What does 2 Timothy 4:17 mean?

Given the dangerous, anti-Christian politics of the time, no human stood with Paul at his first hearing. However, Paul was entirely confident that he was not alone. His words closely reflect Daniel's response from the lion's den: "My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm" (Daniel 6:22). At his first hearing, Paul might have avoided immediate execution—perhaps even death by lions in the Coliseum. Given his earlier comments, he does not expect to be so lucky in the future. The idea of rescue from the mouth of a lion is also used figuratively in Scripture, as in Psalm 22:21 and 1 Peter 5:8. According to tradition, Paul was eventually beheaded.

Paul also understood God's good reasons for his own suffering. The spread of the gospel was his true mission on earth. Specifically, Paul was called to preach the good news to the Gentiles (Romans 1:16–17; Galatians 1:16; 2:8). His ability to preach to people, in the largest and most powerful city in the world, was part of his mission to promote the truth. Eventually, that mission was going to lead to conflict with the powers that be.