Five-year Bible reading plan for 21 June 2025

King James Version (en)

2 Corinthians, Chapter 12, verses 1-10

¹ For commending of his apostleship, though he might glory of his wonderful revelations, ⁹ yet he rather chooseth to glory of his infirmities

¹It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

²I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

³And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)

⁴How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

⁵Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.

⁶For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.

⁷And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

⁸For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

⁹And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

¹⁰Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

NOTES

Why, one wonders, would Paul be content in persecutions, in weakness, or, for example, when he is wronged? And what do the words "when I am weak, then I am strong" mean? At first glance such...

Why, one wonders, would Paul be content in persecutions, in weakness, or, for example, when he is wronged? And what do the words "when I am weak, then I am strong" mean? At first glance such a position may seem strange. Indeed, only masochists rejoice in suffering; normal people are not like that. Yet Paul was obviously not a masochist. What, then, could make him glad? It should be noted, however, that this is not exactly about joy; the corresponding Greek word denotes rather a calm and balanced state of spirit, which the apostle evidently preserves despite the circumstances, circumstances that are in no way conducive to calmness of spirit.

But why does such calmness of spirit become a sign of strength? And why does only weakness make Paul strong? Of course, one could say that the strength of a person's conviction in what he confesses and preaches is tested precisely in times of persecution. But the matter, it appears, is not only this. The point is the very nature of the Kingdom. And above all, that the Kingdom, according to the Savior's word, is "not of this world." And if so, if it lives according to laws fundamentally different from the laws of the untransformed world, then the strength of the Kingdom is obviously not determined by what happens to a person in this world. Such independence in itself is the best testimony that a person truly belongs to the Kingdom and lives its life, a life that the evil of the world is unable to take away from him because it has nothing in common with it.

But there is another side to this situation as well. It is precisely the sense of the presence of strength within oneself in moments of complete weakness, that is, when you know for certain that you have no strength at that moment and cannot have any because there is nowhere for it to come from, that is the best proof that this strength truly comes from God. At other moments God's strength can sometimes be confused with the powers of this world, with the natural energy inherent in every healthy person. But when there is no natural energy at all, you can be sure that any strength you feel within yourself is from God. And that means the work for which it is given is God's work.

Why, one wonders, would Paul be content in persecutions, in weakness, or, for example, when he is insulted? And what do the words "when I am weak, then I am strong" mean? At first glance such a...

Why, one wonders, would Paul be content in persecutions, in weakness, or, for example, when he is insulted? And what do the words "when I am weak, then I am strong" mean? At first glance such a position can seem strange. Indeed, only masochists rejoice in suffering; normal people are not like that. Paul, however, was clearly no masochist. What, then, could make him glad?

It should be noted, however, that the matter is not, strictly speaking, joy; the corresponding Greek word denotes rather a calm and balanced state of spirit, which the apostle evidently preserves in spite of the circumstances that have arisen, circumstances that do not at all dispose one to calmness of spirit. But why does such calmness of spirit become a sign of strength? And why does only weakness make Paul strong?

One could say, of course, that the strength of a person's conviction in what he confesses and preaches is generally tested precisely in times of persecution. But the matter is still not only this. The matter is the very nature of the Kingdom. And first of all in the fact that the Kingdom, according to the Savior's word, is "not of this world." And if so, if it lives by laws fundamentally different from the laws of the untransfigured world, then the power of the Kingdom is clearly not determined by what happens to a person in this world. Such independence in itself is the best witness that a person truly belongs to the Kingdom and lives its life, a life that the evil of the world is unable to take away from him because it has nothing in common with it.

But there is another side to this situation as well. It is precisely the feeling of the presence of strength within oneself at moments of complete weakness, that is, when one knows for certain that one has no strength at that moment and cannot have any because there is nowhere for it to come from, that is the best proof that this strength is truly from God. At other moments God's strength can sometimes be confused with the powers of this world, with the natural energy inherent in every healthy person. But when there is no natural energy at all, one can be sure that any strength one feels within oneself is from God. And that means the work for which it is given is God's work.

This verse contains a very important thought that the apostle Paul expresses repeatedly in different formulations: "when I am weak, then I am strong." He also observes...

FAQ

[Rev 10:4,6] "Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, 'Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.'" So what did the thunders say? And why conceal it?

Since the Angel commanded the Evangelist John to conceal what the thunders said, he concealed it — and we do not know what they said. We must assume the Angel had his reasons...

Since the Angel commanded the Evangelist John to conceal what the thunders said, he concealed it — and we do not know what they said. We must assume the Angel had his reasons…

It is probable that the matter is as follows: the thunders and the Angel declared to the Evangelist the mysteries of the age to come, speaking of what the world would be like after the victory of the Lamb. According to interpretations, in the voice of the thunders, something incomprehensible was revealed to the Evangelist, something that cannot be conveyed or explained in human language; it should be noted that the Apostle Paul spoke similarly about heavenly mysteries, referring to "inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter" ( 12:4).

To speak of the incommunicable is futile — what use are words when they are powerless? Furthermore, in the 90s of the 1st century, when the Evangelist was recording the Revelation, the danger of Gnosticism was already clearly visible. Its adherents indulged in empty talk about the incomprehensible mysteries of the universe instead of following Christ. In this way, apparently, the Angel's command not to write down the words of the seven thunders can be explained. The Angel himself, in the sixth verse, speaks of the main and most striking difference between the world transformed by the victory of the Lamb of God and that which is accessible to our experience: "that there should be time no longer," he says. How can a man living in time understand and describe a world that exists outside of time? And the words of the thunders, apparently, referred precisely to this…

Be that as it may, the Evangelist records his spiritual experience, which is far deeper and more profound than that of most of us. It is not surprising that in his experience there are things not intended for all his readers. When the Church included his book in the canon of Holy Scripture, the argument for doing so was, firstly, the authenticity of this experience, secondly — its purity, and thirdly, the primary direct meaning of the book — the tidings of the coming victory of the Kingdom of Christ throughout the entire universe.

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