A Wonderful Day in the Lord

Key word: Revelation  The last book in the Bible is unique in many ways. Written by the apostle John in his old age, while exiled on the Isle of Patmos, and addressed specifically to seven churches of Asia (modern Turkey), it has been subject to many interpretations. But one thing all agree on is that the book is the Revelation of Jesus Christ (1:1). It showcases Christ in all His splendor in...

Key word: Contend  Jude was the half-brother of Jesus, and full brother of James that wrote the epistle by that name. He sets out to write to Christians in general an uplifting message about salvation (vv. 1, 3), but under the current circumstances found it necessary to appeal to his leadership to stand and contend (our key word) for the faith once for all delivered to the saints (1:3b – our...

Key word: Walking  Much like 2 John, the final epistle by John emphasizes truth and love. Truth is mentioned 6x and true once, and love is found 3x. But while 2 John focuses on not receiving and participating with deceivers, 3 John focuses on supporting those who speak the truth. As a matter of fact, nothing gives the apostle greater joy than seeing His spiritual children walking in the truth...

Key word: Truth  John writes two very short letters that are placed in the New Testament immediately following his longer letter. There are distinctions between these epistles, but there are also significant similarities. Both emphasize truth, which is found five times in 2 John and seven times in 3 John. Both speak of love and identify true and false love. Both are concerned with how we are...

Key word: Know Twenty-five or so years after the completion of the rest of the New Testament, the Apostle John begins to add 5 inspired books: the Gospel of John detailing the life of Jesus and the foundation of Christianity; three epistles, which inform of faith; and the Revelation, which looks to the future and the conclusion of our faith, as our faith is turned to sight at the coming of Christ...

Key word: Know  Twenty-five or so years after the completion of the rest of the New Testament, the Apostle John begins to add 5 inspired books: the Gospel of John detailing the life of Jesus and the foundation of Christianity; three epistles, which inform of faith; and the Revelation, which looks to the future and the conclusion of our faith, as our faith is turned to sight at the coming of C...

Key word: Knowledge (known, knowing) 11x  Peter’s second epistle is addressed to the same audience as his first, but now, three years or so later, he has shifted from the subject of suffering to warning. Chapter two rivals Jude as the most intense warning against false teachers, and teaching, found anywhere in Scripture (see 2:1-3). The word destructive, destruction, and destroyed pops up her...

Key word: Suffering (15x) Peter is writing in the mid-60s to believers scattered throughout the known world because of persecution for the faith. They may be in distressed now, but these trials will purify their faith (1:6-7). Peter writes to comfort them, but to also call them to action (1:13-16). In light of their salvation, and in the midst of trials, Peter issues five commandments: 1. Prepare...

Key word: Suffering (15x)  Peter is writing in the mid-60s to believers scattered throughout the known world because of persecution for the faith. They may be in distressed now, but these trials will purify their faith (1:6-7). Peter writes to comfort them, but to also call them to action (1:13-16). In light of their salvation, and in the midst of trials, Peter issues five commandments: ...

Key word: Works James is almost certainly the first book written in the New Testament. James is a common name in the Bible. One of Jesus’ most valued apostles, and the first one martyred, is one example, and must be distinguished from our author, who was the half-brother of Jesus and recognized head of the early church in Jerusalem. Written around 45 A.D., James ministry was exclusively to Jewish...

Key word: Works  James is almost certainly the first book written in the New Testament. James is a common name in the Bible. One of Jesus’ most valued apostles, and the first one martyred, is one example, and must be distinguished from our author, who was the half-brother of Jesus and recognized head of the early church in Jerusalem. Written around 45 A.D., James ministry was exclusively to J...

Key word: Christ’s superiority Aside from Romans there is no more theologically heavy, and I would add, rich book than Hebrews. We do not know who wrote it, although there have been many theories. His immediate audience was Jewish Christians in the mid A.D. 60s, and thus were second generation believers. As a result, some had lost the passion for the church and New Testament living and were drifti...

