Thomas Aquinas, on 2Tim 4:1

“I charge thee, before God and Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead, by his coming, and his kingdom:”

“Having mentioned the dangers that will appear in the last days, and Timothy's ability to resist them, the Apostle here shows him how to resist: first, he gives the advice; second, its need, at "for there shall be a time." In regard to the first he does two things: first, he adjures him; second, he advises him, at "preach the word." In the adjuration are two things: first, those before whom one is adjured; second, the one by whom. Now one is adjured before two witnesses, namely, before him who is our beatitude and before him who leads us to it. But our beatitude is God: "blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Ps 32:12). He says, therefore, "I charge you before God," i.e., I call on God to witness that I am giving this exhortation; for this witness cannot be deceived: "but I call on God to witness upon my soul" (2 Cor 1:23). "And Jesus Christ," who will lead us to beatitude: "by whom also we have access through faith into this grace" (Rom 5:12). Or another way: he leads us because he shall judge the living and the dead. Then by "living," he means those who are still alive when he comes; for they will of course die, but because they will rise shortly they are called living: "we who are alive, who remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them who have slept" (1 Thess 4:14). Or "living" refers to the good, namely, who live the life of grace, and "the dead" refers to the wicked: "he that loves not abides in death" (1 John 3:14). These also will he judge: "it is he who was appointed by God to the judge of the living and of the dead" (Acts 10:42). But since Christ is God, why does he use the conjunction, "before God and Christ"? I answer that this could mean before God, namely, the Father, and Christ, i.e., the Son: for the Father is the font of divinity. Then when he says, "by his coming and his kingdom," he adjures him through two things that the saints desire: the first is the coming of Christ: "like to men that wait for their lord, when he shall return from the wedding" (Luke 12:36); "come, Lord Jesus" (Rev 22:20). The second thing is his kingdom: "your kingdom come" (Matt 6:10). He reigns according to his general power over all creatures: "all power is given to me in heaven and in earth" (Matt 28:18), but according to his special and spiritual power he reigns in the saints at present by grace, and in the future by glory; because the saints are not of this world: "my kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). But this kingdom begins here and will be completed in the future, when all kingdoms will be subjected to him willing and unwilling: "until I make your enemies your footstool" (Ps 109:1).”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.