BUT NOW HAS BEEN REVEALED: phanerotheisan (APPFSA) de nun: (Isa 60:2,3; Lu 2:31,32; Ro 16:26; Eph 1:9; Col 1:26,27; Titus 1:3; 2:11; 1Pe 1:20,21; 1Jn 1:2)

made visible (NET)

but made it public only now (JNT)

[It is that purpose and grace] which He now has made known and has fully disclosed and made real [to us] (Amp)

But now marks Paul's abrupt transition from a discussion of God’s purposes in eternity to Christ’s appearance in time. In ages past Jesus was not yet incarnate. But at the incarnation Jesus became manifest to the senses and visible to all men. Note the powerful effect of the gospel.

Revealed (5319) (phaneroo) means more than just to appear and includes the sense of making manifest, visible or known what was previously hidden or unknown.

A person may appear in a false guise or without a disclosure of what he truly is, but to be manifested is to be revealed in one's true character.

Jesus' life and death and fulfilling of the Father's will revealed His character and purpose...He became obedient to the point of death, even death on a Cross (see note Philippians 2:8),thus accomplishing the Father's will & work for Him (Jn 4:34, 17:4).

BY THE APPEARING OF OUR SAVIOR CHRIST JESUS :dia tes epiphaneias tou soteros hemon Christou Iesou:

through the coming (TEV)

with the coming (GWT)

of our Deliverer the Messiah Yeshua (JNT)

by the illumination of our Saviour Jesus Christ (Douay-Rheims)

Appearing (2015) (epiphaneia from epí = upon +  phaino = to shine) (Click for in depth study of related word epiphaino) literally means a "shining upon" and is used three times in this epistle.

Epiphaneia gives us the English word "epiphany" and was a word quite familiar in Paul's time and was used by the pagan Greeks to describe the "glorious" appearance of a Greek mythological "god".

In other NT uses epiphaneia refers to the return of Christ (2 Timothy 4:1, 4:8, 2Th 3:8, 1Ti 6:14, Titus 2:13, cf the "shining upon" in Mt 24:27, See Table comparing Rapture vs Second Coming)  but in the present context epiphaneia refers to the first Advent.

Both the verb revealed and the noun appearing, which have the same root, express the thought of making plain or bringing into view that which was previously hidden. The "appearing" or "epiphany" of Christ refers to His Incarnation (His humanity) and His entire earthly ministry. Only here does Paul use the word "epiphany" of Christ's First Advent. Note the fact that Jesus Christ appeared implies that He existed before He came to this earth, which is an assertion of His deity. If He had not been fully God salvation would have had no good news. As an aside the importance of this truth is reflected by the fact that the cults go to great lengths to counter Jesus' deity, for if He is not fully God and fully Man, there is no gospel and He cannot save us from our sins.

Epiphaneia was

a technical term relating to transcendence...to a visible and frequently sudden manifestation of a hidden divinity, either in the form of a personal appearance, or by some deed of power or oracular communication by which its presence is made known...to help humans. (Arndt)

Savior (4990) (soter) (Click word study of soter) is a rich term worth meditating on for it includes the ideas of a rescuer (one who sets free from confinement or danger), a deliverer (one who releases a person from confinement, temptation, slavery, or suffering), preserver (one who keeps safe from injury, harm, or destruction). A soter saves from danger or destruction and brings into a state of prosperity and blessedness.

Greeks applied "soter" as the epithet especially of Asclepius (Aesculapius), the god of healing (a symbol today of the medical profession). 

At an early date soter was used as a title of honor for deserving persons & of high-ranking officials, being applied to personalities who are active in the world’s affairs, in order to remove them fro the ranks of ordinary mankind and place them in a significantly higher position. For example, Epicurus is called soter by his followers. Of much greater import is the designation of the (deified) rulers or emperors of Rome as "soter".

WHO ABOLISHED DEATH: katargesantos (AAPMSG) men ton thanaton: (Isa 25:8, Jn 11:25, 1Co 15:55, Heb 2:15)

He has broken the power of death (NET)

Who annulled death and made it of no effect (Amp)

Who has destroyed death (NIV)

He not only made of none effect the death (Wuest)

The redemptive work of Christ is set forth first its "destructive" aspect and then its "constructive" aspect.

Abolished (2673) (katargeo from kata = intensifies meaning + argeo = to be idle or inactive from argos = ineffective, idle, inactive from  a = without + érgon = work) literally means to reduce to inactivity. The idea is to make the power or force of something ineffective and so to render powerless, reduce to inactivity, to cause to be idle or useless, inoperative or ineffective.

