Presents 

Caution to students of God's Word - Please remember two things when using our studies: #1. Our commentary is not God's Word. It is only our interpretation or understanding of "His Word" and even though we try our best to be accurate we may or may not be correct. #2. The King James translation, or any other translation, of the original Hebrew text has some words which were given different translations at different places probably because of the interpreters preconceived ideas of what they think God meant to say. For example: According to the notes in the "Dake's Annotated Reference Bible" the Hebrew word hayah in the KJV is Trans. (became) 67 times, (becamest or came to pass) 505 times, (become) 66 times, and (come to pass) 131 times, but for some reason in Genesis 1:2 it is translated (was)! That sure changes the way a person perceives the original creation of the earth, doesn't it?  Gen. 1:2 And the earth was (became) without form, ... Having said that, let us continue with our "Key Knowledge" lessons. These are pamphlets containing knowledge, we believe, you must have to fully and accurately unlock and understand the Word of God.

John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13-14
[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

This Bible Study was originally written by Roger Christopherson,
 published at http://www.theseason.org/ 

Without the leading by the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the truths, for all the truth of the Scriptures are revealed to us by God's Spirit.

 Now here is our revised study of:

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE

TO

Timothy

Chapter 1

"Private and Personal Letter to Timothy."

The strongest feature of this is the "church's" departure from the truth; (see 1.15; 2:17; 3:8; and 4:4). This was the time when "all they which are in Asia be turned away from" Paul, and this is why Paul urged Timothy to "therefore be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus".

Though the churches were being turned from the truth of God's Word, when you study, teach. and share the Word of God with others, the Holy Spirit will make the very Scriptures themselves come alive. The Word "quickens" them and it makes the Word of God the Living Word that is fulfilling. The Word will quench the thirst of those that thirst after righteousness and allow them to find contentment, and the peace of mind.

When Paul wrote this book, or letter he knew that he would be martyred for the sake of the Gospel. He was in prison when he wrote this letter and this letter is comparing Timothy to other preachers that are straying from the truth, and he is giving Timothy advice as to how the church should function, and how a Pastor should give advice and counsel to the congregation. This then is probably the best set of rules anywhere as to how the church that you attend should act before the world, as well as to our Heavenly Father; bringing forth the Gospel of Christ, and the commandments of our Father.

II Timothy 1:1 "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,"

"An apostle" is "one sent" by Jesus Christ, by the will of God. This is the highest credentials that you can have as a minister and teacher. "The promise of life" spoken of here is not talking about your flesh life, but your spiritual life and the promise that God gives us, when by faith we believe and accept forgiveness through repentance in Jesus name. This "life" that Jesus gives is "eternal life", and it should be what you and I seek, or we simply will not exist after judgment day. All those that do not participate in eternal life, quite frankly, will be blotted out from the book of life.

II Timothy 1:2 "To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."

Timothy was Paul's spiritual son, in as much as Paul converted him through teaching and instruction. However the seeds were planted, and Christian love was taught in Timothy's home by his mother and grandmother, who had trained Timothy well in the Word and teachings of Jesus Christ. These women were two fine disciplined women.

II Timothy 1:3 "I thank God, Whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that with out ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day,"

Timothy was a student of Paul's, and the closeness in their attachment was as a father and son. Paul had trained Timothy to be able to handle a congregation, not only in person, but by his letter we read called the first book of Timothy. Timothy was in Paul's prayers specifically, and for the work that he was doing.

II Timothy 1:4 "Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;"

Paul could remember back to the time when Timothy had been called into the ministry, and the tears of joys that came over him at Timothy's commitment to Jesus Christ. Naturally that would bring joy to Paul as he was in prison in Rome. Paul never had to worry about Timothy bringing forth the Word of God exactly as it is written.

II Timothy 1:5 "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also,"

Here Paul mentions Timothy's mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois, who were helpers of Paul when he was with them. Paul knew their love for the Gospel of Christ, and the faith that these two ladies had, and he knew that Timothy's faith was just as true and committed. Their minds were set in the Word of God, and Timothy as a child had a lot of help and encouragement in his walk in the ministry.

II Timothy 1:6 "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands."

Paul is saying that he wanted to bring a fresh flame to Timothy's spirit, and this is what "by putting on of my hands" is in reference to. I'm sure that God granted Paul's prayer given here for Timothy.

II Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Luke 10:17 "And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, "Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through Thy name."

The devils spoken of here are demons, the evil spirits.

Luke 10:18 "And He said unto them, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."

Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

The power is where the blessings of God come from. When you fall outside the power of God you lose the power that you need to defeat Satan and his realm. You simply can't defeat Satan on your own strength, but you must draw your strength from the power that we receive from the offices of the Godhead. God has never given us the spirit of fear, and those places in the Old Testament that say, "Fear God", are really saying "give reverence to God".

II Timothy 1:8 "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God."

Paul was in prison at the time of this writing. He is urging Timothy to reach out and take hold of the power that comes from following the Gospel, which gives you the strength to serve God. Paul is saying that when you rely on the Holy Spirit and the strength that He gives, you can handle the task that is before you. If you stick strongly to God's Word and teach it as it is given from the manuscripts, there will be things said about you. As a minister, you will step on many false traditions that men and women like to hang on to. Don't worry, in time they will get over whatever discomfort you put in their minds. If they are truly seekers of the Word of God, they will be studying with you, though they may be talking about you at the same time. The only thing that matters is that God's Word is being taught.

Editor's Note: This is why we strongly recomend that you use the Companion Bible, in your studies, the official 1611 King James version.

We here at The American Wisdom Series feel confident that the official 1611 King James version of "The Companion Bible" is the most accurate and unaltered Bible still available and being sold today.

Live Link to->> What does your version of the Bible say?

Readers of The Companion Bible are put in possession of information denied to former generations of translators, commentators, critics, and general Bible students. Because of "The Massorah".

All the oldest and best manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible contain on every page, beside the Text (which is arranged in two or more columns), a varying number of lines of smaller writing, distributed between the upper and lower margins. This smaller writing is called the Massorah Magna or Great Massorah, while that in the side margins and between the columns is called the Massorah Parva or
Small Massorah. The illustration given below is a reduced facsimile of a Hebrew Manuscript (16.25 x 12.375), written in a German hand, about the year A.D. 1120.
The small writing in the margins in this particular Manuscript is seen to occupy seven lines in the lower margin, and four lines in the upper; while in the outer margins and between the three columns is the Massorah Para.

The word Massorah is from the root masar, to deliver something into the hand of another, so as to commit it to his trust. Hence the name is given to the small writing referred to, because it contains information necessary to those into whose trust the Sacred Text was committed, so that they might transcribe it, and hand it down correctly.
The Text itself had been fixed before the Massorites were put in charge of it. 
This had been the work of the Sopherim (from saphar, to count, or number). Their work, under Ezra and Nehemiah, was to set the Text in order after the return from Babylon; and we read of it in Nehemiah 8:8 1(compare Ezra 7:6,11). The men of "the Great Synagogue" completed the work. This work lasted about 110 years, from Nehemiah to Simon the first, 410-300 B.C.
The Sopherim were the authorized revisers of the Sacred Text; and, their work being completed, the Massorites were the authorized custodians of it. Their work was to preserve it. The Massorah is called "A Fence to the Scriptures," because it locked all words and letters in their places. It does not contain notes or comments as such, but facts and phenomena. It records the number of times the several letters occur in the various books of the Bible; the number of words, and the middle word; the number of verses, and the middle verse; the number of expressions and combinations of words, etc. All this, not from a perverted ingenuity, but for the set purpose of safeguarding the Sacred Text, and preventing the loss or misplacement of a single letter or word.
This Massorah is not contained in the margins of any one
Manuscript. No Manuscript contains the whole, or even the same part. It is spread over many Manuscripts, and Dr. C.D. Ginsburg has been the first and only scholar who has set himself to collect and collate the whole, copying it from every available Manuscript in the libraries of many countries. He has published it in three large folio volumes, and only a small number of copies has been printed. These are obtainable only by the original subscribers When the Hebrew Text was later printed, only the large type in the columns was regarded, and small type of the Massorah was left, unheeded, in the Manuscripts from which the Text was taken. Therefore; When translators came to the printed Hebrew Text, they were necessarily destitute of the information contained in the Massorah; so that the Revisers as well as the Translators of the Authorized Version carried out their work without any idea of the treasures contained in the Massorah; and therefore, without giving a hint of it to their readers.
The Companion Bible, is the first time, an edition of the Authorized Version has been given containing any of these treasures of the Massorah, that affect so seriously the understanding of the Text. A vast number of the Massoretic notes concern only the orthography, and matters that pertain to the Concordance. But many of those which affect the sense, or throw any additional light on the Sacred Text, are noted in the margin of The Companion Bible.
Some of the important lists of words which are contained in the Massorah are also given, videlicet, those that have the "extraordinary points" (Appendix 31); the "eighteen emendations" of the Sopherim (see Appendix 33); the 134 passages where they substituted Adonai for Jehovah (see Appendix 32); and the Various Readings called Severin (see Appendix 34). These are given in separate Appendixes; but other words of any importance are preserved in our marginal notes.
Readers of The Companion Bible are put in possession of information denied to former generations of translators, commentators, critics, and general Bible students.
For further information on the Massorah see Dr. Ginsburg's Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, of which only a limited edition was printed; also a small pamphlet on The Massorah published by King's Printers.
NOTE
1 The Talmud explains that "the book" meant the original text; "distinctly" means explaining it by giving the Chaldee paraphrase; "gave the sense" means the division of words, etc. according to the  sense; and "caused them to understand the reading" means to give the traditional pronunciation of the words (which were then without vowel points).

