Apicontent

A. Overview and Summary

1. The author is the Apostle John, and this is the third epistle he wrote. Like 2nd John, it is very short, consisting of less than 300 Greek words, which would have allowed it to be placed on one papyrus sheet. John writes as “the Elder” (1). Use of this word carries with it the authority and recognition that he is the sole remaining apostle of the original twelve. Like the rest of his writings, he wrote this towards the end of his life, from about 90 to 95 AD.
2. The theme of this epistle, unlike 2nd John, where he writes a warning against providing hospitality to false teachers, is that he writes here because Diotrephes was not receiving the true itinerant preachers who were speaking sound doctrine. He also expelled those who wished to provide hospitality to them from the church, speaking evil against them as well as against John himself (9-10).

B. Synopses of the Text.

1. John writes to a man named Gaius, a common name at that time, and several individuals with this name are mentioned in the New Testament in conjunction with the Apostle Paul. It is unknown whether this Gaius is one of them. He is a dear friend of John and was loved “in truth” (1). John expresses his joy to know that Gaius and others of “his children” are walking in truth (3-4). Truth was an important issue at that time. Many false teachers were attempting to bring false doctrine into the church. John had written previously in 1st and 2nd John against such men and the false teaching they brought with them.
2. Gaius had provided hospitality to teachers of sound Christian doctrine, and Gaius had received witness of his love for them before the church (5-6). But John warns against Diotrephes, who, as noted in the summary above, was not receiving the brothers and speaking “against us with malicious words”. And not being content with that, he puts those who practiced hospitality out of the church (10).
3. He writes again, “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God” (11). He then mentions a Demetrius who “has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true” (12). Like John expressed in 2nd John, truth is a very important concept to him.

C. Discussion Questions, Application, and Passing it on.

1. Christian hospitality is an attribute which is praised in the New Testament (Romans 12:13). Are you one who practices hospitality to other Christians? Do you use discernment in hospitality as noted in 2nd John?
2. Diotrephes’ desire “to have the preeminence among them” (9) is criticized by John. Do you desire to have a prideful desire to be preeminent? What can you do about it if you do?

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This New Testament survey was provided by Joshua Nations (JoshuaNations.org)

A. Overview and Summary.

1. The book is named after one of Jesus’s earthly half-brothers. None of Jesus’s siblings believed He was the Christ until after Jesus’s resurrection (John 7:5). Although not an apostle, he wrote with authority. He does not mention any family connection with Jesus in his book, except in reference to his brother James (1), who was also a half-brother of Jesus. The date of his writing is believed to be before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, but after the composition of 2nd Peter. The reason for this is that Peter anticipated the coming of false teachers (2 Peter 2:1, 2; 3:3), while Jude deals with their presence (4, 11, 12, 17, 18). As it is not addressed to a particular church or individual, it is considered a general epistle.
2. It is a short book of only 25 verses and is the only New Testament book that entirely confronts apostasy, which is a departure from true Biblical faith. He demonstrates his Biblical knowledge, by referencing Old Testament historical events including the Exodus (5), Satan’s rebellion (6), Sodom and Gomorrah (7), Moses’s death (9), Balaam (11), Korah (11), Enoch (14,15) and Adam (14). He also alludes to two noncanonical apocryphal books. One is “The Assumption of Moses,” referred to by Origen (c. 185–254), an early Christian scholar and theologian who mentions the book. This is in relation to Satan and Michael struggling over the body of Moses (9). The other non-canonical book is the “Book of Enoch” (14), which is referenced in relation to end times. However, early church fathers validated that Jude wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which included his reference to these two books.

B. Synopsis of Text.

1. After his greeting, he attacks the apostate teachers head on: “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (3-4). The faith delivered to the saints is the essence of Christian doctrine, which includes the virgin birth, the substitutionary atonement of Christ, His deity, His death, His resurrection, and His coming again.
2. He then talks about the apostate teachers and their immoral lives: “as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise, also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.” (7-8).
3. He continues his diatribe against them: “These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever” (12-13).
4. He references Enoch and the Lord’s judgment at end times: “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with tens of thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (14,15).
5. He continues with words about the apostates but reminds his readers of the apostle’s words: “These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit” (16-19).
6. He moves towards closing his epistle with these words of encouragement but also of warning: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (20-22).
7. He closes with praise: “Now unto him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen” (24-25).

C. Discussion Questions, Application, and Passing it on.

1. Are you able “to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints?” What does that mean, and in what attitude should you address false teachers?
2. Jude writes “upon some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh”. Practically, what does this mean? Why should you approach some with fear?

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This New Testament survey was provided by Joshua Nations (JoshuaNations.org)

A. Overview and Summary.

1. Some mistakenly call this book “Revelations”. It is one revelation of Jesus Christ communicated by an angel (1:1) to the Apostle John. The word “revelation” in Greek is “apokalupsis,” which literally translates to “an unveiling”. The book is an unveiling of “things which must shortly take place” (1:1). John is by this time an aged man, the sole remaining apostle of the original twelve selected by Jesus Christ. It was written down by John in the last decade of the first century (ca. 94-96 AD) during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian. Jesus addresses the spiritual decline of churches in chapters two and three, which also confirms a late first-century date. The churches during the time of Paul and others were strong, although they faced heretical teachings, and Jesus’ words addressed shortcomings in five out of the seven churches.
2. John received The Revelation while imprisoned on the island of Patmos, located in the Aegean Sea southwest of Ephesus. He had been in the city of Ephesus ministering the gospel. Early Christian writer Tertullian (155-240 AD) wrote that John was plunged into boiling oil at the direction of Domitian but emerged unscathed. He was soon after exiled to slave labor in mines on Patmos. He was later freed, possibly due to his old age. He returned to what is now Turkey, where he died sometime after 98 AD, the only apostle not to be martyred.
3. John is told by the vision of Jesus (1:19) “Write therefore the things which you saw, and the things which are, and the things which shall come to pass afterwards”. This is a simple outline of the book. The things which he saw are the vision of chapter one. The things which are the letters to the seven churches in chapters two and three, and the things to come, are future events recorded in chapters four through twenty-two. Several theories attempt to interpret this book. The preterist approach says it has already taken place, which was in the first century. However, there are several events in Revelation that contradict this theory, as they have not yet occurred. The idealist approach says that it depicts the timeless struggle between good and evil. It fails to provide solid insight for living and hope for the future. The futurist approach is the most logical based on the details of future coming events and people. It also provides a summary of God’s intent for humanity, which began in the book of Genesis. This approach (futurist) will be used in this synopsis.
4. This book and the book of Daniel are the two books in the Bible that contain substantial prophecies of future events. It is understood that the Joshua Nations community comprises individuals who may hold different views on prophecy. This synopsis takes a pre-tribulation viewpoint of the rapture. Others may hold a mid-tribulation, post-tribulation, or even a no rapture viewpoint. The pre-tribulation view will be explained more fully in the following chapter synopses.

B. Chapter One.

1. The chapter opens with a promise: “Blessed is he that reads, and those that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written here: for the time is at hand” (1:3). This is a special blessing not given in other Bible books. John is instructed to write to the angels of seven churches in Asia from “Him who was, and is and who is to come, and the seven Spirits that are before His throne” (1:4). The seven churches are churches in what is modern day Turkey and were those to whom John ministered to. Jesus “was” in eternity past, uncreated and always existing with the Father, He “is” today and throughout all of church history and is “to come” in His glorious appearing at the end of this age. Bible teachers are in agreement that the “seven Spirits” refer to different aspects of the one Holy Spirit. Throughout the Bible, “seven” refers to perfection. Isaiah 11:2 gives seven functions of the Holy Spirit: “And the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah”. The seven spirits are mentioned three more times in the book of Revelation (3:1; 4:5; 5:6).
2. John hears behind him a voice. “And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the midst of the lampstands, one like unto a son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle. And his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace; and his voice as the voice of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shining in his strength” (1:12-16).
3. John sees a vision of the ascended Christ. This was a powerful visage of Christ, and John fell to his face before Christ as though he were dead. Christ tells him that the seven lampstands are the seven churches and the seven stars are the seven angels of the seven churches (1:12-20). A church should be a testimony upon which the gospel shines forth to the surrounding community. Unfortunately, a church can lose its testimony, and Jesus will come and take it away. We will see that warning given in the next two chapters. Each church apparently had an angel assigned to it. Some have interpreted angels as human elders in each church to which John was to write. The Greek word “angelos” simply meant messenger and is used most often in the Bible to mean a supernatural messenger from God. However, John the Baptist is referred to as an angelos in Matthew 11:10. The Apostle John was in exile on the island of Patmos, so the visions he received from Christ had to be communicated to the churches through a messenger. We do not know precisely how this was done.

