The General Epistles and Revelation: An Eye Opening Perspective

After the ascension of Christ, writers inspired by the Holy Spirit emerged and wrote critical content that was later used as the basis of Christianity for later generations. Together with the gospel books, the general epistles and revelation form what we refer to as the New Testament. The epistles, or letters, were generally written by inspired writers to followers of the church in different places and with different specific messages. Depending on the intention of the epistles, the writers carefully chose words that will make meaning to the intended recipients and will also make meaning for future generations who will look upon these epistles for general guidance in their daily lives.

The general epistles include seven books namely; James, First and Second Peter, First, Second and Third John and Jude (Mills and Wilson 10). These seven books are referred to as the general or catholic epistles because they address the general church rather than specific individual churches. These books were written to address the general matters affecting the early churches and later churches as well. The matters addressed include good relationships, effective communication, hard work, fairness, leadership, and love. Revelation, on the other hand, was written by John the Revelator on Patmos Island where he was documenting visions revealed to him that would later come to pass in the future world.

The Epistles of St. James

James was a teacher of the church who wrote and taught about bringing Christians back to their faith. In this epistle, he addressed general Christians in general and recalled them back to the main agenda of their faith smoothly and elegantly (Mills and Wilson 67). As a writer, he was well acquitted of the works of other writers and teachers that came before him such as Paul. According to the historical evidence available, it is believed that James wrote this epistle not later than A.D. 90.

At his time, the church was still governed by presbyters. The fact that he never made any reference to bishops implies that he wrote before the development marked by Ignatius or he lived in a community that was unaffected by the monarchial episcopate (Moffat 7). One theory that suits this idea is that James lived in Egypt. However, there are minor shreds of evidence that prove this claim. Another alternative theory is that the Epistle of St. James was written by the Apostle James after the ascension of Christ. Some, however, believe that this epistle was written by another teacher of the church whom we know nothing about.

This epistle is addressed to the twelve tribes of dispersion which is made up of the twelve tribes dispersed in other countries other than Palestine. The message was intended for the dispersed Christians who at that time were under persecution. James intended to encourage them to endure their afflictions and not to lose track of their faith. One notable lesson from the Epistle of James is the control of the tongue. Arguably, this is the most elaborate lesson found in the bible on this matter.

The First Epistle of St. Peter

This beautiful letter was written by Apostle Peter to Christians who resided in Asia Minor. During that time, the authorities had imposed persecution among the believers and consequently, they desperately needed encouragement and hope. The state authorities had illegalized any form of the Christian movement and made it treasonable. At such a time of tension and fear, Peter was the answer to the prayers of the oppressed believers. The apostle recalled the believers to their faith and reminded them of the near messianic second coming of Jesus Christ that will end all their pain and suffering.

Peter focused on the importance of the believers persevering persecution without losing sight of their faith. As a result, the first epistle of peter can be looked upon as the Job of the New Testament. He maintained that despite the persecution that the believers underwent, they should remain righteous.

He also taught that just a child steadily grows from childhood to adulthood, the believers must also grow in their faith. Peter carefully chose tenders words that brought hope to the believers. A person who knew peter a few years before then could hardly recognize him then. The old ignorant fisherman who knew nothing about salvation had been turned into a strong apostle after three years of interacting with Jesus Christ (Kelly 1). He had no doubt made proof of the transforming power of Christian life. In his writings, he wanted the followers to follow such growth spiritually.

The Second Epistle of St. Peter

Apostle Peter begins his second epistle with a general greeting addressed to believers without any specific indication of where they live. This implies that this second epistle was addressing believers in general without a specific focus on a particular group. He begins the first few verses by addressing general issues that affect believers in their lives. He addresses issues such as Christian love, self-control, holiness, and steadfastness (Kelly 109).

Some doubted that Peter was not the author of this epistle. As a matter of fact, the authorship of this epistle is challenged than any other in the second testament. However, the critics in the early church found no concrete proof to indicate that Peter was not the author. Until today, we have not found enough proof either. Based on the contents of this epistle, this second epistle was written towards the end of peters life. Peter was martyred in Rome during the reign of Emperor Nero before A.D. 68. Based on this timeline, it is likely that he wrote this book between A.D. 65 and 68.

One major theme in this epistle was the emergence of false teachers in the church. Peter was alarmed by the rate at which false teachers were infiltrating the church and spreading the false gospel. To combat false teachings, he called upon the members of the church to grow in faith for that was the only way they could detect and denounce the quick spreading apostasy. He categorically stated that the church was in immediate danger because the time to the advent of Christ was short. In his final words, Peter once again encouraged the believers to grow in faith and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. He concluded with a short word of praise to his savior.

The Epistle of First John

The Epistle of First John was written by John who was also the author of the Gospel of John. Together with the Gospel of John and the Second and Third John, they were addressed to the church without a specific focus on a particular group. Based on historical records, it is believed that it was written between A.D. 85 and 95. This epistle addresses Gnosticism which had become a major problem to the church of the second century (Bruce 5).

