According to Acts 16:11-40, the Apostle
Paul visited Philippi on his second
missionary journey. He traveled from
the island of Samothrace to Neapolis (modern
Kavalla), which was the seaport utilized by
the Philippian residents. The city of Philippi
was approximately nine miles northwest of
the seaport. The city was named in honor of
King Philip II of Macedonia (the father of
Alexander the Great). Philippi became a Roman
military colony in 42 BC, following the
defeat of Brutus and Cassius in battle by the
triumvirs (Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian).
The citizens benefited from an autonomous
government, immunity from taxation, and
conduct as if living in Italy.¹ The first convert
of the missionaries in Philippi was “a woman
named Lydia,” whose heart was opened graciously and sovereignly
by the Lord “to
respond to the things
spoken by Paul” (Acts
16:14). The church at
Philippi was founded
through the faithful
ministry of Luke,
Paul, Silas, and Timothy
(16:1, 10, 12, 19;
20:6).²

The Epistle to the
Philippians was written
during Paul’s first
Roman imprisonment.
Epaphroditus was sent
from the church at
Philippi to bring a
monetary gift to the Apostle, which occasioned
the writing of Philippians as an
expanded letter of thanks (Phil 4:10-20;
cf. 1:3, 5; 2:25, 30).³ Epaphroditus became
“sick to the point of death” in
Rome, which was cause for the Philippians’
expression of concern. Consequently,
the Apostle informed the church
with regard to Epaphroditus’ return to
Philippi (2:25-28). Paul also reported
the status of his trial before the Roman
imperial court (1:7, 13-17), and even attempted
to reconcile a church conflict
(4:2). The theme of Philippians is “joy,”
which is used 13 times. Christ is also
mentioned 38 times, and therefore, “rejoicing
in the Lord” is a prominent emphasis.
The epistle contains significant
revelation concerning Christ’s kenosis
(2:7), which means His self-emptying of
the prerogatives and powers that were
His eternally by virtue of His divine attributes.
The passage concerning His humiliation
explains that by not asserting
His divine prerogatives and powers, the
Lord Jesus took the form of a servant
(while never emptying Himself of His divinity)
to become true humanity (2:5-
11). The epistle may be outlined quite
basically as follows: (1) rejoicing in
prison (1:1-30); (2) rejoicing in others
(2:1-30); (3) rejoicing in the future (3:1-
21); and, (4) rejoicing in all things (4:1-
23). The focus of this article will be
upon section three (“rejoicing in the future”),
especially Philippians 3:20-21.

The Context of Philippians
3:20-21

Philippians 3:15-21 focuses upon an
attitude of life that is pleasing to God.
Paul urged his readers to know the truth
of what had been written previously.
Moreover, he promised that those who
were not living as they ought (i.e. “forgetting
what lies behind and reaching
forward to what lies ahead,” 3:13) would
have this “different attitude” revealed to
them by God. Christians should always
live consistently with an understanding of the truth and not postpone a life of
maturity. The immature, for instance,
were not living maturely; rather, as the
result of incomplete understanding of
what God has revealed, they were postponing
maturity as opposed to living in
accord with the truth that they did understand.
Therefore, the Apostle urged
his readers to pursue maturity in Christ
(3:15-16).⁴ The life that pleases God
must always focus attention upon the
Person and work of Jesus Christ, as the
believer is transformed into His likeness.

Paul concluded his admonition by
exhorting believers to watchfulness
(3:17-19) and hopefulness (3:20-21).
For a second time (cf. 3:15), Paul exhorted
his readers to follow his example.
Not only was it necessary to pursue
maturity in Christ, but it was also crucial
to be watchful because many live
“as enemies of the cross of Christ,”
whose “end is destruction” (3:18-19).
These false teachers are described threefold:
(1) their “god is their appetite”
(i.e. fleshly and sensual); (2) their
“glory is in their shame” (i.e. disgraceful
living); and, (3) they “set their minds on
earthly things” (i.e. the material and
physical as opposed to the eternal and
spiritual) (3:19). Therefore, the believer
is to be watchful (observant) of those
who live according to the standard of
Christlikeness and to imitate such behavior,
in contrast to those whose
lifestyle indicated them as enemies of
God (cf. Gal 4:3, 9-11; Col 2:21-22).

The reason to pursue maturity in
Christ and to be watchful is related to
the hope of the believer (Phil 3:20-21).
Christians do have citizenship on earth,
but also have citizenship in heaven
(3:20). Maturity in Christ is the goal of
the Christian life because heavenly citizenship
is eternal, as opposed to the
earthly life that is but a vapor (Jas 4:14;
cf. Gal 4:26; Heb 11:10). Paul’s exhortation
is an obvious contrast to those
whose minds are focused upon “earthly
things” and whose destiny is destruction.
One challenge of the Christian life
is learning to live as “strangers and exiles
on the earth” (Heb 11:13; cf. 1 Pet
2:11).⁵ Consequently, the believer is to
“eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ” (Phil 3:20).

The Coming of the Savior
in Philippians 3:20-21

Philippians 3:20 first asserts that the
believer’s “citizenship is in heaven.” Regarding
the meaning of the Greek (to politeuma),
The Expositor’s Greek Testament
is noteworthy. “This world has a characteristic
spirit of its own. Worldliness is
the common bond of citizenship in it.
There is another commonwealth,⁶ not of
the world (John xviii. 36), which inspires
its members with a different tone
of life. They ‘seek the things above
where Christ sitteth at the right hand of
God.’ . . . The stability and security of
the pax Romana (one of the most favorable
influences for Christianity) filled
the thought of the time with high conceptions
of citizenship and its value.
This would specially appeal to the
Philippians,” who would have greatly
esteemed the right to possess all the privileges of Italian citizens (i.e. jus
Italicum)⁷ (Acts 16:12, 21).

