Revelation Overview!!!

The Revelation of Jesus Christ.  Revelation means ‘Apocolypsis’-the veil is taken off.

The Revelation is the visions John writes for us of the last days before Christ’s return and the ushering in of the new heaven and new earth. The Revelation begins with letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor, then goes on to reveal the series of devastations poured out upon the earth: the mark of the beast, “666”; the battle of Armageddon; the binding of Satan; the reign of the Lord; the Great White Throne Judgment; the eternal city of God.

This is a book of Prophecy.  There are 4 views of this book: the idealist, the preterist, the historicist, and the futurist views. 

1. The first view of Revelation is the idealist view, or the spiritual view. This view uses the allegorical method to interpret the Book of Revelation.
2. The second view is called the preterist view. Preter, which means “past,” is derived from the Latin.
3. The third view is called the historicist approach. This view teaches that Revelation is a symbolic representation that presents the course of history from the apostle’s life through the end of the age.
4. The fourth view is the futurist view.

• • This view teaches that the events of Revelation chapters 4-22 will occur in the future.
  • Futurists divide the book of Revelation into three sections as indicated in 1:19: “what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.”
    • Chapter 1 describes the past (“what you have seen”),
    • chapters 2-3 describe the present (“what is now”),
    • and the rest of the book describes future events (“what will take place later”).
    • Futurists apply a literal approach to interpreting Revelation. Chapters 4-19 refer to a period known as the seven-year tribulation.
    • During this time, God’s judgments are actually poured out upon mankind as they are revealed in the seals, trumpets, and bowls.
    • Chapter 13 describes a literal future world empire headed by a political and religious leader represented by the two beasts.
    • Chapter 17 pictures a harlot who represents the church in apostasy.
    • Chapter 19 refers to Christ’s second coming and the battle of Armageddon followed by a literal thousand-year rule of Christ upon the earth in chapter 20.
    • Chapters 21-22 are events that follow the millennium: the creation of a new heaven and a new earth and the arrival of the heavenly city upon the earth.

I believe in the literal view of this book.  😁

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The book is written by John.  John was captured in a persecution campaign by the Roman Emperor Domitian. John was sentenced to Patmos a small, rocky, and barren island where many criminals of Rome were sent to serve out their prison terms in harsh conditions.  John was sent to the island because the early Christians were considered a strange cult group who were known for causing trouble within the Empire.

Some historians and scholars claim that John died while on Patmos and others say that he was freed from the island before his death. IDK?

I HONESTLY believe that you do not need me for Revelation.  Now that you have read the Bible: this book will make sense.  I promise.  Feel free to read ahead.  Click here for the first 5 Chapters.

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Here is a taste of Chapter 1 (I am unglued!!) ❤️🤪😬😍

Prologue

1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, ² who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. ³ Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

 

2 John and 3 John

Your last 2 books before Revelation.  I pre-read them before bed last night because I was just so curious as to what would be the last recorded words from John.  He is an “elder”.  He has lived almost 30 longer than both Paul and Peter.  If you remember the book of John was set apart from the other 3 Gospels.  It was written to all believers.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

• 2 John is about Loving Truth.  The word Truth is used 5 times.
• 3 John is the most personal book written in the NT.  The word Truth is used 6 times.  It is about protecting Truth.

Both Books are about the most important component of the Bible: TRUTH.

• 2nd John is about NOT letting people into your inner circle who may corrupt the teaching of Truth
• 3 John is the opposite.  Be hospital to anyone willing to teach Truth.

Now that we have read the Bible, we are filled with ALL that God has commanded us.  In the meantime, we have read warning after warning about False Teachings.  Yesterday we read 1 John, with used the word LOVE  was read 44 times.  So how does all this fit together?  Well, in 2 John and 3 John it brings it all home to you.

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• Click here to read
• Click here to listen

2 John: a lady (could be literal or referring to the church).  I remember in Proverbs, Wisdom was also personified as a woman.  I am uncertain which the reference is made to BUT I do know that John is speaking to the wise person who loves the Truth, and opens their church or home to the teaching of the Word

⁵ And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. ⁶ And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

Does Love mean that we are tolerant to all beliefs?  God is Love.  However, through the ministry of Jesus, we saw an intolerance to anyone that proclaimed anything that was not Truth.  Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees.  Paul continually rebuked the many false teaching that began after the resurrection.  John clarified teachings after the fall of the Temple.  This book is no different.

¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. ¹¹ Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.

Protecting Truth is the ultimate act of Love.

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3 John. A personal letter to Gaius.  When I read 3 John I read:

¹ The elder,

To my dear friend Gaius, Patricia,  whom I love in the truth.