Abolished does not mean annihilation of death but that death is nullified or  made of no effect, which is the result of Christ's death and resurrection. Death is reduced to powerlessness. Because of Christ's sacrifice, physical death loses its power or effectiveness over believers. In fact for a believer, death is the doorway leading to our entrance into the presence of our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ. 

Katargeo also means to cause the release of someone from an obligation -- think about this. All men are born in Adam and owe a wage (debt) called death (see note Romans 3:23). But if anyone by grace through faith (see notes Ephesians 2:8; 2:9) enters the "ark" which is "in Christ" they are delivered from "the wrath to come" (see note 1Thessalonians 1:10) and from eternal death because Christ has paid the price in full that releases us from our obligation to pay the debt incurred by our sin. Thus believers no longer need to fear death. Formerly the devil held the "power of death" (see notes Hebrews 2:14; Hebrews 2:15) in sense that we were subject to his domain and he could entice us to sin which brings death. For a believer now "to die is gain" because to die is to be with Christ (see notes Philippians 1:21; 1:23). There will be no more death (see notes Revelation 20:6; Revelation 21:4). All human beings still must die (unless they are raptured), but death is not the end for there is hope beyond the grave and that certain hope (not a "hope so" hope) counters the fear of death.

Steven Cole explains that...

when Paul says that Christ abolished death, he means that through His death and resurrection, Jesus broke the power of death and freed us from fear of judgment (see notes Hebrews 2:14; 2:15). While believers are still subject to physical death (unless we’re alive at His coming), the sting of death has been removed...

It is because Jesus Christ took the sting of death from us that death for believers is now referred to as sleep (Acts 7:60; see note 1Thessalonians 4:13). This does not mean that our souls sleep. The moment we die, we are consciously in the presence of the Lord in heaven (2 Cor. 5:8). But our bodies sleep in the grave until the return of Christ, when they will be raised and transformed into incorruptible bodies that are suited for heaven.

I love that scene in The Pilgrim's Progress where Christian and Hopeful come to the final river of death. They are fearful that the water will be over their heads. But Hopeful goes first and calls back to Christian, “Be of good cheer, my brother; I feel the bottom, and it is good.” For every Christian, the bottom is good because of the word of Christ Jesus our Savior, who has promised that He will take us to be with Him in heaven (John 14:3). When you face death, trust in His promise to bring you safely to the other side. (See A Cause Worth Dying For)

Vine adds that

katargeo or abolished literally means to reduce to inactivity. By His death and resurrection He actually and potentially for all His people robbed death of its sting and rendered its activity nugatory. “By dying, death He slew.” As regards death, whether of the body or spiritual death, the Lord Himself said, “He that believeth on Me, though he die, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth on Me shall never die” (Jn 11:26). For the believer physical death is but the entrance upon a condition in which the spirit enjoys an activity far superior to that experienced here, a life entirely free from all effects of sin. This will be extended to his whole being, when the Lord comes to the air to receive the saints to Himself, death in all its forms having been robbed of its power by Him when He accomplished that for which He became incarnate."

Death (2288) (thanatos) includes not only physical death, but also the quality of one's present life (1Ti 5:6). Here Paul uses the term of the death brought in by human sin.

Death came though the tree of life - in the garden by Adam (see note Romans 5:12) - life came through the tree of death (cross) on Calvary by the second Adam (Christ - see note 1 Peter 2:24). Adam's disobedience brought death to all; so Christ's obedience brought life to all (1Cor 15:22). Adam "took and ate" and thus brought death to men. Christ died and thus brought life to man by the same words, "Take and eat." (Mt 26:26). Truly, Christ put death out of business (not existence) and so we can sing with the apostle Paul,

O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" (1Cor 15:55)

Death for the believer has been deprived of its power and terror by the removal of its sting, for death is now a believer's portal into the presence of our Lord. The final and ultimate annihilation of death is future when at the Great White Throne judgment "death and Hades (will be) thrown into the lake of fire." (see note Revelation 20:14)

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When The End Is A Beginning - Our faith in Jesus Christ ought to make a difference in the way we live--and in the way we die.

God wants us to live with zest and happiness. Indeed, Jesus said He came to offer us abundant life (Jn. 10:10). Paul too affirmed that God "gives us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17).

Yet we can't escape the fact that our days on earth are numbered. So it is wise to think about our inevitable appointment with death (see note Hebrews 9:27).

