The New Testament · The Letters of St. Paul · Book 57 of 73
Prophecy in Philippians
Philippians is the letter of joy, written from prison. Its hope looks toward “the day of Christ Jesus,” when every knee will bend and our lowly bodies will be changed. Until then, “the Lord is near.”
In progress: 4 passages so far
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The book at a glance
Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, the first he founded in Europe (Acts 16:11–40), while he was in chains (1:7, 13). Its authorship is not disputed. It is a letter of friendship and thanks, warm and personal, with the word “joy” and its cognates running through all four chapters.
At its center stands the hymn of Christ who emptied himself and was exalted (2:6–11), one of the oldest confessions of Christian faith. The letter's prophecy is mostly promise about the end: the day of Christ, the universal confession of his name and the resurrection of the body. These are marked future, with the present life of the Church already shaped by them.
Key to the labels
How a passage stands
Fulfilled Accomplished in history, above all in Christ.
Unfolding Being worked out now in the life of the Church.
Future Clearly still to come at Christ's return.
Mystery Its meaning or moment is not yet settled.
What kind of passage it is
Prophecy God's word through a prophet, or Christ, about what will come.
Promise A pledge God makes, kept over generations.
Type A person or event that foreshadows Christ or the Church.
Image A picture Scripture returns to and completes at the end.
Apocalypse A vision unveiling history from heaven's side, in symbols.
More on the labels
| Passage | Subject | Standing |
|---|
| 1:6 | Until the day of Christ Jesus | Unfolding Future |
| 2:9–11 | Every knee should bend | Future |
| 3:20–21 | Our citizenship is in heaven | Future |
| 4:5 | The Lord is near | Future |
The passages
“I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
- Reading
- The “day of Christ” is the prophets' “day of the Lord” (Amos 5:18; Joel 3:4), now named for Jesus. Paul does not set a date for it; he sets a direction. God's work in the community has begun and will be carried on to the end, so that the Philippians may be “pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (1:10).
- Why two labels
- The good work is under way now, in every believer and in the Church. It is completed only on the day of Christ's return.
“…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
- Reading
- The hymn takes up Isaiah 45:23, where the Lord swears: “To me every knee shall bend; by me every tongue shall swear.” In Isaiah the words belong to the one God of Israel (CCC 201). Here they are given to Jesus, who is exalted and given “the name that is above every name” (2:9). The Catechism sees in this the Church's earliest confession: the title “Lord,” the divine name, belongs to Jesus (CCC 449).
- Why future
- Christ is already exalted. The universal confession, in heaven, on earth and under the earth, awaits his return in glory, when his kingship will be fully manifest (CCC 671).
- See also
- Romans 14:11; Revelation 5:13.
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body…”
- Reading
- Philippi was a Roman colony, proud of its citizenship. Paul tells the community that its true city is in heaven, and that its Savior will come from there. He will raise the dead and transform them. The Catechism teaches that Christ will change our bodies into a “spiritual body” like his own glorified body (CCC 999).
- Why future
- The resurrection of the body belongs to the last day, as the Creed professes: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead.”
- See also
- 1 Corinthians 15:42–53; Ephesians 2:19.
“Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near.”
- Reading
- “The Lord is near” can mean near in time, his coming, or near in presence, close to those who call on him (Psalm 145:18). Both are true, and Paul draws the conclusion for today: rejoice, be kind, have no anxiety at all (4:4–6). The Catechism teaches that Christ's coming has been imminent since the Ascension, though “it is not for you to know times or seasons” (CCC 673).
- For now
- Nearness is a reason for gentleness, not alarm. The Church prays “Marana tha,” “Our Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22; CCC 671).
Still to come on this pageFurther passages to add: “to me life is Christ, and death is gain” and the hope of being with Christ (1:21–23), the hymn of Christ's self-emptying (2:6–8), straining toward the goal and the prize (3:12–14), and the names written in the book of life (4:3).
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