2 Timothy 4:1 (DBY)

Passage

I testify before God and Christ Jesus, who is about to judge living and dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom,

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 4:1 I testify before God and Christ Jesus, who is about to judge living and dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom,

2 Timothy 4:2 proclaim the word; be urgent in season [and] out of season, convict, rebuke, encourage, with all longsuffering and doctrine.

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time shall be when they will not bear sound teaching; but according to their own lusts will heap up to themselves teachers, having an itching ear;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "testify", "before", "christ", "jesus", "judge", "living", "dead", and "appearing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "testify" and "before", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "proclaim the word be urgent in season...", so "testify" and "before" should be read forward into that movement. In 2 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "testify" and "before" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.