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1st Thessalonians

Thessalonica was a city of nearly 200,000 people in Paul's day! Paul had spent some time there doing mission work until persecution from the Jewish community became so serious that Paul, Silas, and Timothy had to leave! They headed for Barea! Not too long after that, the Jews in Thessalonica heard word that Paul was in the neighboring city of Barea. They were so maddened against the gospel (even as Paul in his earlier days before conversion) that they chased him and his associates out of there. After fleeing farther south to Athens, Greece, where Paul again took up ministry, his heart was still burdened for the brethren in Thessalonica. Paul sent Timothy up there to check on them, and Silas was sent to another place in Macedonia, perhaps Philippi. Later they all met up again in Corinth, where Paul had moved himself to, after Athens. Paul wrote this letter from Corinth in A.D. 51 as he was serving the Corinthian church on his second missionary journey (Compare Acts 18:1,5 and also 1 Thessalonians 1:1. Here Silas is called Silvanus). In the letter Paul deals a lot with practical teachings and issues regarding the return of Jesus Christ. The Second Coming is a special theme throughout the Thessalonian letters. May you be blessed in God as you study through these Spirit-inspired letters to the church in Thessalonica!

2nd Thessalonians

This letter was likely written in the same year as 1st Thessalonians, only coming within a matter of several months after the first one. That would have been the year, A.D. 51, while Paul was still in Corinth along with Silas and Timothy (see 2 Thess. 1:1 and Acts 18:1,5). The Thessalonians had now also been exposed to some various false doctrines regarding the imminence of Christ's coming; Paul needed to clarify these things. Either that, or Paul suddenly felt the need to give them a large dose of preventative medicine regarding the topic of the second coming! Either way, Paul deals greatly with the subject of the 2nd Coming in this Epistle, chapters 1 and 2 especially! Chapters one and two deal largely with some doctrinal issues, including the relationship of the Anti-Christ figure to the second coming of Christ and our gathering together unto Jesus Christ. In the final chapter, Paul deals with some really practical living issues for the believers! May you be blessed as you study through this letter!

1st Timothy

The letter of 1st Timothy was written from Macedonia by Paul the Apostle to Timothy, a young minister and “son in the faith." It was perhaps written from Philippi, one of the principle cities there in Macedonia. Timothy was serving in a pastoral or overseer capacity at the church in Ephesus at this time, where Paul had left him (see 1 Tim. 1:3). The name “Timothy” means “Honoring God” or “Honored by God” and it was expected that Timothy was going to hold to such a trust, and do his service to God faithfully!

The letters to Timothy, and also Titus (known as Paul’s Pastoral Epistles or letters) were the last ones to have been written in his life. It is believed that the date of writing for this letter would have been about A.D. 62 or 63, while Paul was in Macedonia. Paul was nearing the end of his ministry at this time. Some critics since the 19th Century have tried to attack the genuine Pauline authorship of this letter and the other pastoral epistles. However, both the internal and external evidence state to us very strongly that Paul was indeed the author of this letter and the others! Satan just loves to attack God's potent and truth filled Scriptures! Yet, he will fail, and God will prevail! May you be blessed as you study through the letters to Timothy!

2nd Timothy

The second letter to Timothy was also written by the hand of Paul, the aged apostle. He was passing on his wisdom and experience concerning the Lord’s work. In this letter he gave more instruction on the importance of the Bible or “the Scriptures” as the basis for all Christian life and ministry. Timothy was warned of coming dangers to the Christian faith, terrible worldliness among many believers and our need to proclaim God’s biblical truth and to fulfill a faithful Christian ministry. The instruction given here is very important and needful for us to follow closely today!

Paul was nearing the end of his life at the time when this book was written. In fact, 2 Timothy is the last written letter from Paul that we have. He was in prison at this time, condemned as an “evil doer” (2:9). Many had forsaken him and were not supporting him at this time (1:15; 4:10, 11, 16-18). They were fearful due to the political and social unrest, and persecution against Christians under the orders of the Roman Emperor Nero (ruling from A.D. 54-68). The city of Rome had been burned by a fire in July of A.D. 64. Many suspected that Emperor Nero was the person behind it, but he began blaming and persecuting the Christians to take the heat off of himself. According to tradition, Paul had just returned from his two year ministry in Spain (AD 64 to 66). In AD 66 Paul returned to Asia [minor]. His enemies used the political unrest and growing hatred for Christians against him. Paul was arrested and was now expecting to die soon (2 Tim. 4:13,21; 2 Tim. 4:6,7). It was from his cold prison cell in Rome that Paul wrote this last letter to Timothy, in the fall of A.D. 67, to encourage him in the work and to invite him to come and visit him one last time (hopefully before the winter of that year, see 4:13,21). Timothy was evidently still in Ephesus at this time, and would have gone through Troas and Macedonia on his way to Rome (See 1:18; 4:13, 19). May you be blessed and encouraged in the faith as you study the words of Paul's final letter!

