>And so may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God-&nbsp;</em>Paul was confident God would act directly upon their hearts due to his prayer for them of <em><a href='B:600 2:16-17'>2Th 2:16-17</a></em>. Here we have a clear statement to the effect that God is able to work directly upon the human heart, guiding it to a position or understanding. If we are simply intended to read the Bible and figure out things for ourselves, then Paul not only would state this explicitly, but there would be no point in him praying and wishing for such 'direction' of their hearts, if the direction of the human heart is purely down to our unaided efforts, and by our own intellectual processing we are intended to as it were squeeze the Spirit out of the pages of the book called the Bible.</p><p><em>Into the patient waiting for Christ</em>- Gk. ‘the patience of Christ’. His characteristics should be our aim, and Paul knew that God can work directly on the human heart to make us more like His Son. Note that He is even now patient; John spoke of how he was sharing in the patience / endurance of Christ (<em><a href='B:730 1:9'>Rev 1:9</a></em>). This is the same idea as in Colossians 1 and Romans 8 see notes there- we are counted righteous by reason of our status in Christ, but God’s grace doesn’t simply count us that way, but works through the Spirit within our hearts to actually change us into the “Christ” which we are counted as being. That work of the Spirit is through mechanisms, such as God’s word which is Spirit and life (<em><a href='B:500 6:63'>Joh 6:63</a></em>), and through the ministering of men like Paul who aim to present us “perfect” or completely in Christ, in the last day (<em><a href='B:580 1:28'>Col 1:28</a></em>). But God is also sovereign and can clearly work directly on human hearts; for historically, not all believers have had access to Bibles and the majority have been illiterate.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:6'>2Th 3:6</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother that walks disorderly-</em>&nbsp;"Disorderly" is the same word translated "unruly" concerning those who ought to be "warned" at the time the first letter was written (<em><a href='B:590 5:14'>1Th 5:14</a></em>). If the warning hadn't worked, then the Thessalonians were to withdraw themselves from these individuals who were demanding financial support from the church whilst refusing to work (:11). The "tradition" received from Paul may have been a verbal or written statement directly from the Lord, to the effect that there were not to be handouts for those who refused to work and who saw church membership just as a means of income, confirming them in their laziness. In every age and society, there are those who wish to join the church in the hope of material benefit. Paul here does not advocate a totally non-judgmental approach; he is quite insistent that this should not be allowed. And his motive was clearly because he wanted to see human salvation in Christ; and going through the motions of joining Christ simply in order to attain some secular advantage was not going to help the people concerned. 'Withdrawing' means more to keep away from, rather than religious excommunication; in this context it could simply mean that the church was not to give them financial support. But "withdraw yourselves" is also translated "avoid", literally meaning 'to arrange around' (as in <em><a href='B:540 8:20'>2Co 8:20</a></em>). The idea may not be formal excommunication, but some other form of church discipline- or simply, an exclusion from the list or "number" of those who received support as in <a href='B:610 5:9'>1Ti 5:9</a>. Verse 10 is translated in some Bibles as "don't give them food", supporting this idea; but the force of "withdraw yourselves" seems to suggest that Paul wasn't merely warning the ecclesia not to give food as welfare support to these people, but to not associate with them, and therefore, not to eat with them in a religious sense.</p><p>The whole passage in <em><a href='B:600 3:6-12'>2Th 3:6-12</a></em> seems to criticize sloth and sponging off others in remarkably strong language, insisting that those who are think they can get an easy ticket through life at others' expense must be separated from. But the language is&nbsp;<em>so&nbsp;</em>strong, that we wonder whether this really is all that in view. We recall that the feeding miracles of Jesus and His general attitude to assisting the sick and needy never incorporated any kind of "means test", a checking out of whether actually every single person in the crowd of 5000 males was in fact genuinely in need of food. Rather does He give, so superabundant in His grace that there were large carrier baskets full of the crumbs afterwards. When we encounter human need, it could probably often be argued that the need could have been avoided by harder work by someone somewhere; but surely the need is the call, to action on their behalf. For any hard hearted "God helps those who help themselves" attitude seems to me at variance with the gracious giving of the Lord to us. We from our distance are unaware of exactly what was going on in the ecclesia to which Paul wrote, and we don't fully know the false teaching and exact forms of misbehaviour which he was up against. But the evidence above is surely enough to conclude that whatever the details, Paul wasn't arguing so strongly for the utter exclusion of lazy spongers. There seems to have been far more to this group of people than simply that. I suggest on :10,11 and :14 that these who refused to work and demanded support were in fact Judaizers, who in line with Paul's dire warning against them in chapter 2, needed to be excluded from the church.</p><p><em>And not after the tradition which they received from us</em>- It seems from <em><a href='B:600 2:14-15'>2Th 2:14-15</a></em> that Paul taught them the Gospel, and then gave them “traditions”, ‘that which is passed on’, i:e. from Christ, concerning practical Christian living; exactly in accord with how the great commission requires us to preach the basic good news of a risen Christ, baptize people, and then teach them further all things He commanded and passed on to us (<em><a href='B:470 28:19-20'>Mat 28:19-20</a></em>). But the context goes on to say that they were to follow Paul's example; as if his personal example was the tradition he had set for them to follow. He repeatedly states that he had consciously lived as he had in order to set them an example, and he is now declaring this as the "tradition" they are bound to follow.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:7'>2Th 3:7</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For yourselves know how you ought to imitate us. For we ourselves did not behave disorderly among you</em>- As suggested on :6, the "tradition" received may have simply been in Paul's example, which the Lord intended his converts to imitate. The idea of consciously modelling, of having some characters as your heroes, your inspiration towards a closer following of God, was very much in Paul's thinking; and it would have been especially appropriate to an illiterate church who didn’t have access to the completed New Testament and had been likely cast out of the synagogue where the Old Testament scrolls were located. This is why Paul realized that he was to be their example of Christian walk, and encourages them to follow his example. He several times uses the word 'mimicking', Greek&nbsp;<em>mimicos</em>, normally translated "follow" in the AV. This Greek word is used almost exclusively by Paul. "You became&nbsp;<em>followers</em>&nbsp;of us and of the Lord…. you know how ye ought to&nbsp;<em>follow</em>&nbsp;us... an example unto you to&nbsp;<em>follow</em>&nbsp;us" (<em><a href='B:590 1:6'>1Th 1:6</a></em>; <em><a href='B:600 3:7'>2Th 3:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:600 3:9'>2Th 3:9</a></em>; the implication could be that that in the gap between 1 and 2 Thessalonians, they stopped following Paul as they initially did straight after his conversion of them).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:8'>2Th 3:8</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Neither did we eat bread for nothing at anyone's hand; but we ate our bread as the result of our own labour and toil, working night and day, that we might not financially burden any of you</em>- Paul paid Jason for the meals provided; as he was only three weeks in town, and would not have had time to set up his own tentmaking business. He would therefore have had to do odd jobs for low pay, working at night as well. And he did so having recently been severely beaten in Philippi, with the marks of the wounds clearly all over him and likely with broken or fractured bones. "Labour and toil" are words which mean pain, weakness, weariness. He performed his work, perhaps carrying water or shifting building materials or merchandise in the market, with difficulty because of his physical state. See on <em><a href='B:590 2:9'>1Th 2:9</a></em>. Note the allusions here to the LXX of the account of the curse on man in Eden, to 'eat bread' as a result of 'labour and toil' (Gen. 3:17-19). Paul is saying that he accepted the curse and didn't seek to get around it, as some in the church were trying to. It could be argued that living "disorderly" is alluding to the common Rabbinic statements concerning the "order" established for man in early Genesis. The same Greek  word is used in Greek translations of the Rabbinic interpretatins of the curse in Genesis. So perhaps these people were caught up in a false teaching that the curse in Genesis has been lifted- and therefore they were free from the obligation to work. We too live in a world where man constantly seeks to avoid the curse in Genesis, rather than accepting our humanity and fallen position and working within those ties that bind, towards the ultimate freedom of God's Kingdom. See on 2 Thess. 2:2.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:9'>2Th 3:9</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:510 19:31'>Act 19:31</a></em>.</p><p><em>Not because we do not have the right to do so, but to make ourselves an example to you- that you should imitate us</em>- Here we have an example of choosing to live on a higher level than the minimum; Paul could have asked for material support from the Thessalonians, but he chose not to in order to set them an example and to avoid establishing a wrong precedent. He was deeply aware that he was the living example of Christianity to them, the only template they had to copy in practice; see on :7. Many of our choices come down to a decision between living on a higher or lower level; and the pattern of the Lord Jesus inspires us to live as high as we can, whilst showing understanding to those who like us all, in many areas of life, live on lower levels.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:10'>2Th 3:10</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For even when we were with you, this we commanded you: If any will not work, neither let him eat of your food</em>- Paul's example, as noted on :8 and <em><a href='B:590 2:9'>1Th 2:9</a></em>, was absolutely congruent with his commandment to them. He was the word made flesh in this sense. It is clear from 1 Thessalonians 4 that there were gaping holes in their theological knowledge, given the brief time Paul was with them; but his focus was more on the practical issues which are very much the Gospel as preached by the Lord Jesus in the gospel records.</p><p>But what may lie behind Paul's tough line against those who refuse to accept that "if any will not work, neither shall he eat" (<em><a href='B:600 3:10'>2Th 3:10</a></em>)? "If any will not work, neither shall he eat" is a quotation from a Jewish Targum paraphrase on the curse upon Adam in Eden; especially the&nbsp;<em>Targum Pseudo-Jonathan</em>&nbsp;on <em><a href='B:10 3:19'>Gen 3:19</a></em>. The language of <em><a href='B:10 3:17-19'>Gen 3:17-19</a></em> about working and eating bread is alluded to several times in <em><a href='B:600 3:6-12'>2Th 3:6-12</a></em>. When Paul speaks of how he "worked in toil and hardship" because he couldn't eat others' bread for nothing (<em><a href='B:600 3:8'>2Th 3:8</a></em>), he clearly has in mind the curse upon Adam. Paul's comment that such persons shouldn't be 'given anything to eat' in <em><a href='B:600 3:10'>2Th 3:10</a></em> would then be an allusion to how the serpent gave food to Eve, and she then gave the food to Adam. And the serpent is set up as typical of the Judaizing element that sought to destroy the church (<em><a href='B:540 11:3'>2Co 11:3</a></em>; <em><a href='B:520 16:20'>Rom 16:20</a></em>). Genesis 3 is arguably the most used and yet most misunderstood chapter in the Bible, and thus it has ever been. So many of the false teachings circulating in first century Judaism involved misinterpretations of this chapter.</p><p>My suggestion would therefore be that there was a teaching going around that actually we are no longer under the effects of the curse in Eden. We don't need to work, we bear no responsibility for our sins nor do we suffer from the effects of Adam's sin. And they believed this to the point that they expected more wealthy Christians to as it were fund their belief by providing for them materially. Now this all involves something far more than the laziness and occasional irresponsibility which at times we all struggle with. They were "disorderly",&nbsp;<em>ataktos</em>, not in "order". The word is used in a military context for soldiers falling out of line in marching. By claiming to be more than human, these people were unacceptive of their humanity, their place in the ranks of the rest of humanity. Interestingly,&nbsp;<em>ataktos</em>&nbsp;is derived from the Greek verb&nbsp;<em>tassein</em>, "to order", and this verb is several times used by the Septuagint in the context of the "order" decreed by God at the beginning (<em><a href='B:30 18:4'>Lev 18:4</a></em>; <em><a href='B:50 27:1'>Deu 27:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:220 38:12'>Job 38:12</a></em>); it's also used in Jewish writings about the "order" established by God at the time of Adam's sin (M:J:J. Menken,&nbsp;<em>2 Thessalonians</em>&nbsp;(London: Routledge, 1994) p. 131 provides examples). <em>Sir_7:15</em> speaks of how Adam's sin led to "toilsome labour and agriculture,&nbsp;<em>ordered</em>&nbsp;by the Most High". The&nbsp;<em>dis</em>orderly walk of some in Thessalonica was therefore in refusing to accept their own humanity and the consequences of being human; in this sense they were&nbsp;<em>dis</em>orderly in that they refused to accept that we must work if we are to eat, and sought to get around it, with the implication being that they had not sinned and didn’t deserve to suffer under such a curse. And hence they walked around as walkers around up to no good "which walk... as busybodies" disguises a play on words in the Greek original. This walking around up to no good sounds very much like the serpent in Eden; and Paul elsewhere fears lest the churches, whom he likens to innocent Eve in Eden, should be misled by such serpents (<em><a href='B:540 11:3'>2Co 11:3</a></em>). And other New Testament letters suggest that misinterpretations of Eden were being used in the early churches to justify various moral, especially sexual, misbehaviours. All this leads to the same conclusion as noted on :14; that these who would not work were in fact Judaizing false teachers.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:11'>2Th 3:11</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For we hear of some that walk among you disorderly, that do not work at all but are busybodies</em>- "Busybodies" is literally 'working around'; we have here a word play, literally ‘not busy, but busy’. Human beings have to do something with themselves all day. One blessing which came out of the Edenic curse of working in order to procreate and survive is that most people are thereby kept ‘busy’ and don’t fall into major sin. With the unequal distribution of wealth which there is in many societies and the attempts of social welfare systems to redistribute it, there has arisen a subclass of the very rich and of the very poor who don’t have to work; and the amount of work others are required to do has in some ways been lessened by technological advances and the concept of retirement. The result of this is that people become “busybodies”- their busy-ness becomes focused on destructive meddling in others’ lives, often through the internet under the guise of social networking. I suggested on <em><a href='B:610 5:13'>1Ti 5:13</a></em> that the busybodies of Ephesus were in fact false teachers; it was these women who were forbidden from going around teaching their Judaist ideas in the house churches (<em><a href='B:610 2:12'>1Ti 2:12</a></em>, see note there).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:12'>2Th 3:12</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Now those that are such we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread</em>- He has already warned them about such behaviour (<em><a href='B:590 5:14'>1Th 5:14</a></em>), and now makes yet another appeal to them before having to advocate the discipline of :14. We should live “quietly”, and we are exhorted to do this “by our Lord Jesus” (<em><a href='B:600 3:12'>2Th 3:12</a></em>). Our imagination of who He was and how He would have lived must be our pattern. We are in this sense in the grip of a personality cult based upon Him. Thus His patience is to be ours (see on :5). "Quietness" literally means "silence"; a strange thing to say if the only problem was laziness. I have suggested throughout this section that there is more to these lazy folk than may meet the eye, and that in fact the reference is to Judaizing false teachers who refused to work but demanded payment for their false teaching. Here then we would have a command that they should be silenced, they should not teach and not demand payment for it, but should instead work for their own bread. See on :10.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:13'>2Th 3:13</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But you, brothers, be not weary in doing good</em>- Not referring so much to outstanding ‘good deeds’, but to the workaday life of :12. It is this patient continuance in the workaday life, lived in the Spirit of Christ, which is so hard to maintain, and so easy to weary from. The Greek for not being weary is found in <em><a href='B:490 18:1'>Luk 18:1</a></em> about not being weary in the life of intense prayer (see note there). <em><a href='B:540 4:16'>2Co 4:16</a></em> teaches that this not being weary is inspired by the gift of the Spirit, which is constantly renewing our inner man. Likewise in <em><a href='B:550 6:8-9'>Gal 6:8-9</a></em>, it is "of the Spirit" that we shall not weary in well doing. This inner power to keep on keeping on cannot come merely from the flesh, for we shall simply lack the endurance. It is of the gift of the Spirit which we must be open to.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:14'>2Th 3:14</a></em>&nbsp;<em>And if anyone does not obey our word by this letter, note that man, that you have no association with him-&nbsp;</em>"Note" or marking the person is literally 'to set a mark upon', with clear allusion to Cain; <em><a href='B:500 8:44'>Joh 8:44</a></em>; <em><a href='B:690 3:12'>1Jn 3:12</a></em> and <em><a href='B:720 1:11'>Jud 1:11</a></em> present Cain as a prototype of the Judaizers. These people refusing to work but demanding material support would then refer to the Judaizers, who demanded payment for their false teaching. This feature of them is noted many times in Paul's letters, and cements their association with those seeking dishonest gain from religion. This would better explain Paul's apparently very strict attitude to those who were refusing to work. If they were simply lazy, we wonder why he would make such a major issue about them. If in fact they were Judaist false teachers, we can better understand his approach, especially in light of the prediction in chapter 2 that the 'satan' of the Jewish plot against Paul was to join hands with Roman civil power in order to seek to destroy the Christian community; see on :10. The call to "have no association" is strong, and I suggested above is not simply a reaction against laziness of itself, but is rooted in the fact that these busybodies were in fact Judaist false teachers. The term is only elsewhere used about not associating with brethren who were idolaters, sexually perverted and so forth (<em><a href='B:530 5:9'>1Co 5:9</a></em>; <em><a href='B:530 5:11'>1Co 5:11</a></em>). Laziness seems of a different order, until we join the dots and see the picture, that the group referred to were in fact Judaist false teachers.</p><p><em>So that he may be ashamed</em>- Even the lazy, or as I suggest, the Judaist false teachers, could repent; and it was Paul's hope they would. Shame is the outcome of condemnation at the last day, and Paul wanted them and us all to go through that process now rather than then. Paul had warned these people in <em><a href='B:590 5:14'>1Th 5:14</a></em>, and now was asking for them to be shamed. We recall how he tells the Corinthians that he is warning and not shaming them (<em><a href='B:530 4:14'>1Co 4:14</a></em>), as if these were two distinct parts of a church discipline procedure. Many churches have no sense of church discipline; somebody is tolerated unchallenged, and the only discipline known is excommunication. But there were a range of disciplinary actions reflected in the New Testament. Even this 'being ashamed' may not be the final step, because :15 encourages the person to continue to be warned as a brother. So the avoidance / shaming did not include a total breakoff of relationship with him.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:15'>2Th 3:15</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But do not count him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother</em>- See on :14. Paul did count some as enemies, using the same word about some false brethren in <em><a href='B:510 13:10'>Act 13:10</a></em> and <em><a href='B:570 3:18'>Phi 3:18</a></em>. The Jews who rejected the Gospel were 'enemies' (s:w. <em><a href='B:520 11:28'>Rom 11:28</a></em>). Chapter 2 has warned of how the Judaizers were going to collude with the Romans to bring about a time of terrible persecution of the Christians. Paul sees these busybodies as under Judaist influence, but he doesn't feel they have gone so far as being all out enemies of the Gospel. Likewise he states clearly in <em><a href='B:600 2:3-7'>2Th 2:3-7</a></em> that the final apostasy has not yet come. We must ever remember that we were enemies of the Lord, but were reconciled to Him (<em><a href='B:520 5:10'>Rom 5:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:580 1:21'>Col 1:21</a></em> s:w:). Our attitude to the unreconciled must be the same as His has been to us; and His patience and seeking to work with us by all means has to be our pattern.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:16'>2Th 3:16</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all</em>- The Lord Jesus is presented as the source of peace. This means that peace is not brought about merely by our own submission of our mind to God’s ways and living according to our own conscience. Such peace would therefore be as it were self-created. But the peace here comes from the Lord Jesus, a gift from Him. The allusion is surely to the gift of the Spirit given by Him, and the Lord's being 'with' us through His Spirit. This is the specific teaching of <em><a href='B:500 14:27'>Joh 14:27</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 16:33'>Joh 16:33</a></em> about the Lord's gift of the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, who would be so within our hearts that truly the Lord Jesus is 'with' us and gives us peace. See on :18.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:17'>2Th 3:17</a></em>&nbsp;<em>The salutation of me Paul with my own hand, which is the token in every epistle. So I write</em>- This was particularly significant in the light of the falsified letters being sent in Paul's name; see on <em><a href='B:600 2:2'>2Th 2:2</a></em>.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:600 3:18'>2Th 3:18</a></em>&nbsp;<em>The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all</em>- "Grace" often refers to the gift of the Spirit, the power of new life within the heart of the believer which is given by the Lord Jesus. "Be with you" can as well be translated "be within you", for this is where the Spirit most essentially operates. And such spiritual mindedness was Paul's greatest wish for all believers. He wished it for "all" of them, including those who wouldn't work or were lazy, despite his example of working night and day when weak to support himself; and including those influenced by anti-Paul doctrine. He truly wished the Lord's grace and Spirit to be with them all. For he wished the Lord's glory.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:1'>1Ti 1:1</a></em><em> Paul, an apostle</em>- Paul begins by saying he has been called to be a sent out one, and then a few verses later backs it up by repeating that he was appointed to be an apostle (<em><a href='B:610 2:7'>1Ti 2:7</a></em>). The same pattern is to be seen in 2 Timothy; the opening verse speaks likewise of how he is an apostle (<em><a href='B:620 1:1'>2Ti 1:1</a></em>), and then <em><a href='B:620 1:11'>2Ti 1:11</a></em> says he was indeed appointed as an apostle. Perhaps Timothy was beginning to doubt Paul's credentials, and this was a factor in Timothy's lack of full devotion to his ministry? Or perhaps Paul is urging Timothy to follow his own example of commitment to the calling he had received. For the letters to Timothy suggest that Timothy needed to be stirred up to continue responding to the calling received.</p><p><em>Of Christ Jesus&nbsp;according to the commandment of God our Saviour, and Christ Jesus our hope-&nbsp;</em>The most essential error, practically or doctrinally, is to “lose connection to the head Jesus, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together... grows” (<em><a href='B:580 2:19'>Col 2:19</a></em>). The Lord Himself taught what Paul called 'growing up into Him who is the head'; He commented that the end goal for His disciples was that "every one i:e. disciple, in the context when he is perfected shall be as his master", i:e. Himself (<em><a href='B:490 6:40'>Luk 6:40</a></em>). This was why Paul can speak of "Jesus who is our hope" (<em><a href='B:610 1:1'>1Ti 1:1</a></em>), all we hope to ever become. The hope of glory is to have Christ in us fully (<em><a href='B:580 1:27'>Col 1:27</a></em>), which explains why the presence of the spirit of Christ in us now is a foretaste and guarantee of our eternal salvation. The Greco-Roman idea of a 'Saviour' was that anyone who had dramatically personally saved / delivered someone could be given the title "Saviour" by the person whom they had saved. A physician might be honoured with the title "Saviour" by someone whom he had cured. But always the title was granted with reference to some highly specific and defined act performed to an individual who then designates the person as their Saviour. The idea of calling God and Jesus "our Saviour" means that we have felt deep gratitude for a specific act of saving, performed specifically for us individually at a specific time. The specific historical act was surely the Lord's death on the cross. This is what we rightly celebrate regularly, and personally name Him as "Saviour". This all serves to underline how the Lord's death is consistently, persistently portrayed in the New Testament as the climactic act of God's love for me personally; and how salvation is something we now enjoy, and have cause to celebrate. We shall indeed die in this life, but we have a great salvation to celebrate all the same, in that we have already been saved from death. 'Saviour' implies a salvtion from something; but if we proudly refuse to accept conviction of the reality of sin and death, then we will not crown him as our saviour. Potentially, God is the saviour of all men (1 Tim. 4:10). But they will not let themselves perceive this- lest they break down in a gratitude that will totally consume their lives. It is not as if a crisis situation arose, and the Lord Jesus then stepped in to save us. He saved us from death, whilst we were still sinners, and we never even knew it. But now we do. And so our appreciation of Him as our Saviour is of a far deeper nature- than if He had obtruded into our lives to grab us out of a situation which arose during our lifetimes.    </p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:2'>1Ti 1:2</a></em>&nbsp;<em>To Timothy, my true child in faith</em>- Timothy had not been converted to Christ by Paul's preaching directly. But his spiritual formation was largely thanks to Paul's influence. We can have children in the faith as a result of pastoral work with them, even if we ourselves were not responsible for their conversion or baptism. "<em>True</em>child" might suggest that our real children are our spiritual children. For our efforts with them will last eternally. We might even infer from this that Paul had other, unbelieving children of his own. This is great comfort to the childless or those whose children haven't turned out spiritually as they would have wished. You can, in fact, have other such children. As the son of a Jewess who had married 'out of the faith' to a Gentile (Acts 16:1), Timothy would have been considered spiritually illegitimate; so perhaps Paul is saying that no matter how we are born under a bad sign in the eyes of the world, and lack legitimacy with our society- we are 'true / legitimate children' in Christ.</p><p><em>Grace, mercy and peace to you</em>- They are nearly always mentioned in this order. God’s grace is the basis for His mercy and this leads to peace with God. The standard wishing of peace to a person&nbsp;<em>Shalom / salaam</em>&nbsp;was thereby invested with so much more meaning when used between Christian believers. It was a real wish that 'May the things we believe really be true for you'.</p><p><em>From God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord</em>- The clear separation between Father and Son here and in :1 and so often in Paul's letters ought to be proof enough that Trinitarian understandings are wrong.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:3'>1Ti 1:3</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Stay at Ephesus</em>- From what we figure of Timothy later in the correspondence, the implication would be that Timothy wanted to give up in his work with the believers there because he was tired of the inter-personal tensions involved in confronting people and leading people to a better way.</p><p><em>Just as I urged you to do-&nbsp;</em>The Greek can stand the translation 'begged'. Timothy clearly needed to be persuaded and was weak from the start.</p><p><em>When I was going into Macedonia</em>- It seems this refers to the time of <em><a href='B:510 20:1'>Act 20:1</a></em>: "Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them he said farewell to Ephesus and departed for Macedonia". But soon afterwards we read that Timothy rejoined Paul (<em><a href='B:510 20:4'>Act 20:4</a></em>); we could conclude that Timothy couldn't stick it for long. And now Paul is urging him again.</p><p><em>So that you might instruct certain men not to teach a different doctrine</em>- “Instruct” is to charge. This word is repeated three more times to Timothy; he was to charge others as to how to behave (<em><a href='B:610 4:11'>1Ti 4:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 5:7'>1Ti 5:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 6:17'>1Ti 6:17</a></em>). For a young, insecure man to charge others regarding their behaviour was of course very difficult. All teaching is difficult because the message we have is not acceptable to our audience, for the most part. This is why true teaching of God’s word is not an easy work- if we do it properly. It is not entertainment; reasoning with folks about how to use their money (<em><a href='B:610 6:17'>1Ti 6:17</a></em>) is bound to be difficult and not something we naturally would prefer to do. The difficulty was worse because the Ephesian church had originally been formed out of the synagogue, and the false teaching in view in this verse was probably by Jews. And Timothy was born uncircumcised and probably not fluent in Hebrew. Yet he was to charge the Judaists with authority that they must not teach their false teaching further. We must compare Paul's charges here to Timothy with the Holy Spirit's statement that "From your own number will men arise and distort the truth to draw away disciples after themselves" (Acts 20:30). "Certain men..." implies specific individuals whom Timothy was perfectly aware of, and surely the allusion is to the words of Paul about these very "men". Clearly God states what 'will' happen but there are conditions and various forks in the path which depend upon human freewill. And as Jeremiah makes clear, judgment spoken need not come about if there is repentance. The prophesied false teaching was to come from false teachers within the church at Ephesus. And that is why Paul spends so much time telling Timothy to resist false teaching, and to appoint elders according to the strict qualifications of 1 Tim.  3:1-13; 5:17-25; seeing that teaching was to be done only by the elders (1 Tim. 3:2; 5:17). This was likely why Paul didn't write to them directly as a church, warning them to tackle their false teachers. Probably the eldership wouldn't have even read his letter to the church. I take the 'Epistle to the Ephesians' to be more of a circular letter rather than addressed specifically to the church in Ephesus. Instead Paul focused upon strengthening Timothy, so that this young, weak believer could wrestle with church politics and strong minded elders who were deeply astray. That Timothy succeeded, according to the Lord's own letter to Ephesus, is an amazing evidence of the power of the Spirit. The uninspired Epistle of Ignatius to the Church at Ephesus [dated around AD 110] likewise implies they were a doctrinally orthodox church. Paul chose the weakest and most unlikely person to do the job. And this is just how God works too.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:4'>1Ti 1:4</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Nor give heed</em>- The same word used about not giving heed to the teaching of the Pharisees (<em><a href='B:470 16:6'>Mat 16:6</a></em>; <em><a href='B:470 16:12'>Mat 16:12</a></em>) and the scribes (<em><a href='B:490 20:34'>Luk 20:34</a></em>). The specific nature of the false teaching was Jewish, because the Ephesus ecclesia had begun in the synagogue. And further, the Judaizers had a conscious program of seeking to infiltrate Christian groups with their teachings. The same words are found in <em><a href='B:630 1:14'>Tit 1:14</a></em>, warning Titus not to give heed to&nbsp;<em>Jewish</em>&nbsp;fables. Later in 1 Timothy the word is used about not giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons (<em><a href='B:610 4:1'>1Ti 4:1</a></em>). These terms might appear to be more relevant to paganic ideas; but a great theme of Paul is that Judaism was in fact another form of paganism. This needs to be given its full weight by those Christians who seem attracted to Jewish legalism to this day.