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SummaryThe General Epistles and Revelation were addressing two primary threats to Christianity in the latter part of the first century: persecution and heresy. Persecution at the hands of the Roman Empire required encouragement from the New Testament writers. Persecution was not a punishment from God, but was an expected outcome for people who followed a man crucified by the Roman government. When Jesus returns we will overcome our persecutors. Therefore, in the midst of the persecution, believers were to still respect and obey those in authority. As Christianity grew, heretics would try to integrate Christian teaching with pagan religion and Greek philosophy. The result threatened the very core of the church. Today, we see increased pressure to water down orthodoxy and integrate it with current philosophy and teaching. Much of what passes for Christianity today is nothing but a regurgitated Gnosticism that states we possess the divine and all we must do is realize that secret. But Christianity is not about humans becoming divine, but about the divine becoming human. It is about Jesus who rescues a fallen humanity, not through knowledge, but through death on the cross. The answer to persecution and heresy lies in the person of Jesus. Heresy is answered through a reminder of the sacrifice of Jesus. Persecution is answered through a reminder of the second coming. As we study the General Epistles and Revelation we will see Jesus emphasized again and again. He is the superior messenger of God and the ultimate sacrifice (Hebrews). He is the Son of God and the propitiation for our sins (1 John). He is our example and the shepherd and guardian of our souls (1 Peter). He is the Lord and God, the Lion and the Lamb, the Alpha and Omega, and the conquering savior (Revelation). May our study this term help us each to grow in our knowledge and love for Jesus. Bibliography"Domitian." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 2006. http://encarta.msn.com (accessed January 7, 2007). Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Maier, Paul L. In The Fullness of Time. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 1997. McRay, John. "Bible, Canon of the." Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Edited by Walter A. Ewell. Baker Book House. 1996. http://www.biblestudytools.net/Dictionaries/BakerEvangelicalDictionary (accessed January 4, 2005). Metzger, Dr. Paul. "Christian Theology II." Multnomah Biblical Seminary, Portland, OR, Summer 2003. Reasoner, M. "Roman Empire, Christians and the." Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments. CD-ROM. Edited by Ralph P. Martin and Peter H. Davids. Grand Rapids, IA: Parsons Technology Inc., 1998. "Roman Empire." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. January 9, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire (accessed January 9, 2007). Rupprecht, Arthur A. "The Cultural and Political Setting of the New Testament." The Expositor's Bible Commentary. CD-ROM. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998. Scholer, D.M. "Gnosis, Gnosticism." Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments. CD-ROM. Cedar Rapids, IA: Parson's Technology, Inc., 1998. Snyder, James D. The Faith and the Power. Jupiter, FL: Pharos Books, 2002. "Stoicism." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 2006. http://encarta.msn.com (accessed January 7, 2007). Suetonius. "The Life of Domitian." The Lives of the Caesars. Loeb Classical Library. 1913. http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars (accessed January 7, 2007). Tacitus. "The Annals, Book XV." Internet Classics Archive. AD 109. http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/mirror/classics.mit.edu/Tacitus/annals.11.xv.html (accessed January 9, 2007). White, Cynthia. The Emergence of Christianity in the Greco-Roman World. http://www.coh.arizona.edu/calssics/inst/clas306/classnotes4.html (accessed March 28, 2003).
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