Revelation Overview

We started on Day 1 (Gen 3) with the beginning of a battle between God and satan and now we are going to see how it is all going to end. This book will tell of a war between 2 kingdoms: God’s Kingdom (the New Jerusalem) and Satan’s Kingdom (Babylon).

John the apostle survived waves of persecution.  The first being under Nero (in the 60′s), where both Paul and Peter did not survive and then under Emperor Domitian when in a short period of time 40,000 Christians were tortured then killed.   The third wave was about to begin under  Trajan.  It was extremely dark days for the Church.  By the way, one of the torture/execution styles was to  dip Christians in boiling oil, sometimes head first.  Tradition has it that John was boiled in oil and survived it, so that is why he was exiled to the Greek Island of Patmos.  This Island is where John got the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Revelation means the unveiling.  The theme is Jesus.  So all together it means, The Unveiling of Jesus Christ.  It tells of the second coming, the millennial reign on earth, His judgement of the earth and describes His final Victory over our enemy, satan.  As we read of the Wrath of God we must know that this is an OPTIMISTIC book if you are a CHristian.  We are assured and reassured that we as Christians are under God’s protection with a life of everlasting “Blessedness”.

Revelation is full of Old Testament references (not quotes) upward of almost 300.  However, when we read it, it is NOT about explaining every detail it is about the overall theme of Jesus.  There are so many views on Revelation and so much no one understands.  I will be reading it literal and futuristic.  I believe that it is talking about events that are yet to come and I believe that every word is literal, not theoretical.

I by NO MEANS feel adequate to even think I will understand much of this book so I will be heavily in prayer.  The only question I think we need to ask ourselves is if this happens today, (and it very much could) Are you prepared? Is your family?

1 John Overview

This book claims no author but scholars all agree that it is John.  This is written about 20 years after the Temple was destroyed in a Jewish Roman War.  The entire Temple Herod built was destroyed leaving the Jews without a center for worship.  Since then a Philosophy had really taken root called Gnosticism.

Gnosticism in short said that the human nature consists of 2 parts, flesh and spirit.  Sin was in the body only, not the spirit.  So basically the spirit dealt with Spiritual matters, while the body could do what it wants. In Gnosticism, people believed in a “mystical” knowledge that some could obtain through knowledge, like a spiritual maturity or epiphanies. (I actually know of someone who is a Gnostic).

Gnostics also denied the incarnation, they said that God was more like a phantom, a man in appearance only (called Docetism).  Another theory called Cerinthianism (very large following) believed that Jesus was a normal man and that the spirit of God joined Him at baptism and left him before the death on the Cross.  By the way, if you think “theories” are not as strong today, get out of your comfort zone of the Bible Belt and just make conversations with some strangers in airports all around the country.  It will shock you, especially todays teens.

John writes this Letter to ALL Christians.  The book of John (the Gospel) was written on believing to receive Eternal Life.  1 John is about Knowing we have eternal life.  The word KNOW will be used over 30 times in this short letter.

Soooooo have you ever questioned your Salvation?? Read this book to see “If” you are saved and KNOW.

Jude Overview

Hey Jude don’t make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better (Beatles)

So the sad song here is that Jude, the brother of Jesus himself,  is about to write a letter about sharing in Salvation when he gets word that such false teachings have infiltrated the church.  Jude and Peter grew up in the Faith together and it is obvious by their words and writing that they have spent much time together, for their teachings and writings are extremely similar.

We know that Jesus and Jude (and James) grew up in a God centered home where the Scriptures would be taught, so the Jewish references in this book should be expected.  Jude holds nothing back for the danger is INSIDE the church.  If you think this isn’t relevant today WAKE UP.

2 Peter Overview

There is debate over who wrote this book (Just letting you know).  It does not matter much to me since it was God breathed I know who really wrote it.  But I am going to assume Peter since most scholars do.

The 1 Peter book was about consoling and encouraging Christians, from persecution from without.  The 2 Peter is a book of WARNING from within!  (Are you as shocked as I am about this theme being a huge part of almost every NT book!)  God KNOWS the false teachings in the Church.  People wake up and smell the Bible…There is NOTHING wrong with comparing your church to the Bible and seeing the errs.)