</p><p><em>To fables</em>- The Jewish myths which were considered by them to be inspired on an equal level to the Old Testament scriptures.</p><p><em>And endless genealogies</em>- Literally, unfinished genealogies. The idea may be that the only genealogies worth studying are those which finished in Christ, as recorded in Matthew and Luke. The temple records were destroyed by the Babylonians, and so Judaism was in crisis- as the priests could not conclusively prove their descent from Levi and Aaron. All they had was incomplete genealogies which they used to justify their positions.</p><p><em>Which cause disputes</em>- The problem with much academic Bible study is that it can only minister questions and not building up. This is not helpful in any pastoral context. By saying this, I am not appealing for a simplistic approach. But rather a way of interpreting the Bible which builds up, using building blocks of interpretation and connection which are not speculative and are therefore not open to any question.</p><p><em>Rather than Godly edification which is in faith</em>- The Hebrew and Greek idea is of trust. Edifying, building up, involves trust. And nothing more can be said. We do not arrive at such trust / faith by considering endless questions which have no definitive answer. So much that passes for apologetics is in my view misplaced. It is childlike trust which enables God’s word to build us up, not endless debate or "disputes". They do not forge a path towards upbuilding.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:5'>1Ti 1:5</a></em><em> The intended result of this instruction is love&nbsp;out of a pure heart, a good conscience and sincere faith-</em>The purpose of keeping our understanding of the basic principles clear is that this will lead to true love and faith (<em><a href='B:610 1:3-5'>1Ti 1:3-5</a></em>). Timothy was to "charge" some that they didn’t teach false doctrine, and the "end" of this charge s:w. :5 was "charity out of a pure heart… a good conscience… love unfeigned". This is what the true Gospel enables, and&nbsp;<em>this</em>&nbsp;is why it should be defended. This is where it all leads. All commandments are "briefly comprehended" in that of love (<em><a href='B:520 13:9'>Rom 13:9</a></em>). This is the end result of everything, it is the singular fruit of the Spirit (<em><a href='B:550 5:22'>Gal 5:22</a></em>), the bond of maturity (<em><a href='B:580 3:14'>Col 3:14</a></em>):&nbsp;</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:6'>1Ti 1:6</a></em>&nbsp;<em>From which things some having strayed&nbsp;have turned aside to idle talking</em>- If the development of love and faith is not the end point in our motivation, all discussion of Biblical interpretation ends up straying and going wrong, degenerating into academic difference of opinion for its own sake. All the profound disputes end up therefore as "idle talking", literally, 'babble'. For all their apparent erudition, they are just that- babble. Our motivation is so very important before getting involved in any doctrinal teaching or dispute.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:7'>1Ti 1:7</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Desiring to be teachers of the law-&nbsp;</em>Clearly the nature of the problem in Ephesus was rooted in Jewish thinking. These people aspired to be small time rabbis. And Paul the rabbi had quit all that; he was in the best position of all to warn against this tendency. The term 'teacher of the law' was applied to Gamaliel, Paul's tutor (<em><a href='B:510 5:34'>Act 5:34</a></em>). These men pretended to Gamaliel; and Paul had once done the same.</p><p><em>Though they neither understand what they say, nor what they confidently</em>&nbsp;<em>affirm</em>- The word is only used again in urging Titus to confidently affirm the need for true spirituality in the face of Judaist false teaching (<em><a href='B:630 3:8'>Tit 3:8</a></em>). Spare a thought for timid Timothy, up against men with every air of self-assurance, who confidently affirmed the teachings which he was asked to stand up against. We wonder why someone of Timothy's nature and timidity would be used by the Lord for such a ministry. Our callings in ministry are very often right against the grain of what we would consider ourselves naturally suited to. This is the nature of carrying the Lord's cross. Thus Paul was sent to the Gentiles and Peter to the Jews, when naturally they were both best suited for the opposite role.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:8'>1Ti 1:8</a></em><em>&nbsp;But we know that the law is good-&nbsp;</em>Paul is always at pains to point out that the Law is holy, just and good. The problem was with how it was used (<em><a href='B:520 7:14'>Rom 7:14</a></em>).<br/><em><br/>If a man use it lawfully-&nbsp;</em>Galatians 3 explains that the law was given in order to convict sinners of the hopelessness before God, and to prepare sincere sinners to throw themselves upon salvation by grace in Christ. The intended usage of the Law was therefore for sinners; but the Jews considered it was intended for the righteous.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:9'>1Ti 1:9</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Since we know that the law is not made for a righteous man-&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>See on <em><a href='B:610 1:8'>1Ti 1:8</a></em>&nbsp;<em>If a man use it lawfully:&nbsp;</em>This was the very opposite of the Jewish understanding of the Law as intended for the righteous.</p><p><em>But for the lawless and unruly, for</em>&nbsp;<em>the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers-&nbsp;</em>Why this particular list of crimes in :9 and :10? The first four commandments of the ten commandments are all broken by the "Lawless and unruly... ungodly and sinners... unholy and profane". Murderers of parents break the fifth commandment; manslayers break the sixth commandment.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:10'>1Ti 1:10</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers</em>- As noted on :9, the list of sins chosen here is not random, but each of them refer to various commandments within the Decalogue the ten commandments. Significantly, Paul doesn't allude to the command about Sabbath keeping; that is the one command in the Decalogue he considers as not morally binding.</p><p><em>And if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine</em>- Whilst Paul is arguing against legalistic obedience to the Law, he is not saying that the Law is somehow 'not good' (:8). Indeed, he sees sound Christian teaching "doctrine" as being in line with the spirit of the ten commandments, excluding the Sabbath law. Hence <em><a href='B:610 1:11'>1Ti 1:11</a></em> continues: "In accordance with the Gospel...". Breaking the spirit of the Decalogue was breaking the spirit of the Christian Gospel.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:11'>1Ti 1:11</a></em>&nbsp;<em>In accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God-&nbsp;</em>The language recalls in Jewish terms the glory of God revealed at the giving of the ten commandments. The previous three verses have laboured the point that the Gospel precludes the same things as were forbidden by the ten commandments. The giving of the Gospel is as glorious, in fact far moreso, than the giving of the Law. The would-be Rabbis whom Timothy had to struggle against (:7) were claiming that God’s revelation had come to them, and therefore they had authority. Paul's point is that the Gospel in all its glory has been revealed to each one who has faith in it "committed to my trust" is literally 'en-faithed', making each believer no less authoritative than the Rabbis.</p><p><em>Which was committed to my trust</em>- Paul uses a strong and emphatic Greek construction here. The Greek means ‘to me, myself, I, personally’. Those raised ‘knowing the truth’ should pause and reflect whether the wonder of the fact they have been given the Gospel is registering with them as it might. God believes in us; this is why He has graciously called us to know His Truth. Thus when Paul writes in :14 about his own conversion: “The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus”, he perhaps means that it was the love and faith of Christ in him, Paul, that was the basis of his being converted by the Lord Jesus:&nbsp;<br/>Every time Paul speaks of having been entrusted with the Gospel, he uses the common Greek word for ‘to have faith in’; and within the next verses, we find him using the same Greek word again, in the context of our belief in Christ (<em><a href='B:610 1:11-12'>1Ti 1:11-12</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 1:16'>1Ti 1:16</a></em>; <em><a href='B:550 2:7'>Gal 2:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:550 2:16'>Gal 2:16</a></em>). We had faith in the Lord, and He had faith in us, He en-faithed us, with the preaching of the Gospel we have believed in. Here we see the awesome mutuality between a man and his Lord. We have been entrusted with the preaching of the Gospel; the Lord believes in us to do His work.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:12'>1Ti 1:12</a></em>&nbsp;<em>I thank him that enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord</em>- Literally, en-strengthened me, put His&nbsp;<em>dunamis</em>&nbsp;in me. I take this as a reference to the internal strengthening within a believer made possible by the gift of the Lord's Spirit. Such a gift is received after baptism. And Paul is the parade example; after his baptism, he "increased the more in strength" and preached boldly (<em><a href='B:510 9:22'>Act 9:22</a></em> s:w. "enabled"). He refers to this strengthening later: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (<em><a href='B:570 4:13'>Phi 4:13</a></em>). Those "all things" in that context refer to the internal, mental, psychological ability to cope with various life circumstances. He wishes Timothy to make use of the same strengthening: "Be strong in the grace Gk. 'the gift' that is in that comes from being in Christ" (<em><a href='B:620 2:1'>2Ti 2:1</a></em>). And at the end of his days, Paul could reflect that the Lord Jesus stood with him at his final trial and strengthened him (<em><a href='B:620 4:17'>2Ti 4:17</a></em>). The same word is used of how weak believers like us were strengthened out of their weakness to be strong in faith- again a reference to psychological strengthening (<em><a href='B:650 11:34'>Heb 11:34</a></em>), just as Abraham's weak faith was strengthened (<em><a href='B:520 4:20'>Rom 4:20</a></em> s:w:). The same power strengthens believers s:w:&nbsp; unto internal characteristics such as endurance, patience and joy (<em><a href='B:580 1:11'>Col 1:11</a></em>), the "power" in view being the spirit of Christ. This same power /&nbsp;<em>dunamis&nbsp;</em>is referred to in <em><a href='B:520 15:13'>Rom 15:13</a></em> as the source of these same internal, mental attributes: God fills us with "all joy and peace... that you may abound in hope, through the power /&nbsp;<em>dunamis</em>&nbsp;of the Holy Spirit". To deny the operation of this power is not simply a matter of missing out on so much; it is a denial of the essence of the transforming Gospel. A related word is found in <em><a href='B:560 3:16'>Eph 3:16</a></em> - we are "strengthened with might&nbsp;<em>dunamis</em>&nbsp;by His spirit in the inner man". This is where the gift of the Spirit operates; the reference is to "the inner man" and not the public display of the Spirit in special miracles etc. Paul's whole ministry, like ours, is a result of "the operation of His power /&nbsp;<em>dunamis</em>" (<em><a href='B:560 1:19'>Eph 1:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:560 1:21'>Eph 1:21</a></em>; <em><a href='B:560 3:7'>Eph 3:7</a></em>). On this basis, Paul urges timid Timothy to allow the spirit /&nbsp;<em>dunamis&nbsp;</em>of love and a sound mind to work in him again, internal attributes, not referring to any ability to perform miracles; and this would drive out his "spirit of fear" (<em><a href='B:620 1:7'>2Ti 1:7</a></em>). It was this&nbsp;<em>dunamis</em>&nbsp;which would enable Timothy to endure "the afflictions of the Gospel" which were clearly making Timothy balk (<em><a href='B:620 1:8'>2Ti 1:8</a></em>). Paul notes that the opposition to Timothy within the church had a "form of Godliness possibly referring to their upholding some kind of statement of faith but were denying the power&nbsp;<em>dunamis</em>" of that form of Godliness, i:e. the doctrines of the Gospel (<em><a href='B:620 3:5'>2Ti 3:5</a></em>). Paul has spoken of the "form of sound words" as referring to some kind of corpus of Gospel teaching in <em><a href='B:620 1:13'>2Ti 1:13</a></em>. This has unpleasant similarities with those of our day who loudly profess their Biblicism, their holding of some "form of Godliness" in the Gospel; but who deny the operation of the power /&nbsp;<em>dunamis</em>&nbsp;which is associated with it, in that those who accept the Gospel shall be given the Spirit. And this element within the church of today deny this, insisting that the Spirit is not given in response to belief of the Gospel, and that the days of Spirit operation ceased in the first century. It is this&nbsp;<em>dunamis</em>, this power from the Lord, which provides us with all things required for spiritual life and Godliness, and keeps us unto salvation (<em><a href='B:670 1:5'>1Pe 1:5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:680 1:3'>2Pe 1:3</a></em>). See on :14&nbsp;<em>And the grace...</em></p><p><em>For that he counted me faithful, appointing me to his service</em>- Very much the language of Romans, about how we who are sinners are judged and yet found innocent because of our status in Christ. We are counted as faithful; it would be rather arrogant surely to assume we are given a ministry because of our righteousness. But that is surely not what Paul intends to say, especially as he now goes right on to speak of his terrible past. He who was such a sinner, was judged / counted faithful. That is Paul's point. The ministries we are given are therefore given as an outworking of God’s undeserved, unmerited grace to us; and not as a function of any human adequacy for the tasks. And yet Paul is appealing to Timothy to be faithful. He is presenting himself to his 'son in the faith' as a role model, and yet only by grace. Just as we do to our natural and spiritual children. </p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:13'>1Ti 1:13</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Though I was before a blasphemer, a persecutor and abusive</em>- Orthodox Judaism was and is highly sensitive to the possibility of blasphemy. Paul so often casts Judaism in the language of paganism; and he saw himself as such. He had compelled others to blaspheme (see on <em><a href='B:510 26:11'>Act 26:11</a></em>); and he sees himself as the blasphemer. He took responsibility for what he had forced others to do:&nbsp;</p><p>Paul saw himself, his own life and experiences, in the light of the words of the Gospels. He saw himself as having been like those Roman soldiers who nailed Christ to the tree trunk (<em><a href='B:490 23:34'>Luk 23:34</a></em> = <em><a href='B:610 1:13'>1Ti 1:13</a></em>). He saw himself as "chief of sinners" (<em><a href='B:610 1:15'>1Ti 1:15</a></em>), and therefore one of those referred to by Christ in <em><a href='B:470 9:13'>Mat 9:13</a></em>.</p><p><em>However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief</em>- Ignorance is not an excuse for crime. The Lord had prayed on the cross for forgiveness of those who persecuted and crucified Him, because of their "ignorance" (<em><a href='B:490 23:34'>Luk 23:34</a></em>). The Jews however were not totally ignorant, just relatively so. And Paul likewise was not totally ignorant; he had been pushing against the goads of conscience. And as one brought up in Jerusalem, he presumably would have heard the preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus Himself. Paul knew full well from Mosaic precedent that ignorance did not remove guilt; for there were guilt offerings prescribed for sins of ignorance. Remember that Paul is about to hold himself up as an example and pattern of ultimate grace. He is saying that he "obtained mercy" on the basis of the Lord's prayer of <em><a href='B:490 23:34'>Luk 23:34</a></em> as it were covering him too; his torture and murder of those in Christ had been done to Christ personally, for they were His body. And He Himself had pointed this out to Paul in saying that "I am Jesus, whom you persecute" (<em><a href='B:510 9:5'>Act 9:5</a></em>). Paul knew that ignorance was no basis for innocence before God; and he is not to be read here as preaching that. He is saying that<em>&nbsp;even though</em>&nbsp;ignorance is not an excuse, yet the utter, extreme grace of Jesus in His prayer for His personal tormentors was applied by Jesus to those who likewise tormented those in His body. And so the same extreme grace was shown by Him to Paul. And he urges us to realize that this happened in order to set him up as a pattern for everyman who should afterward believe. Nobody should ever therefore feel that they are somehow beyond the scope of God’s grace- because of the parade example shown to us all in Paul. If ignorance is indeed no excuse for sin, the idea may be that Paul's "belief" was what enabled Divine mercy to cover what he had done in the years when he was "ignorant". "Ignorance" does not simply mean that he genuinely didn't know what he was doing was wrong. For the Lord said that Paul's behaviour was a kicking against the cattle prods of conscience. "If any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant" (1 Cor. 14:38 s.w.; also 2 Cor. 6:9 "as unknown [ignorant, s.w.] yet well known") shows how you can be "ignorant" in the sense of refusing to act upon what you do in fact know. It doesn't have to mean that you are genuinely uninformed and unaware. Paul's comment that he persecuted Christians in "ignorance" is therefore using 'ignorance' in the sense of 'willful ignorance', as in 1 Cor. 14:38. He did those things kicking against the prods of conscience; he knew what he was doing was wrong. Many times Paul uses the word to appeal to his readers not to be "ignorant". The very fact he is appealing means that he is using the term in the sense of 'willful ignorance'. 'I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief' therefore requires some retranslation. The common word  hoti  , rendered "because", doesn't have to mean "because". "As though I did it ignorantly..." would also be a fair translation. His ignorance was not the basis of forgiveness- for sins of ignorance still needed atonement. But he who deserved great punishment was by grace (:14) treated as if he had been ignorant- when in fact, he was willfully ignorant and kicking against the prods of conscience. This continues to exemplify what he has said in :12- that he was "counted" faithful, even though he was not. </p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:14'>1Ti 1:14</a></em>&nbsp;<em>And the grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly, with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus</em>- See on :13&nbsp;<em>I obtained mercy</em>. God’s grace to him was indeed outstanding. But the sense seems to be as in the GNB: "Our Lord poured out his abundant grace on me and gave me the faith and love which are ours in union with Christ Jesus". "Grace",<em>&nbsp;charis</em>,carries the idea of 'gift', and there is here a reference to the Lord's gift of the Holy Spirit to Paul after his baptism, the point of our "union with Christ"; see on :12&nbsp;<em>Him that enabled me</em>. The gift of the Holy Spirit was fundamentally a gift of a new spirit, a mind / psychology. And it included such internal spiritual, mental attributes as faith and love. In Ephesians, Paul calls faith itself "the gift of God". It is not of ourselves. That a sinner like Paul should be given such a transforming gift was grace / gift indeed. And in this, he is the pattern to all who subsequently believe- we too receive that same gift. See on :16&nbsp;<em>Believe in Him</em>."With faith and love" could however be saying that this super abounding grace of the Lord Jesus is all the same made actual by our faith which, if it is really faith, will manifest itself in love. Because we cannot be passive to the greatness of the gift given; we will respond, and that response will be to love as He has first loved us.  </p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:15'>1Ti 1:15</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Faithful is the saying and worthy of all acceptance</em>- This could refer to inspired prophetic sayings being judged by other inspired prophets to be "worthy of acceptance", and coming to form a corpus of Holy Spirit inspired material which was accepted as authoritative in the early church. Perhaps this corpus of material is referred to as the "form of sound words" or "form of Godliness" (<em><a href='B:620 1:13'>2Ti 1:13</a></em>; <em><a href='B:620 3:5'>2Ti 3:5</a></em>). The idea that Paul was the parade example of the Lord's operations and grace to all believers was therefore accepted and distributed in the early community.</p><p><em>That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief</em>- Clearly perception of sinfulness grew in Paul after his conversion. He considered himself blameless in keeping the law (<em><a href='B:570 3:6'>Phi 3:6</a></em>); and yet chief of sinners. He realized that sin is to do with attitudes rather than committed or omitted actions. I'd paraphrase Paul's personal reminiscence in <em><a href='B:520 7:7-10'>Rom 7:7-10</a></em> like this: "As a youngster, I had no real idea of sin. I did what I wanted, thought whatever I liked. But then in my early teens, the concept of God’s commandments hit me. The command not to covet really came home to me. I struggled through my teens and twenties with a mad desire for women forbidden to me (AV, conveniently archaic, has "all manner of concupiscence"). And slowly I found in an ongoing sense (Gk:), I grew to see, that the laws I had to keep were killing me, they would be my death in the end". Paul’s progressive realization of the nature of sin is reflected in <em><a href='B:520 7:18'>Rom 7:18</a></em>; <em><a href='B:520 7:21'>Rom 7:21</a></em>; <em><a href='B:520 7:23'>Rom 7:23</a></em>. He speaks there of how he came to&nbsp;<em>know</em>&nbsp;that nothing good was in him; he&nbsp;<em>found</em>&nbsp;a law of sinful tendency at work in him; he came to&nbsp;<em>see</em>&nbsp;another law apart from God’s law at work in his life. This process of knowing, finding and seeing his own sinfulness continued throughout his life. His way of escape from this moral and intellectual dilemma was through accepting the grace of the Lord Jesus at his conversion. In one of his earliest letters, Paul stresses that he felt like the least of the apostles, he honestly felt they were all better than he was (<em><a href='B:530 15:9'>1Co 15:9</a></em>). However, he reminisces that in his earlier self-assurance, he had once considered himself as not inferior to "the very chiefest apostles" (<em><a href='B:540 11:5'>2Co 11:5</a></em>). Some years later, he wrote to the Ephesians that he felt "less than the least of all saints" (<em><a href='B:560 3:8'>Eph 3:8</a></em>). This was no Uriah Heep, fawning humility. He really felt that he was the worst, the weakest, of all the thousands of believers scattered around the shores of the Mediterranean at that time. As he now faced his death, he wrote to Timothy here that he was "chief of sinners", the worst sinner in the world, and that Christ's grace to him should therefore serve as an inspiration to every other believer,&nbsp;<em>in that</em>&nbsp;none had sinned as grievously as he had done. It could well be that this is one of Paul’s many allusions back to the Gospels- for surely he had in mid the way the publican smote upon his breast, asking God to be merciful “to me&nbsp;<em>the</em>&nbsp;sinner” (<em><a href='B:490 18:13'>Luk 18:13</a></em> RVmg:). Note that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" is rooted in the Lord's words that He came to call sinners and to seek and save the lost (<em><a href='B:470 9:13'>Mat 9:13</a></em>; <em><a href='B:470 18:11'>Mat 18:11</a></em>).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:16'>1Ti 1:16</a></em>&nbsp;<em>However, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me as the chief sinner might Jesus Christ-&nbsp;</em>Peter uses the same term in saying that all God’s people have obtained mercy (<em><a href='B:670 2:10'>1Pe 2:10</a></em>). He took his friend Paul at his word, seeing in Paul a pattern of everyman's conversion.</p><p><em>Show all his patience</em>- The Lord had spoken of how Paul had kicked against the goads. His patience with Paul was amazing, even allowing him, as it were, to torture and murder Christians until Paul finally surrendered to conversion. This is a template for His patience with us all.</p><p><em>As a pattern-&nbsp;</em>He saw in his conversion a pattern or template for all those who would afterwards believe (see on :15&nbsp;<em>Faithful is the saying</em>). Having said that he was "chief" of the tribe of sinners, Paul goes straight on to say that this "was so that in me&nbsp;<em>as chief</em>&nbsp;might Jesus Christ shew forth&nbsp;<em>all</em>&nbsp;his longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should later believe on him" (<em><a href='B:610 1:15-16'>1Ti 1:15-16</a></em> RV). This sounds as if Paul realized that he was being set up as the chief, supreme example to us; a template for each of us, of forgiveness and zealous response to that forgiveness. His conversion and subsequent spiritual growth are recorded as they are because they are a pattern for every subsequent believer- not just for those involved in preaching and pastoral work. It's because of this, it seems to me, that we have&nbsp;<em>so much</em>&nbsp;information about the man Paul; we really are enabled to enter into his spirit and personality. His physical appearance is stressed (<em><a href='B:550 4:13-14'>Gal 4:13-14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:530 2:3-4'>1Co 2:3-4</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 10:10'>2Co 10:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 12:5'>2Co 12:5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 12:7'>2Co 12:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 12:9'>2Co 12:9</a></em>; <em><a href='B:570 3:21'>Phi 3:21</a></em>; and especially his hands: <em><a href='B:510 21:11'>Act 21:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 27:19'>Act 27:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:530 4:12'>1Co 4:12</a></em>). We imagine him as having a dark complexion, seeing he was confused with an Egyptian (<em><a href='B:510 21:38'>Act 21:38</a></em>).</p><p><em>To those that would later believe in him to gain eternal life</em>- According to John's Gospel, the eternal life begins now, in that through the work of the Spirit we begin to live the kind of life which we shall eternally live. The Greek literally reads "Believe on Him into eternal life". Faith in Christ, demonstrated by baptism into Him, results in the Spirit empowering us to live the life eternal, the kind of life we shall eternally live. Paul has touched on this idea in :14.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:17'>1Ti 1:17</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen</em>- The whole style of this suggests that :15-17 are all part of the "Faithful saying" which Paul is quoting. Note especially the "Amen" at the end, followed by a resumption of the argument in the next verse and continuing on with the rest of the letter. It could be that the "Saying" about Paul being our pattern of grace was part of a liturgy, said or sung in prayer or hymn. Yet the first person pronoun, "I", might suggest that it was said or sung about each believer and not just about Paul; everyman should see in himself a pattern of amazing grace for others. This would explain why such a "Saying" was used in hymn or prayer- as a witness to the unbelievers listening.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:18'>1Ti 1:18</a></em>&nbsp;<em>This charge I commit to you, my child Timothy-&nbsp;</em>The charge of remaining in Ephesus and resisting the false teachers (:3); a charge which had been supported by inspired prophecy.</p><p><em>In accordance with the prophecies which were made about you, that by them</em>- There were prophecies about Timothy which had gone before, or “led the way to thee” (<em><a href='B:610 1:18'>1Ti 1:18</a></em> RVmg:). But Paul had to encourage Timothy to fulfil them, to make them come real and true for him. Likewise the fearful and timid Jeremiah was told “I have made thee this day a defenced city… be not dismayed” (<em><a href='B:300 1:17-18'>Jer 1:17-18</a></em>). He had to live out the potential personality which God had enabled him to have.</p><p><em>You may war</em>- But Paul had to warn Timothy that whoever goes to war cannot entangle himself in the things of this world (s:w. <em><a href='B:620 2:4'>2Ti 2:4</a></em>). It seems that Timothy had the potential to pull down great strongholds in his warfare; but he was distracted by the things of the world. Not living up to potential is a tragic feature of so much spiritual life:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><em>The good warfare</em>- The word is only used elsewhere in <em><a href='B:540 10:4'>2Co 10:4</a></em>: "The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds". The warfare was too much for timid Timothy; but he had access to great spiritual strength to cast down the strongholds of false teaching.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:19'>1Ti 1:19</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Holding on to faith and a good conscience, which&nbsp;some having thrust from them, made shipwreck of their faith</em>- The lead examples were Hymenaeus and Alexander (:20). <em><a href='B:620 2:17'>2Ti 2:17</a></em> informs us that these two men had lost their faith in the resurrection, and taught this, resulting in the faith of others being overthrown. Those who lose their own faith so often seek to overthrow "shipwreck" the faith of others. Their teaching that the resurrection was past already was therefore rooted in their lack of faith. False teaching so often has a root in a lack of faith or other moral deficiency. Human nature seeks to bring others down to our own level; whereas the call of the Gospel is to seek to raise our own aspirations and to encourage others to aim higher and be elevated to Heavenly things.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 1:20'>1Ti 1:20</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme</em>- The fact they were still causing trouble in <em><a href='B:620 2:17'>2Ti 2:17</a></em> means this intention didn’t work out; they continued their blasphemy. The mention of blasphemy is in the context of :13, where Paul has admitted to being a blasphemer, who had been converted by the long patience of the Lord Jesus as an example to others (:16). And now Paul seeks to reflect to others the patient, seeking, saving grace which he has experienced. And this was his motive in whatever courses of action were involved in his 'delivering these men to satan'.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:1'>1Ti 2:1</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:670 3:7'>1Pe 3:7</a></em>.</p><p><em>I urge therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made</em>- In view of the way believers fall away and also because of our great duty to witness to the world,&nbsp;<em>first of all&nbsp;</em>(i:e. most importantly),&nbsp;<em>prayer</em>&nbsp;must be made (<em><a href='B:610 2:1'>1Ti 2:1</a></em> and context). Indeed, it is an actual sin- albeit a sin of omission- to cease to pray for our brethren (<em><a href='B:90 12:23'>1Sa 12:23</a></em>).</p><p>We naturally ask why these four forms of prayer are spoken of here: "supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings". One possible explanation is that these terms are all elsewhere used about the prayer work of the Lord Jesus; indeed, "intercessions" are spoken of as being specifically&nbsp;<em>His</em>&nbsp;work and not within our capability to make (<em><a href='B:520 8:26-27'>Rom 8:26-27</a></em>; <em><a href='B:520 8:34'>Rom 8:34</a></em>; for the other words, see <em><a href='B:650 5:7'>Heb 5:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:490 22:19'>Luk 22:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:490 22:45'>Luk 22:45</a></em>). And directly in this context, Paul emphasizes that there is only one mediator, one who can make intercession- and that is not us, but the Lord Jesus (:5). This leads us to reconsider the opening words of this verse: "I urge...". This translates&nbsp;<em>parakleo</em>, to call near. It could be that Paul is calling out to the Lord Jesus to pray / draw near to God for the things he now mentions.</p><p><em>For all men</em>- If as suggested above Paul is calling the Lord Jesus to pray / intercede "for all men", this enables us to understand the same phrase being used in :4 concerning God’s willingness to save "all men". The Judaists would have felt that prayer was only appropriate for Jews and not for Gentiles:&nbsp;</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:2'>1Ti 2:2</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For kings, and all that are in high place, that&nbsp;we may live a calm and quiet life in all Godliness and dignity</em>- This implies that environment does indeed affect our spirituality, and we should pray for that environment to be such that it allows us to live in "proper conduct". And perhaps it follows that we ought to consciously seek environments which enable us to lead Godly lives. Yet on the other hand, according to the parable of the vineyard in Isaiah 5, God seeks our spiritual fruitfulness and gives us ultimately the optimal environment for that. Also remember that Paul is writing to Timothy about the situation in Ephesus, where the believers were very much at the mercy of the mood of the governing bodies towards them.</p><p>The Greek for “dignity” conveys the idea of soberness, gravity, seriousness. This is indeed appropriate for those who are face moment by moment with the very real issues of eternity, eternal life or death... both for themselves and others. Perhaps this was a reference to Timothy's need to "flee youthful passions" (<em><a href='B:620 2:22'>2Ti 2:22</a></em> ESV). He needed to act with a gravity beyond his years.