The Epistles & Revelation
What is an Epistle?
In the Bible, an Epistle is a letter written by one of the Apostles either to a specific individual, a specific church community, or to a general audience.
What is an Apostle?
An Apostle was an individual chosen by Jesus or by the Apostles through the Holy Spirit to be Christ’s representative and to lead his Church.
Why did the Apostles write letters?
The Apostles were active in the work of planting churches all over the world. Their letters were sent to churches they planted or to churches in need of encouragement. The bulk of the epistles were written to correct false doctrine or discourage specific sinful practices. A handful are more general with broader, but all of them encourage the people of God to live as members of his new kingdom and creation.
Why should Christians read the Epistles?
Unlike the bulk of Scripture which contains narrative or poetry as elements throughout almost every book, the epistles are unique in that they are directed to a specific audience with a clear and specific teaching message the whole way through. The epistles are also unique in that they are the first texts to be directed toward Christians as their first readers, and so contain clear and direct teaching and wisdom for living as the community of Jesus followers.
What is the purpose of the book of Revelation?
The purpose of the book of Revelation is to encourage the persecuted people of God to overcome until the end, whether that end be death or the coming day of Resurrection. It also ends by showing the reader the coming hope of God’s justice on evil and his restoration of all creation.
What does the book of Revelation tell us about faithfulness to Jesus?
Throughout the book of Revelation the saints are encouraged to remain faithful to Jesus despite persecution. This may lead to economic insecurity, ostracism, and even death. It will mean rejecting the trappings of evil empires. It may even mean death. But we are reminded that God will vindicate our deaths through resurrection. We are taught to walk in the way of weakness and vulnerability of the Lamb who was slain, not in the way of power of the Dragon.
How does the book of Revelation say everything will end?
The book of Revelation ends with a vision of Christ’s return. Once he has defeated evil and vindicated the saints in the resurrection from the dead, and a New Jerusalem will be established. All the earth will be restored and the people will live with God as their king forever.
What do we learn about God from the book of Revelation?
Much like in the Gospels, we see that God is the primary agent of restoration and salvation. We also see that he is faithful, he will keep his promise to return and restore all things.