C. Chapter Two.

1. Chapter two begins an address of Jesus to each of seven churches. This address lasts for two chapters. These churches were actual churches in Asia Minor, now modern-day Turkey, to which John had ministered and was familiar with. They represent churches that existed at that time in various places, as well as churches that have existed throughout church history. Some Bible scholars see church history unfolding in each of the churches. We will also present that viewpoint. Each church, except one, is praised for an attribute. All churches except two are given things which they are instructed to correct. To individuals in each church is given the admonition “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”. That gives individual believers no excuse. We are all accountable regardless of the spiritual condition of the church we are in.
2. The first church addressed is Ephesus. Jesus praises the church “I know your works, and your toil and patience, and you cannot bear evil men, and did try them that call themselves apostles, and they are not, and did find them false; and you have patience and did endure for my name’s sake, and have not grown weary” (2:2-3). This was the condition of churches in the mid-first century. But by John’s time, their passionate love for Jesus had diminished or was even lost. Jesus gives them criticism: “But I have this against you, that you left your first love. Remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I will come to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place, except you repent” (2:4-5). This can also be a criticism of personal spiritual condition. When first saved, we often are zealous for the Lord. But as time goes on and we face trials and criticism, we lose that initial first love. This happened to Ephesus, as today, the city is comprised of beautiful ruins, but the church is long gone. As individuals, we should repent of our loss of love for Jesus and desire to do the “first works”.
3. Jesus then says this to the Ephesus church: “Yet, this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (2:6). Scripture does not explain what the works of the Nicolaitans are, nor is there any extra-biblical evidence. One theory is that it is named after Nicolaus, one of the seven deacons selected in Acts 6:5. According to this theory, he fell away from the truth and founded a sect called the Nicolaitans, which believed they were under no moral law, and this led to indulgence in the flesh and sinful activity. The other theory is that the Nicolaitans were a group that advocated for the clergy to rule over the laity. This comes from the combination of two Greek words, translated as “Nicolaitans.” One is “nike” meaning victor, and the second word “laos”) meaning “common people” or laity. This would mean the Nicolaitans favored a hierocratic structure of rule of the clergy over the laity. We see the term come up again in Jesus’s words to the church in Pergamum (2:15). Regardless, Jesus does not tolerate either condition. A pastor should be one who does not “rule” but shepherds or cares for his congregation. In fact, the word “pastor” is found only once in the New Testament (Ephesians 4:11) and is often translated “shepherd”. From a historical viewpoint, Ephesus represents the first-century apostolic church. This phase ended at the end of the first century.
4. Jesus then instructs John to write to the church in Smyrna: “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death” (2:9-11). This is one of the two churches Jesus does not criticize. The church was about to suffer intense persecution. History records that the Roman emperors persecuted Christians, and there are various ways of interpreting the “ten days”; mostly, they were ten years. But Christians have been persecuted throughout church history. Jesus only encourages this church and does not criticize. The phrase “the one who conquers” is often translated as “overcomes”. Although many did and will face death by martyrdom, they do not have to fear the second death, which is being cast into the lake of fire (20:15) for eternity. From a historical viewpoint, Smyrna represents the persecuted church from the apostolic church up to the time of the emperor Constantine or 314 AD.
5. John is instructed to write to the church in Pergamum: “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also, you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it” (2:13-17).
6. According to church tradition, Antipas was the bishop of Pergamum who was martyred for his preaching against evil in the city. Eastern Orthodox tradition relates that he was bound in a hollow bronze bull and roasted to death. The church tolerated the teachings of Balaam (Numbers 22-24), who King Balak hired to curse Israel in exchange for a reward. They also had within their church body those who held to the teachings of the Nicolaitans. Hidden manna is a metaphorical name for Christ Himself, who said in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life”. We can take Jesus, who is hidden to many today, as the bread, or manna, that nourishes. White stones were given to successful athletes, allowing them access to a victory celebration. The new name represents the transformational work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. To those who are victors, we will be given a white stone and entrance to the wedding feast of the Lamb and a new name. The historical view of this church is the period from Constantine, who made Christianity the state religion in 315 AD, to about 590 AD. Many individuals came into the church hierarchy he set up with the various levels of leadership, and brought sinful practices with them. He brought in the practice of paid church leaders, pagan worship and church buildings. None of this was present in the early church.
7. John is then instructed to write to the church in Thyatira: “I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (2:19-29).
8. From the historical viewpoint, Thyatira represents the church from about 590 AD up to the Reformation about 1517 AD. The church could be called the compromised church in that it adopted the practices of idolatry, sexual sin, and the institutional practices of paganism. But Jesus gives a call to those who resist that compromise with the promise that if they overcome, they will rule with Him over the nations. Jesus also promises the gift of the morning star. The church was surrounded by moral and spiritual darkness, but to those who conquer, they would experience the glorious rays of Christ, the morning star. This could also be a reference to the rapture, where Christ will remove his church from the evil in the world and bring His bride to Himself.

D. Chapter Three.

1. John is instructed to write to the church in Sardis: “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (3:1b-6).
2. Historically, this could refer to the post-Reformation age up to about 1800. The Reformation was a massive shift from Roman Catholicism, where God’s Word was kept from the people. Bibles were translated and printed. Pastors spoke the truth of God’s Word. But what they received and heard, many forgot. They needed to repent. Jesus uses the analogy of Himself coming at an hour they do not know. This can be thought of as the condition of the Protestant churches after the Reformation, as well as mainstream denominations today. Much of the truth of the gospel has been compromised and lost. Repentance is needed.
3. Jesus talks about a few who have not soiled their garments, and they will be clothed in white because they are worthy. Each of us is accountable for the lives we live after salvation. We are in the process of sanctification, which is linked to our free will. We can choose to compromise ourselves with the world, thereby soiling our spiritual garments, or not. We will stand before Christ’s judgment seat and account for the things done in our body whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10). If we build our lives with inferior materials, we will be saved yet as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:15). But regardless, we will never be blotted out of the book of life. Revelation 17:8 says those who do not have their names written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel at the beast (the Antichrist). Paul says that we have been chosen by God the Father to be in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). This confirms true believers will never be blotted out of the book of life.
4. Jesus then instructs John to write to the church in Philadelphia: “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (3:8-13).
5. Philadelphia is the only church that receives nothing but praise. They have kept His Word and not denied His name. Historically, this is the church of the 1800s, during which time great mission work was done. The door to the world was opened by means of travel by ship. This is the second time the phrase “synagogue of Satan” has been used, the first being to the church in Smyrna. The word “synagogue” is a link to the Jews who opposed the early Christians. We see this throughout the book of Acts and in the writings of the apostles. To those who will overcome, they are given the promise of metaphorically becoming a pillar, or strong support in God’s temple. They will never go out of God’s presence and receive the name of God written upon them. But just like all the other churches, being in such a church does not guarantee individual success. The admonition is given again to the one who conquers, and to hear what the spirit is saying to the churches.
6. The last church, Laodicea, receives nothing but criticism: “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (3:15-22).
7. Laodicea was situated on major trade routes and had become a wealthy city. This caused them to declare they were prosperous and needed nothing. This attitude carried over to their spiritual condition. The city’s water supply came from aqueducts carrying water from springs, and when it reached the city, it was tepid and not pleasant to drink. To the north of Laodicea was the city of Hierapolis which benefited from therapeutic hot mineral water. To the south was the city of Colossae whose citizens enjoyed cool, refreshing water. Laodicea’s water made one want to spit it out of their mouth. Jesus desires us not to be “lukewarm” or only tepid towards Him. He tells them to buy from Him gold refined by fire, which is undergoing the trials of life that the oversight of Jesus Himself has refined. White garments are not defiled by the stain of sin. He further counsels them to anoint their eyes with salve so that they can see their true condition. Laodicea exported a locally made eye salve throughout the Roman Empire. The eye salve that the church needed was the anointing of the Holy Spirit so that they could see their true condition. Historically, the condition of Laodicea is prevalent in many churches today.

E. Chapter Four.

1. The chapter opens with “After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne” (4:1-2). Many view this as a type of the Rapture of the Church. He is transported up to heaven. It is significant that the church is not mentioned in the chapters that follow until the marriage supper of the Lamb in chapter 19. This supports the Pre-Tribulation viewpoint that the church will be raptured before the outpouring of the wrath of God during the Tribulation.
2. John sees a vision of God seated on the throne of heaven. Around the throne are 24 other thrones, and upon them sit 24 elders. Some think these are 24 angels, but the Greek word translated elders “presbuteroi,” is never used in Scripture to refer to angels, only human elders. Additionally, they wear crowns that are never given to angels. The best interpretation is that these are elders who have received the reward of ruling and reigning with Christ.
3. John also sees four living creatures around the throne: “the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’” (4:7-8). The description is similar to the creatures in Ezekiel 1 and 10 as well as Isaiah 6:1-3. These are believed to be a special form of angelic beings whose purpose is continual worship.
4. The 24 elders fall before the throne, cast their crowns before the throne and exclaim: “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (4:11). In an act of worship, they acknowledge that only God is sovereign and deserving of worship. The crowns are most likely the incorruptible crown, the crown of righteousness, the crown of life, and the crown of glory (1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4). All they have achieved in life, they express it only by Christ’s empowerment.

F. Chapter Five.

1. John sees in the vision that the one seated on the throne has a scroll with seven seals. An angel proclaims, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” (5:1-2). But no one is found worthy. John begins to weep. Then, one of the elders said “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals” (5:5). John then sees “between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne” (5:6-7).
2. Then the four living creatures and the 24 elders fall down before the Lamb and sing a new song: “You are Worthy to take the book, and to open the seals: for You were slain, and did purchase unto God with your blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and made them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon the earth” (5:9-10). John continues to see a myriad of angels around the throne and all worship the Lamb.

G. Chapter Six.

1. Chapter six begins a three-part series of the judgments of God upon the rebellious and sinful people of the earth. The judgments are like a telescoping antenna. First comes the seven seals that are opened. The seventh seal begins the seven trumpet judgments. The seventh trumpet comes just before the seven bowls of judgment. The judgments become more intense with the trumpet judgments, more intense than the seal judgments, but less intense than the bowl judgments.
2. Chapter six begins with the four horsemen. The Lamb opens the first seal, and a white horse emerges with a rider with a bow who goes out to conquer. Some scholars argue that this represents Christ, but many agree that it represents the Antichrist. The Antichrist is an imitator of Christ on a white horse (19:11-16). The bow represents his waging war with all who oppose him. The second seal is opened, and a second horse, who is red, takes peace from the world with the wars that follow. The third seal is opened, and the horseman rides out mounted on a black horse representing famine. He holds a scale measuring food at inflated prices. This symbolizes famine that will follow the wars and food at inflated prices. The fourth seal is opened, and a horse emerges, which is pale. Its rider is death, followed by Hades. They are given power over one-fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine, plague, and by wild beasts. The current global population exceeds 8 billion. That means 2 billion people or more will die from just these first four horsemen.
3. The fifth seal is opened, and John sees the souls of those who have been slain for the Word of God and their testimony. “And there was given them to each one a white robe; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little time, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, who should be killed even as they were, should have fulfilled their course” (6:11).
4. John sees the sixth seal opened: “there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casts her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places” (6:12-14). The people of the earth hide themselves in caves and in the rocks of the mountains and say, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand?” (6:16-17).

