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safely into his sky kingdom

2 Timothy 4:9-18 (JDV)

2 Timothy 4:9 Make every effort to come to me soon,
2 Timothy 4:10 because Demas has deserted me, since he cared about this age now, and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.
2 Timothy 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you, for he is useful to me as an assistant.
2 Timothy 4:12 I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
2 Timothy 4:13 When you come, bring the cloak I left in Troas with Carpus, as well as the scrolls, especially the parchments.
2 Timothy 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his achievements.
2 Timothy 4:15 Watch out for him yourself because he strongly opposed our words.
2 Timothy 4:16 At my first defense, no one stood by me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be counted against them.
2 Timothy 4:17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that I might fully preach the word and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.
2 Timothy 4:18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil achievement and will bring me safely into his sky kingdom. To him be the glory for ages and ages! Amen.

safely into his sky kingdom

The confidence that Paul expresses here is not what a lot of people think he is expressing. He is not saying that God is going to take him to heaven when he dies. The sky kingdom that he expects to be brought into is the one coming down from the sky at Christ’s return.

The reference to being rescued from the lion’s mouth is a clue to what he means. Daniel was the prophet whom God rescued from the lion’s mouth. Daniel saw that kingdom coming down from the sky in a vision. He prophesied that God’s kingdom would come down from the sky and take over the earth. It’s king would be given sovereignty over all the peoples, nations and language groups on the earth, and his kigdom would not be destroyed like all the other kingdoms would.

This is the sky kingdom that Paul was referring to.

May our Lord bring us all safely into his coming sky kingdom.