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The common notion of a special “curse upon the woman” involving childbirth is based on one single verse in the Bible, where God says to Eve:

“I will greatly multiply thy sorrow (etsev) and thy conception; in sorrow (etsev) thou shalt bring forth children” (Gen 3:16).

The word “curse” does not appear in this verse, and neither does “pain”. It is a fact, of course, that the combined sins of Adam and Eve did bring a curse upon the earth, all creation, and also themselves — in the sense that they were now subject to mortality and other related difficulties and labors. But it is a fallacy derived from medieval ignorance and Catholic superstition that a special curse of pain during childbirth came upon Eve as a result of her sin.

“Women, because of their closer affinity to their children, suffer more keenly than do men, when their offspring go astray… An example is provided in the events narrated in Gen 4. How keenly Eve must have felt the sorrow caused by her firstborn’s sin in murdering his brother. Her high hopes for him when he was born (Gen 4:1) were completely shattered . The sentence (of Gen 3:16) related to this sorrow rather than an increase in the pain of childbirth” [HP Mansfield, Christadelphian Expositor, Genesis, (Vol 1, No 3), p 82,83]. In Gen 3:17, for example, Adam is told that it will be “in sorrow” (etsev, again) that he will henceforth eat of the earth. So the sorrow to be experienced by Eve in her role as a mother is the same as, or at least analogous to, the “sorrow” of Adam in tilling the ground — a “sorrow” which is equivalent to labor and sweat (v 19).

“Pain”, or “sorrow”?

The Revised Standard Version presents in this passage a curious example of “interpretive translation”, to put it mildly — possibly brought about by the prevalent belief in Western cultures (at least until the last generation) that the birth of a child should be expected to cause its mother great pain. In the RSV, Gen 3:16 reads:

“I will greatly multiply your pain (etsev) in childbearing; in pain (etsev) you shall bring forth children”, whereas Gen 3:17, in the same version, reads:

“To Adam he said… Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil (etsev) you shall eat of it all the days of your life.”

The word “etsev” has the root meaning of labor or toil, or giving of oneself in the fashioning of a work — which is a wonderful definition for the process of carrying, giving birth to, and raising children which is uniquely a mother’s role. But the word and its derivations hold no implication of pain in a physical sense, and only (inferentially) of sorrow in a secondary, spiritual sense.

Is suffering “desirable”?

This passage in Genesis 3, and a few others similarly deficient and inconsistent in their translations, have supported a faulty Catholic “theology”, to the effect that sexual intercourse in marriage is a necessary evil, and should be only for the purpose of procreation, and that intense suffering in the act of child-bearing is the just and reasonable punishment for sinful woman. At one time it was even taught that a woman’s cries and screams in childbirth pleased the ears of God, and two women were once burned to death by the Church in France — one for accepting a pain-killer during childbirth, and the other for administering it (ES Cowles, Religion and Medicine in the Church, p 18). On the other hand, it has never been considered necessary that man refrain from using labor-saving devices to alleviate the “sorrow” of Adam’s “special curse” in agriculture!

It is clear that ignorance, fear, and the “conditioning” of erroneous church doctrine have all played a part in producing this very pain in childbirth. The woman, fallaciously taught that she must suffer, and possibly even that suffering is desirable, is psychologically prepared to expect pain. This nervous expectation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy; it creates a tension that magnifies normal discomfort into serious pain, pain which is most likely unnecessary. (This information is from competent medical authorities, and is not derived from personal experience!) And the mother, at least until the last generation, has not often been taught any technique to minimize this pain and facilitate delivery.

The Scriptures portray the birth process as involving hard labor and pressure, but only in unusual circumstances as involving intense pain. More enlightened methods of childbirth are now helping to free mothers (and fathers) from this unnecessary fear. And a sharper look at some faulty translations can just as easily remove the Biblical “basis” for this expectation of suffering.

Other mistranslations

Other passages as well as Gen 3:16, on closer inspection, are seen not to warrant the necessity of pain in childbirth. This notion has been forced upon the passages by mistranslation — perhaps not intentionally, but due to the mistaken idea that women should suffer. One common Hebrew word for giving birth, “yalad”, is used not only of mothers, but also of fathers “begetting” children! But it is only when “yalad” is used of a woman that it is ever translated “travail” (ie, Gen 38:28; Jer 13:21; 1 Sam. 4:19; Jer 31:8; Mic 4:9,10; 5:3)!

A second common word, used almost interchangeably, is “chul” — with the root meaning of whirling or twisting (as in dance: Jdg 21:21, or perhaps a workman shaping a piece of pottery). Not only is “chul” used of a mother, but it is also used of God’s part in a birth, and in His creation of all things. When used of God in His creative acts, “chul” is generally translated by the AV. as “form” or “formed” (Job 26:13; Psa 90:2; Deu 32:18; Pro 26:10), but when used of the mother in the part she plays in the creative process it is most often translated as “travail” (Isa 54:1; 66:8) or “to be in pain” (Mic 4:10; Isa 13:8; 26:17)!

The misrepresentation is similar in the New Testament — for example, John 16:21: Here, the AV makes Jesus to say:

“A woman when she is in travail (‘tikto’) hath sorrow (‘lupe’)… but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish (‘thlipsis’)…” (The RV, RSV, NEB, and NIV, are all substantially the same as the AV here.)

“Tikto” simply means “to bring forth” or “produce”, usually children; but it can also refer to the earth “bringing forth” herbs (Heb 6:7).

“Lupe”, like “etsev” in the Hebrew, refers only to a state of the emotions, not to physical pain. It probably has to do with the mother’s anxiety in her labor, or toil, until the task has been successfully accomplished.

And “thlipsis” is the ordinary word usually translated “tribulation” or “persecution”. The root meaning is pressure or squeezing, as in pushing something out of its place!

Literally translated, then, John 16:21 should read:

“A woman when she is giving birth has anxiety, but as soon as she has given birth, she no longer remembers the pressures… “

The three New Testament words for childbirth, “tikto”, “gennao”, and “odino”, are virtually interchangeable. All three are used at one time or another in the Septuagint to translate both “yalad” and “chul” — which indicates how closely related all five words are. “Tikto” was discussed above; “gennao” means to beget, and is used of both fathers and mothers, just as is the Hebrew “yalad”.

Childbirth and “destruction”

The third word, “odino”, is the New Testament word most often mistranslated as the “pain” or “travail” of the mother, but the original Greek does not bear such a meaning. It is best translated as “labor”: the act of giving birth. One example of its use is 1Th 5:3:

“For when they say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail (‘odino’) upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”

At first glance, the verse seems to picture childbearing as a terrifying, death-like experience. But this is reading too much into the text. The points of comparison between the “destruction” and childbirth are as to time and certainty. This destruction will come “suddenly”, without warning, as labor may begin unexpectedly. And the destruction will be certain, “without escape” or postponement — again, just as the labor process, which, once it has begun, cannot be put off to a “more convenient season”. Other Scripture passages that link together childbirth and destruction or the like should be considered in this way, not as justification for expecting suffering and “destruction” in childbearing.