² Dear friend Patricia, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. ³ It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. ⁴ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

⁵ Dear friend Patricia, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. ⁶ They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. 

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Now that I have read God’s Word, I do Love His Truth.  I will keep an eye open for the people like Diotrephes who are “all about himself” and protect what God has taught me in 2020.

What else could God write to us?   John wrote in his Gospel”

 

³⁴ “A new command I give you:

Love one another. 

As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 

³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

³⁶ Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

 

So John ends with a reminder that the Lord WILL see us face to face:

¹³ I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. ¹⁴ I hope to see you soon (Patricia), and we will talk face to face.

 

 

 

 

1 John Overview

John.  This is the same John that is the author of:

• the Gospel John,
• 1 John,
• 2 John,
• 3 John,
• and Revelation. (I CAN’T WAIT TO READ THIS WITH YOU)

The Book of 1 John was likely written between A.D. 85-95.

1 John is a summary that assumes the readers’ knowledge of the gospel. This epistle indicates that the readers were confronted with Gnosticism, which became a more serious problem in the second century.  This led to two false theories concerning the person of Christ:

• Docetism—Docetism was an early Christian heresy that promoted a false view of Jesus’ humanity. The word Docetism comes from the Greek dokein, which meant “to seem”; according to Docetism, Jesus Christ only seemed to have a human body like ours. (Basically, he was like a ghost).  Docetism taught that Jesus had a “heavenly” body of some type but not a real, natural body of flesh. Docetism was closely related to Gnosticism, which viewed physical matter as inherently evil and spiritual substance as inherently good.
• Cerinthianism—making Jesus a dual personality, at times human and at times divine.

Once again, another letter dealing with problems related to false teachers.

Takes take a look at today:

This book is written with a loving tone.  Words like Father, Children, My Beloved are used often.  John speaks from the heart because he has seen and experienced a lot!  He listened to the Olivet Discourse, the Sermon on the Mount, seen miracles, heard parables, was at the Last Supper and witnessed the Transfiguration and the Death and Resurrection of Christ.  So he takes it to heart that TRUTH is under attack more so than any other Epistle writer has seen.  The Temple has been destroyed, and now teachers are trying to destroy Truth.

This book will teach that Christians should:

1. Be in Fellowship with one another (True relationships with each other)
2. Be Happy and Joyful
3. Be Holy
4. Have Discernment
5. Have Confidence that they are Saved.

#5 is something we all think about from time to time.  Am I really Saved??

• Did I just have a cultural conversion?  (I live in the Bible Belt-doing churchy stuff can be a culture)
• Did I have a ceremonial conversion? (I took the right “steps”, rituals)
• Did I have an emotional conversion? (I was wrapped up in the emotion?  Someone gave me a reason to do it?
• Or am I Different??

How do you know?  This book will give you the confidence to know!  Ask yourself…

1. Are you obeying God’s Word?  (I know we are not perfect, that is the point of the Word: to show us what sin is) 2:3
2. Do you believe in the Truth?  Do you believe what the Bible says? 4:2
3. Are you expecting Jesus to return? 3:3
4. Are you conforming over time to His Standards and not the World’s? 3:24
5. Do you love? 3:19

I hope you have a Peace and a Hope that you are one of His Children after reading this book. ❤️

2 Peter Overview (yup, two book on Christmas day)

On December 19th I posted an overview on 1 Peter (if you want to go back to it).  His first letter was about what was happening around the church, outside.  This book is very different.  Actually, I think it is written as a ‘Sermon’ to be used at their church (it ends in a doxology, rather than the standard ending).  Peter, who died around 68AD at the hands of Nero (hung upsidedown on a cross) writes this letter/sermon because of teachings that were infiltrating the church.  It is called: Epicurean.  (Feel free to see how this is still taught today)

Epicurean belief teaches people to relax and enjoy life without worrying so much. God or gods did exist, but they lived so far away from the affairs of man, in a permanent state of ataraxia, that they didn’t interfere with humans.  They just sat up there in their world or Heaven.

There are two advantages (for them) having this mindset: First, there is no judgment after death; therefore, death shouldn’t be feared.  Second, there is no judgment during life. There is no way to appease a god who doesn’t know you personally exist.  Therefore, you are free to find fulfillment in life outside of religious rules and expectations.

They believe in the “golden mean”.  The ‘golden mean’ means to maximize your pleasure without leading to negative consequences.  Yup, that about sums up our world.

So, in true Epicureanism, the best life is characterized by sufficient food, a comfortable dwelling, peaceful relationships, and good friends. Wait it gets MORE relevant.  They back it up by taking scriptures and applying them to their lives.

• “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
• “Give us this day our daily bread”
• “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity”

Shall I go on?  You get my point.