</p><p>God’s own Son made the point that He did not pray for the world, but for His own people (<em><a href='B:500 17:9'>Joh 17:9</a></em>). The way He tells the Father this in prayer would seem to emphasize how strongly He felt about this. The commands to pray for the world are in the context of requesting that human Governments might permit God’s people to live spiritual lives among them (<em><a href='B:300 29:7'>Jer 29:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 2:2'>1Ti 2:2</a></em>); not for the Governments etc. in themselves.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:3'>1Ti 2:3</a></em>&nbsp;<em>This is good and acceptable</em>- A reference to the incense and sacrifices being acceptable before God. For prayer really is our equivalent of incense and sacrifice under the new covenant. Again, remember that Paul is writing to Timothy in the context of the problems faced from Judaizers.</p><p><em>In the sight of God our saviour</em>- With the Governments so against them, it would've been tempting for Christians to think that they should publicize their prayers for their rulers in order to show that they were not against the Governing bodies. But Paul, as so often, foresees that likely tendency and urges them to pray because it is acceptable&nbsp;<em>before God</em>. Prayer should never be used for image or to impress men.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:4'>1Ti 2:4</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Who would wish all men to be saved</em>- See on <em><a href='B:610 2:1'>1Ti 2:1</a></em><em>&nbsp;For all men:&nbsp;</em>I have suggested that Paul bids the Lord Jesus pray for all men, especially those in the Governments; and he here gives the reason. The Lord's will that all be saved requires the taking of the Gospel to all men, and their acceptance of the message. And so Paul bids the Lord Jesus to pray for those in authority, because it was and is typically them who hinder the spreading of the Gospel and who create environments which penalize accepting the Gospel.</p><p>Paul tells Timothy or calls the Lord Jesus- see on :1 to pray for the Government to allow him to continue preaching, because God “will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (<em><a href='B:610 2:1-4'>1Ti 2:1-4</a></em>). There is here the suggestion that Timothy’s prayers would enable more men to come to the knowledge of the Truth, and thereby fulfil God’s intention. But that intention and will of God had been made dependent on the prayers and preaching of the likes of Timothy. God’s “will” is that all will be saved; yet not all will be. His will is that not one of the little ones perish (<em><a href='B:470 18:14'>Mat 18:14</a></em>); but we can offend the little ones, so that they do perish. His&nbsp;<em>intention</em>&nbsp;is that the church reveals His wisdom to this world (<em><a href='B:560 3:10'>Eph 3:10</a></em>); but it doesn’t always do so. None can resist His will; and yet His will is not necessarily what He does, in that His will does not force men and women into obedience or compliance. God is not a manipulator nor a bully, i:e. He does not enforce His will over others. Only in the future Kingdom of God will His will be done on earth as it is now done in Heaven. His will to save all has been frustrated by the church. The Gospel was to be taken to every person under heaven, from the first century onwards. So why, then, did billions live and die in ignorance? I have no final answer, but I would suggest that this was not His will; just as our behaviour so often is not His will. The church was potentially empowered to take the Gospel to the planet, right from the start. And yes, I include to the remotest islands of the Pacific, the jungles of South America etc. The technology would have been raised up- the logistical side of it would've been nothing for God to fix if believers had wished to do it with all their hearts. Instead they argued over theology and got lost in legalism and divisions between themselves, and allowed the world and all its limitations to influence their thinking. Here, Paul is appealing for prayers for Governments so that "all men" can be saved. He realized that state opposition hinders the salvation of all men, because people</p><p>It could also be observed that "all men" need not mean 'every human being', but 'all types of men'. In our age we see this happening. The Gospel&nbsp;<em>is</em>&nbsp;going to all the world. Not only to every nation, but to every type of person. Even in the West, men from prisoners to the highest business executives are now being baptized; and women from prostitutes to politicians. There is repeated Biblical emphasis that “all men” will hear and respond to the Gospel (<em><a href='B:500 1:7'>Joh 1:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 5:23'>Joh 5:23</a></em>; <em><a href='B:500 12:32'>Joh 12:32</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 17:30-31'>Act 17:30-31</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 2:4'>1Ti 2:4</a></em>). It can’t mean ‘every man, woman and child who ever live’; for many have lived and died knowing nothing of Christ. It must surely mean that a few of ‘all types of people’, ethnically, linguistically, socially, in terms of personality types... will be saved; just as there were representatives of all types of animal gathered into the ark a type of baptism into Christ, as Peter informs us. If the rain is a type of the second coming, it follows that before that time, all types of animal, clean and unclean which Acts 10 interprets as Jews and Gentiles must be gathered into the ark of Christ. And now in this century, as we come to the end of human history, all types of people are realising deep within them that something is up with this world. They are starting to feel their desperation, for all their show of hedonism. There are far more believers in God today than there were 50 years ago. That’s a fact. Never say or think that people ‘just aren’t interested’. Some of them are, indeed more and more of them are, and they are desperately interested. Men and women are somehow turning to Him, but lack the knowledge. And if we go on with this work, the end will shortly come.</p><p><em>And come to the knowledge of the truth-&nbsp;</em>Paul sometimes writes of&nbsp;<em>the&nbsp;</em>truth, with the article; but this is one of the 14 times in the pastoral letters where he doesn't use the article. So I don't think his sense is that God wishes all men to pass through a process of knowledge / study until they come to a defined set of theological understandings which he calls "the truth". The very same phrase is used in <em><a href='B:620 3:7'>2Ti 3:7</a></em>: "ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth". So learning, 'Bible study' of itself will not necessarily lead to "the knowledge of the truth". And that is true to observed experience; for all manner of folks study the Bible but come through all their learning to a different set of truths at the end of it. I suggest that as so often, there are two halves to this verse, which state the same thing but in different terms. "To be saved" is parallel with 'coming to the knowledge of the truth'. <em><a href='B:500 17:3'>Joh 17:3</a></em> speaks of life eternal as knowing the one true God; the great salvation which we shall experience in terms of knowing Him and His Son, the relationship with them then which begins now- that is the knowledge of truth. This is the one and ultimate truth. And that is not the same as sitting for eternity reciting the terms of a statement of faith, the various correct Biblical interpretations we have come across. Knowing God and His Son is all about relationship with them, as is made clear so often and especially in John's Gospel. <em><a href='B:570 3:8'>Phi 3:8</a></em> speaks of "knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" and parallels it with 'winning Christ' at the last day; the 'knowledge' which is in view here in 1 Timothy 1 is also, I suggest, speaking of our relationship with Christ in the Kingdom. This is the 'knowledge' of <em><a href='B:530 13:12'>1Co 13:12</a></em>: "Then shall I know, even as also I am known". For now we "see through a glass darkly", our 'knowledge' is blurred and incomplete; and only then shall we see / know Him "face to face".</p><p>Unfortunately, an over hasty and slipshod reading of this verse has led to the phrase 'saving truth', by which the impression is given that the possession of true Biblical interpretation will somehow save the possessor thereof. And thus the attitude develops that if we 'know the truth', in the sense of understanding a particular set of teachings, we shall thereby be saved; and maintaining those same understandings up to our grave planks is seen as the most essential part of Christian endeavour. But we cannot be saved by intellectual knowledge; but rather by faith in the simple truth of Christ and God’s saving grace. This is what can lead us to the faith that is certain that if the Lord returns at this moment, by grace I shall indeed be saved. Focusing upon 'saving truth' gives high priority to the issue of whether we have our interpretations all completely right; and it creates inevitable tension over words and meanings, with the need to disfellowship others who differ however slightly from the supposed 'saving truth' of our interpretations.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:5'>1Ti 2:5</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:650 4:14'>Heb 4:14</a></em>.</p><p><em>For there is one God and one mediator</em>- The "for" here suggests that we are being given another reason for Paul's statement that the Lord wishes the salvation of "all men". The fact the Lord Jesus was human, a man, shows God’s desire to save all men. A representative man was required to save men. God is not passive to human salvation or the extent of it; having given His only beloved Son to save men, He wants all men to be saved. He wants us saved He therefore has no pleasure in the death or condemnation of the wicked; exactly because He gave His only Son to&nbsp;<em>save&nbsp;</em>men. He wants to see the purpose of the sacrifice achieved. The logic of encouragement here is powerful indeed. The reminder that there is only one God and one mediator may suggest that their total and unique focus is combined upon "men". There are no other creations God is saving through His Son, because His Son was<em>&nbsp;human</em>&nbsp;and therefore is a saviour of humans:&nbsp;<em>&nbsp;</em></p><p><em>Between God and men, the man Christ Jesus</em>- Against the Judaist background of this letter, it would seem that Paul is emphasizing that God is seeking connection with "men", indeed "all men"- and not just the Jews. Moses was a mediator between God and Israel, but the Lord Jesus between God and "all men". The word for "mediator" is mainly used about the Lord Jesus being the mediator of the new covenant (<em><a href='B:650 8:6'>Heb 8:6</a></em>; <em><a href='B:650 9:15'>Heb 9:15</a></em>; <em><a href='B:650 12:24'>Heb 12:24</a></em>). The "men" in view would then be all those who are in the new covenant; and these, therefore, would be the "all men" whose salvation God wishes, the "all men" for whom the ransom was given, i:e. those redeemed / ransomed (:6). However, the problem is that the "all men" is surely that of :1 for whom prayer is to be made, and includes governors. However it could be argued that "for all men; for kings, and all that are in high place" (<em><a href='B:610 2:1-2'>1Ti 2:1-2</a></em>) could refer to leaders within the ecclesia; although&nbsp;<em>basileus</em>, "kings", is hard to apply to church elders.</p><p>The extent of Christ's humanity is brought out by the RV translation of <em><a href='B:610 2:5'>1Ti 2:5</a></em>. "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus". Paul is writing this after the Lord's ascension and glorification. A mediator might be thought of as being somehow separate from both parties; but our mediator is actually "himself man", so on our side, as it were. Having received Divine nature doesn't take anything away from the Lord's appreciation of our humanity, to the extent that Paul here for all the other exalted terms he uses elsewhere about Jesus can call Him even now "himself man".<br/>He is described even now as “the man Christ Jesus”, able to feel the pulse of our humanity. This, in passing, opens a window into what Divine nature will be like: we will be able to completely feel the human experience, to the extent of still bearing the title ‘men’ even in immortality. On this account we will be able to relate to the mortals in the Millennium.</p><p>Throughout this exposition I take the position that the Ephesian church was under strong influence from the Diana cult. This cult taught that there were many gods; whilst Paul's statement stands true in a global sense, it is clear that as so often in these letters, he is alluding to the specific errors of the Diana cult.</p><p>The Jewish obsession with Angels influenced the early Christians in the area of Christology i:e. theories about Christ, just as it did on the topic of the Devil. Chapters like Hebrews 1 and Colossians 2 deal with this in detail, stressing that Jesus was&nbsp;<em>not</em>&nbsp;an Angel something which the Watchtower movement of today needs to consider more fully. The Jewish&nbsp;<em>Testament Of </em><em><a href='B:340 6:1'>Dan 6:1</a></em> exhorts Israel to "draw near unto God and unto the angel that intercedes for you, for he is a mediator between God and man". This is alluded to by Paul in <em><a href='B:610 2:5'>1Ti 2:5</a></em>, when he underlines that to us there is "one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus". Clearly Paul is alluding to the apostate Jewish angelology and correcting it- as in Hebrews 2, the point is laboured that Jesus was a man and not an Angel, and He is the only mediator.</p><p>Much has been made of the similarities between <em><a href='B:500 1:1-3'>Joh 1:1-3</a></em> and the 'Wisdom' literature of the Jews. Judaism believed in a number of intermediaries who interceded between God and Israel- Wisdom, the&nbsp;<em>Shekinah</em>&nbsp;glory, the&nbsp;<em>Logos</em>&nbsp;/ word. The&nbsp;<em>Torah</em>&nbsp;law had become so elevated and personified that it was spoken of almost as a separate 'God'. John and Paul are picking up these terms and explaining their true meaning- Jesus is the glory&nbsp;<em>shekinah</em>&nbsp;of God, He alone is the one and only true mediator between God and man (<em><a href='B:610 2:5'>1Ti 2:5</a></em>). By stressing that the mediator was "the man Christ Jesus", Paul is also taking a swipe at the Greek idea of a superhuman mediator between the world and the world's creator, sometimes called a "second God". And when it comes to the Logos, John is explaining in his prologue that the theme of all God’s word in the Old Testament was ultimately about Jesus, and that 'word' became flesh in a person, i:e. Jesus, in His life and death. Understanding this background helps us understand why John appears to use very 'Divine' language about the logos. He's doing so because he's alluding to the mistaken beliefs of Judaism and showing where the truth really lies in Jesus.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:6'>1Ti 2:6</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Who gave himself as a ransom</em>- see on <em><a href='B:520 3:19'>Rom 3:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:550 5:1'>Gal 5:1</a></em>. We were bought out of slavery by His death- and should not remain under bondage to any legal code nor to anything.</p><p><em>For all-&nbsp;</em>Christ died a ransom “for all”, and yet more specifically “a ransom for many”, i:e. not all (<em><a href='B:610 2:6'>1Ti 2:6</a></em> cp. <em><a href='B:480 10:45'>Mar 10:45</a></em>). See on <em><a href='B:530 11:3'>1Co 11:3</a></em>. The Lord was “a ransom for all", although it was only us, the redeemed, who were ransomed by Him out of sin's slavery (<em><a href='B:490 1:68'>Luk 1:68</a></em>; <em><a href='B:630 2:14'>Tit 2:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:670 1:18'>1Pe 1:18</a></em>; <em><a href='B:520 8:13'>Rom 8:13</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 5:9'>Rev 5:9</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 14:3-4'>Rev 14:3-4</a></em>). The "all men" of our 'world' could therefore be limited to those who constitute God’s world, as here defined. The real solution to being 'too inward looking' is to go out into the highways and byways, and compel men to come in to the covenants of promise.</p><p>Do we admit that we just don't preach as we should, failing to engage people with the Gospel because we assume 'nobody's interested'? <em><a href='B:610 2:1-6'>1Ti 2:1-6</a></em> has something for us. The Lord's death on the cross was a ransom payment "for all men"; and in this context, Paul urges that because God therefore wishes "all men to be saved" we should therefore pray "for all men, even for kings and those in authority". If the Lord's death truly was for all, in that He was representative there of all men, He there "tasted death for every man" (<em><a href='B:650 2:9'>Heb 2:9</a></em>)... then we should pray for "all men" quite literally to be saved, knowing that God is willing that "all men be saved". And Paul makes this point in the context of appealing for us to pray for all men, even Kings. This means that we should pray for even those we consider most unlikely- that they might be saved. For the cross of Christ has potentially saved them- if they will accept it. Thus Paul comments in <em><a href='B:610 2:6'>1Ti 2:6</a></em> that the cross was "a ransom for all, to be testified". The testifying or witnessing to it is to be done by our preaching. Notice how Paul draws a dynamic parallel between praying for all men and witnessing to all men (<em><a href='B:610 2:1'>1Ti 2:1</a></em> cp. 6). Preaching- when it is truly inspired by the cross- can never be a prayer-less exercise, a mere presentation of information. It will be done prayerfully, thoughtfully targeted at specific individuals whom we're praying will accept the message.</p><p>Paul exhorts that prayers be made “for all men", just because “Christ Jesus gave himself a ransom for all", and He thereby is the one and only mediator between God and man (<em><a href='B:610 2:1-6'>1Ti 2:1-6</a></em>). Because of what He enabled for all, we should pray for all, that somehow circumstances might be allowed which enable all men’s salvation in Jesus to indeed spread to all men.</p><p><em>The testimony made at the due time</em>- The idea is overall as in GNB: "That was the proof at the right time that God wants everyone to be saved". The cross of Christ is the assurance that God wants human salvation. He is not passively waiting for us to clear some bar, but rather urges us on through demonstrating in the cross His passion for our salvation.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:7'>1Ti 2:7</a></em>&nbsp;<em>To this end I was appointed a preacher and an apostle</em>- This continues to be in the context of the Lord's desire to save all men. Any effort we make to preach and save men has His full passion, will and enabling behind it.</p><p><em>I speak the truth, I do not lie</em>- As noted on <em><a href='B:610 1:1'>1Ti 1:1</a></em>, it would seem that Timothy was perhaps doubting Paul's authority over him; or at least, those Timothy was caring for had such doubts. I sense that Paul is really speaking to Timothy's doubts; for throughout the correspondence we have the impression of Timothy having doubts and fears about everything. And yet in <em><a href='B:730 2:2'>Rev 2:2</a></em> the Lord later commends the church at Ephesus for having tested and rejected false apostles in their church. So we can work out that Paul's apostleship was under challenge from false apostles, and Timothy was prone to be taken in by them. The fact that finally he rejected those false apostles shows how a man was made strong out of psychological weakness.</p><p><em>A teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth</em>- Preacher, apostle, teacher is allusive to the titles of Jewish rabbis and teachers. Paul is saying that he has indeed been appointed rabbi with responsibility for teaching Gentiles, just as there was such a position within Judaism. However, in practice Paul didn’t focus on his commission to the Gentiles, but rather was obsessed with preaching to Gentiles- which was Peter's commission.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:8'>1Ti 2:8</a></em>&nbsp;<em>I therefore desire that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands-&nbsp;</em>I suggested on <em><a href='B:610 2:1'>1Ti 2:1</a></em> that Paul has called upon the Lord Jesus to pray for all men, to enable the Father's will to save all men to be progressed and achieved:&nbsp; Now he asks the "men" who were part of the "all men" to be saved- to themselves pray. The subject of the prayer is clearly the progression of the plan to save "all men".</p><p>Having reminded us that there is “one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all”, Paul drives home the practical result of understanding Christ’s work: “<em>Therefore&nbsp;</em>I desire that the men pray everywhere... without wrath and doubting” (<em><a href='B:610 2:5-8'>1Ti 2:5-8</a></em>). “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (<em><a href='B:650 4:15-16'>Heb 4:15-16</a></em> NIV). Really appreciating that Christ is our personal High Priest to offer our prayers powerfully to God, should inspire us to regularly pray in faith.</p><p><em>Without anger-&nbsp;</em>Perhaps the warning is to not pray like Jonah did, angry that Gentiles and "all men" could be saved. In this case the words of prayer would have been said with an agenda, not to God but designed more for the hearing of men or as a duty which the heart was not in. This is an easy pitfall in prayer- to pray to oneself as did the Pharisee (<em><a href='B:490 18:11'>Luk 18:11</a></em>), or to pray with attention to how our human hearers will receive the words. To begin prayer with “Our Father” and a few thoughts on the God to whom our words are being directed is surely wise advice from the Lord. We can pray with an impure heart; and yet the very practice of prayer can make us think we are somehow spiritually acceptable before God. Thus Paul had to warn that prayer should be made “without wrath and doubting”. He knew that a man can pray to God with an angry heart, thinking the act of prayer cancels out his anger.</p><p><em>And dispute-&nbsp;</em>Or, “argument”. This connects back to Paul's warning to Timothy not to allow himself or others to get obsessed with endless questions and disputes about interpretation, "which only produce arguments" (<em><a href='B:610 1:4'>1Ti 1:4</a></em>). One problem with all that argument and inter-personal tension arising therefrom is that prayer is hindered, especially intense prayer for the salvation of "all men".</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:9'>1Ti 2:9</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:530 14:34'>1Co 14:34</a></em>.</p><p><em>In like manner, I urge that women adorn themselves</em>- "I also" (AV), or "In like manner" means the women are being addressed in the context of :8. And that is of prayer. I suggest that the warning is not to pray as the pagans and some Jews did- whereby women thought that by dressing up nicely they would somehow impress God and give power to their prayers. It is in this context that Paul is criticizing dressing up. The whole figure of a bride adorning herself is used positively in the Bible; it's not that God is against cosmetic adornment&nbsp;<em>per se</em>. But it adds nothing to the acceptability of prayer- that's the point in the context. The 'speaking' of women which is in view later in this chapter is probably likewise in this context, alluding to some local custom of women in the church at Ephesus.</p><p><em>In modest apparel</em>- As noted above, I suggest the reference is to prayer not being made acceptable by some gaudily dressed priestess. Remember Paul is writing to Timothy in the context of his work in Ephesus- which was a city devoted to the worship of Diana, descriptions of whom fit exactly with the language Paul uses here about the kind of dress which is not appropriate to associate with the acceptability of female prayer. Now we can understand why Paul was just emphasized that there is only&nbsp;<em>one&nbsp;</em>mediator between God and man (:5); the Diana cult featured a mass of female priestesses, the Melissai, who were claimed to be mediators. Paul is teaching that men should pray to God through the one mediator- and not think that gaudily dressed women in the church were adding something to the prayers of males. For more reason to think that the Diana cult was the problem in the Ephesian church, see on <em><a href='B:610 3:15'>1Ti 3:15</a></em>&nbsp;<em>The house of God:&nbsp;</em>The priestesses of Diana, like many such cult priestesses, had sex with male worshippers in return for money under the excuse that they were enabling the worshippers to have intercourse with the god or goddess. The sex act, ejaculation within a woman, was understood as intercourse / fellowship / worship / prayer to the idol, through the idol's representative. This is why this challenge to these young women was so serious. Here, Paul says that these young women must not do this, because Christ is the only mediator, and must save themselves from their path to condemnation by having children. Later in 1 Timothy he addresses the same group of young women, saying that they must stop defrauding the widow's welfare fund, and instead have children (<em><a href='B:610 5:14'>1Ti 5:14</a></em>). The funds given to them from that fund were nothing less than payment for sexual services rendered; but it was all dressed up under a Christian guise. If the young widows of 1 Timothy are the same women here addressed, they may not have been that many- for there were not that many young widows in the congregation, surely, who were engaging in this activity. It may have been as few as four or five, but surely not more than 20. But all the same- it was a huge problem, as it involved a considerable number of male Christians in the church.</p><p><em>With bashfulness and sobriety; not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly clothing-&nbsp;</em>'Goddess Diana' earrings feature pearls in gold; all this is the language of Diana, goddess of the Ephesians, with whom Paul was dealing.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:10'>1Ti 2:10</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But apparel which becomes women professing reverence towards God through good works-&nbsp;</em><em><a href='B:730 19:8'>Rev 19:8</a></em> likewise speaks of the apparel of the saints as good works. But their apparel is granted to them by Christ; it is His good works which are counted to them. "Good works" is a term used several times by Paul to Timothy. It is used twice about women in the church (<em><a href='B:610 5:10'>1Ti 5:10</a></em>). Perhaps the sisters felt they were not a fundamental part of the church or had no meaningful part to play. Here again in <em><a href='B:610 2:10'>1Ti 2:10</a></em> Paul is urging the women towards being proactive, to get involved with "good works" which backed up their prayers for the spread of the Gospel to "all men"; rather than dressing themselves up in the belief that thereby they would somehow make the prayers of the men more acceptable with God. Some conservative Protestant churches of our age have come not too far away from this very kind of position, and need the same call to action. Significantly, the Lord's letter to the Ephesian church in Revelation 2 commends them for their good works, and for how they have resisted false teachers. So it would seem that Timothy's ministry was successful; all Paul's challenging, rebuking and encouraging of him actually paid off. We can easily get the impression that such appeals for change and improvement never really achieved anything, but the Lord's letter to the Ephesians seems to indicate that in Timothy's case, the letters we are reading did indeed bear fruit in his response.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:11'>1Ti 2:11</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Let a woman learn</em>- Judaism discouraged women from learning or studying the Scriptures. Perhaps Timothy was caught up with that pressure; and Paul urges him to let the women learn. As noted on :10, it would seem that the sisters were not being encouraged to see themselves as in personal relationship with the Lord or to be proactive in their faith and works:&nbsp;</p><p><em>In quietness with all subjection</em>- I read this in the context of Paul's concern that all the argument about abstract interpretation in the Ephesian church had led to a lack of "quietness". See on <em><a href='B:610 2:8'>1Ti 2:8</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Or argument:&nbsp;</em>The men couldn't pray properly without bringing in the various arguments which were ongoing in the church (:8); and the women likewise couldn't learn without being tempted to be distracted by the background noise. The teacher from whom the women were to learn was Timothy. That is the context of 1 Timothy. He was to teach, and Paul wished him to include the women as his students; and they were to be allowed a learning environment free from background noise distraction. That is a perfectly valid meaning for the word translated "silence" or "quietness".</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:12'>1Ti 2:12</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:530 14:34'>1Co 14:34</a></em>.</p><p><em>I do not permit</em>- The Greek suggests 'I have not given over / transferred'. Paul could here be answering a claim made about him, as he often does in his letters.</p><p><em>A woman to teach&nbsp;nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in submission</em>- It is clear that in some contexts, women did publicly teach in the early church. We think of Philip's daughters (<em><a href='B:510 21:9'>Act 21:9</a></em>) and the command that female teachers should do so with covered heads in the Corinth ecclesia (<em><a href='B:530 11:4-6'>1Co 11:4-6</a></em>). It could be that they were not to teach at some meetings, perhaps the breaking of bread meeting, but they could at others. Or it could be that the commands we are reading in 1 Corinthians 14 about female silence were specific to Corinth, these in 1 Timothy 2 were specific and context limited to Ephesus; whereas in other areas, such as Philip's church, it was allowed. But I suggest that here in 1 Timothy 2 we are reading Paul's commands to Timothy in Ephesus where there was a specific threat to the church from Judaist infiltrators and false teachers. Timothy was being told by Paul to pull himself together, take responsibility, and secure the platform in the church, not allowing the Judaists to teach. I have sought to demonstrate that in commentary on chapter 1 and elsewhere. Perhaps it was that some very pushy Jewish women were insisting on teaching their Judaistic teachings in the church, claiming that Paul had allowed them to do so when he was in Ephesus. Paul is saying that he has&nbsp;<em>not</em>&nbsp;permitted them to do that; and he is telling Timothy to ensure they do not teach because as Judaist influenced believers, they were like Eve in Eden, deceived by the serpent. And Paul has used that very figure elsewhere in describing how the early converts likewise were as Eve in Eden but prone to be deceived by the serpent of Judaism (<em><a href='B:520 16:20'>Rom 16:20</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 11:3'>2Co 11:3</a></em>). Paul wants Timothy to do the teaching- not any Judaists, including women. This interpretation would fit the context seamlessly. Otherwise, why would Paul suddenly start talking about the place of women, when his letter to this point has been concerned with Judaist false teaching? He is urging that these female false teachers should not be given the platform. They should be in submission to the teaching of the true teachers.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:13'>1Ti 2:13</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For Adam was first formed, then Eve</em>- See comment on <em><a href='B:610 2:12'>1Ti 2:12</a></em>. Paul wants Timothy to do the teaching, perhaps setting him up as Adam; the group of Judaist women wanting to teach were as Eve. The emphasis upon Adam being formed&nbsp;<em>first</em>&nbsp;and Eve being the one deceived may be in order to challenge a particular wrong emphasis or teaching within the church at Ephesus. The commentary on chapter 1 has surely established that the church was under threat from Judaists. But we also know from Acts that many former worshippers of Diana were in the church. The pull of paganism would always be significant. We have deduced from :9 that some women within the church believed that their part in prayer was in dressing up with the same opulence as Diana. It could be that wrong Jewish speculations about Eve were mixed with pagan ideas about Diana. This kind of Jewish-pagan synthesis was what led to the doctrine of the trinity. Perhaps this is why Paul here draws their attention to Eve's weakness, and Adam's primacy in creation. Reading this teaching about women in its context, it would seem to me that Paul is tackling some specific group of women in the church who were advocating a quite wrong attitude to prayer, and who were glorifying unspirituality.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:14'>1Ti 2:14</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:520 5:12'>Rom 5:12</a></em>.</p><p><em>And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression</em>- These female false teachers were misinterpreting the story of Eve, and adding to it various Jewish myths. And so Paul alludes to it and shows them what it really means, and how by associating themselves with Eve, they are condemning themselves. As Eve was deceived by the serpent, so believers were being deceived by false teaching (s:w. <em><a href='B:560 5:6'>Eph 5:6</a></em> "let no man deceive you with vain words"). Eve, then, contrary to Jewish ideas and myths (<em><a href='B:610 1:4'>1Ti 1:4</a></em>), was not to be glorified and pretended to. Nor was she to be crossed with Diana. She was deceived, just as they had been by false teachers. And Timothy was to challenge and correct this. Note that the same word for "deceived" is used about the deceit of Jewish false teachers in <em><a href='B:580 2:8'>Col 2:8</a></em> and <em><a href='B:680 2:13'>2Pe 2:13</a></em>. Note that Paul is not saying that Eve 'transgressed' and Adam did not. He uses the very same word about Adam's transgression in <em><a href='B:520 5:14'>Rom 5:14</a></em>. He is saying that Eve fell into the transgression through having been deceived; whereas Adam, it would therefore seem, entered into the transgression clearly understanding what he was doing.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 2:15'>1Ti 2:15</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But she shall be saved through the child-bearing</em>- Contrary to what is sometimes claimed, there is no article here. No reference is being made to "the child bearing", as if the birth of Messiah is in view. The sentence continues "If they continue in faith..."