Paul’s earthly journey moves on to its end and he confides to Timothy what the Lord has revealed to him. He says. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future 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. 2 Timothy 4:6-8.

Paul’s second letter to Timothy is the last of all his letters. His vast contribution to our New Testament is now complete. He is now a drink offering to the Lord. He is therefore without blemish. Paul’s fragrant offerings of his spoken and written words, his ministry, his transformed being and soon now his martyrdom are a fragrant offering to the Lord. Yet his writings are also living water to all the saints throughout the rest of human history.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; Surely that day for Paul will be when he stands before the judgment seat of Christ and like the five talent and two talent servants of Matthew 25 who doubled what they had received from the Master, Paul will not only receive the Lord’s “well done” but he will be given the reward of being ruler over many things during the thousand year reign on the earth that will follow. Surely, the crown of righteousness can be presented only to those who are totally righteous and, by definition, those who will have been transformed to become ‘perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect’.

Paul’s heart cry earlier had been ‘that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead’. Now he has the fullness of the righteousness which is by faith alone and he will one day be awarded the crown. Yet, by the Spirit he assures us that all those who have loved the Lord’s ‘appearing’ will likewise receive the crown and, presumably, the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Wow!

Let us take a close look at this all important word ‘epiphaneia’. If the Lord will be gracious to us and grant us understanding then our response to what He shows us may lead to choices, actions and behaviour that will be to His glory and also for our great spiritual benefit.

‘Epiphaneia’ can be translated as ‘appearing’ but also as ‘manifestation’. Manifestation is much, much more. For example, when one we dearly and intimately know has been away for a lengthy period and we are headed to the airport to meet them we are longing for that first sight of them but much more than that. We long for a full encounter with the whole person that we have come to deeply love, know and appreciate.

There are some choice words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples in John chapter 14 that may help us at this point. Verse 21. “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” The Lord Jesus will manifest or disclose Himself to those ‘who have and keep His commandments’. Thus these ones, to whom this promise is given, will come to know Him in the deepest and most treasured way, moment by moment in this earthly life. They will long with all their heart for, not only their first sight of Him, but for being absorbed forever with His uncountable attributes.

The writer of this article believes that the ‘upward call of God’ which is also ‘the out-resurrection from among the dead ones’ will be for those who, by the Spirit, have been made ‘perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect’.