2:13

the happy hope: In the Bible, hope refers to “confident anticipation of what will surely come to pass,” as one reference work explains. Paul here refers to the hope of some humans to be resurrected as immortal spirit creatures and to be corulers with Jesus Christ in “his heavenly Kingdom.” (2Ti 4:18; Re 5:10) That Kingdom will bring blessings to its subjects on earth, giving them the prospect of living forever. All such prospects inspire happiness in those who look forward to the fulfillment of the promises, which only “the happy God” can guarantee. (1Ti 1:11) The Greek word here rendered “happy” is translated “blessed” in some Bible translations. Both renderings highlight God’s favor toward those who entertain such hopes.​—Compare study note on Mt 5:3.

glorious manifestation: The Greek term rendered “manifestation” (e·pi·phaʹnei·a) is used in the Scriptures to refer to discernible, solid evidence of something; it can also refer to a display of authority or power. (See study note on 1Ti 6:14.) Here Paul links such a manifestation with the fulfillment of “the happy hope.” For spirit-anointed Christians, this hope includes their resurrection to serve as Christ’s corulers in heaven. The Bible shows that this heavenly resurrection would not take place until “the presence of the Lord” Jesus. (1Th 4:15-17) This resurrection is also part of the “glorious manifestation of the great God and of our Savior, Jesus Christ.” With God’s backing, Jesus is made manifest, that is, he appears, and he rewards anointed Christians who have died.

of the great God and of our Savior, Jesus Christ: Paul here discusses the “glorious manifestation” of both God and Jesus Christ. Usually, the term “manifestation” is used only in connection with Jesus. (2Th 2:8; 1Ti 6:14; 2Ti 1:10; 4:1, 8) Some scholars therefore argue that only one person is referred to here, so they render this phrase, “of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.” They thus view this text as proof that the inspired Scriptures describe Jesus as “the great God.” However, many scholars and Bible translators acknowledge that this passage can properly be rendered as it is in the New World Translation, referring to two distinct persons.​—Support for this rendering can be found in the Kingdom Interlinear, App. 2E, “Of the Great God and of [the] Savior of Us, Christ Jesus.”