- so the reference is to plural women and not to the singular woman, Mary, who bore the Lord Jesus. And the salvation of Mary or women generally is surely not just because Mary was the channel for the Lord's birth. Likewise, general child-bearing is not the salvation of women.</p><p>We must look for the answer to this apparently strange statement in the context. And a glance at standard reference works (such as the&nbsp;<em>International Standard Bible Encyclopedia</em>&nbsp;edited by James Orr) reveals that the priestesses of Diana / Artemis in Ephesus "were all virgins". They did not have children because they were devoted to Diana; even although some of them slept with the worshippers, they aborted their children conceived as a result of this. Such abortion was common amongst temple prostitutes of many cults, but was apparently particularly enforced in the worship of Diana at Ephesus. Paul is saying that the group of sisters in the Ephesian church who were acting like these priestesses, claiming to make the prayers of males acceptable (:9), acting like mediators rather than accepting the one mediator (:5), dressing up in luxurious clothing in imitation of the Jewish Eve cult and the pagan Diana cult... these women were not to teach. Their influence was to be cut off by Timothy. They were to have children, and not abort them, and not to denigrate child-bearing. And they were to realize that Eve was not a heroine to be pretended to in that she sinned, was deceived by false teaching- as they had been. Instead they were to copy her in moving on after she realized her sin- by doing what first century women generally did, child-bearing. But with the difference that they were to raise a Godly seed, doing this work in faith and Godliness. Paul is advising this group of Ephesian women to get on and have children rather than imitate the Diana cult priestesses by not having children. The only other time the Greek word for "child-bearing" occurs is in <em><a href='B:610 5:14'>1Ti 5:14</a></em>, where a group of young widows in the Ephesian church are advised to "bear children" and focus on leading their families- rather than giving the enemy an opportunity. Perhaps this same group are being referenced here. A group of young widows were becoming attracted to the cults of both Eve and Diana. Paul didn’t want Timothy allowing them to teach, and he advises them to settle down and have children rather than playing at being priestesses.</p><p>So it would seem to me that Paul is addressing a particular group of women in Ephesus, and is advising Timothy how to deal with them. Those women are probably those referenced in <em><a href='B:620 3:6'>2Ti 3:6</a></em>, influenced by false teachers "that creep into houses house churches and take captive weak minded women laden with sins, led away by various lusts". Timothy had been charged to stop and root out this false teaching, as it was particularly influencing the sisters. But Paul is not making global statements about women and their place. For as pointed out, there is New Testament evidence of other more Godly women speaking and teaching in the churches.</p><p><em>If they continue in faith, love and sanctification with sobriety</em>- These terms are used elsewhere about men as well. So there is no intention of telling all women globally how they as women must behave. Instead of their involvement in the behaviour discussed above, these women in Ephesus were to focus upon the positive spiritual attributes required of all believers, male or female. Paul uses the same words translated here "continue in faith" in saying that God continues faithful (<em><a href='B:620 2:13'>2Ti 2:13</a></em>); His abiding faithfulness to us is to result in our abiding faithfulness to Him. This same idea of mutuality between God and man, whereby we both trust in each other, has just been used by Paul in <em><a href='B:610 1:12'>1Ti 1:12</a></em> see note there.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:1'>1Ti 3:1</a></em> The picture we get of Timothy is of a young man with frequent health issues, timid, with a spirit of fear rather than of power and a stable mind, easily tempted by "youthful lusts", easily awed by older, loud mouthed false teachers "let no man despise your youth", apt to forget what he had learned from his mother and grandmother; and yet with a desire to minister. And Paul gave him the ministry of being the bishop at Ephesus (<em><a href='B:610 1:4'>1Ti 1:4</a></em>), with the brief to charge false teachers not to further teach. I speculated in discussing chapter 2 that he faced a powerful group of women in the church who were influenced by the cults of Eve and Diana, who had to be conclusively dealt with. And he was to model good works and encourage the church to likewise do them. The list of qualifications of a bishop are Paul telling Timothy how he should be; and how he should appoint brethren to leadership who met these criteria. We wonder how ever he coped. But we know- because soon afterwards, the Lord wrote to the church in Ephesus, telling them that they had done well in doing good works and in limiting the false teachers. His words were addressed to "the angel of the church"; either Timothy or those whom Timothy had appointed in leadership. So Timothy for all his weakness of character, which we can probably identify with, did indeed rise above all his limitations and achieve the spirit of what Paul is asking here.</p><p><em>Faithful is the saying</em>- As noted on <em><a href='B:610 1:15'>1Ti 1:15</a></em>, there appear to have been inspired 'sayings' which were accepted as genuine by those with the Spirit gift of discernment. These short sayings were doubtless remembered and were valuable in a largely illiterate community.</p><p><em>If a man seeks the office of a bishop</em>- I assume from :14,15 that Paul is writing with Timothy in view as the bishop of the church at Ephesus: "These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly. But if I am delayed, I write so you may know how you ought to behave in the house of God". A bishop or overseer was exactly the role Paul gave Timothy- for Timothy was to be in a position where he could charge church members not to teach (<em><a href='B:610 1:3'>1Ti 1:3</a></em>). Perhaps timid Timothy in naive youthful zeal desired to be a bishop- and Paul having made him one, is now telling him what it involves in practice. To 'seek' means literally 'to stretch oneself unto'. So it could be that Timothy actually didn’t have the ambition to be the bishop in that difficult situation. Rather, Paul thrust it upon him and he stretched himself out to it, he accepted it, although it clearly was a major stretch for Timothy, well outside his comfort zone.</p><p><em>He desires a good work</em>- There is nothing wrong with spiritual ambition. The Greek&nbsp;<em>epithumeo&nbsp;</em>literally means 'to lust'. The noun is used by Paul when later warning Timothy to "flee youthful lusts" (<em><a href='B:620 2:22'>2Ti 2:22</a></em>). We could translate the phrase before us as meaning that if a man seeks / stretches out to the office of bishop, then he must lust after good work. The passions which are part of our nature must be directed into good work rather than for our own sensual pleasure. This redirection of sexual or passionate energy is likewise found in <em><a href='B:560 5:3-4'>Eph 5:3-4</a></em>, where we are told that "fornication and all uncleanness, or covetousness" is inappropriate, "but rather giving of thanks". It seems that Timothy failed to make that complete redirection of passion, because he had to be reminded in <em><a href='B:620 2:22'>2Ti 2:22</a></em> about fleeing his lusts. In another figure, we are to draw near to God; fleeing lusts means running towards God. And He will draw near to us. nstead of desiring wealth (s.w. 1 Tim. 6:10 "love of money, which some reaching after..."), we are to desire / reach out after spiritual things.  We must be aware that the leadership of the early church was the obvious focus for persecution by the Roman authorities. To desire being a bishop would therefore have been a reflection of self sacrifice and willingness to give up all for the sake of the Lord's work.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:2'>1Ti 3:2</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:520 12:13'>Rom 12:13</a></em>.</p><p><em>The bishop therefore must be without reproach</em>- Paul’s advice to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3 as to what constituted good eldership was shot through with reference to his address to the Ephesian elders remember Timothy was in Ephesus, where he outlined what manner of man he had been: Blameless = “pure from the blood of all men” (<em><a href='B:510 20:26'>Act 20:26</a></em>); Husband of one wife = Paul? Sober = “serving the Lord with all humility of mind” (:19); Given to hospitality = his example was in that he was “ready to support the weak…it is more blessed to give than to receive” (:35) and his whole attitude to care for the Jerusalem poor was evidence enough. Apt to teach = “I have taught you publicly, and from house to house…I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God” (:20:27). Not covetous = “I have coveted no man’s silver” (:33). One that ruleth his own house well =&nbsp; Paul as the father of so many. Not a novice = Paul. A good report of them without = “These things cannot be spoken against” (<em><a href='B:510 19:36'>Act 19:36</a></em>), and witness his appeals to a good conscience before both God&nbsp;<em>and men&nbsp;</em>when on trial.</p><p><em>The husband of one wife-&nbsp;</em>This could refer to not being polygamous; or it could equally mean 'a man of one woman'. These qualifications suggest Timothy was married.</p><p><em>Temperate, sober, orderly, given to hospitality</em>- The Greek&nbsp;<em>philoxenos</em>&nbsp;could be read as being the opposite of xenophobic. A love of strangers / foreigners would not have come easily to any first century Jew; indeed, society was very parochial, with anyone from outside the local area being seen as suspicious. Love was to be shown to one’s own rather than to strangers; and the characteristic of being&nbsp;<em>philoxenos</em>&nbsp;would have been distinctly a Christian virtue. As some bishops may not have had homes large enough to entertain visitors, we can be sure that this word doesn't refer to 'hospitality', but rather as suggested.</p><p><em>Able to teach</em>- This could imply that some were being chosen as bishops because of their secular status rather than their familiarity with scripture or ability to teach.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:3'>1Ti 3:3</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Not given to wine-&nbsp;</em>As noted on :1, Timothy took Paul's words to him very seriously. He had to be later advised to at least take a little wine for his stomach problems; he had totally quit alcohol on the basis of Paul's words here and drunk only water (<em><a href='B:610 5:23'>1Ti 5:23</a></em>).</p><p><em>Not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not argumentative, not covetous</em>- The implication would be that within the church, as potential for being chosen as bishop, there were Christians of whom these things were true. We see here the tolerance in the early church when it came to baptism and acceptance of sinners; and yet the way that the leadership positions, the platform, was not at all open.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:4'>1Ti 3:4</a></em>&nbsp;<em>One who rules his own family well, having his children in submission with all reverence</em>- See on :15. As explained on :1, Paul is writing specifically with Timothy in view, at least in the first instance. Perhaps Timothy's weak character meant he had a tendency to allow anarchy in his home. And if he indeed was married, then Paul's warning to flee youthful sexual lusts and to be a man of one woman (:2) suggest that Timothy was tempted not to be a solid husband.</p><p><em><a href='B:610 3:4-5'>1Ti 3:4-5</a></em> lays down that an elder in the house church of God must be one who rules his own household well. The implication perhaps is that the ecclesias of which Paul wrote were household churches. The 1st century household was governed by the<em>&nbsp;paterfamilias</em>, the head of the house. In terms of the household ecclesias, this person was the ‘elder’; but to govern a household church required that such a person governed their own domestic household well. My point is that there is an implied equation between the ‘church of God’ and the domestic household; understandable, if the early churches were in fact household groups. Where things would’ve got awkward was if the ‘elder’ or leader of the household church was not in fact the&nbsp;<em>paterfamilias</em>&nbsp;of that house where the church gathered. We are left to imagine wealthy brother A opening up his home to the house church, in which poorer brother B was the leader of the spiritual house. This is the radical import of Paul’s teaching that eldership in the ecclesia was to be based upon spiritual criteria and not human wealth or social position. No wonder the extraordinary unity and social bonding of the early churches proved so attractive and startling to the world. And we in our day are invited to practice similar sociological impossibilities in our ecclesias.</p><p>The commands relating to bishops (overseers) stress that he should only be treated as such if his own family is in order (<em><a href='B:610 3:4-5'>1Ti 3:4-5</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 3:12'>1Ti 3:12</a></em>). This could suggest that he was the one who had converted others; for the image of our converts being our spiritual children is a frequent one (<em><a href='B:530 4:14'>1Co 4:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:530 4:17'>1Co 4:17</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 6:13'>2Co 6:13</a></em>; <em><a href='B:550 4:19'>Gal 4:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:630 1:4'>Tit 1:4</a></em>; <em><a href='B:640 1:10'>Phm 1:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:670 5:13'>1Pe 5:13</a></em>). In the same way as a father ought to be respected by his children, so converts ought to respect those who converted them. The fact Paul had made converts and founded ecclesias was used by him as a proof that he deserved at least some respect- they were his ‘seal’, the hallmark that showed him genuine (<em><a href='B:530 9:2'>1Co 9:2</a></em>). My sense is that the first century Gentile ecclesias were very similar to many Christian groups throughout Africa, Europe and Asia today; somebody was converted by a visiting preacher, and they in turn converted a group of their associates. Such groups need leadership, and the logical leader is the one who converted. This is why elders are defined in <em><a href='B:650 13:7'>Heb 13:7</a></em> as those who preached the Gospel to those they lead. Yet there can be a tendency for groups of converts to forget the eternal debt they owe to those who brought them to new life in Christ, just as there can be a forgetting of responsibility to our natural parents. The respect afforded to such leaders should, however, be qualified by their meeting of the standards Paul lays down: e.g. their own natural children should be well led by them. The integrity and manner of life of those who converted us is what inspires us to carry on</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:5'>1Ti 3:5</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For if a man does not know how to rule his own family, how shall he take care of the church of God?</em>- Maybe the stress is on 'know&nbsp;<em>how</em>'. Timothy as a young parent and husband needed to realize that family life doesn't just happen; there must be a conscious learning&nbsp;<em>how</em>&nbsp;to conduct family life and operationalizing it, rather than just allowing life to take its natural course; which is a frequent reason for the failure of spiritual development in family life.</p><p>Perhaps it should be noted that the bishop’s qualification is that he&nbsp;<em>knows</em>&nbsp;how to rule his own house (<em><a href='B:610 3:5'>1Ti 3:5</a></em>). It may be that as with Samuel and other elders, their children or converts do not ‘turn out’ well. If this is because there was a lack of spiritual leadership, this disqualifies a brother. But if he&nbsp;<em>knew</em>&nbsp;how to rule, but they rebelled, then he is not thereby disqualified. Fathers cannot be held responsible for the spiritual failure of their children in all cases (<em><a href='B:300 31:29-30'>Jer 31:29-30</a></em>; Ezekiel 18 - and the example of Yahweh with Israel). Likewise, Paul was clearly a bishop and yet was single. “A bishop&nbsp;<em>must be</em>&nbsp;the husband of one wife” therefore requires us to again read in an ellipsis: ‘If he is married he must be… the husband of one wife’.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:6'>1Ti 3:6</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:490 12:49'>Luk 12:49</a></em>.</p><p><em>Not a new convert, lest being puffed up with pride&nbsp;he fall into the condemnation of the devil</em>- There is a word play here, because "new convert" translates a Greek word literally meaning one newly sprouted or puffed up. Seeing Paul is in the first instance writing to Timothy, perhaps he is warning him that as a new convert, he must be aware that he will be prone to pride in his new conversion.</p><p>A new convert should not be made an elder because he may fall into “the condemnation of the devil”. This may refer to the Jewish 'devil' eagerly waiting to accuse the leadership of the Christian ecclesia in Ephesus. But&nbsp;<em>diabolos</em>&nbsp;is often used in the pastorals in relation to gossipers (<em><a href='B:610 3:6-7'>1Ti 3:6-7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 3:11'>1Ti 3:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:620 3:3'>2Ti 3:3</a></em>; <em><a href='B:630 2:3'>Tit 2:3</a></em>). Gossip is the clearest manifestation of the ‘devil’ within our natures, and we should be aware of this. “The condemnation of the devil” may therefore mean that the gossipers, whether within or outside the ecclesia, will more easily condemn a novice. If a brother has behind him all the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3, of faithful children, a reputation as stable, patient etc:, then such gossips will have less power to condemn him in the eyes of others. Paul indicates that he understands the power of gossip in the church- he knew that a spiritually young elder was going to face slander, as sure as day follows night. And therefore, young elders aren’t a good idea, he concludes. We too need to face up to the reality of gossip, that it will happen, and we need to seek to protect those vulnerable to it before it starts. &nbsp;</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:7'>1Ti 3:7</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:610 6:9'>1Ti 6:9</a></em>.</p><p><em>Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace or into a snare of the devil</em>- "The devil" or false accuser is paralleled with "outsiders" who were waiting to catch Christian leaders in a trap. The church at Ephesus was surrounded by Jews who were bent on destroying Christian congregations and were happy to work with the pagan Government to effect this. Timothy is being warned against being naive, which was perhaps another of his characteristics. There were people out there, perhaps members of the 'Jewish satan' which dogged early Christianity, eager to set snares for people in Timothy's position and indeed any church leader. Not falling into snares himself would enable Timothy to persuasively exhort others not to fall into the snare of seeking wealth (<em><a href='B:610 6:9'>1Ti 6:9</a></em>). We are enabled now to better understand Paul's later warning to Timothy to help some escape from the "snare of the devil" which they were caught up in (<em><a href='B:620 2:26'>2Ti 2:26</a></em>). This snare could have involved some Jewish plot aimed at entrapping Christians, perhaps by an offer of wealth or some get rich quick scheme. Hence those chosen for leadership were not to be "greedy for money" (:8). The fact Timothy had become aware of the snares and avoided them empowered him to help others out of them. And that principle is true for us all.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:8'>1Ti 3:8</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Likewise, deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not&nbsp;given to much wine</em>- For this to be said we can infer that there were such within the church whom Timothy would consider for the office of deacon. The early church was open to all sinners and some clearly didn’t change very quickly if ever; but the leadership structure was to be held to standards of behaviour and doctrinal position. Note too that it was Timothy who would appoint the deacons. Democracy was never used in order to choose leadership.</p><p><em>Not greedy for money</em>- This was important because of how the Jewish satan outside the church was using offers of money in order to ensnare people. See on :7&nbsp;<em>A snare</em>:&nbsp;</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:9'>1Ti 3:9</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience</em>- In discussing chapter 2 I suggested that the believers in Ephesus were under pressure from their pagan background in the Diana cult and also the myths pedalled by Jewish false teachers such as the Eve cult. These cults and indeed all paganism loved the idea of "mystery". Paul is saying that deacons must wholeheartedly be committed to the mystery of the Christian faith. They were to hold it in a good conscience, i:e. not also holding to other mysteries as were the women forbidden from teaching in chapter 2.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:10'>1Ti 3:10</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:550 6:4'>Gal 6:4</a></em>.</p><p><em>And let them first be tested</em>- This idea of a probation period is found also in the command to Timothy to "Lay hands hastily on no one" (<em><a href='B:610 5:17'>1Ti 5:17</a></em>), i:e. do not hastily appoint anyone to office, but require a probation period first. Perhaps here we see a hint that Timothy had a tendency both to naivety and to impetuous, quick action. He was perhaps not naturally a wise man; the way he succeeded at his difficult calling (see on :1) shows the real power of personal change which is possible to those led by God’s word.</p><p><em>If they are found blameless, then let them serve as deacons</em>- Gk. 'unacccused'. Perhaps a reference to the way that the church in Ephesus was surrounded by critics eager to falsely accuse "the devil" and thereby entrap the unwary in snares. Truly Timothy's position is one not to be envied.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:11'>1Ti 3:11</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Likewise, their wives must be reverent</em>- This could mean that their wives served as part of their office as deacon; for Phoebe was a female deaconess. Deacons in this case would refer to husband and wife teams. Or it could be that the sign of a suitable deacon was that he had influenced his wife for spiritual good. Because otherwise, the objection could be raised that a man is not surely to be judged by the behaviour of his wife.</p><p><em>Not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things</em>- “Slanderers” is from the same word as "devil". In the immediate context, the snare of the devil has referred to the schemings of the Jewish and pagan opposition to bring down the church at Ephesus (:6,7). The requirement may be that a deacon's wife was to have no part in those systems. “Temperate” and the other characteristics of a deacon’s wife are the same requirements for the bishop himself (:2; <em><a href='B:630 2:2'>Tit 2:2</a></em>). The implication could be that ideally a deacon and his wife should work as a husband and wife team, each with the same spiritual qualifications.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:12'>1Ti 3:12</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Let deacons be men of one woman</em>- Not polygamous, or at least, not womanizers, focused upon their wife as their one woman.</p><p><em>Ruling&nbsp;their children and their own families well</em>- As noted on :5, family life was not to be allowed to just follow a natural course. There was to be conscious leadership.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:13'>1Ti 3:13</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For they that have served well as deacons&nbsp;gain to themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus</em>- The "for" connects with the previous verse, talking about ruling in one’s own family. The idea may be that if they have served as deacons in their own family first, then they will be qualified to do so in the church. In the process of being a deacon, faith is developed. The very process of service and obedience leads to greater faith in practice in the upward spiral of spirituality. The “good standing” is surely before God and not men.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:14'>1Ti 3:14</a></em> See on <em><a href='B:510 20:25'>Act 20:25</a></em>&nbsp;<em>I know</em>.</p><p><em>These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly</em>- Paul had appointed Timothy the bishop of the church at Ephesus (<em><a href='B:610 1:4'>1Ti 1:4</a></em>), and so we are to read these principles about eldership as Paul reminding Timothy of how he should be living. This is not to say that the principles do not have wider, general application; but the first context reference was to Timothy. These principles were to explain to Timothy how he personally should behave in the church (:15).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 3:15'>1Ti 3:15</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But if I am delayed</em>- Paul had no miraculously provided itinerary. He realized the many variable factors in the life of a believer.</p><p><em>I write so you may know how you ought to behave in the&nbsp;house of God</em>- The existence of house churches within the Ephesus ecclesia would explain the slightly unusual Greek construction here which in the Greek speaks of behaviour “in a house of God”. Maybe Paul refers to the same distinction between house churches and larger gatherings in Ephesus when he advises that a bishop should rule well his own house church and have his children in subjection (:4,5). There is a common New Testament understanding of ‘children’ as referring to converts; and the Greek word translated “rule” is only used elsewhere, both in 1 Timothy and in the rest of the New Testament, about ‘ruling’ or ‘providing for’ the church in a pastoral sense (<em><a href='B:520 12:8'>Rom 12:8</a></em>; <em><a href='B:590 5:12'>1Th 5:12</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 5:17'>1Ti 5:17</a></em>; <em><a href='B:630 3:14'>Tit 3:14</a></em>). This interpretation would solve a commonly observed difficulty- that the children of many fine elders aren’t not always believers, they’re not always “in subjection”, and neither were those of many Biblical heroes. And further, seeing even the children of believers ultimately have freewill choice, how can it be that church leaders are held as it were responsible for their children’s choices? If we understand the ‘ruling’ here to mean spiritual provision for those in one’s own house church, as a qualification for appointment to being a minister of the larger, joint congregational gatherings- then this difficulty disappears. And this idea- of being faithful over a household and then being promoted to greater responsibility- would then be an obvious allusion to the Lord’s parable about the faithful house-manager AV “steward” who is then promoted to greater responsibility in the Master’s own household (<em><a href='B:490 12:42'>Luk 12:42</a></em> compared with <em><a href='B:470 24:45'>Mat 24:45</a></em>).</p><p><em>Which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth</em>- I have pointed out that most of the Ephesian church were Gentiles- hence the letter to the Ephesians several times refers to "you Gentiles". Most of them would have been converts from the temple of Diana, which was put out of business by the Christian preaching. And yet as noted on chapter 2, various rituals and ideas associated with temple worship had not been fully jettisoned by all the converts. Paul here uses language associated with a temple- and applies it to the ecclesia or church of God, making the point that the true temple is the Christian community and not an edifice with literal pillars and foundations. The&nbsp;<em>oikos</em>&nbsp;of God uses a word elsewhere translated "temple" (<em><a href='B:490 11:51'>Luk 11:51</a></em>). The final phrase "of the truth" may simply mean that the&nbsp;<em>true&nbsp;</em>edifice, the&nbsp;<em>real</em>&nbsp;pillar and foundation of the temple, was the ecclesia- the group of individual Christian believers, and not any literal physical edifice. Excavations of the temple of Diana / Artemis at Ephesus have found that its pillars were an unusual feature of it- there were 127 pillars, 60 feet high, supporting a striking roof. It would've been easily identified by the large number of pillars all around it. All that now remains standing of the temple is in fact one pillar. So without doubt it is the temple of Diana, from whence many of the converts had come, which was the point of the allusion; the true pillars and supports NEV "ground" of God’s temple were the converts. Contrary to what was being taught, no physical building had any significance in God’s saving plan. And this confirms our suggestions on chapter 2, that the converts had brought with them the baggage from Diana worship. The church at Ephesus may well have been relatively small, a house church or a group of Christian homes. And yet this was the true temple, compared to that of Diana. </p>


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<p style='margin-left:1em'>And without controversy, great is the mystery of reverence towards God: He who was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, received up in glory- See on :9 The mystery.</p>
<p style='margin-left:1em'><a href='B:610 3:16'>1 Tim. 3:16</a> speaks of how Christ was:</p>
<p style='margin-left:1em'>God manifest in the flesh [on the cross]<br />
	justified in the Spirit [in the resurrection- <a href='B:520 1:4'>Rom. 1:4</a>]<br />
	seen of angels [at the resurrection]<br />
	preached unto the Gentiles<br />
	believed on in the world<br />
	received up into glory [the ascension].<br />
	It must have occurred to many expositors that this would be nicely chronological- were it not for stages 4 and 5. &quot;Preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world&quot; seems a clear reference to the great commission- to preach the Gospel of the resurrection to all the world, and whoever believes it will be saved. But the tenses are definitely past tense, not future. Indeed, the whole passage seems to have Mark's record of the resurrection, preaching commission and ascension specifically in mind [not surprising if tradition is right in saying that this Gospel was learnt by heart by candidates for baptism in the early church]. I would suggest that Paul is using a Hebraism although writing in Greek (and E.W. Bullinger provides scores of other examples of where Paul does this, in Figures Of Speech Used In The Bible). Paul is thinking in the Hebrew 'prophetic perfect' tense, to describe something yet future as already past, so sure is it of fulfilment. He is referring to the great commission when he speaks of Christ as &quot;preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world&quot;; and he is giving a chronological account of the Lord's resurrection, with reference to Mark's Gospel record. But he sees the command to go and preach to the Gentiles, to make them believe, as so sure of being obeyed that he speaks of it in the past tense. The fact the Lord asked us to do this, for all the many reasons outlined in this study...this of itself is such a strong imperative to do it that Paul sees it as already done. And so the Lord's bidding should weigh as heavily with us. In fact, He had just the same idea when in Luke's record of the commission He says: &quot;Beginning at Jerusalem you are witnesses&quot; (<a href='B:490 24:48'>Lk. 24:48</a> RVmg., cp. <a href='B:510 1:8'>Acts 1:8</a>). What He meant, according to Mark's version, is that 'You are to go world-wide and be witnesses'. But He speaks as if they have already done this, as if He were saying: 'Go and be world-wide witnesses, you are witnesses, it's axiomatic to your experience of my resurrection that you will witness, so I see it as if its already being done, even as you stand here before me'.<br />
	L.G. Sargent, quoting C. Spicq, tabulates the following parallels in The Gospel Of The Son Of God p. 210 (Birmingham: CMPA):<br />
</p>
<p style='margin-left:1em'><a href='B:480 16:9-19'>Mark 16:9-19</a></p>
<p style='margin-left:1em'><a href='B:610 3:16'>1 Tim.  3:16</a></p>
<p style='margin-left:1em'><a href='B:480 16:12'>:12</a> appeared (i.e. was manifested) in another form</p>
<p style='margin-left:1em'>manifest in flesh</p>
<p style='margin-left:1em'><a href='B:480 16:15'>:15</a> preach the gospel</p>
<p style='margin-left:1em'>preached unto the Gentiles</p>
<p style='margin-left:1em'><a href='B:480 16:15'>:15</a> into all the world…:16 he that believeth</p>
<p style='margin-left:1em'>believed on in the world</p>
<p style='margin-left:1em'><a href='B:480 16:19'>:19</a> was received up into heaven</p>
<p style='margin-left:1em'>received up, into glory</p>
<p style='margin-left:1em'><a href='B:610 3:16'>1 Tim. 3:16</a> seems to have been a well-known confessional formula in the first century church; perhaps it was recited by the candidate in the water before being baptized. It can be read as a chronological description of the Lord's death and resurrection: <br />
	1. &quot;God was manifested in the flesh&quot; in the Lord's crucifixion, not just His life. The manifestation of the Son was supremely in His death (s.w. <a href='B:690 3:5'>1 Jn. 3:5</a>,<a href='B:690 3:8'>8</a>; <a href='B:690 4:9'>4:9</a> cp. <a href='B:500 3:16'>Jn. 3:16</a>; <a href='B:650 9:26'>Heb. 9:26</a> Gk.; <a href='B:500 17:6'>Jn. 17:6</a> cp. <a href='B:500 17:26'>26</a>).<br />
	2. &quot;Justified in the Spirit&quot; - the resurrection (<a href='B:520 1:4'>Rom. 1:4</a>)<br />
	3. &quot;Seen of Angels&quot; - at the tomb (<a href='B:470 28:2'>Mt. 28:2</a>)<br />
	4. &quot;Preached unto the Gentiles for belief in the world' (Gk.)- cp. <a href='B:480 16:15-16'>Mk. 16:15,16</a><br />
	5. &quot;Received up into glory&quot; - what happened straight after the commission to preach the Gospel world-wide.<br />
</p>