IF you don't have a Companion Bible you can
Download a Companion Bible free at: http://www.companionbiblecondensed.com/  When you open the site click unto and download one book at a time unto your disk or hard drive.
and the appendix at: http://www.markfoster.net/rn/companion_bible_appendices.pdf

II Timothy 1:9 "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,"

This verse is going to a deeper level, and many that try to teach simply don't understand here. First of all, the one calling us is Jesus Christ, for He paid the price for our sins and it is through Him only that we are saved. Christ Jesus is the one that called Paul on the road to Damascus, and Christ also is the one that calls you if you are called into the higher service for the Lord.

The part of this verse that is overlooked are the last four words of this verse; "...before the world began," Today many people have difficulty with the idea of three earth ages, #1. The earth age before the one we now live in where we all existed in our spiritual bodies, (as we had when we were first created in the beginning, before the earth was created); #2 The age of the flesh that we live in now, where we all exist in our flesh and blood animal type bodies (born of water from the womb of a woman); and #3 The eternal kingdom that shall follow very shortly, where by all of us souls will exist in (be born back into) our spiritual bodies .

Paul spoke of the choosing of God's elect in this earth age, as having taken place in the first earth age. This is written in Ephesians 1:4.

Ephesians 1:4 "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:"

The "foundations of this world [age]" were laid before the beginning recorded in Genesis 1:2, and that is when the reconstruction of the earth as we know it today began. The choosing of God's elect was after the fall of Satan, which happened during the first earth age, when Satan drew one third of all the angels (we, children of God) to follow him, and because of that fall came the plan of God. That plan was for this earth age of the flesh, which would give all those that were deceived by Satan in the first earth age a way back to God. So it was prior to the age of the flesh that "He hath chosen us", the "elect", that we "should be holy and without blame before Him in love". God did the choosing, and those He chose were chosen to do a task for him in this earth age. Man's soul living in a flesh body is for only the world age that we are in now.

"Without blame" refers to the fact that God intercedes in certain peoples lives. Certain people have "free will", while certain others who are of God's "election" don't have free will in this earth age. However, God doesn't play favorites. Christ died for the sins of all who will repent; for the chosen and the free-will alike. All souls must repent for sins they commit and love the Lord Jesus Christ, to have the hope of His glory.

Ephesians 1:5 "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,"

"Predestined" means "from a prior time", or "required to do a certain thing in advance", in the Greek text. You have a choice of loving God, or loving Satan. God will not interfere with your free-will to make that choice. However, there are certain souls that proved themselves during the overthrow of Satan, in that first earth age, and were "justified", or "earned the right to be called saints".

"Sanctified" thee is to "set aside, or apart for a certain purpose". Sins still have to be repented by the elect and the free-will. However to the "chosen" or elect, God can make their life very miserable to force them back into His will for them, when they have strayed, until the have repented. God is always fair.

Romans 8:28 "And we now that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."

Romans 8:29 "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."

Romans 8:30 "Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He called: and whom He called: He also justified: and whom He justified, them he glorified."

"Justified" in the Greek text mean "judged"; God judged them there in that first earth age, and that is why God can and does intercede in the chosen or elect's lives. The "justified" are the priests of the Zadok in the Millennium age of Ezekiel 40, for the word Zadok come from the Hebrew word meaning "the just".