The believer eagerly waits for the Savior’s
return from (ex ou) heaven. The believer’s
citizenship is in heaven;
therefore, the Christian may “have a
claim on the Saviour, just as the Philippians
might rightfully look for protection
to Rome [as saviour].”⁸ The double
compound (apekdechometha) translated
“eagerly wait”⁹ indicates anticipation
and eagerness for the return of the Lord
Jesus Christ as the habitual perspective
of the Christian, whose citizenship is in
heaven. The normal attitude of the
Christian is eager anticipation of the
Lord’s return (and Paul, of course, included
himself in that anticipation). The
longing for the coming of the Savior is
also an incentive for holy living (cf. Tit
2:13; 1 John 2:28). It is noteworthy that
no other events are mentioned that must
precede the coming of the Lord.¹⁰ Indeed,
if the rapture of
the church were understood
to occur at any
time other than pretribulationally,
it would
be difficult to have such
eager anticipation. For
example, if Scripture revealed
the rapture of
the church as occurring
midtribulationally or
posttribulationally, then
the eager anticipation
would be for the commencement
of the
seven-year tribulation,
for then and only then,
could the believer “eagerly
wait” for the Lord’s return. The expectation
of the Lord’s return as
imminent and personal is cause for great
joy and hope to the early church and the
church throughout the ages.

The Lord Jesus Christ will come from
heaven as Savior to “rescue” His saints
“from this present evil age” (Gal 1:4)
and take His church to His “Father’s
house” (John 14:2). Coinciding with the
Lord’s return, the body of the believer’s
“humble state” will be transformed “into
conformity with the body of His glory”
(Phil 3:21). The transformation of the
believer’s body will be into a glorified
body just like the Son of God (1 John
3:2). The distinction is between the “the
body of our humble state” and “the body
of His glory.” In this earthly life, the believer’s
body is humbled by death, disease,
persecution, and sin. The body is
earthly, perishable, weak, natural, and
mortal (1 Cor 15:35-58), so that believers “groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly
for our adoption as sons, the redemption
of the body” (Rom 8:23). At
the Lord’s return, the transformation will
occur whether by resurrection of the
dead or by the rapture of the living (cf. 1
Cor 15:50-58; 1 Thess 4:13-18; 5:9-10).
The glorified and resurrected body will
be just like the Son of God (“the body of
His glory,” Phil 3:21), and the believer’s
sanctification will be ultimate. The expectation
of the Lord’s return should produce
a purifying hope, as we are citizens
of heaven while sojourning on earth (1
John 3:1-3). The transformation will occur
“by the exertion of the power that He
has even to subject all things to Himself”
(Phil 3:21). The same power that will ultimately
subject all things in the universe
to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ
is what accomplishes the transformation.

Conclusion

Philippians 3 concludes with an exhortation
to “press on toward the goal
for the prize of the upward call of God
in Christ Jesus” (3:14). The believer will
demonstrate this persevering attitude by
pursuing maturity in Christ (3:15-16);
watching for those who imitate the biblical
standard (and follow their example);
being aware of those who are
“enemies of the cross of Christ” (3:17-
19); and “eagerly” waiting for the “Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ” (3:20-21).
The heavenly citizenship of the believer
parallels Jesus’ words in John 14:1-3,
and challenges every Christian to live
with an eternal perspective. The hope of
the Lord’s imminent and personal return
has sustained the church throughout the
present evil age. The expectation of the
Lord’s return should stimulate the
church to live holy and pure lives “so
that when He appears, we may have
confidence and not shrink away from
Him in shame at His coming” (1 John
2:28).

ENDNOTES

1 F. J. Foakes Jackson and Kirsopp Lake, eds., The Acts
of the Apostles, 5 vols. (Reprint,Grand Rapids: Baker,
1979) 4:187-90.

2 Although he is not mentioned specifically in Acts,
the“we” sections in the narrative are understood as
references to Luke, the“beloved physician” (cf.
16:10-17; 20:6—21:18; 27:1—28:16) (cf. Richard Belward
Rackham, The Acts of the Apostles [London:
Methuen & Co., 1901] xv-vii).

3 Peter T.O’Brien, The Epistle to the Philippians (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991) 513.

4 Although the NASB translates teleios as “perfect”
(3:15), it would be better rendered as “mature” (NIV).

5 John A.Witmer,“The Man with Two Countries,” Bibliotheca
Sacra 133 (October 1976): 338-49.

6 The author noted Tertullian’s reading as “municipatus,”
and “conversatio” in Cyprian and Irenaeus.

7 H.A.A. Kennedy,“The Epistle to the Philippians,” in
The Expositor’s Greek Testament, 5 vols., ed.W.
Robertson Nicoll (reprint,Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1979) 3:462.

8 Ibid.

9 For other usages of the Greek word, see Romans
8:19, 23, 25; 1 Corinthians 1:7;Galatians 5:5; and,
Hebrews 9:28.

10 The various views regarding the timing of the rapture
are primarily (sc. there are always exceptions)
among those who affirm premillennialism as true,
which means amillennialists and postmillennialists
would respond to the doctrine of imminency in a
manner different than premillennialists since they
believe the second coming of Christ is a single
event.