You KNOW this is going to be a good book!

Jude Overview for tomorrow

Obviously, I googled the Beatles song to see if there was any correlation, and there isn’t.  BUT now the song is stuck in my head.  Click here if you want it stuck in your head too!  (and if you are too young to know this song, go away!)

This book opens with:

¹ Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,

So I went back and looked at the book of James, which opens with:

¹James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

Let me show you how prideful I am.  If I was James or Jude I would have said “I am Jesus’ brother!”.  😳

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We know practically nothing about Jude other than his love for Jesus (and proud of his brother James).  James was martyred around 62 AD.  According to other writings and tradition James,(not officially an apostle because he did not become a believer till after the Resurrection), was the leader of the church in Jerusalem. He was thrown from the southeast pinnacle of the temple (over a hundred feet down) when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a club. This is thought to be the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the temptation.

So the fact that Jude is willing to write this letter proves that he too is willing to die for Jesus if the letter gets in the wrong hands. 

The Book of Jude is an important book for us today because it is written for the end times, for the end of the church age. The church age began at the Day of Pentecost. Jude is the only book given entirely to the great apostasy. (fancy word, I know 😂). But now that we are not on milk, but mature enough in the Word, we can start using “meat” words.   Apostasy, from the Greek word apostasia, means “a defiance of an established system or authority; a rebellion; an abandonment or breach of faith.”   Ummm what? This will help:

• there are two main types:
  •  a falling away from key and true doctrines (I ask you, without reading the Bible, how do people know True Doctrine?)
  • a complete renouncement of the Christian faith.

Jude is a small but important book worthy of study, written for the Christian of today.

 

 

2 Timothy Overview

Last week we read 1 Timothy and the overview was quite long so I will keep this short 😂 I promise!

Paul,  imprisoned in Rome, recognized that his earthly life was likely coming to an end soon. The Book of 2 Timothy is essentially Paul’s “last words.” Paul looked past his own circumstances to express concern for the churches and specifically for Timothy. Paul wanted to use his last words to encourage Timothy, and all other believers, to persevere in faith.  What would your last words be for the ones you love? ❤️

See I told you.  Short. (I know what you are thinking…why can’t all her posts be that short!)😝

 

Hebrews Overview for tomorrow

The author of this book is unknown. Suggested authors have included Paul, Luke, Barnabas, Silas, or Apollos. The most common opinion is that the letter was written by Paul. (that’s not my opinion…what is yours?)

Much is unknown about the audience of Hebrews. Though it is addressed to both Jewish and Gentile Christians (since it mentions the Gentile Christian leader Timothy), much of the book emphasizes Christianity in relationship to Jewish teachings. Maybe that is why they titled it “Hebrews”. The theme of persecution is strong, and the temple sacrificial system appears to still be in practice, indicating a time before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. A likely audience was Jewish converts to Christianity, in Rome, during Nero’s persecution of Christians between AD 64 and 68.

The thirteen chapters of Hebrews address five main themes:

1.  The superiority of Jesus.  Jesus is superior to the angels and is greater than Moses.
2. The priesthood of Jesus.  Jesus Himself is The High Priest.
3. The ministry of Jesus as the High priest.
4. The many privileges believers have through Jesus.
5. The behaviors that are important to living for Jesus. These include how believers treat others,  as well as how they are to relate to the Lord.

Just like Romans was a foundational book for the Gentiles, this is the counterpart to the Jews in Jerusalem.

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Something to chew on…

Think about this for a minute, before Christ came all Jewish people were taught to make atonement for their sins through animal sacrifice.  It is an extremely important part of the religion and their way of life.  So Christ comes as the Promised Messiah to fulfill all the ritual acts they were doing, specifically handed down from God himself.  Before Christ, they lived a very legal life of order, sacrifice, hierarchy, priests…etc. So now that Jesus did come, and many Jews came to believe, what do you do with all they were taught their whole life? (some of you may be going through this personally as we read this New Testament together).

As long as there is a standing temple (and it won’t be for long), the Jews (even Christian Jews) will feel this human effort desire to make sacrifices to the Lord.  Makes sense, it would be really hard to literally change everything that was taught for 2000 years.  So God breathes this letter through an unnamed author,  confirming all the Law was a SHADOW of The Christ to come.  ALL of it. 

• The tabernacle,
• The Temple,
• The animal sacrifices,
• The feasts,
• The Priests

Shortly after this book is written to the Christian Jews, the Temple in Jerusalem will be destroyed, so God is preparing them for what is to come since only sacrifices and priests are part of a Temple Worship. (that is why Jews do not currently make sacrifices.