Is our attitude toward our departure from this world like that of famous scientist Marie Curie, who with her husband Pierre discovered radium? When he was accidentally killed, she lamented,

"It is the end of everything, everything, everything!"

Our attitude should be radically different. Because of our trust in the death-conquering Savior, we can say as a young German theologian (see note below) did the night before the Nazis hanged him in 1945,

"For me, this is the beginning."

For the believer, death is the end of all pain, loneliness, and sorrow, the end of whatever has made this life less than abundant, and the beginning of unimaginable blessing (Rev. 21:1-6). That prospect enables us to exclaim, "O Death, where is your sting?" (1 Cor. 15:55). —Vernon C Grounds (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

To Him I trust my soul, my dust,
When flesh and spirit sever;
The Christ we sing has plucked the sting
Away from death forever. --Anon.

Christ is the difference
between hope and hopelessness.

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Scared To Death - The opening line of a country song, “Sarabeth is scared to death . . . ,” leads the listener into the fearful heart of a teenage girl who is diagnosed with cancer. The lyrics of “Skin (Sarabeth)” expose the struggles she faces, not only with the disease and its treatment but also with the obvious evidence of her struggle—the loss of her hair (hence, the title). It is a touching song of triumph in the midst of tragedy, as Sarabeth deals with the understandable life-and-death fears that cancer brings.

The specter of death is faced by every human being. Yet, whether we face that reality with fear or with confidence is not dependent on having a good outlook or a positive attitude. The way we face death depends completely on whether or not we have a personal relationship with Jesus, who gave Himself to die so that death itself could be abolished.

Paul wrote to Timothy that our Savior was the One who “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10). The result is that even in the most disturbing times of life, we never need to be scared to death.

We can live confidently and filled with hope, because Jesus conquered death. —Bill Crowder (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Your love, O God, would spare no pain
To conquer death and win;
You sent Your only Son to die
To rescue us from sin. —M. Gustafson

Because Christ is alive,
we need not fear death.

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Touching Bottom - Crowds gathered each week to hear the soul-stirring sermons of Joseph Parker, the famous pastor of London's City Temple in the late 19th century. Then a crisis hit him hard. His wife died after an agonizing illness. Parker later said he would not have allowed a dog to suffer as she did. A heartbroken husband whose prayers had gone unanswered, he confessed publicly that for a week he had even denied that God existed.

But Parker's loss of faith was only temporary. From that experience he gained a stronger personal trust in Jesus' death-destroying resurrection and began to testify: "I have touched the bottom, and it is sound."

Listen to this exclamation of triumph from the risen Christ as He proclaims His victory over the grave: "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore" (Revelation 1:17-18).

Death is our most venomous enemy, robbing us of joy and hope—unless the triumph of Christ's resurrection reverberates in our heart. As we believe in the mighty Victor over death, doubt is banished and light drives away the darkness.

Hold fast to that triumphant trust as you struggle through life's worst crises.—Vernon C Grounds (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song
In the night season and all the day long. —Young
(Play "God Lead Us Along")

Because of Christ's empty tomb,
we can be full of hope.

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News From The Graveyard - What's the foundation of our Christian faith? An empty tomb! Yes, the cornerstone of the gospel is that grave which held no corpse on that first resurrection morning.

French skeptic Joseph-Ernst Renan unwittingly spoke about the truth of the resurrection when he sneered,

"Christianity lives on the fragrance of the empty vase."

To express the truth more accurately, Christianity lives on the saving grace of the resurrected Jesus. He did indeed arise, breaking the bonds of death and leaving empty that garden sepulcher. And that is the good news which ever since has been proclaimed by followers of Jesus Christ.

A character in Ernest Poole's novel The Harbor remarks cynically,

"History is just news from a graveyard."

There's one great exception to the sadness of all graveyards with their silent message of death—the electrifying news from the graveyard where Jesus was buried. The news is that death has been defeated and the door to eternal life has been opened by His nail-pierced hands (1 Cor. 15:54-57).

The next time you drive past a cemetery or attend a funeral service, remember the good news of the resurrection of Christ and the promise of our own. —Vernon C Grounds (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Grave, where is thy victory now?
See the light upon His brow!
Empty see the stony bed;
Christ is risen from the dead. —Chisholm

Christ's empty tomb is full of hope.

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For Whom The Bell Tolls - In 17th-century England, church bells tolled out the news of what was taking place in a parish. They announced not only religious services but also weddings and funerals.