<p style='margin-left:1em'>This chronological approach suggests that &quot;God was manifest in the flesh&quot; refers to the Father's especial manifestation in His Son's crucified human nature during those hours of final suffering- rather than just to His birth. There on Calvary, Almighty God Himself was supremely revealed. He, God Himself, was despised and rejected by men; His love and self-sacrifice were so cruelly spurned; He was spat upon and made the song of the drunkards (<a href='B:230 69:12'>Ps. 69:12</a>). The same word for &quot;manifest&quot; occurs in other passages which relate it to the crucifixion:<br />
	- <a href='B:650 9:26'>Heb. 9:26</a>: &quot;For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself&quot;.<br />
	- <a href='B:670 1:19-20'>1 Pet. 1:19-20</a>: &quot;...But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world [as the sacrificial lamb slain from the foundation of the world, <a href='B:730 13:8'>Rev. 13:8</a>], but was manifest in these last times for you&quot;.<br />
	- <a href='B:690 3:5-86'>I Jn. 3:5-8</a>: &quot;And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins [on the cross]; and in him is no sin... For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil&quot;, which He did through His death (<a href='B:650 2:14-18'>Heb. 2:14-18</a>). <br />
	It may be added in passing that the same word is also used about the final manifesting of the Lord Jesus at His return (<a href='B:580 3:4'>Col. 3:4</a>; <a href='B:670 5:4'>1 Pet. 5:4</a>; <a href='B:690 2:28'>1 Jn. 2:28</a>; <a href='B:690 3:2'>3:2</a>). This explains the link between the cross and His return; who He was then will be who He will be when He comes in judgment. And this explains why the breaking of bread, with its focus upon the cross, is a foretaste of our appearing before Him then.  See on <a href='B:500 1:14'>Jn. 1:14</a>; <a href='B:500 19:19'>19:19</a>. Another option is to see this hymn as based upon the hymns which went with enthronement ceremonies: "Jeremias and Spicq add a history-of-religions dimension by suggesting that in form the hymnic quotation is patterned, perhaps unknowingly, after the enthronement ceremony in ancient Egypt. The first stage is exaltation: the new king receives divine attributes (lines 1 and 2). The second stage is presentation: the deified king is presented to the gods (lines 3 and 4, here to angels and men). The third stage is enthronement: the king receives his rulership (lines 5 and 6)". In this case, "believed on in the world" would refer to acceptance by the masses of his kingdom. "Manifest in the flesh" would also make it clear that the King was not the God who was being manifest in his flesh.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:1'>1Ti 4:1</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But the Spirit says expressly</em>- The reference may be to the Lord Jesus, the Lord the Spirit, stating clearly that there must be false teachers and a falling away amongst the believers before He returned (<em><a href='B:470 24:10-11'>Mat 24:10-11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:470 24:24'>Mat 24:24</a></em>). Interestingly, Paul has commissioned Timothy to try to&nbsp;<em>stop&nbsp;</em>that happening (<em><a href='B:610 1:4'>1Ti 1:4</a></em>). This is an interesting example of how human freewill effort dovetails with God’s foreknowledge and developing purpose.</p><p><em>That in the last times some shall fall away from the faith-&nbsp;</em>We either depart from the faith (<em><a href='B:610 4:1'>1Ti 4:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:650 3:12'>Heb 3:12</a></em>), or we depart from iniquity (<em><a href='B:620 2:19'>2Ti 2:19</a></em>; <em><a href='B:620 2:22'>2Ti 2:22</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 6:5'>1Ti 6:5</a></em>). We’re always moving in one direction or the other.</p><p><em>Giving heed to seducing spirits</em>- Yet Timothy's job was to ensure that the church did&nbsp;<em>not&nbsp;</em>"give heed" to false teachers (<em><a href='B:610 1:4'>1Ti 1:4</a></em>)- who are the "seducing spirits" spoken of here. Like Moses reasoning with God about Israel's fate, it could be that Paul is encouraging Timothy to reason with God, to do what he can so that the Lord's express prediction will not come true. Just as the Ninevites did, and succeeded. As noted on <em><a href='B:610 3:1'>1Ti 3:1</a></em>, Timothy's ministry was successful, according to the Lord's letter to the Ephesians in Revelation 2. He did shut down false teaching and inspire the doing of good works.</p><p><em>And teachings of the idol worshippers</em>- So far in this exposition I have suggested that the Ephesian church was prone to influence by the Diana cult, from which many of the converts had come; and also from Jewish false teachers from the synagogue where Christian preaching had first begun in Ephesus. And that picture is confirmed by these warnings here in chapter 4. Paul will go on to warn also against those who taught that only some foods could be eaten (:3); this clearly was the Judaist false teaching. Paul saw in these attacks, and the fact some believers fell for them, a fulfilment of the Lord's Olivet prophecy where He had warned that these were signs of the last days. The Lord could have come in the first century- all was in place. But the church didn’t take the Gospel to the world nor bring forth spiritual fruit which enabled that potential to happen, and so it has been deferred until our last days. The body of Christ is likewise suffering from legalism on one hand cp. Judaism and worldly idolatry on the other.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:2'>1Ti 4:2</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:470 23:28'>Mat 23:28</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 13:15'>Rev 13:15</a></em>.</p><p><em>Through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies</em>- Hypocrisy suggests the Lord's warnings against the Pharisees, i:e. Jewish false teachers.</p><p><em>Branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron</em>- Paul felt that Christian co-crucifixion with Jesus meant that we too are branded with His marks. He uses the same figure in <em><a href='B:550 6:17'>Gal 6:17</a></em>. So he feels that we bear the marks of ownership, either of Jesus or of some other system. This is exactly the picture we have in Revelation- believers in the last days marked either for the beast or for the Lord Jesus.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:3'>1Ti 4:3</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Forbidding to marry</em>- This fits with our comments upon Paul's encouragement of female child-bearing in chapter 2. The Diana cult forbad their female followers to marry and have children. Paul is not making a global command to women to marry and have children, rather is he countering the false teaching of the Diana cult which had affected some sisters in the Ephesian church.</p><p><em>And to abstain from food- which God created to be received with thanksgiving-&nbsp;</em>Jewish false teaching which was also a pressure upon those in Ephesus.</p><p><em>By them that believe and know the truth</em>- Not 'know and believe'. 'Knowing the truth' is used by Paul to refer to an ongoing relationship with the Lord; he doesn't mean 'those who correctly understand a set of theologies'. We ought to be deeply, deeply moved by the fact that we have been called into God’s world, into His sphere of vision. He even created the different types of meats "to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth"; they were made for us, not the world, and therefore&nbsp;<em>we&nbsp;</em>ought to give thanks for our food with this realization.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:4'>1Ti 4:4</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For every creature of God is good and nothing is to be</em>&nbsp;<em>rejected</em>- Paul often alludes to Peter, and this clearly references Peter's experience on the housetop. I have argued elsewhere that Paul pretended to Peter, wishing dearly that he was the apostle to the Jews as Peter was. But it can also be so that Paul genuinely respected Peter- which is an essay in humility, that a leading rabbi would so respect an illiterate fisherman.</p><p><em>If it be received with thanksgiving</em>- Here and in :5 Paul assumes that believers will pray before food, and this ought to be our pattern too in these days. Perhaps he has in view the standard Christian prayer "Give us this day our daily bread", which he understands as a thankful admission that our food is indeed a gift from God. And if a Divine gift, then surely it is sanctified by Him.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:5'>1Ti 4:5</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer</em>- Peter had been taught that it was the Lord's sacrifice which sanctified unclean food. So "the word of God" may refer, as it often does, to the Lord Jesus rather than the Bible. For the Bible in that sense doesn't cleanse unclean food. It could also refer to 'the Gospel'. Or it could be that Paul had in mind the simple statements of Genesis, that we have been given all food by God (<em><a href='B:10 1:29'>Gen 1:29</a></em>; <em><a href='B:10 9:3'>Gen 9:3</a></em>). This would be typical of Paul- as he does so powerfully in Galatians, he bids us return to God’s original intentions in Genesis and consider the Mosaic Law as a temporary addition which has now ended. Food is not of itself sanctified or not sanctified (<em><a href='B:520 14:14'>Rom 14:14</a></em>), so I doubt that Paul meant that the chips on your table are made somehow holy because you prayed over them. It is human life which can be sanctified to God, as Paul so often says in his letters. Thanksgiving for food is therefore a recognition that we have been given food in order to live life which must be sanctified to Him.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:6'>1Ti 4:6</a></em>&nbsp;<em>If you put the believers in mind of these things-&nbsp;</em>Gk. 'put them under'. Clearly Paul had set up timid Timothy in a position of authority which was quite foreign to his natural disposition, especially as the believers included many forceful, dogmatic individuals. Our ministries too are often not naturally compatible with who we are.</p><p><em>You shall be a good minister of Christ Jesus</em>- A good deacon. Timothy was to be act as both a bishop and deacon. This is in contrast to later abuses of the position of “bishop” in orthodox Christian churches. Timothy has been advised how to choose deacons in chapter 3, and he is being asked to model to them how they ought to be. Such servanthood is ultimately service to Jesus- "a good minister of Jesus Christ". Our service to others in Christ, including the dogmatic, the difficult and the woefully misinformed, is all service to Him. He would be a "good minister" insofar as he was nourished in the "good doctrine".</p><p><em>Nourished in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine which you have followed</em>- By teaching these words to others, Timothy would himself be nourished by them. By feeding others, he would himself be fed; see on :16&nbsp;<em>By so doing</em>. and <em><a href='B:610 5:18'>1Ti 5:18</a></em>&nbsp;<em>The ox when he treads out the corn.</em>&nbsp;This is one reason why the Lord has chosen to work through the process of evangelism. The very process of teaching something makes us come to that material ourselves in a more intimate way than we would if we didn’t teach it but simply mentally assented to it within ourselves. "The words of the faith" may refer to the 'faithful sayings' which Paul several times alludes to in his letters- brief inspired sentences which were distributed amongst the new converts. "Followed" is a word used again by Paul in <em><a href='B:620 3:10'>2Ti 3:10</a></em> where he says that Timothy has fully followed his own teaching and example. This is quite some commendation. As noted on <em><a href='B:610 3:1'>1Ti 3:1</a></em>, Timothy was very obedient to Paul, and thus his ministry was successful, in that the Lord's judgment of the Ephesian church in Revelation 2 reveals that the very things Timothy was asked to do- he achieved. Despite not at all being cut out for that task. Timothy was to be "nourished up in the words of the faith a reference to 'words' of basic doctrine which comprised a first century Statement of Faith?, and of the good doctrine" (<em><a href='B:610 4:6'>1Ti 4:6</a></em> RV). True doctrine has the power of growth; it is the seed which is sown, leading to the fruit of good works. The basic Gospel ("doctrine", AVmg:) of the cross is the active, outstretched arm of Yahweh the Almighty (<em><a href='B:290 53:1'>Isa 53:1</a></em>). We must let that power work. "Let your conversation (way of life) be as it becomes the gospel of Christ" (<em><a href='B:570 1:27'>Phi 1:27</a></em>). By nourishing others with good teaching, he would himself be “nourished up in the words of faith”. Caring for others on whatever level is what stimulates an upward spiral in our personal spiritual growth. In doing so, we will ourselves find spiritual growth. Practically, this is evident- in that the brother who looks through the Bible readings before doing them with his family, or reads a chapter with his five year old daughter and then the same chapter again with his wife, who makes an effort to prepare a different sermon each time he speaks rather than re-hash an old one... the one who benefits is ultimately himself:&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:7'>1Ti 4:7</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself with reverence towards God</em>- This rejection meant 'Do not let these things be taught in the church', because that was his brief in <em><a href='B:610 1:3'>1Ti 1:3</a></em>, to not allow false teaching. There was clearly a problem with some women in the Ephesian church. We saw in chapter 2 how Timothy was to stop some women teaching who were advocating a version of the pagan Diana cult mixed with the Jewish cult of Eve. And there were older women who likewise were teaching "fables"; and Timothy has been told in <em><a href='B:610 1:4'>1Ti 1:4</a></em> not to allow Jewish fables to be taught in the church. Here and in chapter 2 it could be argued that we have evidence that women were indeed allowed to teach in the Ephesian church; but Paul's concern was with&nbsp;<em>the content</em>&nbsp;of what some of them were teaching. This was why these women should not be allowed to teach; not because they were women, but because of the content of their teaching. This also explains why Paul advises Timothy as to how old and young women should be living; this was not just general pastoral advice, but was given in the specific Ephesian context of women who were teaching false doctrine, who needed to be redirected to more positive spiritual pursuits. The double reference to "profane and old wife’s' fables" may refer to the dual pressure there was in Ephesus- from paganism and the Diana cult "profane", and from Jewish women teaching Jewish fables such as the Eve cult. We have noted this double problem several times in this exposition. It's noteworthy that public recitations were something that women were allowed to participate in. Slave women especially were known to make such recitations to the women of a large household, including the female freewomen. This doubtless laid the basis for the phenomenon portrayed on some frescoes of female house churches, with slave women leading the gatherings even when their mistress was present.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:8'>1Ti 4:8</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For bodily exercise is profitable for a little time</em>- This is in contrast to the need to exercise spiritually (:7). This may well have been one of the profane pagan or old wives' fables of :7. Otherwise it is hard to see why Paul would suddenly start speaking about it. <em><a href='B:470 6:2-3'>Mat 6:2-3</a></em> = <em><a href='B:610 4:8'>1Ti 4:8</a></em>. The implication is that we aren't to take <em><a href='B:470 6:2-3'>Mat 6:2-3</a></em> ("they have their reward") as implying that we have&nbsp;<em>no</em>&nbsp;reward in this life. We do (cp. <em><a href='B:470 19:29'>Mat 19:29</a></em>).</p><p><em>But reverence towards God is profitable for all things-&nbsp;</em>"Profitable" is only used elsewhere in <em><a href='B:620 3:16'>2Ti 3:16</a></em> the Scriptures are profitable and in <em><a href='B:630 3:8'>Tit 3:8</a></em>, where "good works" are "profitable". The disciplines of the spiritual life, of daily Bible reading and good works, carry their blessings in this life too- "having the promise of the life which now is"; and those present blessings are far more than those achieved by physical exercise.</p><p><em>Having the promise&nbsp;of the life which now is and of that which is to come</em>- There is a link between the spiritual life lived now, and that which shall eternally be lived. The life which now is, is connected with the life which is to come. Our experience now is the promise of life tomorrow. John's Gospel expresses the same truth in saying that we now have the eternal life- we are living now the kind of life which we shall eternally live. Godliness having the promise of life both now and in the future is a reflection of Christ's teaching that the life of self-denial would have its present as well as future rewards (<em><a href='B:610 4:8'>1Ti 4:8</a></em>; <em><a href='B:480 10:29'>Mar 10:29</a></em>).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:9'>1Ti 4:9</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Faithful is this saying and worthy of all acceptance</em>- Another example of where brief inspired messages from the New Testament prophets were "accepted" as indeed inspired and distributed; see on :6&nbsp;<em>The words of the faith</em>.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:10'>1Ti 4:10</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For to this end we labour and strive</em>- In contrast to striving in physical exercise to preserve our own lives a bit longer (:8) we instead strive so that "all men" may experience the eternal life now possible. These words are used about Paul's labours in preaching and pastoral work (<em><a href='B:530 15:10'>1Co 15:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:530 16:6'>1Co 16:6</a></em>; <em><a href='B:550 4:11'>Gal 4:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:570 2:16'>Phi 2:16</a></em>; <em><a href='B:580 1:29'>Col 1:29</a></em>). Paul uses the same word to encourage Timothy to likewise labour in the Ephesian church (<em><a href='B:610 5:17'>1Ti 5:17</a></em>; <em><a href='B:620 2:6'>2Ti 2:6</a></em>). And again, Paul's exhortation was taken to heart; for some time later, the Lord commended the eldership "the Angel of the church" at Ephesus for labouring so hard (<em><a href='B:730 2:3'>Rev 2:3</a></em> s:w:):&nbsp;</p><p><em>Because we have our hope set on the living God</em>- The Greek&nbsp;<em>elpis</em>, "hope", means certainty, trust. We are certain that God wishes to save all men, as explained under <em><a href='B:610 2:1-6'>1Ti 2:1-6</a></em>; and so we labour and strive so that this great salvation is shared with all men.</p><p><em>Who is the Saviour of all men,&nbsp;especially of those that believe</em>- If we understand this literally, then God is the Saviour of “all men” including Hitler. But the Bible doesn’t teach universal salvation. There’s a difference between being a Saviour- and saving. God gave Israel a “saviour” in the form of Jesus (<em><a href='B:510 5:31'>Act 5:31</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 13:23'>Act 13:23</a></em>). But this doesn’t mean that “Israel” were all saved, because many of them have rejected their Saviour. This is the tragedy- that God is a “Saviour” for all men through His Son, but not all men wish to accept that salvation. This verse does not touch on the problem of those who have not heard the Gospel (for whatever reason). Frequently, the New Testament speaks of “God our Saviour” (<em><a href='B:610 1:1'>1Ti 1:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 2:3'>1Ti 2:3</a></em> etc:). Perhaps the emphasis needs to be put on the word “our”. He is&nbsp;<em>our</em>&nbsp;Saviour because we have accepted His plan of salvation- but others have not. There is a salvation potentially possible for all- but it is a salvation unaccepted. <em><a href='B:520 5:18'>Rom 5:18</a></em> speaks of how by Christ’s righteousness “the free gift came upon all men unto justification”. But not literally all men will be justified. The “all men” is limited and not universal, because salvation is not universal. <em><a href='B:500 1:5-11'>Joh 1:5-11</a></em> speaks of Jesus as the light which came into the world, but the darkness preferred to remain in the darkness: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it... John... came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, so that all might believe through him... He was in the world…&nbsp; yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him". God’s intention was that “all men” in the “world” of Israel might believe. John preached “so that all might believe”. But “all” did not believe. They “might” believe- they had the possibility of doing so, but did not. Note that “the world” here is “His own”- the Jewish world. Clearly “all men” is not to be understood literally. It’s obvious from how “all men” is referred to in the New Testament that the term doesn’t mean literally every single person:</p><p>‘All men’ thought John was a prophet (<em><a href='B:470 21:26'>Mat 21:26</a></em>). But not all in Israel did (<em><a href='B:490 21:6'>Luk 21:6</a></em>), and the whole planet definitely didn’t know anything about John</p><p style='margin-left:3:6em'>‘All the Gentiles’ are defined as those who “seek after the Lord” (<em><a href='B:510 15:17'>Act 15:17</a></em>)</p><p style='margin-left:3:6em'>Paul was to be a witness to “all men” of his vision of Jesus (<em><a href='B:510 22:15'>Act 22:15</a></em>)- clearly not every person on the planet; and he speaks of how he had taught ‘all men’ (<em><a href='B:580 1:28'>Col 1:28</a></em> Gk:- the same words as in <em><a href='B:610 4:10'>1Ti 4:10</a></em> “all men”)</p><p style='margin-left:3:6em'>We are to live at peace “with all men” (<em><a href='B:520 12:18'>Rom 12:18</a></em>)- all people in our lives, not every human being on the planet</p><p style='margin-left:3:6em'>“All Judaea… Jerusalem” were baptized by John the Baptist (<em><a href='B:470 3:5'>Mat 3:5</a></em>).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:11'>1Ti 4:11</a></em>&nbsp;<em>These things command and teach</em>- The commanding&nbsp;<em>and&nbsp;</em>teaching may refer to teaching both formally, from the platform, and informally. A church leader like Timothy was not to simply teach from the podium and assume the job was done. The "things" to be thus taught were that we ought to "labour" for the Lord (:10) and do the good works associated with reverence to God (:8). And Timothy was obedient- for some time later, the Lord commended the eldership "the Angel of the church" at Ephesus for labouring so hard (<em><a href='B:730 2:3'>Rev 2:3</a></em> s:w. :10 "we labour").</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:12'>1Ti 4:12</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Let no one despise your youth</em>- They surely did despise his youth, but people can only do such things to us if we let them. And Timothy was not to allow them to do this, in that he was not to feel despised, but rather to be strong in the sense of his own mission and significance in the Lord's larger plan. Paul has just called Timothy to do battle with the older sisters who were teaching Jewish fables in the church (:7). For a young man to shut them up was going to be difficult, especially for someone of Timothy's sensitive or weak character. The fact he succeeded shows the power of God’s word through Paul and the real possibility of personal transformation and achievement in the Lord's service.</p><p><em>Be an example to those that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity-&nbsp;</em>Any teaching ministry is only effective insofar as the word is made flesh; and this was and is the ultimate power in the Lord's ministry to us. "Purity" carries the specific idea of sexual purity. Paul has commanded Timothy to be a man of one woman in chapter 3, he will go to warn him to deal with the younger sisters "with all purity" (<em><a href='B:610 5:2'>1Ti 5:2</a></em>) and will later tell him to flee youthful i:e. sexual lusts (<em><a href='B:620 2:22'>2Ti 2:22</a></em>). Putting all this together, it would be fair to assume that Paul perceived a weakness in Timothy in this area. And yet all the same, Paul put him in to the position of eldership, with all the inter-personal contact with females which this required. But he warned him to beware of his weakness.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:13'>1Ti 4:13</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:590 5:27'>1Th 5:27</a></em>.</p><p><em>Until I come</em>- The implication of how the argument develops could be that Paul intended to give Timothy some Spirit gift which would further empower his ministry, presumably by the personal laying on of hands as in :14; see note there. He wrote similarly to the Romans (<em><a href='B:520 1:11'>Rom 1:11</a></em>). Until then, Timothy was to focus on his own study and teaching.</p><p><em>Give attention to reading, to preaching, to teaching</em>- The "reading" could refer to Timothy's own Bible study being the basis for his preaching to the unbelievers and teaching of the converts. But it could equally refer to the public reading of the Scriptures- which was especially necessary in largely illiterate congregations. The same word for "give attention" is used about not giving attention to Jewish fables (<em><a href='B:610 1:4'>1Ti 1:4</a></em>) nor false teachers (<em><a href='B:610 4:1'>1Ti 4:1</a></em>); but these negative commands must be replaced by a positive giving of attention to God’s word and to sharing that word with others. Positive preaching and teaching of God’s word, if focused upon, will mean we will not have mental space to give attention to false teaching. And maybe we are to read this appeal for focus, mental 'giving attention', as the antidote to Timothy's proneness to sexual weakness touched on in :12.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:14'>1Ti 4:14</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Do not neglect the gift you have</em>- Paul may be intending to give him another gift see on :13&nbsp;<em>Until I come</em>, but he asks Timothy not to neglect the one he already has. Timothy had desired the office of a bishop (<em><a href='B:610 3:1'>1Ti 3:1</a></em>) and had been given the potential power to achieve it. But he wasn't, it seems, using his potential because of his natural weaknesses and the difficulty of dealing with the opposition. Neglecting, not taking seriously, our potential... is one of our most common failings. We have all been dealt talents by the Lord and are to use them, and not neglect them in the ground.</p><p><em>Given to you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you</em>- There presumably had been an inspired, prophetic word from one of the New Testament prophets to the effect that Timothy could achieve his mission in Ephesus. Paul had appointed him as a bishop on the basis of that prophetic word (<em><a href='B:610 1:18'>1Ti 1:18</a></em>). The elders had laid their hands on him to empower him. That council of elders may refer to those in Jerusalem s:w. <em><a href='B:510 11:30'>Act 11:30</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 15:2'>Act 15:2</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 15:4'>Act 15:4</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 15:6'>Act 15:6</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 15:22-23'>Act 15:22-23</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 16:4'>Act 16:4</a></em>; or it could have been some group of elders who were present at the time that Paul first told him to remain in Ephesus. If the reference is to the elders in Ephesus who were appointed soon after their conversion and before Timothy was appointed over them (<em><a href='B:610 1:3'>1Ti 1:3</a></em>), then again we find Timothy in an awkward, embarrassing position. He would have been given power by the elders, who were older than him, and then he was appointed over them. He is told not to rebuke elders but to appeal to them, to carefully consider allegations against them and to honour the elders who deserved it (<em><a href='B:610 5:1'>1Ti 5:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 5:17'>1Ti 5:17</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 5:19'>1Ti 5:19</a></em>). So there were "elders" in Ephesus, and the same word is used in this phrase "council of elders". So he was in a position where he had to rebuke the elders who had given him the power to rebuke them. And the Lord chose a young, shy man, struggling with many weaknesses, for this apparently impossible mission given his personality. And yet he succeeded, as noted earlier several times e.g. on <em><a href='B:610 3:1'>1Ti 3:1</a></em>.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:15'>1Ti 4:15</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Be diligent in these things</em>- Gk. 'keep practicing', a present active imperative, alluding to the command to exercise spiritually (:8).</p><p><em>Give yourself wholly to them</em>- Gk. 'be in these things'. His whole being was to be in the things of serving the Lord. Such total dedication is often smiled off as fanaticism, obsession and imbalance. But if indeed we shall live eternally and can help others to, and if the Lord's glory is truly achieved by our efforts- then it follows that we will be "be" them now, for we shall eternally be continually and totally "in" them.</p><p><em>That your progress may be manifest to all</em>- The obvious personal progress of a teacher is the greatest inspiration to those being taught. Otherwise, he or she becomes merely a purveyor of facts and truths which may as well be read in a book. But if the teacher models growth, then the word really becomes flesh and powerful to transform. Such progress also reveals a humility, in that the teacher themselves is a pupil and also on a learning curve. This was quite contrary to the popular conception that a teacher was some static figure passing on truths which had long been held as a kind of conduit.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 4:16'>1Ti 4:16</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:50 4:1'>Deu 4:1</a></em>; <em><a href='B:50 4:9'>Deu 4:9</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 20:28'>Act 20:28</a></em>.</p><p><em>Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching</em>- To see ourselves from outside of ourselves is difficult, but the Bible often asks us to do it. This kind of self knowledge is a large part of our growth in Christ.</p><p><em>Persist in this</em>- The sense of keeping on keeping on, of abiding and enduring, are common in Paul's words to Timothy see on :15&nbsp;<em>Be diligent</em>. It would appear that Timothy easily gave up and was too quickly swamped by the immediate, just like ourselves.</p><p><em>For by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers</em>-&nbsp; This continues the theme discussed in :6&nbsp;<em>Nourished:&nbsp;</em>Efforts to save others result in our salvation. It could be argued that the Lord's perfection and His own salvation out of death was a function of His devotion to our salvation. We see here the huge importance attached to teaching; it is connected with the salvation of the hearers. The salvation of some is dependent to some degree upon third parties. Illiterate people will simply not hear God’s word unless it is read to them; and many who are literate come to that word so burdened with limitations and issues that unless somebody explains it to them, they like the Ethiopian eunuch will simply never understand.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:1'>1Ti 5:1</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Do not rebuke an elder but exhort him</em>- See on <em><a href='B:610 4:14'>1Ti 4:14</a></em>. Timothy would have had to discipline some of the church elders, and these were the very ones who perhaps had laid their hands on him to grant him the Spirit gift required to be their bishop. We wince as we think of a man so lacking in self-assurance and maturity as Timothy... having to do this. Truly his ministry, like every ministry, was not easy; and he was empowered hugely in order to achieve something which was so against his grain of nature. It could be argued from the list of different groups now mentioned (old men, young men, old women, young women) that in all cases, Timothy was not to rebuke but to exhort. The natural way that a group leader operates is to rebuke when necessary; but in Timothy's case, given his weak personality and persona, this would just not have worked. And so he was advised to not rebuke but to appeal / exhort / come near to folk who needed to change and be changed. Just in fact as the Father and Son have done with us.</p><p><em>As a father-&nbsp;</em>This again was difficult; the young Timothy, who was despised for his youth, had to act as a father to men older than him. Only the psychological strengthening of the Holy Spirit enabled him to achieve this- the gift bestowed by these elders in :14. We too find ourselves in psychologically and emotionally impossible situations as we do the Lord's work, and require the same mental strengthening. Paul uses the same words to describe how he too charged those under his care, as a father does his children (<em><a href='B:590 2:11'>1Th 2:11</a></em>). The same words are used of the Father exhorting or entreating the hypocritical&nbsp;<em>older</em>&nbsp;son (<em><a href='B:490 15:28'>Luk 15:28</a></em>). Perhaps Paul is consciously alluding to this in advising Timothy how to deal with the&nbsp;<em>older&nbsp;</em>ones. The older son clearly speaks the language of the Judaists; perhaps in order to discharge his responsibility to stop false teaching by the Judaists (<em><a href='B:610 1:3'>1Ti 1:3</a></em>), Timothy had to deal with older men and older women who were distributing the Jewish "fables". Perhaps these were amongst the earliest converts in Ephesus, who had come to Christ as a result of Paul's initial preaching in the synagogue. Therefore their 'age' may be a reference to how long they had been in Christ relative to others.</p><p><em>The younger men as brothers-&nbsp;</em>Timothy was of their age, and yet he was their spiritual elder. He was to emphasize what he naturally had in common with them, to exhort them as their leader but not as their superior, ever remembering that he was an equal brother in Christ as they were. Here again we see a great psychological and inter-personal challenge; which in the internal strengthening and wisdom of the Lord's Spirit, it seems Timothy achieved.