Death during childbirth

All of the above is not meant to say that pain was never present in a birth in Bible times. It is intended instead to indicate that severe pain was not and is not an essential part of normal childbirth. In the few times in the Bible that difficulties arose during childbirth, additional description -and not the ordinary words — conveyed this. And, in every case, the additional information shows that the mother is suffering from exhaustion, from not being able to work, or “labor”, any longer — for example:

“The children are brought to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth” (Isa 37:3).

With Rachel’s second pregnancy, all did not go well. The fact that her midwife knew the sex of the child during the progress of delivery (Gen 35:17) implies that it was in a breech position, which could explain her difficulty. With no modern medical remedy available, Rachel toiled at length to give birth to her son, until she was completely exhausted, and she could not recover from the strain. This is the only instance of death caused directly by childbirth in the whole Bible, a fact that might startle some. [One other death at childbirth is mentioned — that of Eli’s daughter-in-law (1Sa 4:19). But this death was caused by the shock and sorrow of her husband’s and her father-in-law’s violent deaths and the capture of the ark (v 21).]

Conclusion

The common association of childbirth with pain, death, and woe in general is not Biblical. It is a state of mind conditioned by imperfect translations, which in turn can be attributed to the apostasy’s flawed views of sexuality and marriage and women. Childbirth in the Bible is primarily spoken of as a beautiful and blessed event. It is true that all of human life, including the bearing and raising of children, partakes more or less of the sorrows of Edenic judgment. But this general condition of fallen humanity cannot invalidate the fact that children are a “heritage” of the Lord and a “reward” (Psa 127:3). And since this is so, then it is surely reasonable that the means by which they are brought into the world — both conception and delivery — must also be blessings!

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“There are two great antichristian religious systems of deceit revealed in the book of Revelation. The ‘great western antichrist’ of Roman Catholicism (Rev 17; 18) and the ‘great eastern antichrist’ of Islam (Rev 9). This has been the majority position of historic Protestant interpretation (Historicism) for centuries (though later writers often see this with more clarity). Dr Lee gives us evidence of this in ‘Calvin and Islam’, citing Calvin as follows,

“In our own day, indeed [1550], very many people begin to waver — when they consider the long continued dispersion of the Church. As if this had not been regulated by the purpose of God!… The pretext of the Romanists which they make in extenuation of the tyranny of their idol [the Papacy] — is that it was not possible for Christ to forsake His bride. But here, the weak have an assurance on which to rest — when they learn that the disfigurement which they see in the Church, has long since been foretold. The impudence of the Romanists, on the other hand, is clearly exposed. Because Paul declares that when the World has been brought under the rule of Christ — a defection will take place….

“The minds of ancients were so bewitched — that they believed that Nero would be Antichrist! However, Paul is not speaking of one individual — but of a kingdom that was to be seized by Satan, for the purpose of setting up a seat of abomination in the midst of God’s Temple. This we see accomplished in Popery.

“The defection has indeed spread more widely! For, since Mohammed was an apostate, he turned his followers, the Turks, from Christ…. The sect of Mohammed was like a raging overflow, which in its violence tore away about half of the Church. It remained for [the Papal] Antichrist to infect with his poison the part which was left.”

Yet, in the words ‘the Lord Jesus shall slay’ in 2Th 2:8 — Calvin insists Paul “predicted the destruction of the reign of Antichrist… He will be annihilated by the Word of the Lord… Paul does not think that Christ will accomplish this in a single moment… Christ will scatter the darkness in which Antichrist will reign, by the rays which He will emit before His coming — just as the sun, before becoming visible to us, chases away the darkness of the night with its bright light.

“It does seem that the fourth iron kingdom was in fact both the pre-Papal and the pre-Islamic undivided Pagan Roman Empire, as well as the later Western-Roman Papal and the contemporaneous Eastern-Roman Islamic Empire into which it then subdivided. Indeed, both ‘Mahomet’ and ‘the Pope’ — as we have already seen — Calvin called ‘the two horns of Antichrist.’ Thus they correspond to the two legs of the later Roman Empire Islam and the Papacy.

In fact, when the classic historicist position is studied, the fulfillment in the case of Islam and Rev 9 is seen to be so striking and well attested that “‘even advocates of other approaches who are adamant in their rejection of the historicist system of interpretation have admitted the convincing nature of this particular identification’ (Steve Gregg, commenting on Rev 9:1-6 in ‘Revelation: Four Views’ 176).”

Since the Papacy (Roman Catholicism) and the powers of Islam are both blaspheming and agitating against Israel today, it surely does seem that we are still in the “two legs” interpretative section of the image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of future empires, and very, very close to the image’s feet becoming shattered by Christ’s return.

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The Greek word “parousia” is becoming common in English as a technical term for the Second Coming of Christ. The use of the word in the secular Greek contemporary with the New Testament is extremely interesting.

In classical Greek it means quite simply the “presence” or the “arrival” of persons or things. It can be used in such phrases as the “presence” of friends or the “presence” of misfortunes. Quite often Paul uses “parousia” in that simple non-technical sense. He rejoices at the “parousia” (the “arrival”) of Stephanas (1Co 16:17). He is comforted by the “parousia” of Titus (2Co 7:6). He urges the Philippians to be as obedient in his absence as they were during his “parousia” with them (Phi 2:12). The Corinthians fling the taunt at him that, however impressive his letters may be, his bodily “parousia” is weak (2Co 10:10).

It is the occasional “classical” use that has led some to assume mistakenly that the word may describe some sort of mystical, invisible “presence” or “essence” of Christ dwelling with believers.

But, characteristically, in the New Testament “parousia” is the preeminent word to describe the Second Coming of Christ (Mat 24:3,27,37,39; 1Th 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5.23; 2Th 2:1,8,9; James 5:7,8; 2Pe 1:16; 3:4,12; 1Jo 2:28). The contemporary secular use of the term (as opposed to classical uses) will show what kind of picture it would convey to the minds of the early Christians.

In common first-century Greek “parousia” is the technical word for the arrival of an emperor, a king, a governor or famous person at a town or province. For such a visit preparations have to be made. Taxes are imposed, for instance, to present the king with a golden crown. Always the coming of the king demands that all things must be ready.

Further, one of the most common things is that provinces dated a new era from the “parousia” of the emperor. A new section of time emerged with the coming of the king.

Another common practice was to strike new coins to commemorate the visitation of the king. Hadrian’s travels can be followed by the coins which were struck to commemorate his visits. When Nero visited Corinth coins were struck to commemorate his “adventus” (advent, which is the Latin equivalent of the Greek “parousia”). It was as if with the coming of the king a new set of values had emerged.