Romans 8:31 "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"

What things? The things mentioned in verses Romans 8:28-30. The knowledge that God has judged the overcomers, and chose them for the purpose of fulfilling His plan; then predestined those overcomers, or elect to a service for God. To serve not only in this flesh age, but the Millennium age of Jesus Christ's kingdom to come. The elect will also be the priests [Zadok].

Ephesians 1:6 "To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved:"

The "Beloved" is Jesus Christ, who is the first fruits, and first born into the Heavenly kingdom of God.

Ephesians 1:7 "In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace,"

So we see that God did His choosing before the foundation of this world age. Why? It was at Satan's rebellion. God created all souls including Satan's, and when Satan rebelled, one third of all of God's created souls, (us, the angels, children of God) follow Satan and the others did not. Those that did not but took a stand against Satan are the elect of this earth age. God doesn't do His choosing based on fleshly attributes, and the gifts that He places in each of us is decided by Him. So some souls were called before this world age began, and what they are assigned to do is in accordance of His eternal plan.

Those that are selected were chosen because of their deeds already accomplished, and they were judged then before this earth age even began. If it is still confusing, don't worry about it, for in time and with study, the Spirit of God will reveal it to you.

II Timothy 1:10 "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:"

It is the first advent that is spoken of here, that was made manifest or known by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came into this world age, born as a tiny baby to his virgin mother Mary. Then when Jesus went to the cross faithfully, His death and resurrection abolished death. I Corinthians 15:55 "O death, were is thy sting, O grave, where is thy victory?" Christ defeated death who is Satan.

Hebrews 2:14 "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He [Jesus Christ] also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death , that is, the devil."

Jesus Christ defeated "death" who is Satan, and brought immortality and life to the lives of our souls through the Gospel. The "Gospel" is the good news of the coming of Jesus Christ, His life, His death and His resurrection from the dead. It is through His resurrection that gives us our power over Satan, and brings us into eternal life. In this generation we now live in; this is what is most important to center your mind on, for we have been warned and foretold of all the things that are going on now to set up the coming of Satan and his role of the Antichrist, and of the events of these final days of this earth age.

We are living in the generation of the fig tree, and this is the final generation before the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of the "son of perdition", who is Satan, is coming in our generation, and the world is preparing itself for his coming. Those that are called with that "holy calling" have much work to do as servants of Jesus Christ. We are to be ready to join that army that Jesus will bring with Him, to defeat Satan at the seventh trumpet.

II Timothy 1:11 "Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles."

This commission that Paul is speaking of here is written in Acts 9:15, and 16.

Acts 9:15 "But the Lord said unto him [Ananias], "God thy way: for he [Paul] is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:"

Acts 9:16 "For I will shew him [Paul] how great things he must suffer for My name's sake."

Paul was given a mission directly by God [Jesus Christ], to witness for Him to three different peoples. Those peoples were the Gentiles, the kings [including Caesar], and the children of Israel, the ten tribes that had been scattered and migrated throughout Europe and the world by the Assyrians about 745 to 722 B.C. So Paul is speaking basically of three levels, and that is why as a teacher you have to go from one level to another, or teach all levels at the same time. You teach on the level of the ones that you are teaching. Therefore the Gospel approaches all people at the same time. Our Father's Word is beautiful the way that it was given to Paul.

II Timothy 1:12 "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed; for I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day."

Keep in mind that Paul was in prison, and the cause that brought him there was the preaching and teaching of the Gospel. Even while Paul was sitting in prison in chains, it didn't matter, for there was no shame in being there for it was because of his stand for the Gospel of Christ.

Paul knew that the Father will protect him, he knew of God's protection before he started the ministry, he knew it at the time of this writing. Paul knew that at his death his soul would go immediately to be with the Father. Paul will be in that group of believers that return to earth with Jesus Christ at the seventh trump, and all the saints will be here to fulfill their duties in the Millennium age.

God chose Paul to write those many letters of which the books of Timothy are two of, and those letters comprise over half of the New Testament. Paul was trained and persuaded and that means beyond any shadow of a doubt, that God would keep His entire Word.

II Timothy 1:13 "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."

