2 Timothy 1:4
4 Greatly desiring [epipotheo] to see [eido] thee, [se] being mindful [mnaomai] of thy [sou] tears, [dakru] that [hina] I may be filled [pleroo] with joy; [chara]KJV-Interlinear
4 longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. NASB
Paul lived in one of five unique eras of time in all of human history.
The first unique time was when Adam and Eve were removed from the garden and saw the beginning of human history for its first nine centuries.
The second unique time was in Noah’s day, when he witnessed the destruction of humanity and then saw its rebuilding after the flood.
The third unique time was in Pauls day, during and after the first advent of Christ, when the apostles witnessed Jesus in person, and then during that first generation following the ascension when Christianity was in its infant stage.
The fourth unique time in history will be the end of the Tribulation when the mature believers that survive, will witness the destruction of evil, the Second Advent and the beginning of the Millennial reign.
The fifth unique time in all of human history will come at the end of the Millennium, when history terminates, the old universe is destroyed, and the new universe is created.
In every case, there were or will be, people who will recognize the extreme significance of history as it unfolds right before their eyes, and what it all means.
In between all of those dates, like our present time, only mature believers will have a decent grasp of what history means. While we will not have the benefit or privilege of seeing any of these major historical events while we are alive in this world, that does not mean that we cannot appreciate or understand the significance of history and life in general.
Paul had a unique relationship with many people back in his day. His writings were going to become the foundation of the new scriptures, although most folks probably did not recognize that aspect of history until many years after Paul was gone.
But still Paul and Timothy and others recognized their role in that first generation following the Cross, and the significance of what doctrine meant to each and every individual.
This deep understanding when events are of a most serious nature, tends to bring people together in close friendship, as no other historical event can.
People in war are almost always drawn together because of the very serious nature of their shared experience.
People in relationships, which are spotted with adversity, are often times drawn close together, because of the shared nature of their experiences.
And this is a good aspect of the spiritual life. Adversity produces character, strength, growth, and faith.
People without truth in them, may easily fall apart, get divorced, stoop to blaming and such things, when life applies pressures on them.
But when doctrine is in the soul, then adversity creates a unique environment for a stronger common bond that could never exist otherwise.
Often times relationships need adversity in order weld them together.
People cannot generally invent bonding circumstances, but life often has a unique way of bringing people together, or breaking them apart depending on their content of soul and the character or lack of it, within them.
E-Books, E-Book Reader
Your Comments
Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Subscription Options
Unsubscribe:
(applies only to mailing list recipients)
%unsubscribe%