“Parousia” is sometimes used of the “invasion” of a province by a general. Thus it describes the entrance on the scene of a new and conquering power.

Lastly, the “parousia” of the king or governor or emperor was often an occasion when petitions were presented and wrongs were righted. The word describes a healing and a correcting visitation.

With all this in our minds let us return to the New Testament and see how the idea of the “parousia” is used.

1. It is used as the basis of a demand to preserve one’s life blameless against the coming of the king. The preparations for the king’s visit must be made (1Th 3:13; 5:23; 1Jo 2:28).

2. It is used as a reason for patience (James 5:7,8). The day is coming when the arrival of the King will right all wrongs.

3. It is spoken of as something to desire and to pray for (2Pe 3:4,12). He who awaits Christ has something beyond this present sad and transient world to look forward to. The Christian is one who — humble as he might appear — is waiting for, and working for, a coming King.

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The Background

When Isaiah’s contemporary, the young king Hezekiah (25 years old), ascended the throne of Judah (c 720 BC), he began to purify the Temple, which had been defiled and neglected under his forefathers, and to reinstitute the true worship of the LORD there (2Ki 18:1-7; 2Ch 29). He next invited all Israel — including those who were left in the north after the Assyrian invasion of Israel — to come to Jerusalem to keep a renewed Passover (2Ch 30). This was accomplished in the second month (not the first month, as is the regular requirement) because the cleansing of the Temple and the people was not complete at the earlier time.

In the 14th year of his reign, when Hezekiah was 39 years old (2Ki 18:13), Sennacherib, king of Assyria, attacked the Southern Kingdom, Judah. He captured most of the defensed cities of Judah until, finally, Jerusalem was the only place of safety left (2Ki 18; 2Ch 32). At the same time (“in those days”: 2Ki 20:1) Hezekiah was struck down with a deadly disease. But through his faith, and prayers, Hezekiah’s life was spared an additional 15 years and his nation was also saved from the Assyrian threat through the miraculous overthrow of Sennacherib’s army — 185,000 strong — by an Angel of the LORD (2Ki 20:1-6; 19:35,36; 2Ch 32:21-23).

There are good reasons to think that both Hezekiah’s healing and the nation’s salvation came at the time of the Passover:

“Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer” (26:20,21).

Deliverance from the Assyrian is plainly described in “Passover” language.

“And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people go up with flutes to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel. The LORD will cause men to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down with raging anger and consuming fire, with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail. The voice of the LORD will shatter Assyria; with his scepter he will strike them down” (30:29-31).

The Passover was the only “holy festival” in the Jewish calendar which occurred at night!

“Like birds hovering overhead, the LORD Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it… Assyria will fall by a sword that is not of man; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. They will flee before the sword and their young men will be put to forced labor. Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic, declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem” (31:5-9).

In this case, the city of Jerusalem — rather than the individual houses of the faithful in Egypt — became the place of safety, protected by the “passing over” or hovering Angel of Life.

Future fulfillments?

Many of the prophecies of Isaiah have a dual fulfillment. A first, or primary, fulfillment always relates to the days of Isaiah himself. (This was necessary, because it was by some partial fulfillment in his own day that every prophet of the Lord was confirmed as a true prophet rather than a false one: Deu 18:20-22). But also, a second, or final, fulfillment relates usually to the Messiah of whom Hezekiah and Isaiah were “types” — sometimes to events of his first coming, sometimes of his second coming, and sometimes to both!

Therefore, many of the prophecies of Isaiah (and maybe especially the ones having to do with the Passover and/or the Exodus) can be read as Last Days prophecies, about a great King (the Messiah, “son” or descendant of Hezekiah) who saves his nation Israel (ie, the portion thereof which has faith in him) when they are threatened in the end times by another “Assyrian” invader (at the time of another Passover?). This point should be kept in mind in any consideration of Isaiah.

Some Isaiah references

Isa 4:5: “Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy.”

The allusion is to the pillar of fire and canopy of cloud in the wilderness. God protected Jerusalem from Sennacherib’s destruction. God will provide such umbrella protection in the future.

Isa 10:24-27: “Therefore, this is what the Lord, the LORD Almighty, says: ‘O my people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians, who beat you with a rod and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did. Very soon my anger against you will end and my wrath will be directed to their destruction.’ The LORD Almighty will lash them with a whip, as when he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb; and he will raise his staff over the waters, as he did in Egypt. In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck… “

In Isaiah’s day, Assyria was overthrown like Egypt was, and the Jewish captives went free. In the future, God will overthrow the Last Day “Assyrian” and free His people.

Isa 11:15,16: “The LORD will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that men can cross over in sandals. There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt.”

Who are the “slaves” who went free in the “exodus” of Hezekiah’s day? Probably some or all of the 200,000 Jews from the Northern Kingdom who had been carried away captive to Assyria or Babylon (a vassal city of Assyria at this time) only a few years earlier. Now, out of fear for the God of Israel who could so easily destroy a great army, Sennacherib releases his new slaves and sends them back home. Like Pharaoh, he must have said something like: “Get out; take whatever you want and leave; I never want to see another Jew!”

And what about the Last Days? A similar deliverance for Jewish believers from Assyria and Egypt (where they have evidently been carried by the Arab invaders) is also alluded to in Isa 19:23-25; 27:12,13; 35:1-10; 43:1-7; 52:1-10 — as well as Jer 3:18; 16:14,15; Joel 3:2-7; Zec 10:9-11; 14:2; and possibly Rev 13:10 and Rev 16:12 (which appears to quote Isaiah 11:15).

Isa 19:1,3,5,11,15: “An oracle concerning Egypt: See, the LORD rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within them… The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing… the waters of the river will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and dry… There is nothing Egypt can do — head or tail, palm branch or reed.”

God fought against the idols of Egypt, and against Egypt’s “foolish counselors”. Will there be a Last Days realization of this prophecy, to match the one in Hezekiah’s day?

Isa 19:19-22: “In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the LORD at its border. It will be a sign and witness to the LORD Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. So the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the LORD… The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the LORD, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.”

This is Exo 2:23-25 again: God’s people, in bitter servitude, cry out to Him; He hears their cry, and sends a deliverer.

Will some of the Egyptians (and Assyrians) worship God too? Consider Isaiah 19:23-25, where these erstwhile enemies of God and His people will be blessed along with Israel. Surely this is a vision never truly realized in the past. What a wonderful thing it will be — and soon! — when it becomes reality in Christ’s Kingdom!

Isa 27:1: “In that day, the LORD will punish with his sword, his fierce, great and powerful sword, Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea.”

