2 Timothy 4:1-8 (NKJV) I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Paul’s Valedictory
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
V1 “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom…” Most modern versions do not have the word “Lord.” Wilbur Pickering PhD notes: “Perhaps 5% of the Greek manuscripts omit “the Lord” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).” Charge = a command. God (the Father) and the Lord Jesus Christ are witnesses. The Lord Jesus will judge the living and death when He comes and sets up His kingdom. The Lord Jesus’s coming for the church is the Rapture and that judgment is the Bema Seat for Christians only. This judgment is for rewards for our service (Romans 14:10-12, 1 Corinthians 3:10–4:5, and 2 Corinthians 5:1-10). Some will have great rewards and some no rewards depending of consistency of faithfulness, perseverance, and truthfulness. The judgment associated with appearing is the Sheep and Goat judgment for those living at the end of the Tribulation (Matthew 25:40-45). Those who helped the Jews will enter the Millennium in the human bodies to repopulate the world. Those who did not help the Jews will die and await the final judgment at the end of the Millennium–the Great White Throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). All in the latter judgment go the the Lake of Fire.
[Dr Andy Woods (Sugar Land Bible Church) gives an excellent verse by verse study of the passages we are thinking about at this link. The time start for the judgments of this verse ~26:30 https://slbc.org/sermon/2-timothy-030-why-preach-the-bible-part-5/]
V2 “…Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” Paul is telling Timothy that he was commissioned by the Holy Spirit to be a preacher/teacher, so fulfill this commission. All Christians have a commission to serve. Let us be faithful whether it is a large ministry or small. Number of listeners is of little value; faithfulness has great value. We must study to have answers. If we are asked (in season), or if opportunity is afforded (out of season), we must have an answer. If we do not know the answer, we tell someone that we do not know, but I will study it. God helps us to give and understand the Scriptures. Convince (G1651) ἐλέγχω elégchō, which means to correct, convict, and show to be wrong. Rebuke is the Greek word (G2008) ἐπιτιμάω epitimáō, which “is merely the rebuke without any result in the person who is being rebuked” (Word Study Dictionary). Exhort is (G3870) παρακαλέω parakaléō, which means (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Abridged – Little Kittel)) “1) These two words have a wide range of meaning, the first sense being that of ‘calling to’ either literally or with such nuances as calling for aid, inviting, and summoning, 2) A second sense is that of ‘beseeching,’ e.g., calling on the gods in prayer, or, from a superior to an inferior, proposing, 3) A third sense is that of ‘exhorting’ or ‘encouraging,’ and even on occasion of ‘winning over’ for a plan, 4) The final sense is that of ‘comforting,’ mostly in the form of giving exhortation or encouragement in times of sorrow. This is not a common use.”
Here, it a calling aside, taking aside to reveal obvious error. We need longsuffering (waiting patiently even if grieved) and teaching (not just loud corrections).
V3 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers…” The time comes when people will not endure sound doctrine, for they are seeking the teaching that they desire and reject the teaching that is true (plain, normal sense). Itching ears refers to pleasurable words rather that truth. Heap is in the sense of wanting more and more of the same type from many teachers.
V4 “…and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” This refers to Christians who reject and suppress truth. O, God help us! This leads to apostasy. Consistent plain, normal sense of interpretation is the only method that shows faith. Faith is believing God. When God speaks do we believe or change the meaning of His words. If my wife tells me, “Don’t touch the stove. It is hot.” Will I interpret that as it is only warm or she is kidding? No, I believe her in the plain, normal sense otherwise I’ll burn my hand. Explaining away God’s intended meaning has very serious consequences that might lead to heresy. Some ways of twisting Scripture are redefining common and theological terms, 1) stretching the original language meaning by using an obscure use of a word or emphasizing grammar in a way that is not intended, 2) adding presuppositions to interpret, 3) taking a verse out of context as a proof text, 4) using an Old Testament text to interpret a New Testament text when it obviously is not true, 5) making obvious errors as using Psalm 147:10 to prove that men should not wear shorts or 2 Corinthians 3:18 (open face) to prove that men should be clean shaven.
V5 “But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” We are not to enter the silence, this is, being passive, and go into a trance to meet God. The Bible is clear that we are to be alert, watchful, on guard as a bird being alert to its surroundings (1 Peter 5:8). Endure afflictions can be anything that opposes one’s ministry such as people, sickness, diversions, worry, etc. We are to remain faithful no matter how weak we may be. All Christians should know how to share the Gospel and be ready for any opportunity.
V6 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.” Paul knew that the time when Nero would order Paul’s death was coming closer and closer. He faced reality, yet kept the faith.
Drink offering:
(Holman Commentary) “Paul referred to his coming death in terms of a willing sacrifice to God, reminiscent of Romans 12:1. He stated, I am already being poured out like a drink offering.
(Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary) “For I am already being offered”; literally, as a libation; appropriate to the shedding of his blood. Every sacrifice began with an initiatory libation on the victim’s head (compare Note, see on Php 2:17). A motive to stimulate Timothy to faithfulness—the departure and final blessedness of Paul; it is the end that crowns the work [BENGEL]. As the time of his departure was indicated to Peter, so to Paul (2Pe 1:14).”
V7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Spiritual warfare for any Christian comes from these enemies–our flesh nature, people, temptations, lying prophets, false teachers, doubts, false accusations, memories of sins already confessed and forsaken, etc. We can only finish strong if we have God’s assisting grace. 2 Corinthians 9:8 (EHV) “God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will overflow in every good work.” See also Romans 15:13 and 1 Timothy 1:7.
V8 “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
The Five Crowns
The Crown of victory: Like Paul we run the race even to our death and using self-discipline to continue living the Christian faith regardless of life’s challenges–1 Corinthians 9:24-27. The Crown of Rejoicing: sharing the Gospel–1 Thessalonians 2:19, The Crown of life: persevering afflictions, torture, difficulties, mockery, hate, abuse but continue–James 1:12 and Revelation 2:10. The Crown of Righteousness: for those who eagerly wait, long for, love, and pray for the Rapture and the coming of the Lord–2 Timothy 4:8. The Crown of Glory: for those in ministry whether great or little persevering and not deserting in difficult times and circumstances–1 Peter 5:1-4,
Lord refers to the Lord Jesus who judges us for rewards at the Bema Seat judgment. The Lord is righteous. Paul will receive crowns, too, and so all those who love Christ’s return.
These crowns are for ministry not works for sanctification. We will cast them at Jesus’s feet, because of His mercy and grace–Revelation 4:10.