At the end of this letter Paul tells the Corinthians to prepare themselves, for he is coming to see them, and this visit will constitute the "third time I am coming to you" (2 Corinthians 13:1). Prior to the writing of the First Corinthian letter, we have only one recorded visit by Paul to Corinth in the book of Acts (Acts 18). In the First Corinthian letter Paul is intending to come to Corinth (4:18-19; 16:3-7), and yet, according to this second letter, Paul said he was coming to them a third time (2 Corinthians 12:14). Since we only have two recorded visits of Paul to Corinth (Acts 18, 20), this makes some think that Paul visited Corinth after the first letter, a visit that did not seem to help the situation at all. Two other lines of evidence can be cited for a short visit between these letters: A change in travel plans had taken place and certain members in Corinth had criticized Paul for this change (2 Corinthians 1:15-17). “The words of 1:23 ‘To spare you I came not as yet to Corinth’, and of 2:1 ‘I determined that I would not come again to you in heaviness’ implying a recent and a painful visit, for the original visit to Corinth when the church was founded could scarcely be said to have been undertaken in sorrow”. 20 Intense persecution had hit Paul in Asia (2 Corinthians 1:8-10: Evidently the opposition that Paul had mentioned at the close of the first letter had erupted in a very severe persecution (16:9). Titus had been sent to Corinth: (2 Corinthians 2:13; 7:6) Apparently, before dispatching Titus, the arrangement had been that Titus would go to Corinth (by sea) and Paul would head north towards Troas (by land) to preach, and that they would meet in Troas. Paul was so concerned about the situation in Corinth, that he wanted the most reliable and up to date information possible. Not to mention the fact, that he had sent his best men to try to improve the situation. Paul cannot wait for Titus at Troas: (2 Corinthians 2:12-13)
20 The Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. R.V.G. Tasker p. 17 6