Letter to Titus

Written from the pen of the Apostle Paul to the young minister Titus who was temporarily stationed on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean sea. Titus was left there by Paul to carry on the work of organizing new churches. But how would he choose the appropriate leaders for those churches? What messages of righteousness and truth would he need to proclaim to be sure that the new Christian believers there would know how to remain faithful to Jesus Christ? Paul answers these questions and more quite clearly in his letter to Titus! This short letter to Titus holds loads of important and practical instruction for us who live today!

Philemon

A short letter pleading for the forgiveness and acceptance of a runaway slave converted to Jesus Christ! What lessons does this letter hold for our lives today on forgiveness, living for Jesus, and even on the subject of slavery and less than desirable situations? Listen on!

Hebrews

The book of Hebrews was written primarily to a Hebrew or Jewish audience in the 1st Century A.D. The basic Greek title is Pros Ebraious, meaning "To Hebrews." The book is filled with references to the sanctuary services of the Old Testament, the animal sacrifices that were made, and the Levitical priesthood. It also draws heavily on information from other Old Testament characters (such as those names and stories discussed in Hebrews 11, the very famous "Faith" chapter!). It is clear that this book was originally written to a Jewish audience, but certainly it holds great importance and significance for Christians from any background and in all ages! The book of Hebrews explains to us how Jesus Christ is "better" than all the old things that were done under the first covenant that God made with His people during the time of Moses. It explains how Jesus Christ is the "substance" or the real thing that God had been promising all along, for thousands of years, while the sacrifices and other things under the old covenant were simply "shadows" or types that were pointing us forward to Christ Jesus, the then coming Messiah! Hebrews presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the entire earthly sanctuary system. Christ was the innocent Lamb who was to die for our sins (such as was promised by the prophet Isaiah in his 53rd chapter), and Christ Jesus was and is the High Priest who ministers His blood for us in the Heavenly Sanctuary above (Hebrews 2:17; 4:14-16; 8:1-5). His blood was shed once and for all for us (Heb. 10:14). This book clearly was written to keep Jewish believers who were facing persecution for their faith from lapsing back into an empty Judaism without the realization of their promised Messiah! This book shows us that Jesus is the answer and fulfillment of God's promises through all ages!

It is not clear to exactly which group of Hebrews this book was addressed. It was not pointed to any one certain city, town, or group in any one locale. Some have surmised that it may have been directed to Hebrews in the vicinity of Jerusalem, but internal evidence suggests that that wasn't necessarily the case. For example, those in Jerusalem experienced some great poverty from a famine in the mid first century, yet these believers were helping others financially (See Rom. 15:26 and Heb. 6:10). It is also not 100% clear where it was written from, since these details were not specifically mentioned. The line "Those from Italy Greet you" (Heb. 13:24) would likely suggest that it was written from somewhere in Italy, perhaps from Rome, but we are not sure. Others have interpreted that text to suggest that the author was outside of Italy, but writing to somewhere in Italy, and sending greetings from Italians who were outside of Italy (being "from" there), but wishing to greet their countrymen. Personally, I do not buy the second suggestion and I would tend to favor the idea that this book was written from somewhere within Italy to somewhere outside of it (although I cannot prove it beyond all doubt until Jesus comes to explain it to us all!). The date of writing is not exactly specified either, but the existing evidence suggests to us a date between A.D. 64 and A.D. 68. The book was referenced by Clement of Rome in A.D. 95 which tells us it had to have been written much prior to that date, circulated, and accepted by Christians of the time. It also neglects to mention the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies under general Titus which took place in A.D. 70. Such a fact would be strange to leave out for a book that was dealing so heavily with the topic of the Sanctuary. Also Timothy was still alive at this time (13:23), and persecution towards believers was growing. That again gives us a pretty fair date range for authorship of A.D. 64 to A.D. 68.

Authorship for this book has been challenged too. From about the 4th Century to the late 19th Century most Christians believed that Paul wrote the book to the Hebrews. In the earlier days though there seems to have been some uncertainty. In the West most thought Luke, Barnabus, Clement, or another anonymous author had written the book. Among the churches in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire it was believed that Paul had written it. The book lacks the common listing of Paul's name at the beginning or end of the letter. It also does not include his familiar greetings at the beginning of it. The Greek style is also a bit different from Paul's writing in his other letters. Those are some of the challenges. However, the book does mention Timothy as Paul might have done (13:23) and there is some very striking similarity in concepts and wording when you compare Hebrews 8-10 with the 2nd chapter of Paul's letter to the Colossians! Certainly, there is evidence to suggest that it was Paul's work, but was maybe penned by another's hand, or with a different audience in mind, etc. Although the human authorship of this letter was questioned, the content of this letter is incredibly solid and in line with all that we know from teachings in other parts of the New Testament (2nd Testament) and also from the Old Testament (1st Testament). The inspiration of Hebrews and its sure place as part of our New Testament Scripture is not questioned at all! From a very early date this book was accepted by Christians and the message presented is very solid in the biblical context. My personal thought is that Paul did write the book of Hebrews, but we'll have to wait until we all get to heaven to get our facts 100% straight!