 This book will confirm that the BEST and ONLY way to overcome false teaching that creeps into the walls of Church is knowledge of His Word.  Do not neglect your Bible.

2 Timothy Overview

What would you write about the Lord as you sat in your darkest hour of life?  This is Paul’s final letter. 

In the 1 Peter overview I talked about the fire Nero lit so he could re-build the parts of the city he wanted to upgrade. Well, he needed to point the finger at someone so he blamed it on the already disliked Christ Followers.  Multitudes of Christians were arrested and tortured to death, some tactics were: a cross crucifixion, or bloody animal skins tied to them and put in lion dens, badgered by wild dogs, tarred and lit on fire for “light” in the gardens…etc (you saw gladiator, you can picture the times)  Anyway, Paul was in Prison waiting his death for this false accusation of lighting these fires.  Well, this is where in history his writes one of is most moving letters ever, his second letter to Timothy.  (ummm called 2 Timothy).

Hebrews Overview

Hebrews.  An EXTREMELY important book.  Just like Romans was a foundational book for the Gentiles, this is the counterpart to the Jews in Jerusalem.  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 fulfil all the ritual acts they were doing, specifically handed down from God himself.  Before the 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, 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,  right .  So God breathes this letter through an un-named author,  confirming all the Law was a SHADOW of The Christ.  ALL of it.  The tabernacle, the animal sacrifice, the feasts, the Priests were all a prophecy of the Christ to come.  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.  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.

So if the Temple is about to be destroyed how does one approach God? 

1 Peter Overview

This book was written by Peter in  62  A.D.  The last few books we read focused on the internal problems of the Church such as division, false teaching, heresy etc.  Now let’s look at what was going on outside the church for a minute.  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 the Christian sect.  Persecutions were political: worship of local deities or to participate in worshipping  of their statues (Christians would not bow down to this…remember Daniel). So Christianity became illegal as a threat to the safety of the empire.  Persecutions were social: Christianity had great appeal to the lower classes, wich caused the upper class to fear it, especially because Christianity taught we are all equal in Christ.  Christianity was hated for economic reasons because much of the economy was based on selling carved or made images to be worshipped, and Christianity forbids this. (Bite your tongue Trish)

While this book was written, Nero was  trying to make Rome a cultural capital of the world, so he set fire to much of the town to make room for new construction.  The fire burned for a week and the Christians were blamed for it. Evidently they confessed to it,  but under EXTREME torture tactics.  SO upon that omission Christians were persecuted again and it was Peter and Paul that may have died under Nero’s reign here.

I want you to have all that so when you read 1 Peter (maybe for the 100th time you fully understand the setting).  God also has foreknowledge what was to come and in 95 A.D. the Jews (Christians were lumped in) refused to pay an extra tax to support roman gods, under Emperor Domitian, and under this persecution John was boiled in oil and then sent to be exiled on an Island in Greece (do you know what happened there?? stay tuned).

Since then Christianity was under state ban until about 250A.D.  In 112 the roman governor Pliny wrote to the current emperor asking for clarification of “christian policy” and the emperor answered that they were not to seek out Christians BUT if anyone was to point out or allude to someone being a Christian they should be questioned (there was not don’t ask don’t tell policy back then).  They were asked 3 times to confess (I don’t want to imagine what this torture looked like) and if they said Yes finally they were sentenced to death. 

Sooooo now that we have the setting I pray that you read 1 Peter with Fresh eyes, and an open heart.  We as Christians WILL have trials.

If anyone needs a recap on who Peter was please ask me.  I would be happy to write-up a little summary.  Just know that this is the Peter that followed Jesus so closely that he saw all the amazing signs and miracles Jesus performed.  Unfortunately, he was also the disciple that refused to know Jesus during the trial (3 times).  Peter gave the first ever Sermon just after Pentecost.  Peter had originally been Simon but Jesus changed his name to mean Rock.  Peter layed the foundation at that sermon for the church.  Fulfilling the scripture on this Rock I will build my church.  Peter was sentenced to crucifixion and his only request was that he was hung upside down.  He put Jesus in a category of his own and respectfully did not want to die as He did.  So if you ever see an upside down cross (they have them in Church’s in Rome all over, it is in reference to Peter’s death.

