REVIEW of the SCRIPTURE RECORD
Part 1 ........ Order of the Apostle Paul's last seven letters.
Part 2 ........ Review of the transitory period following the Apostle Luke's
record of The Acts of The Apostles.
Part 3 .........The Apostle Paul's imprisonments during the transition.
Part 4 ........ Christian Hope today during this Administration of God's Grace.
Part 5 ........ Application of Paul's statement: The Lord Jesus Christ shall
judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His Kingdom.
Part 6 ........ References to The Last Days as one prophetic period.
Part 7 ........ Summary and correction of Doctrine for this Administration, by
the understanding of the transitory period following the record of
The Acts of The Apostles.
Part THREE
This new order of Paul's seven letters which were written after the Acts of The Apostles, leads us to reconsider the following:
Paul uses various words to describe his legal restraint by Roman Law. The words 'bonds', 'bound', 'chain' and 'prisoner' appear throughout certain of his letters. We know that he was taken to Rome as a prisoner. this fact is well documented in Luke's record, 'The Acts of The Apostles'. In the final chapter, we read that he was under house arrest when he called together the Jews living at Rome.
The record of his condition following this event can only be discovered from his seven final letters, the order of which is given in Part 1. There is no reference to any restraint when he wrote his first letter to Timothy and his letter to Titus. Paul does not use the words: 'bound', 'bond', 'prisoner', 'fellow-prisoner' nor 'chain' in either of these letters. This strongly suggests that following his imprisonment at Rome(Acts 28:17), he was freed until again arrested and imprisoned a second time(2Tim 1:8) as he tells Timothy in his second letter to him by using the words: 'bound(1)', 'bonds(1)', 'prisoner(1)' and 'chain(1)'.
Paul's four letters which follow the second letter written to Timothy, contain these words:
In his letter to the
Philippians, he uses the word: 'bonds(4)'.
In his letter to the Colossians, he uses the words: 'bonds(2)', and 'fellow prisoner(1)'.
In his letter to Philemon, he uses the words: 'bonds(1)', 'prisoner(2)', and 'fellow prisoner(1)'.
In his letter to 'Ephesus', he uses the words: 'bonds(1)', and 'prisoner(2)'.
In every letter except one, he regards himself as a 'prisoner'. When writing to Philippi he does not use that description. This suggests that at that time, his condition would have been different due to an expected release stated in chapter 2 verse 24:
'I am persuaded, but in The Lord, that also myself soon I shall come'.