Key word: Christ’s superiority Aside from Romans there is no more theologically heavy, and I would add, rich book than Hebrews. We do not know who wrote it, although there have been many theories. His immediate audience was Jewish Christians in the mid A.D. 60s, and thus were second generation believers. As a result, some had lost the passion for the church and New Testament living and were drifti...

Key word: Christ’s superiority Aside from Romans there is no more theologically heavy, and I would add, rich book than Hebrews. We do not know who wrote it, although there have been many theories. His immediate audience was Jewish Christians in the mid A.D. 60s, and thus were second generation believers. As a result, some had lost the passion for the church and New Testament living and were drifti...

Key word: Christ’s superiority Aside from Romans there is no more theologically heavy, and I would add, rich book than Hebrews. We do not know who wrote it, although there have been many theories. His immediate audience was Jewish Christians in the mid A.D. 60s, and thus were second generation believers. As a result, some had lost the passion for the church and New Testament living and were drifti...

Key word: Christ’s superiority  Aside from Romans there is no more theologically heavy, and I would add, rich book than Hebrews. We do not know who wrote it, although there have been many theories. His immediate audience was Jewish Christians in the mid A.D. 60s, and thus were second generation believers. As a result, some had lost the passion for the church and New Testament living and were...

Key word: Useful  It is unfortunate that those who arranged the order of the New Testament books in our English Bibles chose to put Philemon after Titus, instead of after Colossians. They helpfully grouped all 13 epistles of Paul together in the center of the New Testament, but placed Philemon last, probably due to its size, and comparative insignificance. But it was written to a member of th...

Key word: Regeneration  Titus was a young minster, a contemporary with Timothy. Toward the end of his life, Paul writes to these two men to instruct them concerning essentials in the local church. Timothy was ministering in Ephesus, while Titus was on the Island of Crete. There is some overlap between Paul’s first epistle to Timothy and this one to Titus, still a number of essentials for the...

Key word: Scripture  This is Paul’s final inspired letter as he awaits what appeared eminent execution in a Roman prison. This imprisonment was about 5 years after the imprisonment in which he wrote the 4 prison epistles. Since Paul is expecting to die soon, he felt the urgency to prepare the younger Timothy for the ministry without his leadership, thus the letter is full of extremely valuabl...

Key word: Scripture  This is Paul’s final inspired letter as he awaits what appeared eminent execution in a Roman prison. This imprisonment was about 5 years after the imprisonment in which he wrote the 4 prison epistles. Since Paul is expecting to die soon, he felt the urgency to prepare the younger Timothy for the ministry without his leadership, thus the letter is full of extremely valuabl...

Key word: Church  Paul’s final 4 inspired letters are all written to individuals, rather than churches. The two letters to Timothy, and the one to Titus, are written toward the end of his life as he is contemplating handing over the work of the ministry to a younger generation. Timothy had apparently been converted under Paul’s ministry (1:2), and had traveled with Paul and served in many loc...

A brief pit stop before continuing our walk through the New Testament, in this episode Pastor Gary Gilley examines the differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He also discusses why this distinction is important to make.

Key word: Second Coming  Apparently, Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians did not answer all their questions about the return of Christ. They now had a handle on the rapture – the next event on God’s prophetic time table to be Christ returning in the air and catching up His people to Himself and returning to heaven. Seven years later Christ returns – but this time in judgment on unbelieve...

Key word: Return  About 10 years prior to writing the prison epistles, Paul writes his first two inspired letters to the church at Thessalonica, which is in Northern Greece, or Macedonia (around 52 A.D.) Paul was thrilled by these believers who had turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God (1:9). This is one of the clearest examples in the New Testament of true conversion (see A...

Key word: Complete Written to the church at Colossae in Southern Asia, modern day Turkey, while Paul was a prisoner in Rome around 62 A.D., it is more concerned about false teaching than Philippians and Ephesians. And whereas the Galatian churches were being infiltrated by false gospels, the Colossian church was being inundated with faulty philosophies, which were distracting them from the suprema...