James

Written around A.D. 44 to 49 James is perhaps one of the earliest written books of the New Testament. Originally addressed primarily to a Jewish audience, yet this book holds loads of practical instruction for all believers! James, the brother of our Lord, a "pillar" in the church at Jerusalem shared loads of practical instruction for God's people on how to live a faithful Christian life. From the nature of God, to the control of our tongue, from having the mind of Christ, to praying, healing, or stating plans that are in line with and subject to God's own plans, James is packed full of helpful lessons! May you study, be blessed, and grow in the Lord Jesus Christ as you have a chance to listen to and to study the teachings of this book!

1st Peter

The first letter from Peter is believed to have been written just shortly before the beginning of the terrible persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Nero in A.D.64. It is believed that Peter wrote this epistle from Rome, which he figuratively referred to as "Babylon" (1 Peter 5:13; See Lesson #1 notes for details). There weren't many people to speak of in the literal old city of Babylon. And we have no tradition among the early Christian teachers that ever refers to Peter having spent time there. We do however, have a very strong tradition that says Peter spent the last years of his life in Rome. His reference to Mark being there with him (1 Pet. 5:13) is also believed to support this view because we do have texts showing us that Mark was in Rome at least surely at an earlier time, during Paul's first Roman imprisonment (See Colossians 4:10). In this case he may have still been there and had a residence there.

This letter was written to the believers who were scattered throughout the Roman world (non-Jewish primarily, although its truth could aid the Jew as well as the Gentile; see details in lesson #1). The contents of this letter really focused on encouraging the believers in the face of persecution and instructing them to live a godly life in Christ Jesus! The letter was quite timely considering the persecution that was soon to break out under Roman Emperor Nero in A.D. 64. It is believed that it was later in that year (A.D. 64) that Peter's life was taken away; shortly after the Christians had been accused by Nero of causing the great fires in the city of Rome (which many suspect Nero actually started). Peter died a Martyr's death at the hands of Rome, just as Jesus had prophesied to him many years earlier (See John 21:17-19). Christian church leaders from the early centuries talked about the manner of Peter's death. Tertullian speaks about it at the end of the 2nd century, and Origen also as can be found in Eusebius, Church History, book III. Origen stated: "Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downwards, as he himself had desired to suffer." It is was said that Peter did not consider himself worthy to die in the same way as his Savior, and so requested an upside down crucifixion. It is also a historical fact that Roman soldiers would amuse themselves at times by crucifying people in different body positions on Crosses. Sparing the details, it is important to note that Peter gave all for Jesus and was faithful unto death! He will surely receive the crown of life as was promised! Let us only be faithful to God above all things--even unto death, by His grace! May you be blessed and inspired as you study through the letters of the Apostle Peter.

2nd Peter

The 2nd letter of Peter was not written too long after his first letter. It is believed that Peter's life was taken away sometime around the year AD 64 when the persecution broke out in Rome under Emperor Nero. The first letter had come sometime just prior to that great persecution, so the 2nd letter couldn't have been too far behind! The audience in the second letter is primarily the same as the first--believers who were spread throughout the Roman Empire! It would also have been written from the same location, Rome. It is of note that 2nd Peter has been challenged more than any other New Testament letter for its authenticity as a letter from Peter, for some reasons such as a slightly different Greek level of refinement, and also not being so widespread at an early date. However, the letter's teaching is 100% in line with every other New Testament letter. It has Peter's name on it, and it tells Peter's personal stories and challenges exactly as they are reflected in other parts of the Bible. It even uses the word "tree" to describe the cross, just as Peter did in other places (that vocabulary choice is unique to Peter). Some minor stylistic differences between the 1st and 2nd letters are easily explained by the fact that Peter used Silas as a secretary with his first letter, but not with his second (1 Peter 5:12). We have no reason to ever doubt the authenticity or power of this letter and its message as God's inspired word through His chosen servant! (Peter)

This letter focuses on keeping the pure faith of Israel and not being lost to an unbelieving and wicked world! It reminds us to keep fresh in mind the facts of our faith and also the reasons for our faith! We must grow and have the righteous character of Jesus Christ produced in our lives! The letter begins with the mindset of faith, the goals, and powerful tools from God which are needed in the development of our characters. Then it warns of false teachers, and finally speaks of the scoffers and wicked unbelievers, and even professed believers who will deny or twist God's word to their own destruction. Peter, expecting to die a martyr's death soon at the hands of Roman authorities expresses his strong appeal to all who are God’s people to strive diligently to be holy, as we wait for Christ to return, when He will strike down evil, and reward the righteous with the eternal joys of His holy land in the earth made new!

