Second Timothy is a letter written by the apostle Paul to a young man named Timothy. At the time of this letter’s writing, Paul is in prison, and he expects to be executed any day. In 4:6, he writes, “The time of my departure has come.” It’s believed that Paul died in A.D. 68, so this letter would have been written sometime between A.D. 64 and 68. It’s a farewell letter to Timothy. Paul might never see Timothy again, though he does hope to see him one last time. In 4:9, Paul says, “Do your best to come to me soon” (cf. 1:4; 4:21).
Timothy is in Ephesus. Paul had left him there to rid the church in Ephesus of false teaching (1 Tim. 1:3). It wasn’t an easy task. The theme of 2 Timothy is endurance. Paul encourages Timothy to endure when life and ministry get difficult.