The two “serpents” are probably the Tigris River (which “glides” or “flees” or “rushes” — cp Isa 8:7,8) and the Euphrates River (which “coils” or “twists”) — hence identifying Assyria/Babylonia (Syria and/or Iraq); the “monster of the sea” would be the crocodile of the Nile River — signifying the power of Egypt. Thus Isa 27:1 is explained by…

Isa 27:12,13: “In that day the LORD will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, O Israelites, will be gathered up one by one. And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.”

Isa 29:7,8: “Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel, that attack her and her fortress and besiege her, will be as it is with a dream, with a vision in the night — as when a hungry man dreams that he is eating, but he awakens, and his hunger remains; as when a thirsty man dreams that he is drinking, but he awakens faint, with his thirst unquenched. So will it be with the hordes of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion.”

(“Ariel” — which signifies either “the Lion of God” or “the Altar of God” — is evidently a figurative name for Jerusalem.) Here is the destruction of God’s enemies, who disappear like a dream in the night! This recalls, of course, the night of the first Passover.

Isa 35:1-10: “The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom… they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you’… Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way… the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

This section is filled with analogies to the Exodus. Israel’s enemies are defeated, and the captives go free, through the desert — where water is miraculously furnished to sustain them (cp 41:17,18; 43:19-21; 48:20,21) — walking in the “way” set out by their God, until they come in rejoicing to Zion, or Jerusalem. Something very much like this must have happened to the captives in Assyria and Babylon when they were freed after Sennacherib’s great defeat. Is this a Last Days prophecy also? Surely!

Isa 37:36: “Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning — there were all the dead bodies!”

The enemies of God’s people smitten by an Angel of the Lord!

Will there yet be a similar defeat of a great occupying army of Arabs in Israel (Joel 3:11-16; Psa 83:9-18; Oba 1:15-20)?

Isa 51:9,10: “Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed might cross over? “

“Rahab”, or “strong one”, was a well-known nickname for Egypt. The “monster” (or “dragon”) refers to the crocodile in the Nile, a Biblical symbol of Egypt. “Cross over” refers to the Red Sea crossing. So Hezekiah’s people were being urged to remember the Exodus. But Last Day Israel will one day talk about a deliverance which far exceeds that of the Mosaic Exodus:

” ‘However, the days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when men will no longer say, “As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,” but they will say, “As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.” For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers'” (Jer 16:14,15).

Isa 63:11,12: “Then his people recalled the days of old, the days of Moses and his people — where is he who brought them through the sea, with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he who set his Holy Spirit among them, who sent his glorious arm of power to be at Moses’ right hand, who divided the waters before them, to gain for himself everlasting renown… ”

“Everlasting renown”? Is this an Exodus/Passover term? Yes, it is equivalent to the everlasting, or covenant, Name of God — Yahweh, or Jehovah — revealed to Moses in the burning bush of Sinai (Exo 3:14). The God of Israel is from everlasting to everlasting; He is the Eternal God, and He vows to make Himself known to all nations through His people Israel. That purpose is as firm now as it was in Moses’ day, or Isaiah’s day, and it will be fulfilled in the future when God, through His Son, delivers His people (the faithful remnant of believing Israel) out of Egypt and Assyro-Babylonia once again.

Deliverance at Passover?

Reasons — valid reasons — may be produced for reading the “times” of Dan 12 (and Rev 11 — 13) as descriptive of a literal period of about 3 1/2 years. The location of the special “feast days” in the Jewish calendar allows for the possibility that all three termination dates (the 1,260th day, the 1,290th day, and the 1,335th day) fall on special “holy convocation” days. This is either a most extraordinary coincidence, or a divine design.

In this scenario, a period of 3 1/2 years could begin with the Feast of Tabernacles (in the 7th month of the Jewish calendar) and end at Passover (in the first month). And the final 45 days (during which is accomplished the last great deliverance of Israel) could begin at that same Passover (the 1,290th day) and culminate at Pentecost (the 1,335th day).

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In the evening Jesus left his loved ones in Bethany (the home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha) for the last time. The shadows of Gethsemane were gathering about him, the cross was already growing heavy on his shoulders, the sweat was forming on his brow. Mary watched him move slowly away over the shoulder of the hill. Her love would tell her much. Something of his burden was communicated to her as she bravely smiled her answer to his last farewell. She watched him go with an anguish too great for tears. But when he had gone, the smile would fade and her eyes would reveal something of the pain and loneliness that was in her heart. The cruelty and lust of man, which was so soon to be directed against the love of God revealed in Christ, pierced also the heart of the one who loved. And so it has done ever since. No true disciple of Jesus can pass through the coming hours without the sword piercing his own soul also.

It was probably as the sun was beginning to decline on the horizon that Jesus and the other 10 disciples descended once more over the Mount of Olives into the Holy City. Before them lay Jerusalem in her festive attire. All around, pilgrims were hastening toward it. White tents dotted the meadows, gay with the bright flowers of early spring, or peered out from the gardens and the darker foliage of the olive orchards.

From the gorgeous Temple buildings, dazzling in their snow-white marble and gold, on which the slanting rays of the sun were reflected, rose the smoke of the altar of burnt-offering. These courts would soon be crowded with eager worshipers, offering for the last time, in the real sense, their Passover lambs. The streets were thronged with strangers, and the flat roofs covered with eager sightseers.

And now they were within the city. Its temple, its splendid palaces, its busy markets, its streets filled with happy people, were well-known to them. They made they way to the house where the guestchamber had been prepared for them.

Luk 22:14: Outside, in the city, there was darkness and the sense of impending death. Already, men with swords and staves were seeking him. But, inside the house, there was… light and love and life and hope.

* The lighting of the candles… by the mothers.

And Jesus, the host, prepares to celebrate “this passover” — his passover (Luk 22:15) with his disciples.

* Why no lamb at Jesus’ passover? Because this was the “day of preparation”, one day too early; everything was prepared, except that there was no lamb yet. Why? Jesus IS the Lamb!

THE ORDER (Heb Seder):

* First cup of wine is poured. This is the cup for Elijah: Mal 3:1; 4:5… Mar 1:2-4; Joh 1:29 (looking for Elijah).

* Giving of thanks (ie Luk 22:17,18): “Blessed art Thou, Yahweh our God, King of the Universe, who has chosen us from among all people, and exalted us from among all languages, and sanctified us with thy commandments. And thou hast given us, O Yahweh our God, in love, the solemn days for joy, and the festivals and appointed seasons for gladness, and this the day of the feast of unleavened bread, the season of our freedom, a holy convocation, the memorial of our departure from Egypt. For us has Thou chosen; and us thou has sanctified from among all nations, and Thy holy festivals with joy and with gladness hast Thou caused us to inherit. Blessed art Thou, O Yahweh, who sanctifiest Israel and the appointed seasons! Blessed art thou, Yahweh, King of the Universe, who hast preserved us alive and sustained us and brought us to this season!”

