 |
| See note below. |
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”*
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”**
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* New Testament | Ephesians 6:12
** New Testament | 2 Timothy 3:12-13
Note: Both Ephesians and 2 Timothy are disputed amongst scholars as to whether the Apostle Paul was the true author. See Bart D. Ehrman. Forged (Chapter 3: Forgeries in the Name of Paul) HarperOne. Kindle Edition.
Paul the Apostle, ... commonly known as Saint Paul and also known by his Hebrew name Saul of Tarsus,[note 2][6] was a Christian apostle (although not one of the Twelve Apostles) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world.[7] Generally regarded as one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age,[6][8] he founded several Christian communities in Asia Minor and Europe from the mid-30s to the mid-50s AD.[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle
Chuck Swindoll: “Paul wrote 2 Timothy from a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his death in AD 67. The Roman emperor Nero had been slowly descending into madness since his ascent to the throne in AD 54, a process exacerbated by the great fire of Rome in AD 64 that burned half the city. With the residents of Rome in an uproar, Christians became a convenient target for Nero, who used believers as scapegoats for his city’s own lack of preparedness. Paul was one of those caught up in this persecution and was beheaded by Roman officials soon after writing this letter.” https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-pauline-epistles/second-timothy