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:2'>1Ti 5:2</a></em>&nbsp;<em>The elder women as mothers</em>- I suggested on <em><a href='B:610 4:7'>1Ti 4:7</a></em> that there were a group of older women teaching Jewish fables in the church, who had to be stopped. And Paul advises him to go about this by exhorting / appealing rather than direct rebuke. How could Timothy, young and despised for his youth, remove older women from their teaching ministry, and keep them within the church? Only by the wisdom of the Spirit.</p><p><em>The younger women as sisters</em>- The younger women who needed rebuking may refer to the former followers of the Diana cult who had to be removed from their positions of influence in chapter 2. How could Timothy, who seems to have had a particular temptation from women, successfully engage with the younger women and get them to accept his position, and remove them from their teaching positions? For the positive outcome to be achieved which the Lord's later letter to Ephesus suggests, Timothy must have been powerfully blessed to achieve what would have appeared to be psychologically, sociologically and spiritually impossible. And that same strengthening of the Spirit is available to us in similar missions apparently impossible.</p><p><em>In all purity-&nbsp;</em>See on <em><a href='B:610 4:12'>1Ti 4:12</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Purity</em>&nbsp;regarding Timothy's tendency to sexual weakness.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:3'>1Ti 5:3</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Honour widows that are indeed widows</em>- This section reveals that there was clearly a problem with a group of widows in the Ephesian church. They were living off the church, and yet instead of praying (:5) were giving themselves to sensual pleasure to the point they were spiritually dead (:6). Some of the widows were young and would be best to remarry and have children (:14), other widows were elderly with adult children and grandchildren (:4). These are the same two groups who were giving false teaching. Chapter 2 speaks of the younger women who were acting still like the prostitute priestesses of the Diana cult, claiming that their sexual services empowered the prayers of the men who used them (see commentary there). it was these women whom Paul urged to get on and have children (<em><a href='B:610 2:15'>1Ti 2:15</a></em>); and he gives the same advice here (:14). They were remaining single in order to act as the priestesses of Diana but in a Christian garb. And Paul condemns this and encourages them not to see marriage and bearing children as so dishonourable. The older women represented the Judaist problem in the church; they were teaching Jewish fables (<em><a href='B:610 4:7'>1Ti 4:7</a></em>). The simple problem was that these widows were financially supported by the church and had time on their hands. Indeed we could go so far as to say that if indeed as suggested on chapter 2 they were acting like the Diana cult priestesses, they would have been paid money for their sexual services by the men of the congregation. Effectively they were prostitutes, even if the whole system was justified by having drawn up a register of widows and the claim that they were being supported by charity. This level of immorality in the early church ought not to surprise us when we recall that the Corinthians were getting drunk at the breaking of bread service, and there is the implication in Corinthians that there was sexual misbehaviour going on there too. Jezebel is rebuked for teaching the Lord's people to commit fornication. The letter of James suggests grave abuse and even murder going on in the church. I have seen all this kind of thing happening in churches in the developing world today. So the picture I am painting of Ephesus is not beyond imagination. The fact the Lord doesn't mention this kind of thing in His letter to Ephesus some time later is highly significant; for He does mention such things to other churches. It shows that Timothy's difficult mission did in fact succeed. To reform such an awful situation would seem not at all the mission for a young, insecure, timid man like Timothy. But his success and empowering just shows what can be achieved by the work of the Spirit. Timothy was being asked to differentiate between the genuine widows who really did need support; and these other widows, both young and old, who frankly needed to focus on good works and serving the Lord in family life, rather than the roles they had been adopting. Again we note that it was the content of their teaching, rather than their gender, which was what Paul took issue with.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:4'>1Ti 5:4</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But if any widow has children or grandchildren,</em>&nbsp;<em>let them learn first to show devotion towards their own family</em>- The presence of the elderly in our lives is in order to teach us something. It is a form of "devotion", the Greek meaning 'worship' (only s:w. <em><a href='B:510 17:23'>Act 17:23</a></em>). Again there may be a hint at the idol worship / devotion to Diana- for the word is only elsewhere used about idol worship (<em><a href='B:510 17:23'>Act 17:23</a></em>). The Christian equivalent of 'devotion' to idols / Diana was to look after your mum and dad or your granny... and not the grandiose external rituals which passed as 'devotion'. Another track is suggested by the way in which a related word is used about&nbsp;<em>Jewish</em>&nbsp;devotion to Judaism (<em><a href='B:510 10:2'>Act 10:2</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 10:7'>Act 10:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 22:12'>Act 22:12</a></em>). And again…&nbsp;<em>Christian</em>&nbsp;devotion was not so external and public, it was all about the daily nitty gritty of caring for your elderly relatives. Perhaps Paul chose this word in order to address the two elements of the Ephesian problem- devotion to Diana on one hand, and to Judaism on the other.</p><p><em>And to repay their parents</em>- The Greek seems to suggest an equal, measure for measure repayment. I have been raised by parents and cared for those parents in their old age. And I have raised my own children. I can therefore comment that in no way is the care for aged parents an adequate or equal repayment for the care they gave you. But Paul says that by attempting to do this, we learn. We learn grace, that were it not for parental grace, we would not have survived babyhood and would not be here today. And we seek to reflect that grace in caring for the elderly within our families. And this learning and response to that learning- is pleasing to God.</p><p><em>For this is acceptable in the sight of God</em>- The language of the acceptability of sacrifice before God. Sacrifice was a part of both paganism and Judaism; Paul is saying that the acceptable sacrifice to Him under Christianity is to care for your rellies.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:5'>1Ti 5:5</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Now she that is indeed a widow and alone has her hope set on God, and continues in supplications and prayers night and day-&nbsp;</em>The allusion is to Anna in the temple. The elderly are limited in what they can physically do, but Paul seems to envisage here a very serious and organized prayer ministry, made possible by the widow being materially cared for. That care should come from her family, and if not, then the church. And in response, she should use her time and freedom from secular cares to seriously pray "night and day". This is a wonderful idea for all of us whenever or however we find ourselves indisposed. But it obviously has particular relevance to elderly believers. Regarding widows and prayer, see on :3.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:6'>1Ti 5:6</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But she that gives herself to pleasure is dead while she lives-&nbsp;</em>See on :3. I have suggested that the younger widows were acting similarly to the priestess 'mediators' of the Diana cult from which they had come out. They were in serious sin, and although they had the name of the living Jesus, they were spiritually dead, in anticipation of the condemnation to death they would receive unless they repented. <em><a href='B:560 4:17-18'>Eph 4:17-18</a></em> was written to the same Ephesians, and urges them to "<em>No longer</em>&nbsp;walk as the Gentiles walk... alienated from the life of God", that is, dead. <em><a href='B:560 5:14'>Eph 5:14</a></em> makes the same appeal to these Ephesians- to awake spiritually out of the sleep of death.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:7'>1Ti 5:7</a></em>&nbsp;<em>These things also command, so that they may be without reproach</em>- The concern seems to be that the surrounding opposition to Christianity in Ephesus, both Jewish and pagan, could so easily use the situation with the widows in order to bring reproach upon the name of Christ and to finally stamp out Christianity in Ephesus. The "things" may be the practical commands regarding how to reform the system of widow support in Ephesus which follow in :8-16. The Greek for "reproach" means literally 'not arrested'. Paul could imagine how the Christians could easily be arrested for things related to what they were doing; they were laying themselves wide open to all manner of accusations and legal problems.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:8'>1Ti 5:8</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But if anyone does not provide for his own family and specially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever</em>- This seems rather an extreme thing to say about someone who doesn't care for their elderly relatives as they might do. And it can hardly be true as it stands, because not everyone is able to provide for their elderly relatives, due to economic, health or geographic reasons. But the statement here makes perfect sense if we accept the reconstruction of the scene as suggested in these notes. Instead of looking after parents, money was being paid to a class of 'widows' in the church who were effectively prostitutes, who claimed they could empower the prayers of the men to be better heard by God (see on chapter 2). This indeed merits the kind of condemnation Paul hands out here.</p><p>But then the deep error of ignoring care for parents must still be faced. If we selfishly build up our own possessions through ignoring the needs of others, we have denied the Faith- even if we hold on to a clear understanding of the doctrines. Loving money is erring from the Faith- again, even though we may keep our theoretical understanding (<em><a href='B:610 6:10'>1Ti 6:10</a></em>). It is perhaps intentional that three times in the same section in 1 Tim:, Paul speaks of those who leave the Faith; once he speaks of this in the context of doctrinal error (<em><a href='B:610 6:21'>1Ti 6:21</a></em>); the other two references (<em><a href='B:610 5:8'>1Ti 5:8</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 6:10'>1Ti 6:10</a></em>) concern leaving the Faith through being materialistic, whilst holding on to true doctrines. The point is, the one is as bad as the other. The fact the Kingdom will be on&nbsp;<em>earth</em>&nbsp;not in Heaven is not just incidental. It means that we&nbsp;<em>now</em>, as we live on this planet which will be our eternal possession, will not strive for present possession of it, neither will be swayed by the pressure groups and political groups who only look at the state of the world as it&nbsp;<em>now</em>&nbsp;is. "The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again because he dies before he can repay his mortgage?: but the righteous dealeth graciously, and giveth:&nbsp;<em>For</em>&nbsp;such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth" (<em><a href='B:230 37:21-22'>Psa 37:21-22</a></em> RV). Exactly because we will inherit this planet gives us strength against materialism; it means that we will be generous; we will not focus our lives upon temporarily buying a spot of land which in any case we will eternally inherit.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:9'>1Ti 5:9</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Let no one be registered as a widow who is under sixty years old</em>- This is proof enough that the commands being given here were relevant to sorting out the situation in Ephesus and not global commands. We must read the commands about a certain group of women being silenced in chapter 2 in the same way. The fact he recommends some younger widows to remarry (:14) is also proof enough that "widows" doesn't mean 'all widows'. It may be that single and widowed brethren and sisters made open statements of their decision to devote themselves to the Lord Jesus:&nbsp; <em><a href='B:610 5:9'>1Ti 5:9</a></em> suggests there was a specific "number" of widows in the Ephesus ecclesia who were financially supported by the ecclesia. But as noted above, this was being abused and turned into what was effectively prostitution.</p><p><em>Only register those who have been the woman of one man and</em>- This confirms our earlier suggestion that the group supported as 'widows' included some who were sexually immoral, acting as suggested in chapter 2 effectively as church prostitutes, taking money for acting as the Christian equivalent to the priestesses of the Diana cult, in order to supposedly enhance the prayers of the men they slept with. Note that Timothy and other elders in this church are warned to be the man of one woman (<em><a href='B:610 3:2'>1Ti 3:2</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 3:12'>1Ti 3:12</a></em>)- modelling to these church members the kind of life required of a believer. Thinking it through, "the woman of one man" surely cannot mean that over the course of their lives, they must not have been promiscuous. For surely such sins are washed away at baptism and should not be a reason for not supporting such a woman after she has been baptized and is widowed, being over 60 years old. Rather the logic surely requires that she should not&nbsp;<em>now</em>&nbsp;be promiscuous, a woman of many men. This again supports the idea that there was a problem in Ephesus of some female members, even those over 60, being promiscuous. And this is explained by our suggestion on chapter 2 that some of the sisters were offering sexual services supposedly to improve the power of the men's prayers. No wonder Paul tells Timothy to end this system and haul them off the platform.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:10'>1Ti 5:10</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Well reported of for good works; if she has brought up children, if she has used hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has helped the afflicted</em>- This is not just a random list of good works for a believing woman. I suggest that each of these works are in conscious contradistinction from the behaviour of the priestess prostitutes of the Diana cult. They did not believe in having or therefore raising children; hence Paul tells the younger widows to have children (:14) and in chapter 2 suggests those particular women save themselves from their immorality by childbearing. The Diana cult was fiercely xenophobic- we recall how the appeal was made to the citizens of Ephesus to destroy Paul and his missionary work on the basis that he was bringing their beloved Ephesus into dishonour. The problematic sisters were clearly influenced by these wrong attitudes although they had left the Diana cult. Hence the requirement for them to show hospitality to strangers; and they were to wash the feet of their brethren rather than take money for having sex with them on the excuse they were assisting in the power of their prayers according to our reconstruction offered in chapter 2. "Helped the afflicted" may well refer to how Paul went through awful problems with the mob there (Acts 19); the Greek for "afflicted" means literally 'the thronged', which is how it is translated in <em><a href='B:480 3:9'>Mar 3:9</a></em>. <em><a href='B:530 15:32'>1Co 15:32</a></em> suggests he may even have been thrown to the wild beasts in the arena there. Those who had ministered to Paul and other persecuted preachers then were thus qualified to be supported. The hint might be that these Christians who were still so influenced by the Diana cult may not have been so forward in coming to his assistance. It is Onesiphorus and not the local believers who is mentioned as ministering to Paul in his great afflictions in Ephesus (<em><a href='B:620 1:18'>2Ti 1:18</a></em>). Paul mentions this in writing to Timothy there at Ephesus.</p><p><em>If she has diligently followed every good work</em>- Notice the double emphasis in this verse alone on good works; and so often in the letters to Timothy. The fact the Lord later commended Ephesus for their good works in Revelation 2 shows that Timothy's ministry was in that sense successful. He, the weak and unlikely one, took Paul's inspired words at their full weight and implemented them. The same relatively rare Greek word translated "followed after" is found soon after, where in :24,25 Paul says that the good works of the faithful follow them to judgment. Whilst salvation is by grace and not works, works will be taken into account in our final judgment and will play a part in forming the nature of the person whom we shall eternally be.</p><p>
"Good work" is the same phrase as in Eph. 2:10, where we are to do the good works which were "beforehand prepared" for us. "Beforehand prepared" suggests we were prepared for the performing of our good works from a specific beginning point. And that surely was at 'the beginning'. Our entire genetic history, the nature of our early childhood experiences and surrounding family, was prepared so that we would be born with the wiring required to do the works intended. It is often noted of heroes that they were 'born for this hour'; but that is in fact true of us all. To turn away from those works, through disinterest, laziness, wilful lack of perception, self absorption... is to waste so much. We on our side must be prepared unto every good work (2 Tim. 2:21); "be eagerly ready [s.w. prepared] unto every good work" (Tit. 3:1). We are to abound in good works (s.w.) because of God's abounding grace to us (2 Cor. 9:8). The good works are therefore a way of life and not some occasional good charitable deeds. We will be 'established' in this life of good works (2 Thess. 2:17); we are to "follow every good work" (1 Tim. 5:10), a strange phrase until we undertsand that the good works were prepared for us ahead of time, and we are to follow after them. We are to be on the look out, prepared, for those good works.  </p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:11'>1Ti 5:11</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But refuse to register younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry</em>- There is nothing wrong with marrying. Indeed Paul commands it for these women in :14. It would appear that they had entered a voluntary vow to Christ not to remarry- hence the sin. As suggested on chapter 2, actually these young sisters were acting like the prostitute priestesses of the Diana cult, vowing virginity to their god whilst sleeping with the male worshippers and aborting any pregnancies. They had of course left the Diana cult, but were acting in a similar way, instead taking a vow of virginity to Christ- will apparently sleeping with brethren on the pretext of strengthening the acceptability of their prayers, and then receiving money for this from the widows' support fund. This would be a classic example of pagan mentality mixing in with Christianity, and apparent devotion to Christ being mixed with immorality. This kind of thing is far from unknown in the church of today.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:12'>1Ti 5:12</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Having condemnation, because they have rejected their first pledge</em>- As there were consequences for breaking the Nazirite vow and other vows under the Mosaic law, so it was and is wrong to vow things to the Lord and then break them. But all the same, the language of condemnation seems rather strong- see on :8. And yet it is understandable if my reconstruction of the situation is correct. To use such a pledge to Christ as an opportunity for immorality, and earning money by effective prostitution in the name of worshipping God and mediating Christian prayers- this is indeed behaviour that has to call for condemnation. If we don't read it this way, we are left with the apparent severity of judging those who pledge singleness to Christ and then feel they want to get married. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul speaks exactly to this situation. He seems to refer to this pledge of singleness when he writes of those who promise to keep their virginity; but Paul says that if even after that, they cannot "contain", then they should marry. Yet here he is saying that such breaking of the pledge warrants condemnation. I therefore feel justified in resolving that contradiction by seeing in the pledge breaking far more than meets the eye if we just read these words without their context.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:13'>1Ti 5:13</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:490 9:4'>Luk 9:4</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 20:20'>Act 20:20</a></em>.</p><p><em>Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not</em>- The Greek for "idlers" means literally 'not workers'; the compound includes the same word for "works" used&nbsp;in <em><a href='B:610 2:10'>1Ti 2:10</a></em> about the need for the young sisters to do good "works" rather than dress up as the equivalent of the priestesses of the Diana cult. The antidote to their bad behaviour and immorality was to do works; not that works would save them, but passionate involvement in the Lord's service in practice would preserve them from involvement in immorality. This is actually, reading between the lines, Paul's advice to Timothy regarding his wayward sexual urges. And it is true for all time that the Biblical devil finds work for idle hands. One reason why God’s purpose operates through human works is that the works are a necessary part of our own spiritual path and development; although the works in themselves are not needed by God nor are they the basis of our salvation&nbsp;<em>per se</em>. "They learn to be idlers" can bear the translation "they give to understand / teach"- as they went from "house to house". This is the very phrase used in Acts 2 about the early brethren going from house to house, i:e. from one home group to another, breaking bread and doing Bible study. We can assume that these women were going around the house groups which comprised the Ephesus church, teaching idleness, teaching against good works. The fact Ephesus are commended for their good works in Revelation 2 shows that all this advice really did work for the church and Timothy managed to obey it all successfully. "Saying what they should not" uses&nbsp;<em>laleo</em>, a word elsewhere translated 'preach' and 'teach'. And they were repeating gossip and busybody material in the name of teaching. No wonder in chapter 2 that Paul says they should no longer be teachers. But we notice that it is the content of their teaching, rather than their being teachers, which is the burden of his difficulty with them.</p><p>By publicly getting a bad name for “wandering about from house to house”, these women were giving opportunity to the Jewish adversaries to “rail against” (A:V. margin) the Christians. <em><a href='B:720 1:9-10'>Jud 1:9-10</a></em> implies that the Judaizers brought “railing accusation” against the Christians. “Speaking things which they ought not”, recalls <em><a href='B:720 1:10'>Jud 1:10</a></em> about the Judaizers: “these speak evil of those things which they know not”. “Wandering” connects with Jude’s description of “wandering stars” (<em><a href='B:720 1:13'>Jud 1:13</a></em>). Diotrephes, one of the Judaizers who was trying to discredit the apostle John and the other apostles, (as the Judaizers did to Paul) is described as “prating against us with malicious words” (<em><a href='B:710 1:10'>3Jn 1:10</a></em>). “Prating” is from the same word translated “tattlers” in <em><a href='B:610 5:13'>1Ti 5:13</a></em> concerning these women. The women going from house to house may imply from church to church, as that is how the word “house” is often used in the New Testament (due to the many house churches then in existence). This is what the Jewish false teachers did; <em><a href='B:700 1:7'>2Jn 1:7</a></em> talks about deceivers or seducers that had entered into the Christian world, i:e. the false brethren “unawares brought in” to the church of Galatia. There are many references to these “seducing spirits” (<em><a href='B:610 4:1'>1Ti 4:1</a></em>) – i:e. false teachers (<em><a href='B:690 4:1'>1Jn 4:1</a></em>) – within the church, to which the church was not to give “heed” (<em><a href='B:610 4:1'>1Ti 4:1</a></em>). That these were Jewish false teachers is suggested by other references to “giving heed” in the context of being watchful against Jewish infiltration of Christianity:</p><p>– “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees” (<em><a href='B:480 8:15'>Mar 8:15</a></em>);</p><p>– “Not giving heed to Jewish fables” (<em><a href='B:630 1:14'>Tit 1:14</a></em>);</p><p>– “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies’ (<em><a href='B:610 1:4'>1Ti 1:4</a></em>) – the source of which genealogies was probably the Old Testament, over which the Judaizers were encouraging the Christians to argue to no profit.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:14'>1Ti 5:14</a></em>&nbsp;<em>I desire therefore that the younger widows marry, bear children-&nbsp;</em>I have repeatedly connected this with the comment that the young women of <em><a href='B:610 2:15'>1Ti 2:15</a></em> should quit their effective prostitution and teaching within the church, renounce their vow of virginity which they had copied from the Diana cult priestesses, and have children. And by submitting to the spiritual disciplines which come with Christian family life, they would save themselves from a path which was otherwise leading to their condemnation (<em><a href='B:610 5:12'>1Ti 5:12</a></em>).</p><p><em>Rule the household, give no occasion to the adversary for slander</em>- These women, as teachers, were clearly capable. Paul encourages these particular women to exercise their abilities in spiritually leading their households. But it could be that Paul is also encouraging them to start their own house groups of believers which they would "rule", instead of going around teaching idleness to the other house groups (see on :13).</p><p>The New Testament speaks of households run by women: Mary (<em><a href='B:510 12:12'>Act 12:12</a></em>), Lydia (<em><a href='B:510 16:14'>Act 16:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 16:40'>Act 16:40</a></em>); Nympha (<em><a href='B:580 4:15'>Col 4:15</a></em>) and Chloe (<em><a href='B:530 1:11'>1Co 1:11</a></em>). These women were presumably wealthy widows or divorcees who hadn’t remarried. We are left to speculate whether they were in some way the ‘leaders’ of the house churches which met in their homes. Women are described as ruling households in <em><a href='B:610 5:14'>1Ti 5:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:630 2:4-5'>Tit 2:4-5</a></em>. The woman of Proverbs 31 clearly had autonomy within the private sphere of the household, even though the husband was the public leader. Seeing Christianity was initially a house-church, household religion, we are left to wonder how much women actually led house churches, especially seeing that the majority of early Christian members appear to have been women. The wall paintings frescoes found in the Christian catacombs around Rome are highly significant for our present study. The significant ones for our purposes are the catacombs of Priscilla on the Salaria Nuova, Callixtus on the via Appia Antica, and that of Domitilla on the via Ardeatine. They feature in places scenes of female Christians raising cups, with the inscription&nbsp;<em>agape</em>&nbsp;over them. Some show a woman occupying the central place in the meal, with a large cup in her hand, with the other women looking at it intently. Some of the frescoes there are many of them show women dressed as slaves doing this in what appears to be a wealthy home. These frescoes seem to me indicative of how groups of slave women formed house churches, and faithfully kept the breaking of bread. Some frescoes show the women sharing the bread and wine with children around the table; one shows a woman holding a scroll, as if she is reading Scripture to the others. One fresco features a woman holding a cup of wine inscribed ‘<em>nobis</em>’- ‘for us’:&nbsp; Some frescoes show men in the group, but the woman in the centre, as if she is leading the meeting, or as the host of the household.</p><p>Paul encourages younger mothers to “rule their households”, using a word&nbsp;<em>oikodespoteo</em>&nbsp;which would usually be used about the man ruling the house. His implication is surely that in Christ, husband and wife together rule the household, notwithstanding the wife being in submission to her husband.</p><p>“The adversary” is not the same word as “Satan”, although it may still refer to the Jews seeking opportunity to criticize the. It can mean “an adversary at law” in a legal sense, implying that the Jews could get them in trouble at a Roman court. There’s plenty of historical evidence of this.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:15'>1Ti 5:15</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For already some are turned aside after satan</em>- The Greek for "turned aside" is used four times in the letters to Timothy. Paul knew that some would be turned aside by false teaching (<em><a href='B:610 1:6'>1Ti 1:6</a></em>; <em><a href='B:620 4:4'>2Ti 4:4</a></em>), and he didn’t want Timothy to be turned aside by it either (<em><a href='B:610 6:20'>1Ti 6:20</a></em>). We see here the importance of Timothy's commission to stamp out false teaching- because this is what it leads to. People listen, and they are led aside from the Kingdom path.</p><p>Note that the widows turn themselves aside after Satan – Satan is not necessarily seeking the women. Verses 12 and 13 explain that the widows “cast off their first faith” – something they did themselves. “They learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house”. It was by their doing this that they “turned aside after Satan’ – their evil desires, and the Jewish temple cult. Using the tongue in the wrong way is a result of an evil state of the heart – “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (<em><a href='B:470 12:34'>Mat 12:34</a></em>). Their turning aside after Satan involved being “tattlers... and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not” (v. 13). Thus “Satan” refers to their evil heart. Through profitless talking and not keeping hold of the true spirit of the Word of God, some had “turned aside unto vain jangling” (<em><a href='B:610 1:6'>1Ti 1:6</a></em>). Paul is now pointing out that some of the young widows in that ecclesia had also turned aside for the same reason “unto Satan”, or their evil desires, expressed in their idle talking.</p><p>The “seducing spirits” of :1 had seared consciences (:2), implying that they were apostate believers. They forbad to marry, “commanding to abstain from meats” (:3), which especially the latter, was the big contention of the Jewish element in the church in the first century. Notice that what is said here about the Judaizers is also true of the Catholics – supporting the idea that 2 Thessalonians 2 is about both Jews and Catholics.</p><p>Thus the “seducing spirits” of <em><a href='B:610 4:1'>1Ti 4:1</a></em> were the Jewish infiltrators of the church, which were doubtless amongst the “deceivers” of <em><a href='B:700 1:7'>2Jn 1:7</a></em>, which <em><a href='B:700 1:10'>2Jn 1:10</a></em> implies were going from house to house (church to church) spreading their doctrine of belittling the person of Christ. These Judaizers “subvert whole houses” (<em><a href='B:630 1:11'>Tit 1:11</a></em>). Back in <em><a href='B:610 5:13'>1Ti 5:13</a></em>, the fact that the women also went from house to house is another indication that what they were doing was also what the Judaizers were doing. Thus it is an interesting possibility that when their husbands died, these women lacked spiritual leadership, and therefore turned aside after the Jewish Satan, being influenced by the Jews to undermine the church. Using such apparently innocent members of the church would have been a very effective way of infiltrating. Perhaps there is a reference to this in 2 Timothy 3. This speaks of men within the ecclesia, “having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof” (v. 5), unsound judgment in church decisions (v. 8 A:V. margin). “Their folly shall be manifest unto all men” (v. 9) – at the Judgment, where the responsible appear. They are likened to Jannes and Jambres, who, according to Jewish tradition, were apostate Jews. These false teachers (probably Judaizers), “creep into (i:e. subtly infiltrate) houses (churches), and lead captive silly women” (v. 6). Note how the Judaizers are described as capturing Christians to become infiltrators in <em><a href='B:620 2:26'>2Ti 2:26</a></em> and in <em><a href='B:610 3:7'>1Ti 3:7</a></em>. This view of the women is confirmed by the following two points:</p><p>i) <em><a href='B:510 13:50'>Act 13:50</a></em> describes the Jews stirring up “the devout and honourable women and (thereby)... raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas”.</p><p>ii) There is evidence in profane history that many Gentile women were influenced by the Jews. Thus Josephus (<em>Wars of the Jews</em>, II, 20:2) claims that when the Jews of Damascus were persecuted, the proselyte wives of the Gentiles living there were also attacked. Josephus describes the Gentile wives of the men of Damascus as “almost all of them addicted to the Jewish religion”. William Barclay says that during the first century “the Jewish religion had a special attraction for a woman... round the synagogues were gathered many women, often women of high social position, who found in this (Jewish) teaching just what they so much longed for. Many of these women became proselytes” (William Barclay,&nbsp;<em>The Acts of the Apostles</em>&nbsp;(Louisville: Westminster / John Knox, 2003) p. 114). That the women Paul refers to were also wealthy is shown by them having time to go around from house to house, instead of having to work.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:16'>1Ti 5:16</a></em>&nbsp;<em>If any woman that believes has widows in her family, let her help them and let not the church be burdened, so that it may help those that are indeed widows</em>- This appears to be a summary of the commands in this section about widows. But in some MSS, such as those followed here by the NEV, it seems specifically addressed to women. In this case, given our previous reconstructions, it would seem these young women were justifying the payment for their sexual services by saying they were being paid not only for their own widowhood but for their widowed mothers too.