God needs to eliminate the temple to focus ourselves on Christ, not on ritual.  See all that we learned in the Old Testament WAS a Shadow of Christ.  To partake in any exercise that we think earns favor with the Lord in Salvation eliminates our Faith in the Messiah.

And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. Romans 11:6

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Of course, I had to put this…

1 Peter Overview for tomorrow

This book was written by Peter in 62 A.D.  The last few books we read focused on the internal problems of the Church.  Now let’s look at what was going on outside the church.

Nero was the emperor in Rome and he was a horrible ruler that not only killed members of his own family but also was an extreme persecutor of Christians. While Paul was writing this book, Nero was trying to make Rome a “cultural” capital of the world.  Nero wanted to advance construction projects in Rome, but he was out of acres.

Solution: set fire to the ‘old part of town’ to make room for new construction.  The fire burned for a week and the Christians were blamed for it.

Suffering (for Christ) is going to be a big part of this book.

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“Simon” Peter, also known as Cephas, was one of the first followers of Jesus. He was a disciple, one of Jesus’ closest friends, an apostle, and a “pillar” of the church. Peter was enthusiastic, strong-willed, and impulsive.  Whenever the aposltes are listed in any of the Gospels, he is always named first (Judas was always last)

Simon was originally from Bethsaida and lived in Capernaum.   He was married and he and James and John were partners in a profitable fishing business. Peter met Jesus through his brother Andrew, who had followed Jesus after hearing John the Baptist proclaim that Jesus was the Lamb of God. Andrew immediately went to find his brother to bring him to Jesus. Upon meeting Simon, Jesus gave him a new name: Cephas (Aramaic) or Peter (Greek), which means “rock”.  Immediately, Peter left everything behind to follow Jesus.

Peter was part of the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples, along with James and John. Only those three were present when Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus and when Jesus was transfigured on the mountain.  Peter and John were given the special task of preparing the final Passover meal.

It was Peter who boasted that he would never forsake the Lord, even if everyone else did—and later denied three times that he even knew the Lord.  From that experience, he would never do it again.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached a sermon to the crowd in Jerusalem (Acts 2), about 3,000 people became followers.  As they returned to their hometowns, churches began growing.

Jesus said that Peter would die a martyr’s death (John 21:18-19)—a prophecy fulfilled, during Nero’s reign. Tradition has it that Peter was crucified upside down in Rome.  He refused to die in the same way Jesus did.

Titus Overview

This is a letter written to a church leader named Titus, a Gentile convert of Paul. It appears Paul and Titus took a mission trip to Crete around AD 62—64. Paul later left, with Titus remaining on the island as a church leader.

Paul sends this letter with Zenas and Apollos. It encourages Titus to select church leaders for local house churches, deal with offenders in the church and gives directions regarding certain church practices.

This short but amazing letter includes the

• proper behavior of Christians, (I better sit down for this one)
• submission to the government, (you better sit down for this one 😁)
• proper treatment of all people,
• and responses to false teachers

Most importantly he encourages good works.

 

 

1 Timothy Overview

1 Timothy was one of only four letters in the New Testament written by Paul to individuals. The others are 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.

• Timothy was the only person to receive two individual letters from Paul in the New Testament.
• Timothy was from Lystra (modern-day Turkey).
• He was the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother. Timothy’s mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, were also believers (it will be mentioned in his 2nd letter).
• They had raised him to know the Old Testament.
• He was converted to Christianity by Paul in Acts 16:1–5.
• We learn that believers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of Timothy.
• Paul wanted to take him on his missionary journey, but Timothy was not circumcised. Paul circumcised him and they traveled together on Paul’s second missionary journey.

Timothy would be with Paul during his first Roman imprisonment. When 1 Timothy was written, however, Timothy was in Ephesus, serving as a leader among the various house churches that existed then.  Paul wrote to him, to encourage his faithful service to Christ. Timothy will serve some time in jail for his faith but will be released (Hebrews 13:23).

This letter will read differently since it is written to an individual.

1. Written to a co-worker instead of a Church
2. The letter will be easier to read (less complicated)
3. He will use strong Greek terminology since it was his native language
4. It will describe ‘overseers’ and ‘bishops’- the character needed to serve as a leader
5. Reminders of basic truths about dealing with false teachings.
6. Most of the scriptures will be an amplified or clarified version that was already spoken.

The name Timothy means “one who Honors God”

Outline:

• Law and Grace (Ch 1)
• Prayer and Worship (Ch 2)
• Leadership (Ch 3:1-13)
• True and False Religeion (Ch 3:14-5:2)
• Widows, Elders, and Slaves (Ch 5:3-6:2_
• Money and Wealth (Ch 6)