* The first cup is drunk, by everyone. (The wine/grape juice is warm, symbolizing blood poured out.)

* Ritual washing of hands. (Probably here Jesus also washes the disciples’ feet: Joh 13:4,5,13-17, an example to quarrelsome, ambitious, selfish disciples.)

* Herbs, dipped in bitter water, are eaten by host and given to others. (Sym the bitterness, sweat of slavery in Egypt: Exo 2:23-25.)

* Haggadah (“setting forth, instruction”): Teaching, by the form of questions and answers, the true meanings of the Passover meal.

Question 1: “Why is this night different from all nights? On all other nights we eat leavened or unleavened bread, but this night only unleavened bread.” A: We eat unleavened bread because our fathers had to leave Egypt in haste — there was no time for the bread to rise.

Question 2: “On other nights, we may eat any herbs (vegetables), but tonight… only bitter herbs. Why?” A: We eat bitter herbs because our fathers knew the bitterness of slavery in Egypt.

Question 3: “Why, tonight, must we eat charoseth?” (Mortar-like fruit and nut mixture.) A: We must eat charoseth because our fathers made bricks as slaves in Egypt.

Question 4: “On other nights we may eat either sitting up or reclining? Why, tonight, do we all recline?” A: We must recline, at peace and rest, because we are no longer slaves in Egypt.

* Exo 12:8: Rabbi Gamaliel (apostle Paul’s teacher) said regarding the Passover: “Whosoever does not explain three things in the Passover has not fulfilled the duty incumbent on him. These three things are: the Passover lamb, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs. The lamb means that God passed over (to overshadow and protect) the blood-sprinkled places on the houses of our fathers in Egypt. The unleavened bread means that our fathers were delivered out of Egypt in haste. and the bitter herbs mean that the Egyptians made bitter the lives of our fathers in Egypt.”

* Psa 136: Great Hallel: responsive reading: “His love endures forever!”

Thus, one by one, the dishes were explained.

* Matzah: “Behold the matzah, unleavened bread of poverty, which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat; all who are needy, come and celebrate the Passover with us. Now we are here; next year may we observe the Passover in the Land of Israel. Now many are still enslaved; next year may all men be free.”

* Game: Who Knows One?

* Hymn: 47.

* Psa 113; 114: The first part of the Hallel is now sung. (Cp Rev 14:1,3; 15:3: Here is likely the “new song”, the song of Moses and the Lamb.)

* A brief prayer is now offered: “Blessed art thou, Yahweh our god, King of the Universe, who hast redeemed us and redeemed our fathers from Egypt.”

* Finally, the second cup is drunk. (The “cup of plagues”… for everyone.)

* Hands are washed again.

* The unleavened bread is broken. (The aphikomen — the one who comes after!: one matzah, broken, wrapped in white cloth, to be saved for later.)

* Then thanks is given: “Blessed are you, O Lord…” (Bread may now be eaten.)

* Unleavened bread is dipped in charoseth (a mixture of vinegar, apples, dates, raisins, nuts, and other fruits — sym the thick mortar or mud used to make bricks in Egypt). This is the “sop” which Christ gives to Judas, as an unspoken signal to John. “Is it I?”: the purging of the leaven. Judas now departs… the irony of Joh 13:30.

* Further, on the Haggadah, the Torah speaks of four types of children:

(1) The wise child asks: “What is the meaning of the laws, regulations, and ordinances which the Lord our God has commanded us?” To him you shall explain all the laws of Passover even to the last detail.

(2) The rebellious child asks: “What does this service mean to YOU?” By using the expression “to you”, it is evident that this service has no significance for HIM. He has thus excluded himself from his people and denied God; therefore give him a caustic answer and say: “It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.” “For me,” not for HIM, for had HE been there in Egypt, he would not have deserved to be liberated!

(3) The simple child asks: “What does it all mean?” Tell him simply, “With a mighty hand, the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

(4) As for the young child, who does not know yet how to ask, begin by explaining, as we are told: “I do this because of what the LORD did for me.”

* Haggadah: setting forth. At this point the Passover Lamb would normally be “set forth” and eaten. There is no lamb except Christ. So he “sets forth” himself: “I am the good shepherd… I am the true vine… Behold the lamb of God…” (Significance of Rom 3:23-25 and 1Co 11:26.)

* Joh 13:31-34: A “new” commandment. Not really new (remember: “Love your neighbor as yourself”) except that Christ was now to give it the perfect interpretation (Joh 15:10-13: “AS I have loved you”). Joh 13:35: our greatest challenge.

There was a solemnity about these moments which must have kept the disciples silent. They would sense the sanctity of something too great to understand, but they would feel a sudden sense of new fellowship with their Lord. Their hearts were bursting with a new emotion, and they must have kept their eyes lowered as Jesus looked from one to another. He knew their hearts and his spirit flowed out to them with a love he had not hitherto revealed.

His little children… What the disciples could not know was that even while his love encompassed them in this simple memorial, his eyes were lifted beyond them down the years that were yet to be: towards disciples gathered in caves with Roman soldiers dogging their steps; towards men and women dying in the mountains with his Name upon their lips; towards a faithful remnant struggling to keep the faith in a closing age of folly and darkness.

He saw countless disciples down the years and over the world, humble disciples who lived and died unknown. He saw them living out their little lives with their hopes and their fears, their struggles and their failures, their prayers and their victories. He came quietly to them with his invitation, “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.”

And in humble earnestness comes their answer, “With desire we desire to meet at your table, Lord.” And so obediently they come, they remember, they love, and they go back to their tasks inspired by his presence and his example.

* The aphikomen: the special set-aside bread. (Only for the baptized members.)

* Hymn: 175.

* Luk 22:19: After this, Christ took the unleavened bread, blessed it, and broke it.

The grain of wheat must fall into the ground, and die, so that it may bring forth much fruit — fruit which must be harvested, winnowed, ground, and baked.

The first step must be taken in faith, or the promised bread will never become a reality: Psa 126:5,6.

And so the Savior was to go forth, for the joy set before him, enduring the cross, and despising the shame: 1Co 11:24; Psa 104:15; 1Co 10:16a,17.

* Prayer: “Blessed art Thou, O God, who gives us the bread of life…” (The bread was broken and passed by Christ to each individual.)

* The special cup… only to baptized members…

* The third cup, traditionally known as “the cup of blessing” (or “cup of redemption”) (as in 1Co 10:16). This was the cup “after supper” (Luk 22:20). The fruit of the vine must be gathered, and trodden under foot, its “blood” shed. The red liquid must be left a little time, to be resurrected in the fermentation process, with a new life: 1Co 11:25; Psa 104:15; 1Co 10:16b.