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:17'>1Ti 5:17</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:470 7:24'>Mat 7:24</a></em>.</p><p><em>Let the elders that rule well</em>- There were some Ephesian elders that did "rule well", despite all the problems in the church which we have pointed out. And "the angel of the church at Ephesus" was commended by the Lord for stamping out false teaching and excelling in works. Although it was the loss of&nbsp;<em>agape</em>&nbsp;love which was their downfall in the end. We recall Paul's last meeting with the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, where he glumly warned them that of their own selves, men would arise destroying the flock at Ephesus; and urged attention to God’s word in view of this. I see that warning in the same way as I see God’s inspired message that in 40 day, Nineveh would be destroyed. But these expressions of future doom of themselves invite repentance and spiritual effort, which God rewards and takes deep notice of, to the extent that the threatened catastrophes either don't happen or are delayed. And the existence of an acceptable church in Ephesus by the time of Revelation 2 is a proof case of this. The command to appoint faithful elders and pass on the baton to them (<em><a href='B:620 2:2'>2Ti 2:2</a></em>) was therefore fulfilled well by Timothy.</p><p><em>Be counted worthy of double honour</em>- If this has some financial reference (:18 "wages", and see the parallel in <em><a href='B:530 9:8-10'>1Co 9:8-10</a></em> which is in a financial context), then we should connect it with the preceding comment that the money spent on the fraudulent widows' welfare fund was a 'burden' on the church (:16). Paul states plainly enough that he is not against a paid ministry although he didn’t use it himself. But this verse would appear to be saying that Timothy decided what was paid to whom, and there seems the surprising idea of payment according to spiritual integrity. We would rather have expected payment to be simply according to basic living needs, but he does appear here to go beyond that. Presumably his idea was not to offer a financial carrot towards spirituality, but to demonstrate that good service to the Lord was to be recognized and rewarded by the congregation. I am uncomfortable with that conclusion but I find it hard to see any other consistent interpretation:&nbsp;The only alternative I can think of is that the "double honour" may be referent to the money paid to widows- those elders who ruled well were to get double what they were being given. But still the problem remains that it was because of the 'wellness' of their work that they were to be rewarded; and "honour" is not completely relevant to the widows. And see on :18&nbsp;<em>The labourer is worthy of his wages.</em></p><p><em>Especially those who labour in the word and in teaching</em>- A reference to Bible study and then teaching the results of that study. Teaching is therefore not entertainment, re-casting secular stories or wisdom in spiritual terms accessible to the congregation; it is to be preceded by study of the word itself. The idea may be that the labour of the elders was not in secular life, but their work in study and teaching was equal to that of secular employment. The Lord commends the "Angel" at Ephesus, presumably referring to the eldership, for "labouring" (<em><a href='B:730 2:3'>Rev 2:3</a></em> s:w:).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:18'>1Ti 5:18</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For the Scripture says-&nbsp;</em>We find a very significant feature in both the New Testament itself, and in the historical, uninspired writings of the early Christians:&nbsp;<em>they speak about the New Testament writings as being inspired Scripture just as they speak of the inspired Old Testament writings:&nbsp;</em>So Peter, writing in A:D. 68, speaks of Paul's letters as being amongst "the other Scriptures" (<em><a href='B:680 3:16'>2Pe 3:16</a></em>), i:e. on the same level of acceptance as the Old Testament Scriptures. Here in <em><a href='B:610 5:18'>1Ti 5:18</a></em>, Paul combines two quotations, one from the Old Testament and another from the Gospel of Luke, and calls them both “Scripture”: " For the Scripture saith ' 'Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn ' <em><a href='B:50 25:4'>Deu 25:4</a></em>; and, 'The labourer is worthy of his hire'" (<em><a href='B:490 10:7'>Luk 10:7</a></em>). Polycarp, writing in about AD115, combines the Old Testament Psalms and Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in a similar manner: "In the sacred books... as it is said in these Scriptures, 'Be ye angry and sin not,' and 'Let not the sun go down upon your wrath’." Some years later, the uninspired second letter of Clement (<em><a href='B:610 2:4'>1Ti 2:4</a></em>) quotes Isaiah and then adds: "And another Scripture, however, says, 'I came not to call the righteous, but sinners'" -quoting from Matthew. The first epistle of Clement, dating at the latest to AD95, quotes from many of Paul’s letters and from the Gospels; but very significantly, it doesn’t quote from any of the books which later were rejected at the Councils. So, the ‘new’ writings of the New Testament were accepted on an equal footing as the Old Testament Scriptures, from soon after they were first circulated. Notice that this was all&nbsp;<em>before</em>&nbsp;the Councils met to assemble the canon. The books were widely accepted as inspired&nbsp;<em>before</em>&nbsp;them They didn’t give those books an inspired status. It’s also apparent that the ‘new’ books didn’t go through much of a process of being recognized as inspired. They were accepted as inspired immediately. See on <em><a href='B:530 14:29'>1Co 14:29</a></em>; <em><a href='B:690 4:1'>1Jn 4:1</a></em>.</p><p><em>You shall not muzzle</em>- The word means literally to render speechless. The idea may be that if an elder was not paid, then they would not have time to prepare their talks for the congregation. The Old Testament contains examples of where the Levites failed to teach the people because the tithes for supporting them were not paid.</p><p><em>The ox when he treads out the corn</em>- The stress may be on the word "when"; the elder must do this if he is to be fed. The treading out of the corn represents the labour in the word which is required before teaching it to the church congregation (see on :17). The corn represents God’s word and the treading out the processing of it. And yet in this figure, the ox cp. the elder eats some of the corn he processes. This has been a theme of Paul in advising Timothy- that the very process of spiritually feeding others leads to the spiritual benefit of the feeder (see on <em><a href='B:610 4:6'>1Ti 4:6</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Nourished up</em>).</p><p><em>And, The labourer is worthy of his wages</em>- The wages are to be&nbsp;<em>axios</em>&nbsp;the worker, appropriate to the quality and amount of work. Hence those who worked "well" were to receive "double" (:17).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:19'>1Ti 5:19</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Do not receive an accusation against an elder, except at the mouth of two or three witnesses</em>- The way Paul commanded Timothy not to even&nbsp;<em>consider</em>&nbsp;a complaint against an elder unless another two or three had been eye-witnesses is proof enough that he expected elders to be slandered from within the ecclesia. The more you read between the lines of Paul's letters, the more evident it is that his very own brethren almost unbelievably slandered him. See on <em><a href='B:550 5:11'>Gal 5:11</a></em>; <em><a href='B:590 2:3'>1Th 2:3</a></em>. The context is the problematic group of sisters spreading gossip and being busybodies (:13). This kind of thing happens today, with the internet facilitating it. Paul seems to be saying that such gossips should not be 'taken up' or responded to unless there are two or three eye-witnesses.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:20'>1Ti 5:20</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Those elders that sin, reprove in the sight of all-&nbsp;</em>The "all" may refer to all the elders; the "rest" who are to take warning from the reproof. I say this because there appears to be a parallel in the next verse, where Timothy is charged before or "in the sight of" "the elect angels", who I suggest refer to the eldership. For the Lord addresses them as the Angel of the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2.</p><p><em>So that the rest may also be in fear</em>- Reproof in the sight of others is shame based, which we may be somewhat uncomfortable with. But shame was a hugely powerful component in first century Mediterranean psychology and sociology. And perhaps the "sin" in view was connected to this whole issue of good appearance in the sight of others- which pride to this day is the root of so many sins.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:21'>1Ti 5:21</a></em>&nbsp;<em>I charge you in the sight of God and Christ Jesus</em>- If the elders were to be reproved in the sight of each other (:20), then who was Timothy as the 'boss' to be reproved in the sight of? The answer to that was 'In God’s sight and that of Jesus- as well as of the Angels'.</p><p><em>And the elect Angels- The context in 1 Timothy warns against the Jewish obsession with effectively worshipping Angels. Paul wishes to refocus their attention on Angels in the correct sense:&nbsp;</em>I suggested on :20 that this refers to the elders of the church. But they in turn were represented by literal Angels in Heaven. Hence the Angel of the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2 was in the context both a literal Angel and the human elder or group of elders in Ephesus which were represented by an Angel in Heaven. Scripture abounds with reference to this 'court of Heaven', in which individuals and situations on earth are reflected in Heaven, and Heaven's structure is reflected on earth. Angels represent the face and presence of God; the fact they are physically present in our lives means that we should live in a&nbsp;sense of awe and humility at the nearness of God to us. Often this presence of the Angel is used as a means of motivating us to higher endeavour for the Lord. Jacob conceived of&nbsp;his guardian Angel as "the fear of my father Isaac". This then is one of the ways we should fear God- to live in constant respect and awareness of the Angel in our lives. Paul uses the idea of&nbsp;charging brethren "before the elect Angels that thou do these things without preferring one before another" (<em><a href='B:610 5:21'>1Ti 5:21</a></em>), as if to say that the physical presence&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;ecclesia's&nbsp;representative Angels should inspire humility and obedience in the running of ecclesial affairs. In a judgment context, Paul charges Timothy before the angels of the elect, i:e. our guardian Angels- as if to say 'They are watching over you now, they will be there again at judgment and look back to your present life; so behave as you should as a man under God’s judgment'.</p><p>The present nature of the judgment ought to powerfully motivate us. "I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things..." (<em><a href='B:610 5:21'>1Ti 5:21</a></em> AV) is full of judgment language: before God, Christ and the Angels of the elect (i:e. our 'guardian Angels'). 'Before God' is the language of the judgment in <em><a href='B:470 25:32'>Mat 25:32</a></em>; <em><a href='B:490 21:36'>Luk 21:36</a></em>; <em><a href='B:520 14:10'>Rom 14:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:540 5:10'>2Co 5:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:620 2:14'>2Ti 2:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:690 2:28'>1Jn 2:28</a></em>; <em><a href='B:720 1:24'>Jud 1:24</a></em>; <em><a href='B:730 14:5'>Rev 14:5</a></em>. It's as if Paul was reminding Timothy that he was present before the judgment already, and should therefore be obedient. <em><a href='B:620 4:1'>2Ti 4:1</a></em> makes the link even more apparent: he charged Timothy to preach as being before (Gk:) both the Father and Son, who&nbsp;<em>will judge&nbsp;</em>the living and dead at His appearing. Because we effectively stand before the judgment seat now, therefore preach now, because preaching is one of those things that will be taken into account at the final judgment day (<em><a href='B:490 12:8'>Luk 12:8</a></em>). As men being before the Lord's throne, who will be finally judged just as we are now being judged, therefore act according to the principles which we know will lead to acceptance then.</p><p><em>That you observe these things</em>- The same word is used to Timothy in <em><a href='B:620 1:14'>2Ti 1:14</a></em>, where he is again told to 'keep / observe these things" "by the Holy Spirit which dwells in us". The Holy Spirit or mind is an internal power, working "within", in order to empower obedience. But like Timothy, we must be exhorted to make full use of it rather than attempting to be obedient in our own strength.</p><p><em>Without prejudice, doing nothing by partiality</em>- This was so hard for Timothy without the spiritual strengthening just alluded to. There were many different interest groups within the church, Jewish and pagan. Timothy the timid and young had to deal with older people who were teaching wrong things and shut them up. Timothy the afflicted with sexual lusts had to tell attractive young women to get married and have children. It would've been so very easy to act with partiality. He needed the psychological Holy Spirit strengthening mentioned under&nbsp;<em>Observe these things</em>&nbsp;in order to achieve this.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:22'>1Ti 5:22</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Lay hands hastily on no one</em>- This is in the context of elders, who like Timothy were appointed by laying on of hands. He is being told not to appoint anyone hastily, in chapter 3 he has been warned to give deacons a probationary period before appointing them. We can infer that Timothy was liable to over hasty and naive decision making. Again, the fact his mission succeeded was and is a testimony to the power of the Holy Spirit working within such a weak young man; see on :21&nbsp;<em>Observe these things.</em></p><p><em>And do not participate in other's sins. Keep yourself pure</em>- It would be fair to say that the church at Ephesus, including its leadership, was in a very bad moral state. It would've been a big temptation for someone as weak minded as Timothy to justify bad behaviour because the other elders were doing it. Paul has just spoken of the "sin" of elders (:20), and the "others" of :20 would seem to be the other elders. So Timothy, the newly appointed elder, is being told not to participate in the sins of the other elders, but rather reprove them (:20):&nbsp;<em>Koinoneo</em>, "participate", is from the common word family for 'fellowship'. We are not to fellowship the sins of others in the sense of not participating in them by doing them- Timothy was to "Keep yourself pure", with the emphasis on "yourself". Not fellowshipping other's sins clearly here doesn't mean 'cast them out of the church as individuals'. The fact the Lord positively addresses the eldership at Ephesus in Revelation 2 is a testament to the power of Timothy's example; he turned around that church by obedience to Paul's inspired advice and commands, rather than by throwing the offenders out of the church. Significantly, Paul doesn't tell Timothy to do that- despite the errors being serious indeed. As has been witnessed so many times, the problems aren't ultimately resolved by throwing people out and 'breaking fellowship' with them.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:23'>1Ti 5:23</a></em>&nbsp;<em>No longer drink only water; instead use a little wine for your stomach's sake</em>- A theme of the Timothy correspondence is that Timothy is indeed obedient to Paul's inspired commands- and therefore ultimately his ministry succeeds. He was clearly aware that Paul was concerned that he might abuse alcohol; for Paul commands Timothy not to be given to much wine (<em><a href='B:610 3:3'>1Ti 3:3</a></em>). It seems Timothy took this to the extreme and would not touch any alcohol. Such total abstinence was rare in first century society, so we can assume Timothy adopted this position from purely spiritual reasoning. Seeing alcohol was one of the most commonly available medicines for stomach and other ailments, this meant enduring much suffering. And Paul doesn't believe that stoic suffering for the sake of it is required; rather he wants Timothy to be active and useful in the church. And to that end he had been given the gift of the Spirit within him, i:e. in his mind, within his psychology (<em><a href='B:620 1:14'>2Ti 1:14</a></em>). But he had to allow himself to "be strengthened in the grace gift- of the Spirit that is in Christ" (<em><a href='B:620 2:1'>2Ti 2:1</a></em>), to "stir up the gift that is within you" (<em><a href='B:620 1:6'>2Ti 1:6</a></em>). It was only due to doing this that according to the Lord's later letter to the Ephesians his ministry succeeded in the areas he was charged with inspiring good works and shutting down false teachers. "No longer" may be alluding to the way that in Roman culture, wine was only to be drunk over the age of 30. Adam Clarke quotes ancient writers to this effect, "among the Romans, no servant, nor free woman, nor youths of quality, drank any wine till they were thirty years of age". Timothy is here described as a water drinker- although surely he drunk things apart from water. This is a technical term for a young person, not old enough to be seen as fit to drink wine, or not at the age when wine was considered necessary for the male metabolism. Perhaps Timothy had passed that age, although he is still called a 'young man' (1 Tim. 4:12). This could be a way of telling Timothy to 'grow up'. We get the same impression when Paul tells him to "flee youthful lusts". And in our age, too many adults are living the psychological lives of overgrown adolescents. This command is given at this point because Timothy is being called upon to discipline others and to be a leader of men; and he had to show himself mature to do this. This better fits the context- which is of Paul's personal appeal to Timothy, "keep yourself pure" (:22), lest all the focus upon judging others' spiritual qualifiations led him to ignore personal spirituality. So I suggest in terms of structure that :22-25 is Paul's specific personal advice and comfort to Timothy, although not solely; for the reference to "sins" clearly connects with the previous commands about dealing with and awareness of others' sins.    </p><p><em>And your frequent infirmities</em>- We continue to get the picture of Timothy as weak both physically and in personality. To be given such a demanding, stressful commission, when stomach problems are often connected to nervous strain, means that his obedience and success is the more noteworthy. And it is a testimony to the internal, psychological power of the Holy Spirit within Timothy which empowered him mentally to pull through it.</p><p>Consider Timothy's weaknesses, both directly stated and implied:</p><p>- He first of all flunked the calling to remain in Ephesus (see on <em><a href='B:610 1:3'>1Ti 1:3</a></em>)</p><p>- The commands concerning bishops were firstly Paul's commands to Timothy (see on <em><a href='B:610 3:14-15'>1Ti 3:14-15</a></em>). The suggestion would be that Timothy needed to pay attention to things like not womanizing and being a solid family man</p><p>- Liable to be taken in by the Jewish myths pedalled by the old Jewish sisters (<em><a href='B:610 4:7'>1Ti 4:7</a></em>; <em><a href='B:610 6:20'>1Ti 6:20</a></em>)</p><p>- Easily discouraged by older people despising his youth, needing encouragement to set a good example (<em><a href='B:610 4:12'>1Ti 4:12</a></em>)</p><p>- Liable to neglect his gifts, not using his full spiritual potential (<em><a href='B:610 4:14'>1Ti 4:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:620 1:6'>2Ti 1:6</a></em>; <em><a href='B:620 1:14'>2Ti 1:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:620 4:5'>2Ti 4:5</a></em> "make&nbsp;<em>full</em>&nbsp;proof of your ministry")</p><p>- Needing to take heed to himself (<em><a href='B:610 4:16'>1Ti 4:16</a></em>)</p><p>- Tempted to show partiality (<em><a href='B:610 5:21'>1Ti 5:21</a></em>) and to do the sins he saw other elders doing, being easily led (see on <em><a href='B:610 5:22'>1Ti 5:22</a></em>)</p><p>- Frequently ill with stomach upsets (<em><a href='B:610 5:23'>1Ti 5:23</a></em>). Paul says that he himself had to work as a tentmaker in order to meet the needs of Timothy whilst Timothy was with him; he had to work because of Timothy's weakness, mentally or physically, because he was unable to work to make himself a living (see on <em><a href='B:510 20:34'>Act 20:34</a></em>).</p><p>- Often in tears (<em><a href='B:620 1:4'>2Ti 1:4</a></em>)</p><p>- Being a fearful person rather than a positive one (<em><a href='B:620 1:7'>2Ti 1:7</a></em>)</p><p>- Fearful of suffering and having to identify with Paul from fear of persecution, easily embarrassed by association with Christ (<em><a href='B:620 1:8'>2Ti 1:8</a></em>), needing encouragement to "endure hardness" and have a disciplined mind and life (<em><a href='B:620 2:3'>2Ti 2:3</a></em>)</p><p>- Weak and needing to be stronger (<em><a href='B:620 2:1'>2Ti 2:1</a></em>)</p><p>- Easily caught up in secular things (<em><a href='B:620 2:4'>2Ti 2:4</a></em>) and to try to take spiritual shortcuts around the difficult inevitabilities of the true Christian life (<em><a href='B:620 2:5'>2Ti 2:5</a></em>)</p><p>- Needing to flee sexual lusts (<em><a href='B:620 2:22'>2Ti 2:22</a></em>), even though he was a married man with children, according to 1 Timothy 3. He had to be exhorted to "purity" (<em><a href='B:610 4:12'>1Ti 4:12</a></em>), the word carrying the specific idea of sexual purity. Paul commanded Timothy to be a man of one woman in chapter 3, and warns him to deal with the younger sisters "with all purity" (<em><a href='B:610 5:2'>1Ti 5:2</a></em>). Putting all this together, it would be fair to assume that Paul perceived a weakness in Timothy in this area. And yet all the same, Paul put him in to the position of eldership, with all the inter-personal contact with females which this required. But he warned him to beware of his weakness.</p><p>- Needing to be constantly reminded to "continue" and not give up, as he was near to doing (e.g. <em><a href='B:620 3:14'>2Ti 3:14</a></em>).</p><p>All these issues could have been the result of being a 'rich kid'. <em><a href='B:620 3:16'>2Ti 3:16</a></em> says he was taught to read from the Scriptures by his mother and grandmother (<em><a href='B:620 1:5'>2Ti 1:5</a></em>). He was very blessed to have both a mother and grandmother to raise him; for female mortality was very high in the first century world. And the vast majority of the Roman empire was illiterate. So Timothy had advantages from birth which put him in a favoured minority. But this is no reason to despise him; he was made strong out of the weaknesses associated with his background.</p><p>Yet out of all this weakness, Timothy was made strong and according to the Lord's letter to the Ephesian church, he achieved his calling to stamp out false teaching, purify the eldership, and encourage the doing of "good works". Perhaps he did it so zealously that the church ended up lacking the&nbsp;<em>agape&nbsp;</em>love for which finally it was condemned. But so far as his obedience to his particular ministry goes- he succeeded. Out of such weakness.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:24'>1Ti 5:24</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:530 4:5'>1Co 4:5</a></em>.</p><p><em>Some men's sins are evident, preceding them to judgment</em>- The sins in view are surely those of the elders just mentioned (see on :20 and :22). Paul is saying that although some sins are open and need to be rebuked openly, Timothy should be aware that there are many other secret sinners around whose sins he may never know about in this life. He was not to judge the evident sinners on a basis which assumed everyone else was innocent and had no secret sins. And that is important to be aware of in church life today too. Any church discipline is only dealing with the evident sins. And those evident sins will in any case be dealt with by the Lord's judgment; any rebuke we may give is not therefore to be seen as equivalent to His judgment. Although the advice in :24,25 is appropriate for dealing with people within a church, it could be that Paul is also encouraging Timothy personally here, as he is in :23. Verse 23 is Paul directly addressing Timothy, and :24,25 may be the same. In which case Paul is encouraging Timothy that one tendency of a pastor is to not admit secret sins. But he must realize that these too would be judged. And another tendency is to feel that good works are never appreciated. And the comfort is that they will be given full weight at the day of judgment. Both sin and good works go before us, as a herald, to judgment. Judgment is not therefore the point at which books are opened and information considered for the first time by the judge. Our behaviour is already 'there'. We live now under judgment. "God is the judge" now. In the light of the cross, we are revealed even now to God and to ourselves, if we allow the cross its intended effect.</p><p><em>But those of others follow them there later-&nbsp;</em>The Greek could equally mean 'Those of others accompany them there'. The idea being that some have sins which they quit, which go before them to judgment; other men are accompanied by their sins to judgment. The idea would be, in the context of open rebuke in :20, that the motive for bringing out another's sins to the light is so that those sins do not follow him to judgment later, but are openly made evident now.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 5:25'>1Ti 5:25</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden</em>- The idea may be that in seeking to inculcate a culture of good works, Timothy should be aware that some good works are not "evident" not, but will not be hidden at the day of judgment. For then, according to the Lord's parable, He will openly go through the good deeds of the accepted; their feeding of the hungry, clothing the naked etc. Nothing then will be hidden. Timothy's mission of encouraging good works was recognized as successful by the Lord's letter to the Ephesian church in Revelation 2. But Paul is encouraging Timothy that it would be hard for him to judge his own success, because good works are not always evident. The same phrase is found in Mt. 5:14, to which Paul likely alludes; the good works of the city set on a hill "cannot be hid". But Paul would  then be interpreting this as meaning 'cannot be ultimately hidden because they will be displayed at the day of judgment'. Here we have the final answer to the human desire for recognition of works. They will not be hidden from God and although salvation is by grace alone, our works will also be openly rewarded and will not remain hidden. The hours of silent effort and patience with difficult situations and people will not remain hidden. The times when 'Someone around here has to be the Christian', and that person was us... will all be somehow openly displayed. It is part of our human wiring to want recognition. But we don't get it much in this life, indeed no good deed goes unpunished; those helped so often complain and bite the hand which fed them. Yet we naturally long for recognition. The composer whose music is never performed longs for his work to be appreciated. The housewife and young mother longs to be thanked and valued. Thankless service for others is found to be one of life's cruellest cards. And without faith and the perspective of the judgment and the eternal consequence of the Kingdom, we will live in frustration over this, and will never get that appreciation and recognition. This is an example of where God "has set eternity" in the heart of man, a longing and wiring which which will only find resolution in the life of faith which leads to eternity. Our longing for perfect relationships is another example. </p><p>However, the "otherwise" could mean '<em>bad</em>&nbsp;works'; the comfort being that secretly committed bad works will all the same be judged, and Timothy should not worry unduly about the bad works which he could not detect or find enough evidence to openly rebuke. Again, in this case, we see Timothy's tendency to overly worry.</p><p>For the righteous, our acceptability before God now is related to our acceptability with Him at judgment day. Our good works are manifest before we reach the judgment, which will manifest them again (<em><a href='B:610 5:25'>1Ti 5:25</a></em>). Thus David reflected on the experiences of his life: "Thou hast made my judgment; thou satest in the throne judging right... and he shall judge the world (at the second coming, through Christ, <em><a href='B:510 17:11'>Act 17:11</a></em>) in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness" (<em><a href='B:230 9:4'>Psa 9:4</a></em>; <em><a href='B:230 9:8'>Psa 9:8</a></em> A:V:mg:). This shows the continuity between God’s attitude to him in his mortal life, and God’s attitude at the coming judgment. If Christ is glorified by us now, we will glorify Him in that day (<em><a href='B:600 1:10'>2Th 1:10</a></em>; <em><a href='B:600 1:12'>2Th 1:12</a></em>).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:1'>1Ti 6:1</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Let all that are under a yoke as slaves</em>- This reads rather strangely, because a slave was axiomatically under a AV "the" yoke. It appears to be saying the same thing twice. And there is no evidence that 'under the yoke' was a common term for slaves in New Testament times. Perhaps the idea is to remind slaves that actually they were under the yoke of Christ, which is "light" (<em><a href='B:470 12:29-30'>Mat 12:29-30</a></em>). Whatever slavery we may feel under, perhaps in our working or domestic lives, we can remind ourselves that ultimately we are under slavery to the Lord Jesus, and His yoke is light. But <em><a href='B:510 15:10'>Act 15:10</a></em> and <em><a href='B:550 5:1'>Gal 5:1</a></em> speak of those under the yoke as being those in bondage to the Mosaic law. Perhaps Paul is addressing the delicate question of how a slave was to behave if he came to Christ but was under the yoke of Jewish law because his master was Jewish. This was likely a live issue in Ephesus because the church there began with Paul making converts from within the synagogue. He does not urge rebellion against those masters or sticking on points of principle; but rather to treat these masters as Christ and thus get higher than them (see next comment).</p><p><em>Regard their own masters as worthy of all honour-&nbsp;</em>This is a clever word play. The Greek translated "regard" is elsewhere translated as the noun "Governor" (<em><a href='B:470 2:6'>Mat 2:6</a></em>; <em><a href='B:510 7:10'>Act 7:10</a></em>), "he that is chief" (<em><a href='B:490 22:26'>Luk 22:26</a></em>), "chief speaker" (<em><a href='B:510 14:12'>Act 14:12</a></em>), "chief men" (<em><a href='B:510 15:22'>Act 15:22</a></em>). By regarding their masters as "worthy of honour" because they were to serve them as they served Christ- who alone is the One "worthy of all honour"- they were effectively masters of their masters. It recalls the spirit of the Lord's command to offer to take a Roman soldier's bags another mile when asked. Those treated as low become the high by their Christian attitude. Let's remember that many slaves were abused by their masters; not even their bodies belonged to themselves. Sexual abuse was common. Yet never does Paul tell slaves to refuse the sexual demands of their masters. And slaves, according to contemporary references to Christianity, formed a large percentage of Christian congregations. This is not to say that the moral teaching of Christianity in this regard was not to be taken seriously- to refuse such demands and face the consequences was clearly the highest level to be taken by a Christian slave. But Paul in this matter surely makes a concession to human weakness and the nature of human situations, which the letter of the law could never accommodate. The way of Christ however elevates the drudgery of slavery and dead end situations, of the type faced today by many in effective slavery to minimum wage employment, abusive employers or very claustrophobic, limited domestic situations.</p><p><em>So that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled</em>- "Reviled" or "blasphemed" is exactly what the pagans in Ephesus had accused Paul of doing to Diana (<em><a href='B:510 19:37'>Act 19:37</a></em> s:w:). Clearly the pagan opposition were looking for every opportunity and reason to do the same back to the God of the Christians, whose name they carried by baptism. Paul makes an assumption here, in warning believing slaves to act faithfully before their unbelieving masters, lest the doctrines of God be blasphemed by them. Paul takes it as read that the slave would have taught the doctrines of the faith to his master, and therefore any misbehaviour by him would cause those teachings to be mocked. He assumed that radical preaching would be going on. And again in <em><a href='B:630 2:5'>Tit 2:5</a></em>, he writes that wives should behave orderly so that “the word of God be not blasphemed”. He assumes that all believing men and women would be preachers of the word, yet if the wives were disorderly in their behaviour they would bring mockery upon the message preached. Paul so often in writing to Timothy expresses concern about the disrepute possible in the eyes of outsiders. Clearly there was a conscious effort to destroy the church in Ephesus through legal procedures, and so care had to be taken not to give genuine reasons for this to happen. Further, Paul had entrusted Timothy with a teaching ministry, and bad behaviour amongst the converts would mean that his teaching would be "reviled". The message preached was therefore backed up by the behaviour of those who believed it. Conversions are not often won by the simple attraction of the message of itself; that word is made flesh in the eyes of the world by those who believe it. "The teaching" would be reviled if those hearing it behaved in a way which invited mockery. So the teaching and the example of the believers of that teaching are parallel.