H. Chapter Seven.

1. John sees four angels standing at the four corners of the earth holding the winds of the earth. Another angel ascends and tells them not to hurt the earth, the sea, or the trees until the servants of God have a seal placed upon their foreheads. John hears the number, and it is 144,000, comprised of 12 thousand from each tribe of the children of Israel (7:1-8).
2. After this, John sees “a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands; and they cry with a great voice, saying, ‘Salvation unto our God who sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb” (7:9-10).
3. John asks one of the elders who they are, and he is told: “And he said to me, these are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are there before the throne of God; and they serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sits on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor any heat: for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes” (7:14-17). There will be many who come to a saving knowledge of Christ during the Tribulation. They will recognize that the events they experienced are part of this book and realize they need salvation before they die.

I. Chapter Eight.

1. The Lamb opens the seventh seal, and there is a silence in heaven for about one-half hour. The seven angels that stood before His throne are given seven trumpets (8:1-2). The first angel trumpeted: “There followed hail and fire, mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of the earth was burnt up, and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up” (7:7).
2. “And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; and there died the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, even they that had life; and the third part of the ships was destroyed” (8:8-9).
3. “And the third angel sounded, and there fell from heaven a great star, burning as a torch, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of the waters; and the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter” (8:10-11). Some see the star called wormwood as an asteroid with the destruction it would bring. More humans die, but a percentage is not given.
4. “And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; that the third part of them should be darkened, and the day should not shine for the third part of it, and the night in like manner. And I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid heaven, saying with a great voice, Woe, woe, woe, for them that dwell on the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, who are yet to sound” (8:12-13).

J. Chapter Nine.

1. The fifth angel sounds “I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth: and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss. And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was said unto them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only such men as have not the seal of God on their foreheads. And it was given them that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when it strikes a man” (9:1-5). Men seek death from the torment but will not find it (9:6).
2. John is shown a vision of the locusts and they “were like unto horses prepared for war; and upon their heads as it were crowns like unto gold, and their faces were as men’s faces. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to war. And they have tails like unto scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men five months. They have over them as king the angel of the abyss: his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek tongue he has the name Apollyon” (9:7-11). These are demonic locusts as they come from the Abyss, and because they have a king, where Proverbs 30:27 says locusts have no king. This is the first of three woes in the Book of Revelation.
3. The sixth angel trumpets and four angels are loosed that have been prepared to kill one third of men. The armies of these angels are twice 10,000 times 10,000. Out of the mouths of these horsemen come fire, smoke, and brimstone, which kill an additional one-third of men. This leaves less than 50 percent of the original population of the earth. But of those who are left, they do not repent of their idolatry, murders, sorceries, fornication, or theft (9:13-21).

K. Chapter Ten.

1. John sees: “another strong angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire; and he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth; and he cried with a great voice, as a lion roars: and when he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices” (10:1-3). John is about to write what the seven thunders said, but a voice from heaven tells him to seal what they said up (10:4-5).
2. The same voice tells John to go and take the little book from the strong angel. The angel tells him to eat it, and it will be sweet in his mouth but bitter in his stomach (10:8-9). He is then told that he must prophecy again over many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings (10:11).

L. Chapter Eleven.

1. John is given a reed and told to measure the temple and altar, but not the outer court, as it has been given to the nations and will be trodden under foot for forty-two months or three and one-half years. This is the beginning of the seven-year period prophesied by Daniel.
2. John is then told about two witnesses: they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the Lord of the earth. And if any man desires to hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. These have the power to shut the heavens, that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy: and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they shall desire. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them” (11:3-7). Many Bible scholars see the two witnesses as Moses, representing the Law, and Elijah, representing the prophets. The miracles they perform are similar to those they performed during their earthly existence. Jude tells us that Satan and Michael fought over Moses’ body, and Elijah was taken up bodily without dying, so this is a good possibility.
3. Then those “on the earth rejoiced and sent gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented them. And after the three and one-half days, the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them that beheld them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they went up into heaven in the cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And in that hour, there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell; and there were killed in the earthquake seven thousand persons: and the rest were frightened, and gave glory to the God of heaven. This was the second woe, and the third will come quickly (11:10-14).
4. The seventh angel sounds and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said, ‘The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever’” (11:15). The 24 elders fall on their faces and worship God. “And there was opened the temple of God that is in heaven; and there was seen in his temple the ark of his covenant; and there followed lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail” (11:19).

M. Chapter Twelve.

1. John sees a vision of a woman in heaven “arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cries out, travailing in birth, and in pain to be delivered. And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems” (12:1-3). Most Bible teachers agree the woman is Israel and the child was Jesus a “son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (12:5-6).
2. This prophecy is dual in that it relates the birth of Christ and the attempts by Herod to kill Him. Then it jumps forward to end times and the woman, Israel, is taken to a wilderness where she is nourished for the three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation. The dragon is Satan with his angels, who fights with Michael and his angels. Satan and his angels are cast down to the earth. He carries with him one third of the angels in rebellion (12:7-9).
3. Then John “heard a great voice in heaven, saying, ’Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time’” (12:10-12). Here is a key to overcoming, which are the admonitions in the seven letters to the seven churches. The blood of the Lamb is given to all true believers. However, we have the freedom to control our testimonies.
4. The dragon attempts to persecute the woman, but she is divinely protected, and he “went away to make war with the rest of her seed, that keep the commandments of God, and hold the testimony of Jesus” (12:17). The church is raptured before all the events described so far. But many will come to Christ during the Great Tribulation, and these are those described in this passage.

N. Chapter Thirteen.

1. John sees in his vision the Antichrist: “And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads names of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as though it had been smitten unto death; and his death-stroke was healed: and the whole earth wondered after the beast” (13:1-3). Satan will give the Antichrist his power, his throne, and authority. He will be killed but will be resuscitated from the dead so the entire world will marvel.
2. The beast comes out of the sea, which is understood to be the Mediterranean, meaning that he will most likely emerge from a country in that area, part of the former Roman Empire. It has ten horns with ten crowns, which could mean ten kingdoms that he rules over. The book of Daniel gives additional information about this beast: “After this I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, a fourth beast, terrible and powerful, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots: and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things” (Daniel 7:7-8).
3. Daniel had been given a vision of four beasts representing kingdoms that would emerge in Gentile world history. They also came up from the sea, also meaning the Mediterranean. The first was a lion, representing Babylon. The second was a bear representing the Medes and the Persians, the third was a leopard representing Greece. The fourth beast represents Rome, which merges into a description of the Antichrist. These beasts represent the various parts of the great image Daniel sees in Daniel chapter three. Please see the synopsis of the Book of Daniel for more details. The Antichrist (the little horn) will subdue three kingdoms.
4. A second beast emerges in John’s vision: “And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like unto a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his sight. And he makes the earth and those that dwell on it to worship the first beast, whose death-stroke was healed. And he doeth great signs, that he should even make fire to come down out of heaven upon the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs which it was given him to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast who had the stroke of the sword and lived. And it was given unto him to give breath to it, even to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as should not worship the image of the beast should be killed (13:11-15). This beast is called the false prophet, as he brings worship to the Antichrist.
5. The false prophet: “causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, that a mark is placed on their right hand, or on their forehead; and that no man should be able to buy or to sell, save he that hath the mark, even the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred and sixty and six” (13:16-18). Countless speculations have been made over who the number 666 might refer to. But those living on the earth who have not been deceived will know at that time who it is. The mark is more than just that. It implies those who receive it are engaging in worship of the Antichrist.
6. There is an interesting passage in Zechariah 11:17: “Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaves the flock! The sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be withered, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened”. Many Bible scholars attribute this prophecy to the coming Antichrist. At first, he will be welcomed, but he will be wounded in the head (his right eye) and apparently his arm. He will recover, and it will be a miraculous sign to the world.
7. Additionally, some also point to various Bible passages, such as Micah 5:5, which may indicate the Antichrist is called the Assyrian. This could mean he arises from the area of Syria or Turkey. Antiochus Epiphanes of Daniel Chapter 11:21-25 came from that region, and he is known as a type of the Antichrist. It could be fitting that the Antichrist comes from that area as well. At the time of this writing, the nation of Syria, which was under the rule of the Assad dictatorship for 50 years is now under Islamic rule. That changed rapidly, almost overnight, as Bashar al-Assad’s government and military collapsed and he fled to Russia. End times prophecy will be rapid, is the meaning behind Revelation 1:1 “the things that must shortly come to pass.” This topic is beyond the scope of this synopsis to develop further. Also, consider what is called the “Damascus prophecy” of Isaiah 17:1: “Look, Damascus is no longer a city. It has become a ruined heap.” Damascus is one of the continuously inhabited cities in the world. That prophecy has yet to be fulfilled.

M. Chapter Fourteen.

1. John sees another vision: “And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a 144,000, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads” (14:1). These are considered the same 144,000 Jews from the twelve tribes of Revelation chapter seven. They are first fruits and follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They will evangelize Israel and the world, turning the Jews to Christ.
2. John then sees: “another angel flying in mid heaven, having the eternal gospel to proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he says with a great voice, ‘Fear God, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters’” (14:6-7). Before the final bowl judgments which are coming in the following chapters, God gives mankind one more opportunity to repent. This is the only place in the Bible the phrase “eternal gospel” is used. The good news is that Jesus died for the sins of those who accept Him as Savior, and this acceptance is eternal.
3. “A second angel followed, saying: ‘It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen, who made all nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath” (14:8). Babylon has several meanings. Here, it refers to false religion, which brought with it sexual immorality. It also refers to the capital of the Antichrist. We will discuss that aspect in the passages that follow.
4. And a third angel followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is mixed full strength in the cup of His anger” (14:9-10). To worship the beast and receive his mark will deny that person access to God, resulting in torment.
5. John hears “a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write: The dead who die in the Lord from now on are blessed.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘let them rest from their labors, for their works follow them!”’ (14:13). Many will become Christians during the Great Tribulation and will be “blessed,” although probably martyred.
6. “Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and One like the Son of Man was seated on the cloud, with a gold crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. Another angel came out of the sanctuary, crying out in a loud voice to the One who was seated on the cloud, ‘Use your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, since the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ So, the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested” (14:14-16). These are the evil ones on the earth. They are thrown into the winepress of God’s wrath, and a vast amount of blood flows out. (14:17-20).