* Prayer: “Blessed art Thou, O God, who gives us the fruit of the vine…” (The cup is passed from hand to hand among the baptized believers, as symbol of the love and joy shared among themselves.)

* Hymn: 243.

* Singing/reading of last part of the Hallel: Psa 115-118. (Consider Psa 116:1-9,12-14; 117:1,2; 118:22-26.)

* The fourth cup of wine is drunk (the “cup of praise”).

* Blessing: “All thy works shall praise thee, Yahweh our God. And thy saints, the righteous, who do thy good pleasure, and all thy people, the house of Israel, with joyful song let them praise and bless and magnify and glorify and exalt and reverence and sanctify and ascribe the kingdom to thy name, O our King! For it is good to praise thee, and pleasure to sing praises unto thy name, for from everlasting to everlasting thou art God. The breath of all that lives shall praise thy name, Yahweh our God. And the spirit of all flesh shall continually glorify and exalt thy memorial, O our King! For from everlasting to everlasting thou art God, and besides thee we have no King, Redeemer, or Savior…”

* Mat 26:30… Hymn 194.

* We close with the traditional Passover benediction, in words uttered by the children of Israel for thousands of years:

“Our God and the God of our fathers, as we bring to a close this Passover, commemorating the exodus of our people from Egyptian bondage, we pray that we may carry with us into daily life the message of freedom emphasized in its symbols and rituals. May the memories of this day inspire us to cast off our own shackles of intolerance, greed and hatred. May we here resolve to break the chains that fetter our minds and blind us to the glory, beauty and goodness which life offers in such abundance.

“Help us to realize that we cannot have freedom for ourselves unless we are willing to share it with others. Through our daily deeds and devotion may each of us in some way help to liberate those who live in fear, poverty, and ignorance. Hasten the day of Jubilee, when the light of true freedom will penetrate into all corners of the world, and lift the darkness of tyranny until tyranny is no more, so that all men may be free. Amen.”

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Introduction

The Pastoral letters are so called because they were written by the Apostle Paul to encourage two of his closest friends in their efforts to help the newly converted Christians in Asia. The letters were probably written not long after the last of his missionary journeys and when Paul was in Rome awaiting trial by Caesar. Paul realized that he was unable to see the new communities himself; so he relied on Timothy and Titus to care for these new followers of Christ.

The Letters have common ground. In each case Paul encourages both Timothy and Titus in their personal strength. Paul knew only too well the troubles they would face. The ecclesias were operating in a very hostile Roman environment. At the same time, many were prone to be influenced by old, Judaizing (the Law of Moses) customs. Moral standards in the Roman Empire were very low. This three-pronged ‘attack’ meant that the ‘caregivers’ needed to be able to withstand pressures themselves and know how to deal with those who had succumbed to the pressures, and to help those who hadn’t to resist the tendency to succumb.

The order in which the letters were written, and their approximate years, are: 1 Timothy AD 67, Titus AD 67 and 2 Timothy AD 68.

1 Timothy

The first letter has three main themes. Paul was aware that it would not be long before sound doctrine would be ignored. He urged Timothy to resist the false doctrine that was being deliberately taught in Ephesus. It was evident that some of the believers in Ephesus were teaching doctrinal error, and were also devoting their time to the consideration of myths, genealogies and meaningless talk. Paul regarded the development of faith in love as being far more productive. It seems from 1Ti 1:8-11 that the error being proposed by the false teachers related to the keeping of the Law (of Moses). Paul, yet again (he did it in other letters) pointed out that the Law was made for sinners. On the other hand, while Paul regarded himself as initially a sinner of significant proportions (1Ti 1:13) it was through the grace of God, and through love and faith that he was able to receive strength and be a servant of God. Paul was encouraging Timothy to fight for the faith that he was also given so that he would not follow the path of those who became distracted and mad e a wreck of their faith (1Ti 1:18-20).

The second theme concerned the way in which groups of believers — the ecclesia — might worship. Paul gave advice on the way in which men and women might pray and dress, and he also suggested the role of the woman in relation to the man: the man should take the responsibility for guidance just as Christ took the responsibility for his ecclesia — his “bride”. He also discussed the qualifications of elders in the ecclesias.

The third theme concerns the issue of personal traits that Timothy should exhibit. Paul saw that Timothy had a major role to play in the development of the first century Christians and he did what he could to encourage him. In two other instances, Paul referred to the acute attacks that would come upon the believers before too long. Paul advised him to be a good servant “brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.” “Command and teach,” Paul advised. He realized this chore would not be easy; he used words such as “fight”, “take hold” and “command”. Serious issues needed strong words and action.

Two things stand out in the latter part of this letter. Firstly, it was obvious to Paul that Timothy would need to keep Paul’s directions “until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Ti 6:14). There was no doubt that Paul expected Jesus to return to the earth. The second thing is that Paul was anticipating a time when “what is falsely called knowledge” would need to be refuted (1Ti 6:20). For the followers of Christ, “looking for his appearing” should be a fundamental occupation, together with refusal to be caught up in contemporary society’s paranoia for increasing knowledge, too much of which can be regarded as being false.

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These three of Paul’s letters naturally belong together in any overall consideration of his writings. They have long borne the designation of “Pastoral Epistles” — or letters written to pastors. A pastor was a shepherd (as the word itself implies), almost certainly identical in first-century terminology to a bishop or elder. Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus, for they were themselves pastors, as was he. And he wrote concerning their duties and qualifications, as well as those of all other ecclesial “shepherds” (of that day and this day).

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While these three letters are addressed to individuals, and many of the admonitions are clearly personal, much of the material is nevertheless intended for the flocks over which Timothy and Titus presided. So, in a sense, they are to be understood as ecclesial letters also — either read directly to the congregations by the recipients, or handed down second-hand in Timothy’s and Titus’s own words.

The general aim of the three letters is set down by Paul: “That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God” (1Ti 3:15). These letters, then, are seen to deal with the care and organization of the flock of God. They tell men how they ought to behave in an assembly which had replaced Herod’s Temple as the true dwelling place of Almighty God upon earth. They give instructions as to what kind of people the ecclesial leaders must be, how they must administer ecclesial affairs, and how they should deal with the threats to Christian doctrine and life.

The pastoral letters reveal to us intimate glimpses of the struggles of infant ecclesias, veritable islands in a sea of paganism. These people were only slightly removed from their heathen origins, and it would have been very easy to relapse into the sensual atmosphere of the world around them. In some measure, then, these letters may speak to us in our “missionary” pursuits today — whether in far-off “missionary” lands, or in the establishment of new lightstands nearer home. Despite the newness of the Truth revealed to the flocks of Timothy and Titus, they possessed (through Paul’s instruction?) a high degree of ecclesial organization. At Ephesus and in Crete there were “bishops” (1Ti 3:1-7; Tit 1:7-16); at Ephesus at least there were also “deacons” (1Ti 3:8-13) and an order of “widows indeed” (1Ti 5:3-16).