This is where a lot of people get into trouble, and Paul repeated this many times. "Hold fast the form of sound words", and the "sound Words" are the Words from God. When it is written in God's Word, it is something that you have your hands on that you can believe and count on. When you study God's Word and place it in your mind and act on those Words, then God will bless you. It is from His Word that all blessings from God flow.

Troubles that enter your life comes when you turn away for the things that are written in His Word. The strengths of the world give you a roller-coaster ride, for at times you are up, and then you hit the bottom, but in Christ we have continually peace of mind.

Editor's Note: One sure way to turn away from the things that are written in His Word is to own and use one of the new perverted versions of the Bible, to study from!  If you speak English make sure you study from the original 1611 King James Bible!

"Peace of mind" comes from you knowing assuredly what you are going to do, how the events of this world will come out, and His Word guides you to success. The basic fear within man is the unknown. When you remove the unknown factor, for in the Word you have been foretold all things, then there is no guessing games with your life. It is just plain human nature that when you know that something is coming to pass, you will prepare for what ever it is. You will equip yourself to handle the situation, either by overcoming it, or preparing yourself to adopt yourself for the thing or happening whatever it is. This is why it is important for us to know God's Word, for God has revealed to His children exactly what we can expect in our lives in this final generation.

This is why God's elect and those sealed with "seal of God in their minds" will not be deceived when Satan and his fallen angels are cast out onto this earth shortly. Knowing the events of our day, and watching and identifying them as they come to pass, prevents you from the unknown and replaces fear with peace of mind. When Satan comes in the role of Antichrist, the false christ, the destruction that takes place is a spiritual destruction, for he is trying to cause you to believe that he is the true Christ. The destruction is a spiritual destruction that can cause the death of your soul.

Revelation 9:4 "And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads."

The "seal of God" is what is written in God's Word, and your mind is in your forehead. The Sealed are those with God's Word written in their minds, and God commanded Satan and his locust army of fallen angels to leave them alone. All the others, Christians alike will be turned over to Satan, and this will happen in our generation. By "turning over to Satan", means that they will be deceived by Satan into believing Satan is Jesus Christ, and they will worship him as God. They will stop taking Communion, and they will willingly and faithful serve Satan in ignorance. This is why the rapture doctrine is so bad for it trains Christians to receive the false christ Satan.

The prophecies of God's Word have instructed us completely concerning the "one world movement", called the "New World Order" which we identify today as the United Nations. We have been instructed how the deception will take hold through the four hidden dynasties, that of Education, Politics, Religion and Economics, and by using all of these sources, the world will be brought under a world wide system, and presented to Satan at his coming. We are to listen only to the sound doctrine of the Word of God, and not work out a set of rules on our own. When men set up these church systems that go against God's Word, they are playing right into the hands of Satan and his offspring the Kenites. It is from the instructions within the Word of God that our peace of mind comes. Peace of mind brings happiness to you and to your family.

II Timothy 1:14 "That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost [Spirit] Which dwelteth in us."

"Ghost" is something unknown in the Greek tongue, and it is not found in the manuscripts, we are talking about a real known person and He is the Holy Spirit of God. So we see here that Paul is passing the authority of His ministry on to Timothy.

II Timothy 1:15 "This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes."

It didn't bother Paul if the Christian people in Asia had turned away from him, for fair weather friends are not worth having anyway. The two men that Paul names here are Christians that turned against Paul and God's Word when things got a little tough.

II Timothy 1:16 "The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain,"

Paul gives special mention to Onesiphorus, and dear Christian who stayed with Paul and supported the work even when Paul was in prison. Just because Paul was sent to prison for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, Onesiphorus held fast to this Gospel, which was not popular in the world. Teaching the Word of God as it ought to be taught is not popular even at this present time. Onesiphorus was not afraid of hurting his reputation.

II Timothy 1:17 "But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me."

When Onesiphorus was in Rome, he went to a great deal of trouble to seek Paul out until he found Paul in prison.

II Timothy 1:18 "The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well."

Evidently Onesiphorus brought a great deal of comfort and help to Paul while Paul was ministering at Ephesus, and in prison there. It is interesting how God provides those that would give his ministers comfort. It was through men like Luke, Onesiphorus and many others that would help Paul write down the words of the letters, and take them to those churches that they were written to, and we are reading them today. So in a way we are having an association with this prisoner, but the main thing that Paul was a prisoner of was that he was a prisoner of the Lord.

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