In the second century, believers were taught the philosophy of religion that stated that matter is evil and spirit is good. This philosophy led believers to believe in Decotism and Gnosticism. The intention of john when writing this epistle was to set boundaries between the true Christian religions and to point out false teachings. At that time, the church was infested with many false teachers who preached apostasy and secured themselves powerful leadership positions in the church. The believers lacked s point to refer to because the New Testament had not yet been compiled and made available for the public. As a result, many believers fell into the deadly traps of false teachers without their knowledge.

In this epistle, John addressed love between one another more than in any other book in the New Testament. Because of this, he was looked upon as the Apostle of love (David 24). One notable style he used, is that he addressed the believers as children. This indicated that he was a very old man.

The Second Epistle of John

The second epistle of John was most likely written in the same period as the first and the third epistles, between A.D. 85 and 95 (David 14). Just like other books written by John, he does not address a specific group of believers but instead addresses matters that affected the universal Christian church. The major theme in this book is love. The author made an urgent plea to the believers to show the love of God through obeying his commandments. He also maintained that the believers must love each other and in so doing, maintained his title as the Apostle of Love (David 24).

Besides, the author sent a strong warning to the believers to be in the look for deceivers who came with false teachings. He specifically pointed out the false teaching that was slowly infecting the church that Christ had not risen in the flesh as teachings stated. The false teachers were spreading apostasy that Christ had only risen spiritually for it was impossible to rise again in flesh. Another notable thing in this small epistle is that John addressed the letter to the chosen lady and her children. This could have been a lady of important standing in the early church or a certain small church and its followers. As he concludes he mentions that even though he has much to write, he chooses to preserve some items so that he could physically talk to them when they meet.

The Third Epistle of John

As opposed to the first two epistles of John, his third epistle addressed specific churches with specific messages. Just like the first two, he addresses the believers as his children indicating that he was an old man. He also mentioned the love for one another and the love of God.

He began by commending and encouraging his co-worked, Gaius, whom he stated that he loved in truth. He further points out that there is no greater joy to him than receiving the message that his children follow the truth. John then wisely and indirectly condemns the actions of Diotrephes. Diotrephes was a dictatorial leader who had taken over the churches in Asia and directly contradicted the apostle and his teachings. Lastly, John concludes his epistle by commanding Demetrius who was a perfect example for the church.

The Epistle of Judas

The Epistle of Judas was written by Jude who was the brother to James. Written between A.D. 60 and 80, this epistle greatly resembles the second epistle of Peter (Kelly 223). This small epistle is of great importance to the Christians in the present day because it was written for the end times. This book is the only book that entirely was written to address the great apostasy. The author points out that evil works witnessed in the latter days are evidence of apostasy (Calvin et al. 204). In addition, he urges the Christians in the latter days to contend for their faith for they are in great danger of falling into the traps of false teachers.

The Revelation to John

The Revelation of John is the only book of its type in the New Testament. This book was written by John the Revelator in Patmos Island where he was sent to suffer after the authorities had failed to kill him by boiling him in oil. His miraculous survival prompted the authorities to send him to an uninhabited island that was infested by dangerous snakes and scorpions so that he could be poisoned to death. On the contrary, God revealed to him great and wondrous things that would later come to pass. He documented all he saw and compiled them to form the book we call the Revelation of John.

The book of revelation is made up of two parts. The first part is made of seven letters that were addressed to the seven churches. It was vital to take note that the churches that John addresses are dispersed through time, unlike geographically like the churches in the epistles were (Ladd 10). The second part is made of visions that revealed the happenings that would occur in the future. The visions outlined the political occurrences that would come to pass and the glorious second coming of Jesus Christ. One amazing aspect is that the book of revelation predicted events that were predicted hundreds of years before him by the prophet Daniel.

John the revelator later moved from Patmos Island to Rome where he died peacefully of old age. He is the only disciple of Christ who died peacefully.

References

Bruce, Fredrick F. “The Epistles of John: Introduction, Exposition and Notes.” Revell, 1970. Print.

Calvin, J., Morrison, A., and Torrance D. “A Harmony of the Gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke: And the Epistles of James and Jude.” Eerdmans Publishing, 1994. Print.

David, Rensberger. “The Epistles of John”. Westminster John Knox Press, 2001. Print.

Kelly, John N. “Epistles of Peter and Jude” A&C Black, 2001. Print.

Ladd, George E. “A Commentary on the Revelation of John”. WM Eerdmans Publishing, 1972. Print.

Lillie, John. “Lectures on the First and Second Epistles of Peter.” C. Scribner, 1869. Print.

Mills, Watson E., and Wilson, Richard F. “General Epistles and Revelation” Mercer University Press, 2000. Print.

Moffat, James. “The General Epistles: James, Peter, and Judas” Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 1928. Print.