N. Chapter Fifteen.

1. John then sees seven angels with the last seven bowl judgments of God’s Wrath. He also sees a multitude of those who were martyred during the Tribulation standing as it were on something like a sea of glass mixed with fire. They lift up their voices in a song of Moses and of the Lamb (15:1-4).
2. “After this, I looked, and the heavenly sanctuary—the tabernacle of testimony—was opened. Out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in clean, bright linen, with gold sashes wrapped around their chests. One of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven gold bowls filled with the wrath of God who lives forever and ever” (15:5-7).

O. Chapter Sixteen.

1. Then I heard a loud voice from the sanctuary saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.” The first went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and severely painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image” (16:1-2).
2. “The second poured out his bowl into the sea. It turned to blood like a dead man’s, and all life in the sea died” (16:3).
3. “The third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. I heard the angel of the waters say: You are righteous, who is and who was, the Holy One, for You have decided these things. Because they poured out the blood of the saints and the prophets, You also gave them blood to drink; they deserve it! (16:4-6).
4. “The fourth poured out his bowl on the sun. He was given the power to burn people with fire, and people were burned by the intense heat. So, they blasphemed the name of God, who had the power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give Him glory” (16:8-9).
5. “The fifth poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues because of their pain and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, yet they did not repent of their actions” (16:10-11).
6. “The sixth poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east. Then I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming from the dragon’s mouth, from the beast’s mouth, and from the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons performing signs, who travel to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for the battle of the great day of God, the Almighty” (16:12-14).
7. John hears the voice of Christ saying: “Look, I am coming like a thief. The one who is alert and remains clothed so that he may not go around naked and people see his shame is blessed”. So, they assembled them at the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon (16: 15-16).
8. “Then the seventh poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the sanctuary from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!” There were flashes of lightning and rumblings of thunder. And a severe earthquake occurred like no other since man has been on the earth—so great was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the Great was remembered in God’s presence; He gave her the cup filled with the wine of His fierce anger. Every island fled, and the mountains disappeared. Enormous hailstones, each weighing about 100 pounds, fell from the sky on people, and they blasphemed God for the plague of hail because that plague was extremely severe” (16:17-21).

P. Chapter Seventeen.

1. John is approached by one of the seven angels: “Come, I will show you the judgment of the notorious prostitute who sits on many waters. The kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and those who live on the earth became drunk on the wine of her sexual immorality” (17:1-2). He is taken away to a desert place and shown a woman dressed in gold, precious stones and pearls and covered with blasphemous names. She is drunk with the blood of the saints and of those of the witnesses to Jesus (17:3-6). The woman is symbolic of false religion, which has killed true believers throughout all ages.
2. John is told: “Here is the mind with wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated. They are also seven kings: Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must remain for a little while. The beast that was and is not, is himself an eighth king, yet he belongs to the seven and is going to destruction. The 10 horns you saw are 10 kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those with Him are called, chosen, and faithful” (17:9-14).
3. Although many interpret the seven mountains as being Rome, the best interpretation is that they represent kingdoms. False religion, represented by the prostitute, has aligned itself with world kingdoms. Five have fallen: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persian, and Greece. One is, which at that time was Rome. The one to come is the Antichrist’s, which will last only for a short time. The ten horns are ten kings with authority only for a short time with the beast. They make war with the Lamb, but He conquers them.
4. The angel also tells John: “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. The ten horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His plan by having one purpose and to give their kingdom to the beast until God’s words are accomplished. And the woman you saw is the great city that has an empire over the kings of the earth” (17:15-18). The prostitute will compile all world religions into one blasphemous one. The Antichrist and the ten kings will utterly destroy her after they have used her for their purposes.

Q. Chapter Eighteen.

1. In chapter seventeen, we saw religious Babylon represented by the prostitute, judged. In this chapter, we see material Babylon judged. An angel with great authority comes from heaven and declares: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird. For by the wine of the wrath of her fornication all the nations are fallen; and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth waxed rich by the power of her wantonness” (18:1-3).
2. John is told that in one-hour, commercial Babylon is destroyed. “The men of the earth who buy and sell are sorry for her and cry. They cry because there is no one to buy their things anymore. They sold gold and silver and stones worth much money and pearls. They sold fine linen and purple and red silk cloth. They sold all kinds of perfumed wood. They sold things made from the teeth of animals and things made from wood that cost much money. They sold brass and iron and stone. They sold spices and perfumes of all kinds. They sold wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat. They sold cows and sheep and horses and wagons. They sold men who are not free and they sold the lives of men” (18:11-13).
3. John is told: “Be full of joy because of her, O heaven! Be full of joy, you who belong to God and missionaries and early preachers! For God has punished her for what she did to you” (18:20).
4. “Then a strong angel picked up a large stone like those used for grinding wheat. He threw it into the sea, saying, “The big and strong city of Babylon will be thrown down like this. It will never be found again” (18:21). “And in this city was found the blood of the early preachers and of those who belonged to God and of all those who had been killed on the earth” (18:24).
5. At the end times, the Antichrist will have a kingdom characterized by world rebellion against God. His world system will be characterized by idolatry, excessive materialism, love of wealth, religious blasphemy, and violence against Christians. This is what is known as Babylon the Great. But his kingdom will be destroyed by the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

R. Chapter Nineteen.

1. John then hears the voices of many people in heaven declaring: “Thanks to our God, the One Who saves. Honor and power belong to Him. For the way He punishes people is right and true. He has punished the powerful woman who sold the use of her body. She was making the earth sinful with her sexual sins. She killed those who worked for God. He has punished her for it.’ Again, they said, ‘Thanks to our God. The smoke from her burning goes up forever.’ The twenty-four leaders and the four living beings got down and worshiped God Who was sitting on the throne. They said, ‘Let it be so. Thanks to our God!”’ (19:1b-4).
2. John is then given a vision of the marriage supper of the Lamb. Many voices like a powerful stream of water shout: “Thanks to our God. For the Lord our God is King. He is the All-powerful One. Let us be full of joy and be glad. Let us honor Him, for the time has come for the wedding supper of the Lamb. His bride has made herself ready. She was given clean, white, fine linen clothes to wear. The fine linen is the right living of God’s people” (19:6b-8).
3. John is then given a vision of Christ in triumph: “Then I saw heaven opened. A white horse was standing there. The One Who was sitting on the horse is called Faithful and True. He is the One Who punishes in the right way. He makes war. His eyes are a flame of fire. He has many crowns on His head. His name is written on Him but He is the only One Who knows what it says. The coat He wears has been put in blood. His name is The Word of God. The armies in heaven were dressed in clean, white, fine linen. They were following Him on white horses. Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword to punish the nations. He will be the Leader over them using a rod of iron. He walks on the grapes where wine is made, pressing out the anger of God, the All-powerful One. On His coat and on His leg is the name written, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (19:11-16).
4. The chapter closes with the destruction of the army of the Antichrist: “And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh” (19:19-21).

S. Chapter Twenty.

1. “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while” (20:1-3).
2. The “bottomless pit” in Greek is one word, “abyss,” meaning without measure or depth. Peter refers to it in 2 Peter 2:4 as a place where the angels that sinned were bound in chains awaiting judgment (Genesis 6:2). Satan is kept there for 1,000 years and then released to cause one last rebellion by mankind. The 1,000 years refers to the millennium reign of Christ on earth with His saints, and it is mentioned six times in this chapter. Those who hold an “Amillennial” or “no millennium” viewpoint have to dismiss these six references as being only symbolic.
3. “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (20:4-6).
4. John is then told “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (20:7-10).
5. There are some who believe in the destruction of the soul or “Annihilationism”. They take as their chief argument Matthew 10:28: “And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” They cannot understand how sin for such as short time on this earth can carry with it an eternal judgment of torment. But the passage above which says “forever and ever” gives them no excuse.
6. John then sees the final judgment called the Great White Throne Judgment: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (20:11-15).
7. God is just. There will be no one in the lake of fire, which is the ultimate destiny of those in Hades or Hell now. All will be judged according to their works. Christians are judged by Jesus at His Bema or judgment seat for rewards (2 Corinthians 5:10). They were raptured before the Tribulation. Others who accepted Christ during the Tribulation or afterwards will be judged here. The key is having their names in the Book of Life.

T. Chapter Twenty-One.

1. Then John “saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away”’ (21:1-4).
2. This is the ultimate restoration of God in a redeemed relationship with man. That which was lost in Eden through Adam’s sin, is restored. To those who overcome is given a great promise: “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (21:7-8).
3. The word “cowardly” in Greek is “deilos” which does not refer to common fears like that of deep water, public speaking, height, etc. It has a special reference to those facing a choice of taking a stand for Jesus or denying the faith. Jesus tells us “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). It comes down to a matter of fear versus faith.
4. “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (21:9-19).
5. John describes the New Jerusalem as a massive square including many stones, twelve gates, and a street of gold (21:11-21). John closes the chapter with: “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (21:22-26).

U. Chapter Twenty-Two.

1. John is shown “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever” (22:1-5).
2. Then John is told that the time is near: “Then he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true.’ And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. ‘Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book”’ (22:6-7).
3. John gives a warning: “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (22:18-19).
4. John closes with: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (22:20-21).

V. Discussion Questions, Application and Passing it on.

1. The book emphasizes these things must “shortly take place”. Are you discouraged as it seems as though they are not here already? Does it help to understand the context means once they begin to happen, they will happen quickly?
2. 2 The book comes with a promise for those who read it. What might that be?
3. Chapters two and three are very important messages to seven churches. Do you see yourself personified in any or several of the churches to which Jesus writes?
4. Some think that any crowns they may receive as rewards, they must give back based on the 24 elders in chapter four. Why is this a false concept?
5. One way to remember the various stages of judgments given to the earth and its inhabitants is to think of a telescope with three stages: seals, trumpets and bowels. Does this help you?
6. Can you relate the visions of Daniel the prophet to those given by John?
7. What viewpoint do you have of the rapture? Did this synopsis change any of that?