So when John Donne, author and dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, lay desperately sick with the plague that was killing people in London by the thousands, he could hear the bells announce death after death. Writing down his thoughts in the devotional diary that became a classic, Donne urged his readers, "Never send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee."

How true! The book of Hebrews teaches that we will all face death one day: "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (see note Hebrews 9:27).

But if we are believers in the gospel, news of death does not need to arouse dread. We know, as Paul joyfully assured us, that by His resurrection Jesus has broken the power of death and "brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10). Death has been "swallowed up in victory" by the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:54). Its sting is gone (v.55).

When the bell tolls for the Christian, it announces the good news of Jesus' victory over death. —Vernon C Grounds (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Ring the bells, ring the bells;
Let the whole world know
Christ the Savior lives today
As He did so long ago. —Bollback
© 1958, Singspiration, Inc.

Christ's resurrection is cause for our celebration

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer's tireless efforts on behalf of Jews and other victims of the Third Reich led at last to his arrest by the Gestapo on April 5, 1943. But even prison could not repress his passion for ministry to the sick and fellow prisoners. He was so congenial and selfless that his guards apologized to him for locking him in his cell after rounds in the courtyard. In prison, the Gestapo used many tactics to persuade Bonhoeffer to recant his faith. They threatened him with torture and the arrest of his family and fiancée, all of whom had helped him with his resistance efforts. Still, he defiantly declared his opposition to National Socialism and all for which it stood. Sunday, April 8, 1945, Bonhoeffer was leading a worship service to comfort women whose husbands had been executed for their resistance efforts. He had just completed the final prayer when two Gestapo agents entered the room and said,

"Prisoner Bonhoeffer, get ready to come with us."

As he bade farewell to his friends, he turned to a British officer, Payne Best, and whispered to him,

"For me, this is the beginning of life."

The next day, at Flossenburg prison in the Bavarian forest, he was hanged. (See related story of Martin Neimoller)

AND BROUGHT LIFE AND IMMORTALITY TO LIGHT: photisantos (AAPMSG) de zoen kai aphtharsian: (LIFE > Jn 5:24-29,40; 14:6; 20:31; Ro 2:7; 5:17;5:18 1 Cor 15:53; 2Cor 5:4; 2Pe 1:3; 1Jn 1:2; Rev 2:7; 22:1,2,14,17; LIGHT > Lu 11:36; Jn 1:9; 1Cor 4:5; Eph 1:18; Heb 10:32; Rev 18:1) 

He showed us the way to have life that cannot be destroyed (ICB)

showed us the way to everlasting life (NLT)

and brought to light life and incorruptibility (Darby)

brought life and immortality (immunity from eternal death) (Amp)

brought to light life and incorruption (Wuest)

brought eternal life into full view (GWT)

made life unending come to light through the good news (BBE)

Thayer says brought...to light (photizo) means

to cause something to exist and thus come to light and become clear to all

Hiebert writes that...

Christ's work of redemption illuminated like a blazing light of noonday sun, truth which previously existed but which was shrouded in uncertainty. The hope of immortality was in the world before but He brought it into a certainty through His teaching and above all by His own resurrection."  (2 Timothy by D. Edmond Hiebert).

The Old Testament doctrines of eternal life, death, resurrection, and the eternal state were presented in shadows. Here and there one finds glimpses of light but for the most part, the picture is dark. But when Jesus Christ shone His light on death and the grave through the Gospel, He illumined the truths about eternal life, resurrection, and the hope of heaven.

Life (2222) (zoe) refers to the new (eternal) life believers receive at the new birth (regeneration) here includes the present spiritual life of the believer and the glorified state realized at the coming of Christ for His saints. This truth about life explains in part the the promise of life in Christ Jesus in (see note 2 Timothy 1:1).

Life and immortality to light - The true meaning of life as God intended for us to experience is found only in our Savior, Christ Jesus. This eternal, incorruptible (immortal) life can never be taken from us, for Jesus declared...

I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.  (John 10:28)

Immortality (861) (aphtharsia from a = not or without + phthartós = corruptible from the verb phtheiro = to corrupt, shrivel, wither, spoil by any process, ruin , deprave,  defile, destroy; see related words aphthartos; phthora) is a state of not being subject to decay or death - immortality, incorruptibility (state of being free from physical decay), perpetuity.

Aphtharsia defines the state of not being subject to decay, dissolution or interruption. It speaks of an unending existence, of that which is not capable of corruption.  In a word "not rotting"! Aphtharsia indicates immunity to the decay that infects all of creation.

Aphtharsia is thu