There is even the beginnings of a “creed”, or “statement of faith”, implicit in what appears to be quotations from recognized documents (1Ti 1:17; 2:5,6; 3:16; 2Ti 2:11-13; Tit 2:11-14; 3:4-7). In the Pastorals Paul no longer presents new and challenging ideas — as he did in Romans and Hebrews, for examples. Instead, his great aim is not to introduce new teaching, but to persuade his followers to stand by the old, to consolidate and maintain what they had received. This is why he so often refers to “sound teaching” (2Ti 1:13; 4:3); “wholesome teaching” (Tit 1:9), “sound faith” (Tit 1:13), and “sound doctrine” (Tit 2:1). [See Lesson, Sayings of faith in Pastorals .]

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One more interesting element in the Pastorals is what might be called “domestic codes” — sections outlining advice on the correct behavior of Christians in different social classes and relationships:

1Ti 2:9-15: Women 1Ti 5:3-16: Widows 1Ti 6:1,2: Slaves Tit 2:1-3: Elderly people Tit 2:4,5: Young women Tit 2:6,7: Young men Tit 2:9,10: Slaves

These domestic codes are also found in other letters — especially Colossians, Ephesians, and 1 Peter — and are a reminder of how much the Truth should affect all our activities, especially including our family life. In the ancient world, religion was often considered as purely a public affair. (Sadly, that is also very much the case with many “churches” around us.) But believers in Christ should be members of a close-knit family, the family of God (1Ti 3:15). Paul’s letters constantly emphasize this.

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When the literary characteristics of the letters are examined, as the outline of Titus shows, there is an absence of order such as is found in Romans or Ephesians. Instead, some subjects are treated more than once, intermixed with brief doctrinal statements or personal advice. The letters are far removed from literary exercises. They are the natural and human (though of course inspired) expressions of a busy man. They reveal much, therefore, of the man himself as he faced contemporary conditions in the brotherhood.

Other differences are also obvious. A careful and sensitive reading of the Pastorals leaves the impression that the style is not quite like that of the other letters. It is less fiery, less emphatic, but even more exhortational and comforting than Paul’s other letters. There are also enormous differences in vocabulary between the Pastorals and the earlier letters (so much so as to lead modernists to postulate some author other than Paul). But it should not be expected that the same author would write in the same manner and use the same words in two letters composed probably fifteen years apart, as were 1 Thessalonians and 2 Timothy. (If this is doubted, let the reader compare his latest composition to his high-school or college term papers!) It is nothing but reasonable that Paul’s attitudes and characteristic expressions would undergo great changes in the course of a generation. The amazing thing is that God spoke, through both Paul the young preacher and Paul the aged apostle — as He did also through Moses and David and Isaiah and Jesus! And that each revelation, while different, was essentially identical!

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Outline

1Ti 1:1-2: Greeting 1Ti 1:3-11: The problem of false teachers 1Ti 1:12-20: Grace, faith and love 1Ti 2:1-15: Directions for private and public worship

• the need for being at peace

• God’s desire: salvation for all through Jesus the mediator

• the roles of men and women in worship

1Ti 3:1-16: Duties, responsibilities and qualifications of God’s servants in the ecclesia 1Ti 4:1-15: General, personal advice to encourage Timothy 1Ti 5:1-25: More specific personal advice 1Ti 6:1-2: Continued advice 1Ti 6:3-10: A further reminder of troubles — doctrinal, financial and social — that will come to God’s people 1Ti 6:11-20: Final encouragement

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2 Timothy

It is estimated that Paul wrote this letter in AD 68, the last year of his life. He had been released from prison in about AD 63 and had gone back to some of the places he had visited earlier. Towards the end of AD 67 he was arrested again and placed in prison back in Rome. This time, because of the increasing persecution of Christians, he was put into a dungeon and was barely able to write the letter. There can be no doubt that God was at work in insuring that such an important letter was not only written, but was delivered and kept safe for many years until it was placed in the canon of Scripture.

For Paul, the letter was somewhat sad. He had earlier warned Timothy of the troubled times soon to come, and he was now seeing the results. The sadness was evident in 2Ti 1:15-18. Everyone in Asia had deserted him, even Phygellus and Hermogenes. They were obviously two people he had respected and had thought were strong in faith. He was surprised that they had left. Paul had high praise for Onesiphorus because of the way he searched until he found Paul in prison.

Once again, however, even in his own reduced and perilous state, Paul was concerned for the welfare of his associates in Christ. Right until the last minute (almost literally) of his life, Paul was doing his best to help strengthen Timothy, knowing that he would take the main responsibility of continuing with the work of preaching the gospel. (It is suggested that Paul died not long after the letter was written.)

There are some marvelous little insights into Paul and his warmth in this letter. He was obviously touched by Timothy’s upset at their previous departure (2Ti 1:4) and wanted to see him again because that would bring him great happiness. Paul had so much affection for Timothy.

We see in the same few verses (2Ti 1:4-7) the importance of family values in the bringing up of children. Paul refers to Timothy’s mother and grandmother and their sincere faith. Paul obviously endorsed the principle of a good example in the upbringing of children.

In encouraging Timothy to be “strong in the faith” (2Ti 2:1) Paul draws attention to the fact that earthly bondage is only temporary. While he was chained like a common criminal for the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ, “God’s word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything …” Paul had before him the hope that “If we endure, we will also reign with him.”

As always, Paul gave a lot of practical advice to Timothy. In 2Ti 2 he:

1.         drew attention to the disruption of quarreling and idle chatter between Christians; warned against false teaching and “stupid arguments”, and reminded Timothy of God’s sure foundation;

2.         advocated the need for each person to be “a workman approved of God”;

3.         provided, again, the alternative of truth and righteousness to wickedness.

In 2Ti 3; 4 Paul again refers to the troubled times that will continue. He ends where he began, expressing sorrow at the way in which his friends deserted him. He shows the true characteristic of Christianity by pleading that they not be punished for this. He finishes with an absolute certainty — that in the face of trouble “the Lord stood at my side”, surely a great comfort to all who follow Jesus.

Outline

2Ti 1:1-2: Greeting 2Ti 1:3-7: A personal tribute to Timothy 2Ti 1: 8-12: The Gospel – a pattern of “sound teaching” 2Ti 1:13-16: Contrasts – those who deserted with him who persevered 2Ti 2:1-7: Personal encouragement to Timothy 2Ti 2:8-13: “Remember Jesus Christ” 2Ti 2:14-21: The approved workman 2Ti 2:22-26: Practical advice 2Ti 3:1-9: A tragic picture of “the last days” 2Ti 3:10-17: “All about my teaching” 2Ti 4:1-6: “Preach the word… keep your head and endure hardship.” 2Ti 4:8-16: Personal observations 2Ti 4:19-22: Final greetings

Titus

Summary: This letter was written by Paul from Rome to Titus whom he had left to care for the churches on the island of Crete. The letter provides Titus with instruction and advice for his conduct in dealing with the believers in Crete.