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This New Testament survey was provided by Joshua Nations (JoshuaNations.org)

A. Overview and Summary.

1. This is the second of three epistles written by the Apostle John (see the overview for First John). This one and Third John are the shortest epistles in the New Testament. Both contain fewer than 300 Greek words and could have fit on a single sheet of papyrus. The date of writing is believed to be in the same time frame as John’s other writings, or 90 to 95 AD. John refers to himself as “the elder” (1a), which reflects his age, his authority, and status as the last remaining apostle from the original twelve.
2. The theme of this epistle is the same as for First John. False teachers had arisen and were presenting doctrines that were damaging to the early church. This epistle is addressed “to the elect lady and her children” (1b), which means it is not a general epistle, but one sent to a house church or small group of Christians meeting together. He warns about “many deceivers who have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh” (7a).
3. John also provides instructions on being discerning in hospitality. He warns, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (10-11).

B. Synopsis of the text.

1. It is not known who the “elect lady” is specifically or even her ethnic background. Still, as believers in Christ, she and her “elect sister” (13) are elect because, like all true believers, they were chosen before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) to be part of Christ’s church, His body. The “elect sister” apparently was a close friend of John’s, as were the children of the elect sister (13), as he tells her they also sent their greetings.
2. John writes of love and truth, mentioning truth five times in the opening verses. Truth must be the foundation of love. Truth is the means by which love can be shown in Christian hospitality. John seems very harsh in his warning about not receiving one who teaches false doctrine (10-11). But he had the evil false teaching of Gnosticism in mind, which was threatening the early church. Apparently, false teachers were using the hospitality of believers to lure some away from the truth. Today, pleas for false Christian unity are something that we need to guard against. Many once solid mainstream denominations are denying the truth in an attempt at unity.
3. Jesus has come in the flesh (7), meaning His incarnation, is a fundamental basis of the truth. That, along with the virgin birth, His deity, His substitutional atonement, His death, His resurrection, and His return, are the basic fundamental truths of the Christian faith. These truths we must uphold before love can truly be expressed.

C. Discussion Questions, Application and Passing it On.

1. Are you solidly grounded in Christian truth? Can you use Scripture to refute false teaching?
2. Do you think John was being too harsh? We need to express love in our relationships, but truth must be upheld. How would you address false teaching if it should come up in your church?

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This New Testament survey was provided by Joshua Nations (JoshuaNations.org)

A. Overview and Summary.

1. This is the second of two epistles written by the Apostle Peter. Tradition states that Peter was martyred during the persecution by Emperor Nero, who died in 68 AD. It is generally believed that Peter wrote this epistle shortly before his own death. Acceptance into the canon of Scripture was slow among the church fathers. This was primarily due to differences in vocabulary and style between the two books. The issue was resolved by a realization that Peter used a different amanuensis, or scribe for each book.
2. While Peter wrote the first epistle to encourage primarily Jewish believers facing persecution, this book was written to warn believers about false teaching creeping into the church. This epistle is considered the most scathing attack against false teachers in the New Testament, along with Jude. He describes false teachers and how their lack of moral fortitude can identify them. He also wanted, in a related theme, to encourage his readers to develop Christian character. Another significant theme is the acquisition of knowledge. Peter uses this term 16 times in these three chapters. Having true knowledge is Peter’s solution to false teaching.

B. Chapter One.

1. After his greeting, Peter opens the epistle with a word about knowledge of God and Jesus and our great and precious promises: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (1:2-4). That we are “partakers of the divine nature” is indeed a great and precious promise. This is a unique attribute of New Covenant believers.
2. He again mentions knowledge as well as his theme of godliness of the believer: “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (1:5-7).
3. Peter mentions his impending death which he believes will come soon and mentions Jesus foretold him of it: “knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover, I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease” (1:14-15).
4. He tells his readers what they have received from the apostles, came by being eyewitnesses and by direct revelation from God: “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain” (1:16-18). The holy mountain refers to the Mount of transfiguration where Peter, James, and John were eyewitnesses.
5. Peter closes the first chapter with these words: “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (1:19-21). That no prophecy came by private interpretation and it came by men moved by the Holy Spirit should be a strong word to those who claim falsely that God spoke this or that to them.

C. Chapter Two.

1. In chapter two, Peter gets to the point of his writing: “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time, their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber” (2:1-3).
2. He continues with a reminder of the destruction of angels who sinned, the wrath that fell upon Noah’s generation, Sodom and Gomorrah and then says: “the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord” (2:9-11).
3. He continues with a strong word against the false teachers: “But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, arousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2:12-15). The phrase “feast with you” most likely refers to the love feast or Lord’s Table. Peter is warning about these false teachers being embedded in their church meetings “with eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin.”
4. Peter closes the chapter with words that can be misunderstood: “For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of [corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire” (2:18-22). New converts to Christ can be drawn back into a life of sin. This is not to lose one’s salvation. It is the responsibility of the church to disciple such believers and help them mature to resist the influences of false teachers.

D. Chapter Three.

1. Peter opens the final chapter with a word about the Lord’s coming: “knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (3:3-7). This cynicism is a common theme among today’s false teachers. They hope to destroy the hope that we have in looking to the return of Christ.
2. He reminds us God does not operate on our timeline: “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (3:8-9).
3. He continues with an admonition to look to the Lord’s return: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God” (3:10-12a).
4. Peter encourages us to be steadfast and he also mentions the writings of Paul which can be hard to understand: “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” (3:14-16). By saying this, Peter confirms that Paul’s writings are inspired.
5. He closes his epistle with these words: “You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” (3:17-18).

E. Discussion Questions, Application and Passing it on.

1. Do you have a sense you are truly “partaking of the divine nature”? Does this concept help you to escape the corruption which is in the world?
2. Second Peter is a strong word against false teachers. However, unlike Paul’s writings, he does not identify specific false teaching. Can you identify false teachings which are gaining footholds in today’s churches? How would you address something false you see in your church?
3. In first Peter, he writes to his readers expressing their need for the pure milk of the word. But to confront false teaching, we need knowledge which Peter frequently refers to in second Peter. Are you gaining true knowledge which is “meat” in Scripture?
4. Does the phrase “one day is like a thousand years” cause you to have encouragement or the opposite as we wait for Christ’s return?

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This New Testament survey was provided by Joshua Nations (JoshuaNations.org)

A. Overview and Summary.

1. The author is not mentioned in the epistle, but the consensus among all of the church fathers is that it was written by the Apostle John. John humbly wrote of himself in the gospel attributed to him, as the disciple “whom Jesus loved”. As John does not identify writing this epistle to a particular church or individual, it is considered a general epistle to the church at large. John wrote towards the end of his life from Ephesus, and his writings included this and two other epistles with the simple titles of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John. This is the longest epistle and the most significant. He wrote the gospel of John, which is unique from the synoptic gospels and the viewpoint of his eyewitness presence throughout Jesus’s earthly ministry. He also wrote the book of Revelation during his imprisonment on the island of Patmos. All of his writings are dated towards the close of the first century. At that time, John was the sole remaining Apostle of the original twelve, the others having died by martyrdom. John died of natural causes but survived being boiled in oil as well as his imprisonment on Patmos.
2. John writes with the authority of an aged Apostle. He tackles the heresy of Gnosticism, which says there are two states of existence: material and spiritual. In that viewpoint, material is evil, and spiritual is good. For this reason, it denies that Jesus was both human and divine. It teaches that Jesus only had the appearance of a physical nature and that His spirit descended upon Him at His baptism but left Him before His crucifixion on the Cross. That is why John hits that concept hard in his opening words: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life” (1:1).
3. John is very concerned that the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith are being lost and presents them in simple, yet profound statements. His tone is of a father speaking to his children (2:1). Yet he addresses those who attempt to destroy sound doctrine in very negative terms. It is an excellent book to read and study.

B. Chapter One.

1. After the greeting, mentioned in the overview above, John continues with: “the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full” (1:2-4). Again, John is firmly stating that he and the other apostles saw and bear witness to the reality of Jesus in the flesh.
2. John declares that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1:5b). Then he writes: “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1:7-10). John uses the analogy of the Christian life as walking in the light. If we walk in the light, the Holy Spirit will reveal our sins, causing us to repent and ask for forgiveness. This statement should cause us not to be negligent about confessing our sins to God. Forgiveness of our sins is not a one-time event. It is a lifetime manner of walking in the light with the resulting confession.

C. Chapter Two.

1. John writes: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (2:1-2). John is stating the essentials of the faith, which in Christ we have an Advocate, Jesus who is the “propitiation for our sins”. This phrase references the cover to the ark of the covenant in the Temple called the “Propitiatory Cover” or “Mercy Seat”. In Greek, the word is “hilasterion” or “that which makes propitiation”. The High Priest would once a year go into the Holy of Holies and carry with him the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkle it on the cover or mercy seat. By Christ’s sacrifice, He once and forever accomplished this by shedding His blood on the Cross for our sins. The phrase “for the whole world” implies that forgiveness of sins is available to anyone who accepts Christ as Savior.
2. John gives us a test by which we can know if we are in Christ: “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this, we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (2:3-6).
3. John then gives insight to those who walk in the light of God: “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (2:9-11).
4. He confirms the spiritual state of those walking in the light by their sins being forgiven, knowing the Father, and overcoming the wicked one (2:12-14). He gives us caution about loving the world: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (2:15-17).
5. John gives a word about “antichrists”: “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us” (2:18-19). There will be an Antichrist who will be manifested at the time of the end. In John’s time, it was a common belief that he would appear shortly as they thought it was “the last hour”. These “antichrists” were false believers that went out of the fellowship of the true believers and began to spread false teachings.
6. John tells us how we know truth and how to identify antichrists: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son, does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also” (2:20-23). In the Old Testament, oil, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, was sprinkled on the heads of priests, signifying their empowerment. True believers have the anointing of the Holy Spirit within them and thereby know the truth.
7. He then writes about letting the anointing abide within us as truth (2:24-25). He gives a strong word to guard against those who try to deceive them: “These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him” (2:26-27).
8. He concludes the chapter with: “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him: (2:28-29). This is an often-overlooked admonition. To “not be ashamed before Him at His coming” indicates the possibility of being ashamed when He comes. Many Christians do not realize that although saved from hell, they are still accountable for how they live their lives after being born again. As Paul tells us, “We all will appear before the judgment seat of Christ to account for the things done in our bodies, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). The key to not being ashamed is to abide in Christ.

