We often look for gems of wisdom in someone’s last words, especially if it’s a person that we admire. As the Apostle Paul neared the end of his life, he penned these words in 2 Timothy 4:7-8 as he sat in a Roman prison cell awaiting his beheading:
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
Besides the personal instructions and final greetings that follow, these verses represent his last recorded words. As he looked back on his life, we might have expected him to list his many accomplishments in spreading the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire.
Instead, Paul focused on qualities that enabled him to endure in a ministry beset with a persecutions, hardships, and deadly perils. The amazing aspect of his final message is that it applies to all of us regardless of our spiritual gifts or calling in the body of Christ.
The apostle begins his assessment with these words, “I have fought the good fight.” Paul struggled against many foes in his quest to spread the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire. Many of Jews bitterly opposed him and from inside the churches he started, false teachers rose up to discredit him.
His words remind us that as New Testament saints, we live in the midst of a war. The battle scenes differs widely among the saints, but there’s a similarity to the attacks we must fend off on a daily basis.
Along with these unseen forces, we encounter various levels of opposition and persecution from others. We endure scoffing from fellow Christians who laugh at our hope in Jesus’ soon appearing.
Next, the apostle used an athletic contest, a race, to illustrate his endurance throughout the time of his apostolic ministry. Marathon races were popular in Paul’s day and it’s likely he may have witnessed such contests. I never ran in a race that long, but I know from those who have that it requires much stamina and determination to finish the course.
The picture of finishing “the race” reminds us that there is a finish line when the many battles of this life will end. We endure the hardships of life knowing that a much better day awaits us.
Regardless of our gifts or calling, we can apply the apostle’s mindset to our walk with the Lord. Serving Him doesn’t get easier at the end, especially as we age. The picture of a runner in a long race, a marathon, reminds us to stay in the game as Jesus gives us the strength to remain faithful to the tasks He calls us to.
LOVING JESUS’ APPEARING
Why is it so important that we include our expectation of the Rapture in what we regard as “the faith?” Because such watchfulness is not only an essential part of enduring the battles, sorrows, and many hardships of this life, but Paul informs us that there’s a reward for “all who have loved his [Jesus] appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).
Of all the accomplishments that the apostle might have listed as a reason for expecting a reward, this “crown of righteousness,” he chose that of loving Jesus’ appearing. Does that not speak volumes?
Take a few moments to ponder his words. Despite taking the Gospel to much of the known world, starting many churches, leading a great many people to saving faith in the Savior, and writing much of the New Testament, in his last recorded words Paul connects loving Jesus’ appearing to his anticipation of receiving a “crown of righteousness.” Wow!
This is so rich in application for us today:
First, this is something all believers can imitate regardless of age, spiritual giftedness, calling, infirmities, disabilities, persecution, or location. We can all long for Jesus’ appearing and receive the same reward that Paul looked forward to.
... the importance Paul assigns to his love of Jesus’ appearing at the end of his life speaks volumes to us living during the time when the convergence of a great many signs point to the rapidly approaching Tribulation period and thus to the Jesus’ soon appearing that happens before it starts. If loving Jesus’ appearing mattered so much to the apostle two thousand years ago, how much more should this same attitude impact our lives today?
I don’t know exactly how the current Middle East war will shape Israel’s future in the months ahead, but I am certain that in the end it will bring the nation and the world closer to the start of the seven-year Tribulation and thus to our home-going, and it may be sooner than most people expect.
If Paul were alive today, what might he say about the lack of interest in the Rapture in many churches and among so many believers? What might he say to pastors who say there’s no such thing as the event he wrote about in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, Philippians 3:20-21, and in several other passages?
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