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:2'>1Ti 6:2</a></em>&nbsp;<em>And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brothers</em>- Why should a Christian slave despise his believing master? Perhaps because slavery was so obviously wrong; a Christian master should not participate in the style of slavery then practiced. The master should release his slave- because that is just the language used of what Jesus did to all in Him. He released us from slavery, redeeming us from it, paying the price of manumission whereby a person could be bought out of slavery. But for whatever reason, these believing masters hadn't responded as they might. The Lord had warned His followers to “despise not” the ‘little ones’ (<em><a href='B:470 18:10'>Mat 18:10</a></em>). Paul picks up this phrase here in warning servants not to despise their masters who were brethren; the implication that they were to treat those wealthy but perhaps not very spiritually mature masters as ‘little ones’, with all the patience this would require. The command is not to despise them; but we might think that the dominant emotion in this case would be anger. Yet Paul focuses on not despising because his point is that we must respect others because of their status in Christ; every believer in Him should be respected by us. We must ask whether our churches are places of respect, or whether various strata of respect and acceptance have robbed them of the spirit of mutual respect which ought to characterize the communal life of God’s people.</p><p><em>But rather serve them because those whom they are serving are</em>&nbsp;<em>believers and beloved</em>- The reference to "beloved" invites connection to Christ who is "the beloved"; just as unbelieving masters were to be given "all honour", i:e. served as Christ, to whom alone "all honour" is due. In any difficult relationship with a believer, however abusive to us we consider them to have been, no matter how much better we feel they ought to be able to do in their relationship with us, let us remember that 'God loves this person'. They are beloved. So much so that He gave His only begotten Son for them. Some MSS, followed by the AV, add here: "Partakers of the benefit", literally, 'partakers in the good deed', referring surely to the cross. The Lord died not only for me. But for those who name His Name whom I consider to have abused me. We cannot condemn another believer, so we are to presume their acceptance by the Lord. This will mean that they have partaken in the benefits of His death, just as we have. This is so easy to write, but it was equally difficult for first century Christian slaves being abused by their Christian masters.</p><p><em>Teach and exhort these things</em>- The idea is of comfort, and the message to abused slaves was indeed a comfort.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:3'>1Ti 6:3</a></em>&nbsp;<em>If anyone teaches a different doctrine</em>- Paul's opening charge to Timothy at Ephesus was to stop false teaching (<em><a href='B:610 1:3'>1Ti 1:3</a></em>). From those who taught different teaching, Paul says that Timothy is to "withdraw thyself" (:5 AV- although omitted in some MSS and NEV). Timothy was to distance himself from such teachers, which is equivalent in <em><a href='B:610 1:3'>1Ti 1:3</a></em> to not allowing them the platform. This little phrase "withdraw thyself" has been much abused in closed table communities to mean that we are to withdraw ourselves from anyone who differs from us on some matter of understanding or practice. But the context here, and the parallel with <em><a href='B:610 1:3'>1Ti 1:3</a></em>, is that the persons in view should not be allowed to teach. Who takes bread and wine is one issue, and does not ultimately affect anyone much. But who is allowed to teach is another issue altogether. The "different doctrine" or teaching references the teaching about the possibilities for slaves in :1 and :2. We can imagine that the teachers were also materially wealthy and may have been those referred to as the "believing masters". We can assume that they would have been tempted to not agree with the teaching of :1 and :2, and not to teach it- despite the simple command at the end of :2 to teach these things.</p><p><em>And consents not to sound words, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ</em>- The teaching in&nbsp;view is that about slaves and masters in :1 and :2. To disagree with what Paul has said would be to disagree with the words of the Lord Jesus. This could be because Paul's inspired words were effectively the words of the Lord Jesus, although in that case we wonder why the reference is to the words of Jesus rather than of God. Or Paul may mean that the teaching he had just given was a repetition of the essence of the&nbsp;<em>logos</em>, the essential idea, of the Lord Jesus. He may not have been quoting recorded words of the Lord Jesus (although maybe he is alluding to words of Jesus which were then well known but were unrecorded in the Gospels)- but in any case, Paul was repeating the<em>&nbsp;logos</em>, the word or essential ideas, of the teaching of the Lord Jesus.</p><p><em>And to the doctrine which shows reverence towards God</em>- The teaching or doctrine in view is that of :1 and :2 which have spoken of the need not to bring God’s Name to disrepute; and to reverence / respect people because God is working through them and they in a sense represent Him. But "reverence towards God" is the word for "Godliness" which often occurs in 1 Timothy; and it occurs in this context in :5, where these alternative teachers are portrayed as men teaching "that reverence towards God "Godliness" is a way of gain". They didn’t want to teach things like those in :1 and :2 because they used their teaching as a way of gain. So far in this exposition I have suggested that there were female teachers in the church who were acting like the female mediators of the Diana cult, and taking money for their sexual services to brothers in Christ by getting money from the church for their services under the front of the widows' support fund. And here we find Timothy again being told to remove some from teaching- and again money is involved. These people were using 'Godliness' to get gain for themselves and were abusing their teaching ministry to that end. It sounds like the same group. It was doubtless with this money that the women could dress themselves up with such expensive and provocative clothing in <em><a href='B:610 2:9-10'>1Ti 2:9-10</a></em>.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:4'>1Ti 6:4</a></em>&nbsp;<em>He is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words</em>- This is the warning of chapter 1 repeated now at the end of this first letter. Those who 'know nothing' are those of <em><a href='B:610 1:7'>1Ti 1:7</a></em>: "They neither understand what they say, nor what they confidently affirm". They did of course know something theoretically, for they were teachers. But in real spiritual essence, they knew nothing. They were "bereft of the truth" (:5), which is Jesus and the great, real salvation in Him. All else is insignificant. The obsession with disputing and arguing about words frankly sounds like elements of many small time Protestant groups in their neo-Judaism. And the fruit of that attitude is the same- envy, strife and division. "Obsessed" translates a word meaning 'to be sick', in the sense of vomiting. That is what all the disputes and arguments amount to- vomit. The only time Paul uses the term 'arguments over words' again is in <em><a href='B:620 2:14'>2Ti 2:14</a></em>, where Timothy is told that he must still stamp out this attitude. I have mentioned several times that the Lord's assessment of the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2 is such that we can conclude Timothy's charge was carried out successfully by him; for they are then commended for not having false teaching. But the way Paul has to repeat these charges about not allowing false teachers suggests that this was not so easily achieved; in the gap between the two letters, Timothy had not made total progress. His final success is therefore the more noteworthy and commendable.</p><p><em>From which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions</em>- We see here the importance of having a good teaching ministry. The congregation become this way according to the kind of teaching they are receiving.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:5'>1Ti 6:5</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Wranglings&nbsp;of men corrupted in mind and bereft of the truth</em>- The word can mean 'meddlings' and is used about being a busybody. Although a different word is used, this is the very accusation made about the female false teachers of <em><a href='B:610 5:13'>1Ti 5:13</a></em>. Again we get the impression that the same group of teachers are in view; the women and their male supporters, teaching a heady mixture of Jewish and pagan Diana cult heresy.</p><p><em>Who suppose that reverence towards God is a way of gain- See&nbsp;</em>on :3<em>&nbsp;To the doctrine</em>.</p><p>Some MSS and AV add "From such withdraw thyself". See on :3.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:6'>1Ti 6:6</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But reverence towards God with contentment is great gain</em>- In chapter 2 and elsewhere, Paul urges the false teachers to settle down into Christian family life and where appropriate, have children. We note that he doesn't tell Timothy to cast these people out of the church. He wants their salvation. And from personal experience I would tend to think that the "Godliness with contentment" which is "great gain" is a reference to a Christ-centered family life which is not focused upon getting personal wealth and success nor leadership in the church.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:7'>1Ti 6:7</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out</em>- This is a quote from Seneca, contemporary with Paul. The Bible is full of allusions to contemporary literature and wisdom, approving some of the ideas and deconstructing others. Some of the Bible's most difficult passages are likely difficult to our eyes because they are alluding to material we are unaware of. For the Bible is written&nbsp;<em>for&nbsp;</em>us but not directly&nbsp;<em>to&nbsp;</em>us in our generation. The fact we cannot take anything material with us is proof enough that any amassing of personal wealth is for this life only. The deception of wealth is the idea of permanent ownership of property, in various forms. But the permanence is only until death. The opening "for" connects with the idea of 'gain'. Overall in life, we gain nothing. We start and finish with nothing, so why stress about 'gaining' as we pass through the life process. <em><a href='B:230 49:17'>Psa 49:17</a></em> may be in view: "For when he (the rich man) dieth, he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him”. In saying this, Paul is alluding to how Job faced up to the reality of our condition by saying that we entered this world naked and return naked (<em><a href='B:220 1:21'>Job 1:21</a></em>). Paul is saying that we are all in Job's position, facing up to the loss of all things, and should count it a blessing to have even clothing. We need not pass through Job's experience if we learn the theory. Solomon says the same in <em><a href='B:250 5:15'>Ecc 5:15</a></em>, but only after passing through the wealth experience. It is our wisdom to absorb this principle without having to be dragged through a hedge backwards to make us realize its truth.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:8'>1Ti 6:8</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But having food and covering we shall be content-&nbsp;</em>The reference may be to God’s provision of these two things, food and clothing, to Israel in the wilderness. Their journey towards the promised land is a common prototype of our path towards the Kingdom. Note that there is no promise of a stable place to live; Paul himself had "no certain dwelling place" and neither did Israel in the wilderness. So much angst goes with the question of property ownership. But the promise we can take comfort from is that we ourselves shall always be provided with food and clothing.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:9'>1Ti 6:9</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:490 5:7'>Luk 5:7</a></em>.</p><p><em>But they that are intent on being rich</em>- Paul had thought deeply about the parables. He doesn't just half-quote them in an offhand way. For example, <em><a href='B:470 13:22'>Mat 13:22</a></em> says that riches choke a man's response to the word. <em><a href='B:610 6:9'>1Ti 6:9</a></em> warns that those who&nbsp;<em>want to be rich</em>&nbsp;are choked by their&nbsp;<em>desire&nbsp;</em>for riches. Likewise Paul saw the rich man of <em><a href='B:470 19:23'>Mat 19:23</a></em> as actually one who&nbsp;<em>wanted</em>&nbsp;to be rich (= <em><a href='B:610 6:9-10'>1Ti 6:9-10</a></em>). So Paul had thought through the parable. He saw that possession of riches alone wouldn't choke a man; he saw that the Lord was using "riches" as meaning 'the desire for riches'. And because "riches" are relative and subjective, this must be right. And therefore the Spirit was able to use Paul's deductions. My point is that the Spirit&nbsp;<em>could</em>&nbsp;have used just anyone to write (e.g.) <em><a href='B:610 6:9'>1Ti 6:9</a></em>. But it was no accident that God chose to use a man with a fine knowledge and appreciation of His Son to be His pen-man.</p><p><em>Fall into a temptation and a snare-&nbsp;</em>Twice in 1 Timothy, Paul speaks about a snare; the snare of the devil (<em><a href='B:610 3:7'>1Ti 3:7</a></em>), and the snare of wanting wealth (<em><a href='B:610 6:9'>1Ti 6:9</a></em>). He mentions the snare of the devil again in <em><a href='B:620 2:26'>2Ti 2:26</a></em>. In the immediate application, the 'devil' referred to the enemy of the church which surrounded them in Ephesus- a combination of Jewish and pagan powers who were eager to trap the Christians by accusations regarding financial and moral matters in order to close down the church. The clear influence of the Jewish Eve cult and the pagan Diana cult indicates that this snare was very real. Yet the Ephesian church survived, for the Lord wrote a letter to them in Revelation 2. Again we sense that Timothy's difficult ministry was successful, for despite all this surrounding desire to snare and strangle the church to death, it survived.</p><p>The desire for wealth in whatever form is the very epitome of the devil, our inherent sin which we must struggle against. The idea of a snare is that it results in a sudden and&nbsp;<em>unexpected</em>&nbsp;destruction. The unexpectedness of the destruction should set us thinking: surely the implication is that those who are materialistic don't realize that in fact this is their besetting sin, and therefore their rejection in the end because of it will be so tragically unexpected. It's rather like pride; if you're proud and you don't know it, then you really are proud. And if we're materialistic and don't know it, we likewise really have a problem. The idea of riches being a snare connects with copious OT references to idols as Israel's perpetual snare (<em><a href='B:20 23:33'>Exo 23:33</a></em>; <em><a href='B:50 7:16'>Deu 7:16</a></em>; <em><a href='B:70 2:3'>Jdg 2:3</a></em>; <em><a href='B:70 8:27'>Jdg 8:27</a></em>; <em><a href='B:230 106:36'>Psa 106:36</a></em>; <em><a href='B:350 5:1'>Hos 5:1</a></em>). Paul's point is surely that the desire of wealth is the equivalent of OT idolatry. But there is another, even more telling Biblical usage of the "snare". The day of the Lord will be a snare to the unsuspecting worldling, who will suddenly find that the Lord has come and destroyed him (<em><a href='B:290 8:14'>Isa 8:14</a></em>; <em><a href='B:290 24:17-18'>Isa 24:17-18</a></em>; <em><a href='B:300 50:24'>Jer 50:24</a></em>; <em><a href='B:490 21:35'>Luk 21:35</a></em>). Yet the materialistic believer falls into the snare of riches here and now. Surely the point is that our attitude to riches is a preview of the judgment; the materialistic believer has condemned himself, right now. Not only does such a man fall into the devil's snare, but he pierces himself through with sorrows (<em><a href='B:610 6:10'>1Ti 6:10</a></em>), which is the language of crucifixion. This connection suggests a powerful logic. We face a cross either way; either the cross of the Lord Jesus, with the matchless eternity it heralds; or the cross, the twisting, unsatisfied pain of a life devoted to material advancement, which finally results in the darkness of rejection.</p><p><em>And many foolish and hurtful lusts</em>- The lust for wealth spawns many other lusts, for the things which can be done with wealth or for things which are thought to lead to wealth. Hence :10 says that the desire to be wealthy is the root of all evil.</p><p><em>Which drown men</em>- The word is only elsewhere used about the disciples almost drowning because they overloaded their boats with fish (<em><a href='B:490 5:7'>Luk 5:7</a></em>); which Paul saw, through this allusion, as rooted in a desire to be wealthy. The fish were given by the Lord, all the same; He could give or not give them, but by giving them, the disciples almost drowned.</p><p><em>In destruction and condemnation-&nbsp;</em>Quite simply, men will be condemned at the last day because they wanted to be rich in this life. This is a sober warning.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:10'>1Ti 6:10</a></em>&nbsp;<em>For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil-&nbsp;</em>We could read the "all" literally, as if all evil can be traced back to a love of wealth. Or we can read these "kinds of evil" as referring to the "many foolish and hurtful lusts" of :9 which arise directly or indirectly from a desire for wealth. In the context of Ephesus, Paul's reference to love of wealth would apply to the women / sisters receiving money for sexual services to brothers, taken under cover of spirituality from the widows' relief fund. "Love of money" is literally 'love of silver'. Again in the context of Ephesus, we recall that the images of Diana were made of silver; and it was the guild of silversmiths who raised the persecution against the early church in Ephesus and sought to have Christianity banned. Their literal love of silver led them to "all kinds of evil". But those materialistic ones&nbsp;<em>within&nbsp;</em>the church were in essence no better than those in the world outside who were persecuting them.</p><p><em>Which some, by seeking for, have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced&nbsp;themselves through with many sorrows</em>- The Greek translated "pierced themselves through" is related to the verb 'to crucify'. We are asked to crucify ourselves, to give up the brief materialism of this life. Yet if we refuse to do this, we still pierce ourselves through, we crucify ourselves, with the pain which comes from a mind dedicated to materialism and self-fulfilment, a life devoted to reaching the end of a rainbow. So what is the logical thing to do? It's crucifixion either way. The idea of piercing self through with sorrow is actually a direct quote from the LXX of <em><a href='B:110 21:27'>1Ki 21:27</a></em>, where Ahab was pierced with sorrow as a result of his coveting of Naboth’s vineyard. And yet when Naboth was dead, Ahab tore his clothes and put on sackcloth, in sorrow for what he had done (<em><a href='B:110 21:16'>1Ki 21:16</a></em> LXX- omitted in the AV); but these very words are used in describing how when Ahab heard the words of his condemnation, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth (<em><a href='B:110 21:27'>1Ki 21:27</a></em>). His sin brought him to tear his clothes, just as he did when his condemnation was pronounced. In his seeking for happiness he pierced himself through with the sorrow of condemnation. Quite simply, people who are bent on getting wealthy are not happy. Wealth</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:11'>1Ti 6:11</a></em>&nbsp;<em>But you, o man of God, flee these material things</em>- The call to flee suggests weak minded Timothy was tempted by material things.</p><p><em>And instead pursue after righteousness</em>- There must always be something positive in place if we decide to flee sin. The fleeing from must become a pursuing after. Paul repeats this idea in <em><a href='B:620 2:22'>2Ti 2:22</a></em> - flee youthful sexual lusts and instead follow after the same positive attributes.</p><p><em>Reverence towards God, faith, love, patience, meekness</em>- To aspire to meekness is the acme of spiritual endeavour.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:12'>1Ti 6:12</a></em> - see on <em><a href='B:620 4:6-8'>2Ti 4:6-8</a></em>; <em><a href='B:490 13:24'>Luk 13:24</a></em>.</p><p><em>Fight the good fight of the faith</em>- In 2 Timothy, Paul urges Timothy to accept the disciplined life of a soldier, as if Timothy was naturally weak minded and not well disciplined; we recall the command to him to have his children more firmly in order in chapter 3. Paul uses the same words in saying that he has "fought a good fight" (<em><a href='B:620 4:7'>2Ti 4:7</a></em>), unashamedly and consciously setting himself up to Timothy as an example. This is possible to do, without pride and any self affection, if truly we live in integrity before God and man.</p><p><em>Lay hold on the everlasting life-&nbsp;</em>We can experience eternal life by starting to live now how we shall eternally live. Hence the Lord in John's Gospel speaks of having eternal life now. Paul goes on to write of how the wealthy can lay hold on everlasting life (:19 s:w:) by giving away their wealth in the Lord's service. But Timothy was to be their example of laying hold on the Kingdom life right now. We are frequently spoken of as having been 'laid hold of' by the Lord; and we are to respond by laying hold of the things of the Kingdom as firmly as He has taken a grip upon our lives.</p><p><em>Whereunto you were called and did confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses</em>- The confession was perhaps related to confessing that we have been called to eternal life, and have taken hold of that offer and will try to live that eternal life now. This was such a fundamental idea that it was part of some unrecorded "good confession" which was presumably declared by baptismal candidates (s:w. <em><a href='B:520 10:9-10'>Rom 10:9-10</a></em> "If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus... confession is made unto salvation"; "the obedience of your confession" of the Faith, <em><a href='B:540 9:13'>2Co 9:13</a></em>). We note that such materials have not been preserved for us- so that we would not slavishly hold to any form of words. For a confession of faith by its nature is personal and unique. Yet the confession before witnesses may not necessarily refer to Timothy's baptism, but rather to the time when the elders, the "many witnesses", laid hands on him to grant him the Holy Spirit for his ministry (<em><a href='B:610 4:14'>1Ti 4:14</a></em>). The Greek for 'confess' means essentially 'to agree'; the agreement was therefore regarding the reality of the hope of eternal life, and Timothy's promise to live that eternal life now and fight for the faith. The "<em>good</em>&nbsp;fight" he was to fight connects with the&nbsp;<em>good</em>&nbsp;confession he had made.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:13'>1Ti 6:13</a></em>&nbsp;<em>I urge you in the sight of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate made the good confession</em>- Timothy's confession was one of faith and commitment to the life and work appropriate to e belief that God really will give life to all in His Son. And the essence of that confession of devotion and faith in the life to come was seen in the Lord's confession before Pilate. In <em><a href='B:470 27:11'>Mat 27:11</a></em> we read that Jesus before Pilate said just one word in Greek; translated "Thou sayest". It is stressed there that Jesus said nothing else, so that Pilate marvelled at His silent self-control and intense focus of meaning upon that word- that Pilate had said truly in saying that Jesus was a King who would reign in God’s Kingdom. Yet Paul speaks with pride of how the Lord Jesus "before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession". You'd expect him to be alluding to some major speech of Jesus. But it seems, reading his spirit, Paul's saying: 'Lord Jesus, your self control, your strength of purpose and faith towards the coming Kingdom an eternal life... was just so great. I salute you, I hold you up to Timothy as the supreme example. Just one word. What a witness'. And as He witnessed in His ministry, so must we (<em><a href='B:520 2:19'>Rom 2:19</a></em> cp. <em><a href='B:470 4:16'>Mat 4:16</a></em>). As He witnessed before Pilate, so must we witness (<em><a href='B:610 6:12-13'>1Ti 6:12-13</a></em>).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:14'>1Ti 6:14</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Keep the commandment without stain</em>- Which charge or commandment? Presumably here at the end of the letter, Paul is summarizing and referring back to his opening charge to Timothy to remove false teachers and inculcate good works, with love as the intended end result (<em><a href='B:610 1:3-5'>1Ti 1:3-5</a></em>). Yet in the immediate context, the charge / commandment might be that to which Timothy had given a good confession (:12); which would suggest his 'good confession' was not at his baptism but rather in agreement to the commission given him to care for Ephesus. The sentence as it stands can be read two ways- either the commandment itself was to unstained; or Timothy was to keep the commandment without stain. The question is whether "without stain" refers to the subject or object of the sentence, and in my judgment of the Greek it refers to keeping the commandment itself unstained- until the Lord's return. This could only be achieved by handing on the commandment / charge to maintain pure doctrine to faithful men of the next generation (<em><a href='B:620 2:2'>2Ti 2:2</a></em>). If Paul meant that Timothy was to keep the commandment until the Lord returned, then it would mean that Paul expected the Lord's coming to be within Timothy's lifetime. And indeed Paul does write like that and in other places he does appear to make that assumption- as we all should live in the hopeful expectation of the Lord's imminent return:&nbsp;</p><p><em>Without reproach</em>- Timothy as the bishop at Ephesus was to be without reproach (<em><a href='B:610 3:2'>1Ti 3:2</a></em>). This strengthens the impression that "the commandment" was the command to Timothy to take care of Ephesus.</p><p><em>Until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ</em>- See on :14&nbsp;<em>Keep the commandment</em>.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:15'>1Ti 6:15</a></em><em>&nbsp;In due time He shall reveal him, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King&nbsp;of kings and Lord of lords-&nbsp;</em>Caesar was seen as king of many subject kings, Lord of many conquered and inferior lords. In this we see the radical challenge of <em><a href='B:610 6:15-16'>1Ti 6:15-16</a></em>: that Jesus Christ is the&nbsp;<em>only</em>&nbsp;potentate, the Lord of Lords, the King of all Kings. The RV margin brings out the Greek even more radically: “them that rule as lords”- those who think they are lords when compared to the Lord Jesus they are nothing. Many of the terms used in relation to Caesar worship are deliberately used in the New Testament and redefined in an exclusive Christian context, setting the Christian view of them up against any other use of them, and insisting upon it as the only valid meaning of the term. Thus ‘<em>evangelion</em>’ was a well-known concept. It meant the good news of victory, and the corresponding duty to make thank and praise offerings for it. The Imperial Cult used the word for announcing Caesar’s victories, his birthdays, his accession to power, his granting of&nbsp;<em>salvation</em>&nbsp;to his people… Mark’s Gospel especially uses the word&nbsp;<em>evangelion</em>&nbsp;in a way which sets it up in contrast to the way it was used in the Imperial Cult. It is the good news of the birth, victory, resurrection and Kingdom of the Lord Jesus, and the&nbsp;<em>evangelion</em>&nbsp;calls men and women to make self-sacrifice in response to it. It has been noted that "King of kings and Lord of lords", along with the surrounding couplets, are rhythmical. They are likely a quotation from some early Christian liturgy- a hymn or prayer. This means that such radical challenge of the Caesar cult and the Roman empire would have been a regular part of church life; just as we should be constantly aware of our radical collision course with the spirit of this world.</p><p>When Paul exalts that Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, dwelling in light which no man can approach unto, this isn’t just some literary flourish. It is embedded within a context of telling the believers to quit materialism, indeed to flee from its snare. <em><a href='B:610 6:6-14'>1Ti 6:6-14</a></em> concern this; and then there is the passage about Christ’s exaltation (:15,16), and then a continued plea to share riches rather than build them up (:17-19). Because He is Lord of all, we should quit our materialism and sense of self-ownership. For we are His, and all we have is for His service too. And the principle of His being Lord affects every aspect of our spirituality. Dennis Gillet truly observed in&nbsp;<em>The Genius Of Discipleship</em>: “Mastery is gained by crowning the Master as Lord and King".</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:16'>1Ti 6:16</a></em> See on <em><a href='B:20 32:30-32'>Exo 32:30-32</a></em>.</p><p><em>Who only has immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable</em>- This may be a final swipe at the Diana cult, which taught there were thousands of immortal gods; and of course they lived in the Artemisian temple at Ephesus, rather than "dwelling in light unapproachable". And it is also for sure a swipe at the imperial cult, which claimed that many of the dead emperors of Rome had been deified and were now immortal.</p><p><em>Whom no one has seen, nor can see. To whom be honour and power eternal. Amen</em>- This likewise is a contrast between the one true God, and the pathetic idea of a god who is a visible idol like the Diana statue or the silver images made of her.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:17'>1Ti 6:17</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Instruct those that are rich in this present world-&nbsp;</em>The connection between wealth and world continues the theme of :7. We come into this world naked and exit naked. Any wealth is only for this present world- and we who have the sure hope of eternity are looking for the world to come.</p><p><em>That they are not proud, nor have their hope set on the uncertain riches; but instead on God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy</em>- The same Greek phrase for “not proud”, "be not high minded", is used in <em><a href='B:520 11:20'>Rom 11:20</a></em> about those who think they are spiritually superior to others. And so perhaps the idea was that the wealthy liked to think their wealth was a result of their spirituality, and therefore they despised the poorer brethren. And Paul directly warns against any such thinking, the like of which is seen so much in Pentecostal circles. The rich fool was not read by Paul as referring to some Hollywood millionaire; he saw that character as being in the ecclesia (<em><a href='B:470 19:21'>Mat 19:21</a></em> = <em><a href='B:610 6:17-19'>1Ti 6:17-19</a></em>).</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:18'>1Ti 6:18</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Let the rich do good, that they be rich in good</em>&nbsp;<em>works-&nbsp;</em>The true wealth is in giving away rather than accumulating.</p><p><em>Ready to distribute</em>- "Ready" suggests Paul is not envisaging selling all and giving away. The rich should be "ready" to share, rather than looking for reasons not to.</p><p><em>Willing to communicate</em>- Literally, 'to fellowship'. Fellowship is not an on paper agreement based on dry theology. Fellowship in practice means sharing wealth with others.</p>


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<p><em><a href='B:610 6:19'>1Ti 6:19</a></em>&nbsp;<em>Laying up in store for themselves a&nbsp;good foundation-&nbsp;</em>The Spirit describes our final redemption as our "soul" and "spirit" being "saved"; our innermost being, our essential spiritual personality, who we&nbsp;<em>really</em>&nbsp;are in spiritual terms, will as it were be immortalized (<em><a href='B:670 1:9'>1Pe 1:9</a></em>; <em><a href='B:530 5:5'>1Co 5:5</a></em>). This means that our spiritual development in this life is directly proportional to the type of person we will be&nbsp;<em>for evermore</em>. If, for example, we develop a generous spirit now, this is "a good foundation" for our future spiritual experience (<em><a href='B:610 6:19'>1Ti 6:19</a></em>). This is a stupendous conception, and the ultimate fillip to getting serious about our very personal spiritual development. Our mortal bodies will be changed to immortal, Spirit nature bodies according to the Spirit which&nbsp;<em>now</em>&nbsp;dwells in us (<em><a href='B:520 8:11'>Rom 8:11</a></em> Gk:). The attitude which we have to the Lord Jesus&nbsp;<em>now</em>&nbsp;will be the attitude we have to Him at the day of judgment (<em><a href='B:470 7:23'>Mat 7:23</a></em> cp. <em><a href='B:490 6:46'>Luk 6:46</a></em>). So the wealthy who give their wealth away are not buying a place in the Kingdom for themselves, but who they eternally will be shall eternally reflect the generous character they developed in this life. In this sense they have 'laid hold' on the eternal life; they have begun to live the kind of life which we shall eternally live.</p><p><em>Against the time to come</em>- They have 'laid up in store for themselves' spiritually, in that the future day "time to come" which in is subconsciously in the mind of all savers, hoarders and folk rich and poor... is going to be revealed as the day of judgment. Those who have given away wealth so that they are left at a real minus, and not simply being generous in ways they wouldn't notice... have laid up a store of wealth for&nbsp;<em>that</em>&nbsp;day.</p><p><em>That they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed-&nbsp;</em>God richly gives things to&nbsp;<em>all of us</em>, Paul says; and by our being “liberal and generous we thus lay up for ourselves a good foundation for the future, so that we may take hold of the life which is life indeed”. “The life which is life indeed” is not the lower middle class striving-for-security life of slowly saving and occasionally splashing out on something, building, building up, watching the interest slowly grow, worrying about inflation and the possible need for a new boiler or roof… Much as those things are all part of our human experience in this age, they’re not “the life which is life indeed”. That life begins now, in a counter-instinctive going against the grain of being generous.</p>