Titus Overview

Crete: a Greek Island (where is was said Zeus, the greek god was born) (look for island on bottom)

Crete was one of the first places to hear the Gospel preached since some were at the scene of Pentecost and saw the Baptism of the Holy Spirit!  Paul writes to Titus, who was a Gentile,  for the same reasons he writes to Timothy.  However,  the emphasis in this book is good works. 

We have all settled the issue of Salvation as a Gift that Jesus paid for with his life.  Think about that.  That does not make us a slave under bondage, but a bond servant.  What do I mean?  Jesus has paid the price for our life.  He paid the bond to set us free.  So what do we do now?  We have been bought with a price.  Well, what does He ask? We are saved BY Him FOR good works.  Why else are we here?

1 Timothy Overview

Before we talk about Timothy, I want to talk about the Church.  What do you think of when we say the word Church?  Well, I picture an ‘A’ framed roof, with pews, and stained class, maybe some marble steps, and a beautiful alter.  Uhhh NO.  You need to really keep in touch with the times on these next few books.  Emperor Nero was on the throne in Rome and he was a disgusting man who took great pleasure in Christian Persecution.  ‘Churches’ were extremely small gatherings, often in homes and in secret.  As we read last week Ephesus was one of the largest growing Christian areas in the World, and guess who Paul left in charge?  That’s write, his little helper, timid Timothy.

There are 3 letters written by Paul known as the “pastoral letters”, they are 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus.  Timothy was left in charge of Ephesus and Titus was left in charge of Crete (an enormous Greek Island).   So here is the Big  Question..what does God use Paul to say through Paul about what a ‘Church’ should look like?  PAY ATTENTION.  This book maybe written to the ”elders” and overseers but what did we read yesterday in Philippians 1:10 “so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ”.  This book is so stinkin important so you can discern what is right and what is man made when it comes to ‘church’.

Paul will write to Timothy on a number of matters, but first he will instruct Timothy on how to deal with False Teachings.  I am sure you are sick of me talking about this BUT man has been adding to the Scriptures since the beginning of time.  Since the time of Moses we were told

“Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you” (Deut 4:2)

Paul also writes about choosing leaders in the church, roles of men and woman and finally but most important to Lead By Example.  Timothy was mentored by Paul but came from a mixed family, his mother was Jewish and his father was Greek (cool huh…reminds us of some icons from the Old Testament?? huh?)  Anyway, Timothy’s biggest battle was combating ‘legends’ and ‘family tales’ that were infiltrating the church.  Well, who remembers Ephesians? What was the one thing you combat with offensively…that’s right, the SWORD!  The only thing we have to fight rumors and false teachings is the Word of God and Truth.   SO let’s have at it!

Philippians Overview

Philippi was a Roman Colony, once called Krenides but the name was changed by Philip, the King of Macedonia (Alexander the Great’s Father).  The town was occupied by Italian settlers following Octavian’s great battles (first against Brutus and Cassius, then against his former ally Antony).  Philippi was a very wealthy town and very modern in the sense that woman held high status  in the community (Penny just said amen!) 

Philippi was the first Church established in Europe by Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke.  Philippi being a Medical center of the world, Luke stayed behind (it may have been his hometown, but he was also a physician).  Luke was the author of the book of Luke as well as Acts.  He was the Pastor of the church in Philippi for about 6 years.

Paul never charged money for his mission work, instead he made his money in his trade (tent making) however he did occasionally take gifts or offerings.  The messenger, Epaphroditus, arrived with a gift of money and almost lost his life doing it.  Paul was deeply touched and Paul wanted to send a letter back (when Epaphroditus recovered) that no more gifts were necessary.

Paul writes a beautiful letter about Joy.  The letter is to ALL believers called ’saints’.   Paul writes this letter in chains and scholars say under heavy bad treatment in Prison.  Paul would rather be in Heaven with the Lord but while he is here on earth he will live for Christ.