D. Chapter Three.

1. John opens with these words: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (3:1-3). That we shall be like Jesus is a magnificent promise. We do not know fully what we shall be, but to be like Him is sufficient.
2. He then writes something that is difficult to understand: “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Hi does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him” (3:4-6). Some say that we can achieve sinless perfection. That is not what this passage means. To abide in Him is to remain firmly attached to Jesus as the vine (John 15). If we continue in this abiding, we will not desire to sin. This thought of not sinning is continued: “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (3:9). But John has already told us earlier in this epistle “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:9). The Amplified Bible helps interpret these seemingly contradictory passages: “No one who abides in Him [who remains united in fellowship with Him—deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin. No one who habitually sins has seen Him or known Him” (1 John 3:6 AMP). The key is that believers do not habitually continue to sin. As we grow in Christ, we should desire to spend more time in abiding, which removes the desire to sin.
3. John continues about the imperative of love and its outworking: “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (3:16-17). He continues: “And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment” (3:23).
4. He closes the chapter with these words with instruction on how to abide: “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us” (3:24).

E. Chapter Four.

1. John gives us a means by which we can test false and deceiving spirits: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world” (4:1-3). This simple test exposes the multitude of false religions that abound.
2. He continues with what has become a great saying among His people today: “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore, they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (4:4-6). To know that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us and is greater than what Satan can throw at us is of great comfort.
3. John’s writings are full of his desire that “his children” love one another: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this, the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (4:7-11).
4. He continues in later passages with the understanding that confession of Jesus as the Son of God abides in Him as well as the theme of love: “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (4:15-16).
5. John gives us assurance for the day of judgment: “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us” (4:17-19). We love God, because He first loved us. We should not fear the day of judgment.
6. He concludes the chapter with: “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also” (4:20-21).

F. Chapter Five.

1. John speaks of the love of God and of the brothers: “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this, we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (5:1-5). John is not speaking of legalism here. But our love for God should cause us to keep His commandments as a child of God just as we kept our parent’s commandments when we were young.
2. John gives another passage that can be difficult to understand: “This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one” (5:6-8). The best interpretation is that Jesus’s baptism was the “water”, and the Cross was the “blood”. John mentions three witnesses: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. Together they testify of the truth. In Jewish culture, only two witnesses were needed to validate something.
3. John states the certainty of God’s witness of our eternal life: “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (5:11-13).
4. John gives a word about assurance of prayer but then, another difficult passage about sin that leads to death: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death” (5:14-17). God purges His church. The best interpretation of a sin leading to death is repetitive unrepentant sin. There is a point where God says of those types of believers, “that is enough” and takes their lives.
5. He closes with a word about one who is born of God keeps himself and then says: “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (5:20).

G. Discussion Questions, Application and Passing it On.

1. John was the last remaining apostle who was an eyewitness to Jesus’s ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension. Does that knowledge give you any more incentive to read and understand his writings?
2. Are you walking in the light? (1:5-10) We can deceive ourselves by saying we are not sinning. By whose standards are you walking? Is it the culture you live in or the Word of God?
3. Christ will come back soon for His believers. Are you ready or will you be put shame away from Him at His presence? (2:28). What is the secret of being ready?
4. John was deeply concerned about false teaching creeping into the church. This is also a problem today. What is the test he gives us to determine truth or falsehood?

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This New Testament survey was provided by Joshua Nations (JoshuaNations.org)

A. Overview and Summary.

1. Peter is identified as the writer in the first verse. He writes to “pilgrims in the Dispersion” (1:1), which traditionally has meant the scattering of Jews due to persecution. But throughout the epistle, he writes to those who are spiritual pilgrims, those who are aliens to the earth whether Jew or Gentile. He identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ (1:1) and as such, was one of a small group of men called by Jesus (Matthew 10:1-4) and commissioned (John 20:19-23) for ministry.
2. Due to his impetuous nature, he was often used as an example by the Lord to teach a truth. For example, in Matthew 16:16, Peter declares that Jesus “is the Christ, the Son of the Living God”. Jesus praises him and says that “My Father in heaven” revealed it to him. He then says, “You are Peter and upon this rock, I will build my church”. Jesus uses a play on words here. He calls Peter “petros,” meaning “little rock,” and then says Upon this ‘petra’ or foundational stone, I will build my church. The prevailing Protestant view is that the foundational stone is the revelation that Jesus is the Christ. The Roman Catholic Church holds the view that Peter is the foundation of the church and bases its papal doctrine on this perspective. Although Peter took a leading role in the early church, he was certainly not infallible. Only a few verses later, Jesus tells Peter “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (16:23). Additionally, there is no Scriptural evidence Peter ever visited Rome, the site of the present-day Vatican.
3. Peter was married, and according to church tradition, he and his wife were both martyred. Peter writes to encourage the believers who were suffering from increased persecution. This was during the reign of Nero, who burned the city of Rome to make way for his building projects. Due to the resulting outcry, he successfully shifted the blame to Christians. This caused a significant scattering “of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1:1). This would put the writing of this epistle shortly after July of 64 AD, when the city of Rome burned.

B. Chapter One.

1. After his greeting, he writes: “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ” (1:2). Peter confirms the doctrine of the election, in that God chooses his own according to His foreknowledge.
2. He continues: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1:3-5). This is a wonderful promise, our inheritance awaits us, and the power of God keeps us.
3. Again, he writes: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls” (1:6-9). Peter encourages the believers their present trials are for a purpose: “the salvation of their souls”. Bible scholars point out that salvation is comprised of three parts. The first “justification” is given through the new birth as a gift. The second “sanctification” is a lifelong process of growing and maturing in Christ. The final salvation is “glorification” when our resurrected bodies will be joined to our souls upon the Lord’s return.
4. Peter gives us an understanding of what the Old Testament writers under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote of what the New Covenant would bring: “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into” (1:10-12). Even the angels did not understand this. As those of the New Covenant, we are truly blessed!
5. He charges us to “gird up the loins of our minds” (1:13a), and to be holy because God is Holy (1:15b). Peter writes: “And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1:17-19). The New Testament frequently tells us we will be judged according to our works (Matthew 16:27; 2nd Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 22:12). This is not for our eternal destiny; we will spend eternity with God and Jesus, and salvation is a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). But we will be judged on how we have cooperated with the Holy Spirit regarding our sanctification. This is the “fear” referenced here and is to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).
6. He closes the chapter with words about our brief time upon this earth compared with the eternal Word of God, which endures forever (1:24-25).

C. Chapter Two.

1. The chapter opens with Peter charging us to “lay aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (2:1-3). It is interesting that Peter mentions the Word as pure milk (in Greek, Gala) while Paul criticized the Corinthians for being able only to drink milk and not being able to eat meat (in Greek, Broma) (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). Milk means the basic, elemental teachings of Christianity, while meat means the more solid, complete, and more profound spiritual doctrines of the Christian faith. Peter may have had a sense that his recipients were less mature in their faith and needed to grow by drinking the pure milk of the Word.
2. He continues with: “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (2:4-5). Christ as the living stone is the foundational stone upon which the believers are built. It is apparent that Peter understood the analogy that he is a stone (Matthew 16:16). Peter continues by quoting from Psalm 118:22: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone”.
3. Peter gives a word of encouragement: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (2:9-10). He goes on to admonish his readers to “abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (2:11b). He also instructs “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good” (2:13-14). This does not mean blind submission. As Peter himself says “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29b) when they were told not to speak of Jesus by the Jewish council.
4. The chapter concludes with: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth’; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (2:23-25). Peter quotes Isaiah 53 here, showing that although he was an unlearned man (Acts 4:13), he was not illiterate, but had been trained in the Hebrew Bible in the synagogue.

D. Chapter Three.

1. Peter opens the chapter with a word to wives: “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (3:1-4).
2. He continues with a word to husbands: “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered” (3:7).
3. This is followed by a word to all: “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing” (3:8-9).
4. He gives a word about being ready to defend your faith: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with gentleness and respect” (3:15). The phrase translated “to give a defense” in Greek is “apologian” from which we get the theological term “apologetics” which is a practice of defense of the Christian faith. Peter instructs those who are apologists to defend with gentleness and respect. Fighting with someone will not win them over to your position. However, we should always be ready to give a proper answer to their questions.
5. He then gives insight into Christ’s soul going to Hades while he was in the tomb: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water” (3:18-20). Within the context of the passage, many Bible scholars interpret the “spirits in prison” as the fallen angels who sinned before the flood by co-habiting with human females with the result of producing the Nephilim, the giants of old (Geneses 6). Jesus went and “preached” to them indicates His victory. We will discuss this again in 2nd Peter, Jude and Revelation.
6. Peter uses the eight souls saved through water as an illustration of baptism. He is not saying that baptism saves us, but rather that baptism is an analogy of being buried with Christ as we go into the water and being raised with Him in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4). Noah’s ark represents Christ, and the eight souls inside the ark were saved from God’s wrath, which came upon all humanity outside of it.

E. Chapter Four.

1. Peter opens the chapter with a word about following Christ’s example in suffering and we who used to walk in the sins of the flesh: “when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries” (4:3b). He then tells his readers those who do those things think it strange we do not walk in the same dissipation. He then gives a difficult passage to interpret: “They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason, the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit” (4:5-6). Those who are continuing to walk in dissipation, the unsaved, will be judged. They may live many years without consequences. Still, God will judge them. The difficult portion is “the gospel was preached also to those who are dead”. This does not refer to the spirits in Hades in the previous chapter. Nor does it give a second chance to those who are already dead. The prevailing interpretation is that these are believers to whom the gospel was preached and then died. “They will live according to God in the spirit”.
2. Peter continues with a word about serving to God’s glory: “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore, be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’ Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (4:7-9). The early church believed the end of all things was very near. We too should live in such an expectation.
3. He continues with a word of encouragement about suffering: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part, He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter” (4:12-16).
4. The chapter closes with “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (4:17). Those who do not obey the gospel will suffer the full fury of God’s wrath. These are the unbelievers. But Peter is saying judgment begins with us, the house of God. He expects His children to walk in holiness and fellowship with Him. He will discipline us if we do not do so (1 Corinthians 11:32).