Peter mentions Paul, "our beloved brother," and his writings in chapter 3 of this letter. But, Paul, in his last letter (2nd Timothy), which was also written from Rome (in AD 67) does not mention Peter. That serves to confirm that Peter died earlier than Paul did. Paul was taken captive into Rome in AD 67. Surely, Paul would have spoken of Peter if he was still around at the time. The words of 2nd Peter seal Peter's final message to the world before his death and remind of the truths so essential to our life which Peter was called by God to proclaim! May you be blessed as you study through this series!

1st Letter of John

The letters of John were written by the Apostle John, as all the early church leaders generally attested to (See details in the intro to lesson #1). This was the same John who was called "the one whom Jesus loved," and who was the brother of James the son of Zebedee (See Mark 3:16-19; John 13:23; 21:20). He had a very close relationship to Jesus as a friend and disciple, and was part of Christ's inner circle of disciples; Peter, James, and John. He was the writer of the Gospel of John, these Letters of John (1st, 2nd, 3rd John), and the book of Revelation. Although his name is not mentioned in these Letters (as was Paul's style), the record of history and content clearly points to him, and it was very early accepted that he was indeed the author of them.

The date of writing for this letter and the others is generally put between A.D. 60-90, though some have tried to place a later date from AD 95-110. The generally accepted order for date of writing with John's works is; the Gospel of John, the Letters, and finally Revelation. Pinning down an exact date for John's letters is a bit harder than for other works in the New Testament. We simply have the above general time frame. The place of writing for his letters, on the other hand, is pretty well nailed down. The Gospel and Letters were written from Ephesus, while Revelation was written from the Island of Patmos in the Aegean sea, off the coast of Asia Minor (Modern day Turkey).

John primarily ministered to the Jewish community (See Galatians 2:9), but surely also labored for the Gentiles. His work was mostly centered in Asia Minor. And, it is believed that these Letters were first addressed and sent to the people of that region. In this letter, John encourages the believers to walk in the light as Christ Jesus is in the light! It also warns us to avoid the traps of the world, of sin, and of false teachers. We are called to live holy lives in reverent awe and love for the Living God! May you be blessed as you study through these letters!

2nd Letter of John

This second letter of John is believed to have been written from Ephesus (as it is believed that all three of his letters were likely written from there) around the year A.D. 90. This letter bears many resemblances to the 1st letter of John, talking about the necessity of walking in the love of God and loving our brothers and sisters. It also carries the same warnings as 1st John does about false teachers or “anti-Christ” characters. It is however, as you can see, much shorter than 1st John. It was written to the "elect lady and her children" (v.1) which some believe to be reference to an individual, but others submit that it was perhaps a symbolic reference to a church (which often is symbolized by a woman in Scripture. More details on this discussion can be found in the Lesson notes below). Regardless of whichever is the case, one thing is important for us: 2nd John is a solid part of God's word and we must understand its important message to those of us who are now living in the last days of earth's history! May you be blessed as you study this short, but powerful little book.

3rd Letter of John

The third letter of John is believed to have been written around the year A.D. 90 from Ephesus (the same year in which 2nd John was written). John spent the later years of his ministry (before his exile to the island of Patmos) in Ephesus, where he wrote all three of his letters. This third letter of John was written to a man named Gaius (which was a common name of the time). Evidently, the man lived somewhere in Asia Minor, where John had been doing his mission service.

This letter is known as the shortest letter in the Bible (even a bit shorter textually, though not verse-wise than 2nd John). The letter focuses on the importance of supporting worthy missionaries, understanding the evil doings of a certain local character named Diotrephes who was trying to control a local church in Gaius' area, and the vindication of a righteous man named Demetrius. John also announced his plans of visiting the area. Though short, there are a many practical lessons we can learn from this letter! May the Lord bless as you study it!

Jude

In a time when false doctrines or teachings about God are circulating all around us, what should be our approach to "contending for the faith which was once given to the saints"? How can we recognize false teachers and their teachings? And then what should we do about it? How should we treat and speak with those who are erring from the truth? Does the Bible give us solid answers to these questions? It sure does!! We need look no further than the book of Jude to find solid answers to these very questions! Listen to our study of Jude for more answers to your questions.

Note: This short series was recorded before an ESL audience in South Korea. The message of clear and compelling truth here contained however is suitable for any audience. Blessings!

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