What does Philippians 1:26 mean?
Paul anticipates seeing the Philippian believers again, as a moment of great joy. That would be a victory well worth praising God for. If Paul did return to Philippi after this first Roman imprisonment, they would certainly have given glory to Christ Jesus. Prior to this letter, the Philippian believers were probably uncertain whether or not Paul would ever live to leave Rome. In this letter, Paul believes he will soon be released and later visit them. This would be a miraculous answer to prayer.At this point, Paul has transitioned from reassuring his readers that his suffering is for a good cause, to his confidence that he will survive, to an encouraging hope for reunion. From the Pastoral Epistles, it is clear Paul did travel east again near the area of Philippi. However, Philippi is not mentioned in these later writings as one of his destinations. In addition to Philippi, Paul expected to once again visit Philemon in the city of Colossae (Philemon 1:22).