F. Chapter Five.

1. Peter opens the final chapter with a word to the elders: “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” (5:1-4). An elder who possesses the attributes as described by Paul in 1st Timothy chapter three and Titus chapter one, will be one who does these things.
2. Peter gives a word to young people and to all of us: “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But, gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (5:5-6).
3. He moves towards closing with these words: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (5:8-11).
4. The final verses by mention of a Silvanus, who may have been his scribe. He then uses a peculiar reference to “she who is in Babylon” (5:13a) as greeting them. It could be Peter is purposefully not mentioning her name as well as the city due to persecution that could happen to her.

G. Discussion Questions, Application and Passing it on.

1. Was the narrative about Peter in Matthew 16:16 helpful in providing insight on the false teaching of the Roman Catholic Church which says that Peter was the first Pope?
2. Do you have a sense that when you are suffering for His sake, you are being refined like gold to make you more holy?
3. Do you understand the three steps of salvation? Are you working diligently on your sanctification? What steps might that involve?
4. Are you always ready to give a defense of what you believe? How could you be more prepared?
5. Do you consider yourself first regarding “let judgment begin with the house of God”? What sins do you need to address?

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This New Testament survey was provided by Joshua Nations (JoshuaNations.org)

A. Overview and Summary.

1. The book’s title comes from the author’s name James, who is recognized as Jesus’s half-brother, along with Jude. He and Jesus’ other siblings did not affirm Jesus as the Messiah until after His death and resurrection (John 7:5). However, James later became a pillar in the Jerusalem church (Galatians 2:9). According to the first-century historian Josephus, James was martyred in 62 AD. The Apostle Paul affirmed him as one who had personally seen Christ in His resurrection (1st Corinthians 15:7). Scholars believe that the book of James is one of, if not the earliest written book of the New Testament canon about 44-49 AD.
2. James writes to Jewish recipients who had been dispersed as a result of persecution, most likely from Herod Agrippa. Because of its Jewish recipients, the book leans towards a Jewish interpretation. Martin Luther considered the book of James of lesser importance than Paul’s epistles and at one point even called it a “book of straw”. But he preached from the book of James at least five times in his career, showing a change in mindset after 1519.
3. James is a book of direct statements on wise living reflecting the outworking of the Holy Spirit in such statements as “what does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” (2:14-15) or “faith without works is dead” (2:20b). What the reader should understand is that James complements justification by faith as preached by the Apostle Paul with the necessity of showing the reality of salvation in a believer by their works. Paul writes of this in Ephesians 2:8-10: “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them”.

B. Chapter One.

1. After his greeting to the 12 tribes in dispersion (see overview), James gives a word about trials, patience, and wisdom: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (1:2-5).
2. He continues with a variety of instructions. First, about the rich and lowly. The lowly will glory in his exaltation, but the rich will fade away in his pursuits (1:9-11). He goes on to address temptation: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (1:12-15).
3. James then gives the qualities needed in trials: “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (1:19-20).
4. He gives his first word about acting out the faith: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (1:22-25).
5. He closes the chapter with this word: “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (1:26-27). James lived in a time of religion. He was born into Judaism with its multiple commandments. The era was fraught with idol worship. So, he gives a simple word about “pure and undefiled religion before God” which is simply “to visit orphans and widows and keeping oneself unspotted from the world”.

C. Chapter Two.

1. James opens the chapter with a caution against favoritism. He shows the hypocrisy of treating a rich man with esteem and a poor man with contempt. He reminds his readers by saying, “Hasn’t God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (2:5b).
2. He lifts up what he calls the “royal law”: “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (2:8-10).
3. He then gives words about faith without works: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? So, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (2:14-17).
4. He continues in this manner to emphasize: “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works’. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (2:25-26). Many have seized upon these verses and condemned James for putting works in such a high status. But he is right. If someone declares his faith, there should be fruit to validate it.

D. Chapter Three.

1. James issues a strong word for those who desire to be teachers: “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment” (3:1). There are many who desire to teach, but may not have the capacity, or are teaching falsely. If more would take this verse to heart, it would do much to correct that situation.
2. He segways into a word about the tongue: “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things” (3:2-5).
3. He continues with words of caution about the tongue: “See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God” (3:5b-9).
4. He closes with another word about wisdom: “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (3:16-18).

E. Chapter Four.

1. He presents the thought that lust and ungodly desire result in strife: Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (4:1-4).
2. He writes about pride and humility: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”. (4:6-8). He closes that train of thought with: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (4:10).
3. He gives a word about judging before going on to words about self-strategies apart from God: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that” (4:13-15).
4. He closes the chapter with a profound statement: “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (4:17).

F. Chapter Five.

1. James opens the final chapter with a scathing word against the rich who are corrupt: “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you” (5:1-6).
2. He continues with a word about patience and endurance before going on to prayer: The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (5:16b-18).
3. He closes the book about the concept to bring back one who has erred: “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (5:19-20).

G. Discussion Questions, Application and Passing it on.

1. James references the “Royal Law” (2:8). In the previous verses, James discusses preferential treatment of the rich and poor. Then he gives the manifestation of the royal law as loving your neighbor as yourself. In doing so, he quotes Leviticus 19:18 and Jesus in Matthew 22:39. This command should guide the honor we show to every person, regardless of their stature in the community. Can you say you are fulfilling this royal law?
2. Do you understand the argument that faith is validated by works? Would you agree with Martin Luther that James is a book of straw, or do you see value in what James says about works?
3. Do you desire to be a teacher of the Bible? If so, do you take to heart the admonition that teachers will be held to a higher standard?
4. Do you guard your tongue? Are you able to control it or does it control you?
5. Have you felt you lack wisdom? Have you asked for it?
6. There are essentially two types of sins: sins of commission and those of omission. What is your aptitude towards sins of omission after reading what James says? (4:17).
7. When tempted, do you submit to God and resist the devil to have assurance that he will flee? (4:7).

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This New Testament survey was provided by Joshua Nations (JoshuaNations.org)

A. Overview and Summary.

1. The book is named after the recipient of the letter, Philemon. He was a prominent member of the church at Colosse, which met in his house (2). It is one of the Apostle Paul’s prison letters written during his imprisonment in Rome along with Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. This would place the date of its writing 60 to 62 AD. Philemon was saved through the preaching of Paul, probably at Ephesus, and is reminded by Paul of that indebtedness (19).
2. Paul’s purpose in writing is to ask Philemon to forgive Philemon’s slave Onesimus, who had run away, and to welcome him back into service, not as just a slave but now a brother in Christ (15-17). Onesimus had run away from Philemon and gone to Rome, where he apparently hoped to lose himself in the large population of slaves. He met Paul somehow in prison, and Paul led him to Christ. He ministered to Paul there (11-13), and Paul became caring towards him and desired to keep him there with him. However, Paul recognizes that this would be unjust and proposes to send him back with Tychicus, a trusted coworker who is also mentioned in this epistle, as well as the epistle to the Colossians (Colossians 4:7-9). Onesimus needed an escort due to people who acted as slave catchers. The book contains just 25 verses and contains no doctrinal matters as it is a personal letter from Paul to his friend.
3. The letter shows insight into first-century slavery. Slavery was widespread in the Roman Empire, and according to some estimates, constituted over one-third of the population. Slaves were not considered persons, but property and tools of their masters. They could be bought, sold, inherited, and could be punished severely for even minor infractions. But the climate was changing as masters realized that contented slaves were more productive. In 20 AD, the Roman Senate granted slaves accused of a crime the right to a trial. The New Testament does not attack the institution of slavery. If it had, the gospel might have been hopelessly confused with social reform. Instead, the gospel changes the hearts of slaves and masters. Unfortunately, the Bible was used to justify slavery in many nations and civilizations, as it did not directly attack the institution of slavery.

B. The text of the epistle.

1. Paul opens by mentioning Timothy, who was there with him. He greets Philemon and says: “I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, hearing of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints; that the fellowship of your faith may become effectual, in the knowledge of every good thing which is in you, unto Christ. For I had much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother (4-7).
2. He gets to the heart of his letter to Philemon: “ I beseech you for my child, whom I have begotten in my bonds, Onesimus, who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me: whom I have sent back to you in his own person, that is, my very heart: whom I would have kept with me, that in your behalf he might minister to me in the bonds of the gospel: but without your mind I would do nothing; that your goodness should not be as of necessity, but of free will. For perhaps he was separated from you for a season, that you should have him forever; no longer as a servant, but more than a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord” (10-16).
3. He asks that Philemon receive Onesimus as he would Paul himself. He offers to pay Philemon for any debts that Onesimus incurred (17-18). He closes with “Having confidence in thine obedience, I write unto thee, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say. But prepare me also a lodging: for I hope that through your prayers I shall be reunited with you” (21-22).

C. Discussion Questions, Application and Passing it On.

1. Paul’s mention of having any debts owed by Onesimus charged to his account is similar to the Good Samaritan and his instructions to the innkeeper about the injured man. Do you have such a caring heart for someone less privileged than you?
2. Slavery is still a very prevalent social disease today, involving sex trafficking, forced labor, or indebtedness. As Christians who were once enslaved by sin, we should be on the forefront of organizations that work to end such practices. Research what organizations are involved with ending such practices and if possible, support them as a volunteer or with financial contributions.