Key verses: “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ´No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives” (Tit 2:11,12).

Outline

1.	Greetings and introduction: Tit 1:1-4
2.	Titus’ task: Tit 1:5 – 3:15
	a)	Appointing leaders: Tit 1:5-16
	b)	What to teach different groups: Tit 2:1-15
	c)	Insist that believers do good: Tit 3:1-15

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These last three letters naturally belong together in any overall consideration of Paul’s writings. They have long borne the designation of “Pastoral Letters” — or letters written to pastors. A pastor was a shepherd (as the word itself implies), almost certainly identical in first-century terminology to a bishop or elder. Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus, for they were themselves pastors, as he was. And he wrote concerning their duties and qualifications, as well as those of all ecclesial “shepherds” (of that day and this).

While these three Pastoral Letters are addressed to individuals, and many of the admonitions are clearly personal, much of the material is nevertheless intended for the flocks over which Timothy and Titus helped preside. So, in a sense they are to be understood as ecclesial letters also — either read directly to the congregations by the recipients, or handed down second-hand in Timothy’s and Titus’ own words.

The general aim of the three letters is set down by Paul: “That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the ecclesia of the living God” (1Ti 3:15).

These letters, then, are seen to deal with the care and organization of the flock of God. They tell men how they ought to behave in an assembly which had replaced the Temple in Jerusalem as the true dwelling place of the Almighty upon earth. They give instructions as to what kind of people ecclesial leaders must be, how they must administer ecclesial affairs, and how they should deal with the threats to Christian doctrine and life.

The Pastoral Letters reveal to us intimate glimpses of the struggles of infant ecclesias, veritable islands in a sea of paganism. Many of these believers were only slightly removed from their heathen origins and could easily relapse into the sensual atmosphere of the world around them. In some measure, then, these letters may speak to us in our “missionary” pursuits today — whether in far-off lands, or in the establishment of new light stands and the strengthening of new converts nearer home.

Despite the newness of the Truth revealed to the flocks of Timothy and Titus, they possessed (through Paul’s instruction?) a high degree of ecclesial organization. At Ephesus and in Crete there were “bishops” (1Ti 3:1-7; Tit 1:7-16); at Ephesus at least there were also “deacons” (1Ti 3:8-13) and an order of “widows indeed” (1Ti 5:3-16).

There are even the beginnings of a “creed”, or “statement of faith”, implicit in what appear to be quotations from recognized documents (1Ti 1:17; 2:5, 6; 3:16; 2Ti 2:11-13; Tit 2:11-14; 3:4-7). In the Pastorals, Paul no longer presents new and challenging ideas — as he did in Romans and Hebrews, for example. His great aim is not to introduce new teaching, but instead to persuade his followers to stand by the old, to consolidate and maintain what they had received. This is why he so often refers to “sound teaching” (2Ti 1:13; 4:3); “wholesome teaching” (Tit 1:9); “sound faith” (Tit 1:13), and “sound doctrine” (Tit 2:1).

One more interesting element in the Pastorals is what might be called “domestic codes” — sections outlining advice on the correct behavior of believers in different social classes and relationships:

1Ti 2:9-15: Women 1Ti 5:3-16: Widows 1Ti 6:1,2: Slaves Tit 2:1-3: Elderly people Tit 2:4,5: Young women Tit 2:6,7: Young men Tit 2:9,10: Slaves

These domestic codes are also found in other letters — especially Colossians, Ephesians, and 1 Peter — and are a reminder of how much the Truth should affect all our activities, especially our family life. In the ancient world, religion was often considered as purely a public affair. (Sadly, that is also very much the case with many churches). But believers in Christ should be members of a close-knit family, the family of God (1Ti 3:15). Paul’s letters constantly emphasize this.

A reading of the Pastorals leaves the impression that the style is not quite like that of the other letters. It is less fiery, less emphatic, but more exhortational and comforting than Paul’s other letters. There are also differences in vocabulary between the Pastorals and the earlier letters (so much so as to lead modernists to postulate some author other than Paul). But it should not be expected that the same author would write in the same manner and use the same words in two letters composed probably fifteen years apart, as were 1 Thessalonians and 2 Timothy. (If this is doubted, let the reader compare his latest composition to his high-school or college term papers!) It is entirely reasonable that Paul’s attitudes and characteristic expressions would undergo great changes in the course of a generation. The amazing thing is that God spoke, through both Paul the younger preacher and Paul the older apostle — as He did also through Moses and David and Isaiah and Jesus! And that each revelation, while superficially different, was essentially identical!

ChristadelphianBooksOnline The Agora Bible Articles and Lessons: P-Q

Paul may have spent as much as 25% of his time as a missionary in prison. We know of his brief lock-up in Philippi, two years’ incarceration in Caesarea, and at least another two in Rome. Yet Paul says he experienced “far more imprisonments” than his opponents. To understand Paul, we need to understand where he spent so much time.

Bloody Ordeal

Roman imprisonment was preceded by being stripped naked and then flogged, a humiliating, painful, and bloody ordeal. The bleeding wounds went untreated; prisoners sat in painful leg or wrist chains. Mutilated, blood-stained clothing was not replaced, even in the cold of winter. In his final imprisonment, Paul asked for a cloak, presumably because of the cold.

Most cells were dark, especially the inner cells of a prison, like the one Paul and Silas inhabited in Philippi. Unbearable cold, lack of water, cramped quarters, and sickening stench from few toilets made sleeping difficult and waking hours miserable.

Male and female prisoners were sometimes incarcerated together, which led to sexual immorality and abuse. Prison food, when available, was poor. Most prisoners had to provide their own food from outside sources. When Paul was in prison in Caesarea, Felix, the procurator, gave orders to the centurion that “none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.”

Because of the miserable conditions, many prisoners begged for a speedy death. Others simply committed suicide.

The Privileged Few

All of this could be mitigated to some extent if the prisoner was important or paid a bribe (as Governor Felix hoped to receive from Paul in Caesarea).

A prominent individual, or one expected to be released, might be kept under house arrest if he or she could afford the rent. In Rome, where housing prisoners was excessively expensive, Paul was given the privilege of house arrest, and he paid the rent himself (exactly how, we don’t know). He probably lived in a third-floor apartment; first floors were used for shops, and the second floor was expensive.

In his final imprisonment in Rome, though, Paul’s life came to an end in the woeful conditions of a Roman prison (John McRay, “Paul and His Times,” Christian History, No 47).