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This New Testament survey was provided by Joshua Nations (JoshuaNations.org)

A. Overview and Summary.

1. The author of Hebrews is anonymous, although of course it is recognized that it is under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Various individuals have been suggested such as Paul, Barnabas, Silas, etc. but definite authorship has not been determined. The literary style and vocabulary do not match the writings of other New Testament authors. The author quotes extensively from the Septuagint and not from the Hebrew text. The text places emphasis upon the Levitical priesthood and sacrifices which confirms that the recipients are Jewish. And as they were still being practiced, this would place the writing prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple which occurred in 70 AD.
2. This community of Jews was predominantly believers, but among them were unbelievers who had “tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the age to come and then fell away” (6:5-6). Not understanding this composition of the recipients has caused confusion and interpretations inconsistent with the rest of Scripture. There was also a trend to focus on angels almost to the extent of placing them in a position higher than the Messiah, which explains the dialogue in chapter one of the superiority of Christ over angels.
3. An understanding of the book of Leviticus is helpful in understanding the book of Hebrews. God’s Old Testament covenant was established as Israel consistently sinned and God established a system of sacrifices representing repentance and Divine forgiveness. However, the need for sacrifices did not end and required a perfect priest and a perfect sacrifice in the person of Jesus Christ the Messiah. This is the New Covenant and is the central message of the book of Hebrews.

B. Chapter One.

1. As mentioned in the summary, the “Hebrews” to which this epistle is addressed were toying with the idea that angels were superior to the Messiah. The author sets this straight immediately: “God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by different portions and in different manners, has at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds; who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; having become by so much better than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they” (1:1-4).
2. Angels are created beings and Jesus, the Messiah is the creator (1:2b). The creator is not also the created. He continues this theme with: “In the beginning, Lord, You established the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain. They will all wear out like clothing; You will roll them up like a cloak, and they will be changed like a robe. But You are the same, and Your years will never end” (1:10-12). He closes the chapter with: “Now to which of the angels has He ever said: Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation? (1:13-14).

C. Chapter Two.

1. The chapter opens with a warning: “how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to His will” (2:2-3). This is a word to the unbelieving Jews, the Hebrews who have heard the gospel but neglect it particularly as the signs, wonders and various miracles confirmed it.
2. Jesus’s humility is confirmed: What is man that You remember him, or the son of man that You care for him? You made him lower than the angels for a short time; You crowned him with glory and honor and subjected everything under his feet. For in subjecting everything to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him. But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace He might taste death for everyone—crowned with glory and honor because of His suffering in death” (2:7-9).
3. Jesus proclaims His unity with those that are His own: “For the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying: I will proclaim Your name to My brothers; I will sing hymns to You in the congregation. Again, I will trust in Him. And again, Here I am with the children God gave Me” (2:10-13). We need to have the understanding that when we assemble as believers in the church congregation and are singing hymns, Jesus is singing hymns with us to the Father.
4. The reason for Jesus’s incarnation and passion is given: “He had to be like His brothers in every way, so that He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested” (2:17-18).

D. Chapter Three.

1. The author continues with a warning against unbelief: “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works for 40 years. Therefore, I was provoked with that generation and said, they always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known My ways. So, I swore in My anger, ‘They will not enter My rest’” (3:7-11).
2. Again, the author warns: “Watch out, brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start” (3:12-14). He continues with a warning about hardening the heart. In portions of the chapter which are not included here, he references Moses and the Israelites who provoked God for 40 years because of their unbelief. The message has the prominent focus on the unbelieving Jews.

Chapter Four.

1. The first portion of the chapter concerns the Sabbath rest: “For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His. Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience” (4:10-11). Genesis 2:2-3 tells us that God rested on the seventh day after His creation work was complete. God is all powerful and this did not mean He was tired. It does mean that He stopped His creation work. In Exodus 20:8-11, God tells His people “To remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy”. They were to stop their work and rest for a day. This has a deeper spiritual meaning than just to rest from labor. The Law of Moses required the Jews to labor intensively to attempt to keep all of the commandments that included ceremonial, civil, and Temple law. They could not do it and had to constantly offer animal sacrifices for forgiveness. Jesus met all of God’s righteous requirements and completed His work of salvation on the Cross. He declared “It is finished” (John 19:30) before He died meaning He had satisfied all of the requirements of the Law for us. Now we can enter into His rest and cease from our works to earn salvation.
2. The author then gives an insightful word about the Word of God: “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart. No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account” (4:12-13). Man is comprised of three parts: body, soul, and spirit (1st Thessalonians 5:23). Our soul, where we make decisions, our emotions reside, and is where our rational thinking is. The spirit is where the Holy Spirit dwells in believers who are born again. The boundary between soul and spirit is very hard to discern, but the Word of God can make that distinction and judge our ideas and thoughts, which are laid bare before Him.
3. The chapter closes with a word about Jesus as our High Priest. Once a year, the Jewish High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple to offer sacrifice for the people. Jesus has done that once and for all for us, His people. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to the confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time” (4:14-16).

F. Chapter Five.

1. The chapter presents Jesus as our High Priest: “During His earthly life, He offered prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears to the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. Though He was God’s Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. After He was perfected (through the cross, burial, and resurrection), He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, and He was declared by God a high priest in the order of Melchizedek” (5:7-10). We are first introduced to Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18-20. There is no previous history given in Scripture about him other than he was “King of Salem” meaning “peace”. He is without beginning or end (7:3). Abraham offered tithes to him, signifying that he was higher than Abraham. He was an analogy of Christ, who has no beginning or end and is eternal as our High Priest.
2. The chapter closes with a rather scathing word about the immaturity of the recipients of the book of Hebrews: “We have a great deal to say about this, and it’s difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. Now, everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil” (5:11-14).

G. Chapter Six.

1. Chapter six contains a difficult verse to interpret unless there is an understanding of who the recipients are. The following passage can be misunderstood to mean loss of salvation because it is not interpreted with a viewpoint of the entire New Testament passages: “ For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit, tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away, because, to their own harm, they are re-crucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt” (6:4-6). Again, the recipients are Jews who have “tasted” the heavenly gifts and received some enlightenment of the Messiah but have fallen away without accepting Christ as Savior. They may have even repented, but did not take salvation.
2. The chapter closes with a promise: “We have this hope as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek” (6:19-20). The inner sanctuary refers to the Temple where the Holy of Holies was separated from the other portions by a heavy curtain. It is an analogy pointing to Jesus, who has entered into the presence of God to act as our High Priest.

H. Chapter Seven.

1. Much narrative is spent comparing the temporary priesthood of the Levites with that of Christ. The Levite priest perished, but Christ remains forever. “Now many have become Levitical priests, since they are prevented by death from remaining in office. But because He remains forever, He holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore, He is always able to save those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them” (7:23-25).
2. The chapter closes with a firm statement about our High Priest Jesus: “For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do—first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all when He offered Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the promise of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son, who has been perfected forever” (7:26-28).

I. Chapter Eight.

1. The chapter opens with the essential point of the previous chapters: “Now the main point of what is being said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man” (8:1-2).
2. The balance of the chapter pertains to the better covenant we have in Christ: “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people” (8:10).

J. Chapter Nine.

1. This chapter compares the Old Covenant ministry with the New. It gives the illustration of the Temple items and then says: “The Holy Spirit was making it clear that the way into the most holy place had not yet been disclosed while the first tabernacle was still standing. This is a symbol for the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper’s conscience. They are physical regulations and only deal with food, drink, and various washings imposed until the time of restoration” (9:8-10).
2. The chapter closes with a statement of the New Covenant ministry: “For the Messiah did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that He might now appear in the presence of God for us. He did not do this to offer Himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another. Otherwise, He would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now He has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment— so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him” (9:24-28).

K. Chapter Ten.

1. Chapter ten continues with a discussion of the Old and New Covenants. He says: “This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws on their hearts and write them on their minds, He adds: I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts” (10:16-17). This gives us the boldness to approach God: “Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way He has opened for us through the curtain (that is, His flesh), and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (10:19-23).
2. A difficult passage to interpret is given: “For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries” (10:26-27). Again, we must consider the recipients. To “deliberately sin” within the context of the surrounding passages, is to reject the only sacrifice for sin which under the New Covenant is forgiveness of sins in Christ Jesus. For a Christian, we can choose to sin. But if we allow the Holy Spirit to convict us and bring us to repentance and asking Christ for forgiveness, there is His sacrifice for our sin. Remaining in sin does have consequences and we will account for it at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10).

L. Chapter Eleven.

1. Chapter eleven is often called the “faith” chapter due to its focus on those of great faith in the Old Testament. It opens with: “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For our ancestors won God’s approval by it. By faith we understand that the universe was created by God’s command, so that what is seen has been made from things that are not visible” (11:1-3).
2. It goes on to name several Old Testament faith heroes. Then it says this: “by faith (they) conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead—they were raised to life again. Some men were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection, and others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground” (11:33-39).
3. The chapter closes with these words: “All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us” (11:39-40).

M. Chapter Twelve.

1. The chapter opens with an admonition to endure: “Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne” (12:1-2).
2. He then gives a word about discipline: “Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline—which all receive—then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had natural fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but He does it for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness” (12:7-10).
3. He gives a warning about rejecting God’s grace: “Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many. And make sure that there isn’t any immoral or irreverent person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for one meal. For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance, though he sought it with tears” (12:15-17).
4. The chapter closes with: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold on to grace. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (12:28-29).

N. Chapter Thirteen.

1. The author gives a final exhortation: “Let brotherly love continue. Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily. Marriage must be respected by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge immoral people and adulterers. Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you. Therefore, we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (13:1-6).
2. The book closes with several notable sayings: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings” (13:8-9). “Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name. Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices” (13:15-16).

O. Discussion Questions, Application and Passing it On.

1. The Judaizers attempted to place the Gentiles under the Law of Moses. The New Covenant is very explicit in that Jesus is our Sabbath rest and how can we neglect so great a salvation. Are you resting in Christ for your salvation or do you depend upon your good deeds? Why are good deeds important? (See Ephesians 2:8-10 for help).
2. Are you able to explain why Hebrews apparently says that salvation can be lost but that is not true based upon the Hebrew recipients and the rest of Scripture?
3. Are you able to eat solid food, or are you still consuming milk? How do you mature in the faith?
4. Do you sin deliberately? What does that mean to a born-again Christian?

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This New Testament survey was provided by Joshua Nations (JoshuaNations.org)