In the Old and New Testament there is no explicit reference to hell, but the Revelation of Peter serves as the first Christian writing that explores this mysterious and often feared place. The Apocalypse of Peter is an apocalypse that reveals a significant account of what to expect from the beginning of the end times through the second coming of Jesus. Although this book was widespread, and even accepted and included in the scripture for some churches, it was ultimately excluded from inclusion in the New Testament. According to scholars, the Apocalypse of Peter, also known as the Revelation of Peter, is thought to be written by the apostle Peter. The Apocalypse of Peter marks the beginning of the end times with the introduction of a false prophet, during the time this book was written, Bar …show more content…
The book continues with many striking parallels of the events that occurred during the Bar Kokhba Revolt; therefore, it has been concluded that the book was likely written in the second century between132-135 CE (Bauckham 287). The Apocalypse of Peter, Peter inquires about how he and others will know that the end times of the world are beginning and when Jesus will come again. Jesus elaborates on what is to be expected in the days leading up to the second coming of Jesus, Judgment day, and what will become of people after Judgment day. Most notably, Jesus provides a very vivid account of hell, and hell’s compliment, heaven (Ehrman 280).
To better understand the book and its significance the Apocalypse of Peter, the book can be broken down into four distinct parts. The first section of the book is comprised of chapters one and two. In these chapters the signs of the end times are spelled out for Peter and the other disciples. Peter opens the section by asking Jesus to tell
LaHaye, Tim, and Ed Hindson. The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy. Eugene, OR.: Harvest House Publishers, 2004.
Martyn, J. Louis. "The Apocalyptic Gospel in Galatians." Interpretation 54.3 (2000). 09 Jun. 2002 http://www.infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/tel_a/mmcwml.
Revelation (also Apocalypse). The Holy Bible Containing the Old Testament and the New. Cambridge: Printed by John Field , 1668. Print.
The Lord is merciful; however, “He is not only able to cast wicked men into hell, but He can most easily do it” (Edwards 430). Here Edwards acknowledges the mercies of God but also warns sinners that, that mercy will not be available on the judgment day. so in His own time to punish the sins of the people of Israel because they were condemned to hell for their unlawful acts. Such a compelling analysis of the “sinners” makes a sermon a masterpiece, then and now. Gallagher asked many questions including why has it become a classic of hell-fire and brimstone preaching and what strategies mounted by Edwards, the conscious literary artist, can we detect” to understand the success of the “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God” (Gallagher 203).
New Testament starts with the chronology of the promised Messiah. In comparison to Old Testament thirty-nine books, the New Testament contains only twenty-seven books, but not les important. The first four books of the New Testament; Mathew, Mark, Luke, John are called the Gospels. The Book of Acts is a historical book. The next fourteen books are called, Pauline Epistles, and they are; Romans, First Corinthians, Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First Thessalonians, Second Thessalonians, First Timothy, Second Timothy, Titus, Philemon and Hebrew. General Epistles follow; James, First Peter, Second Peter, First John, Second John, ...
It contains sixty-six smaller books, and those books are divided into two different parts, called the Old Testament and the New Testament (“Fast Facts about the Bible”). The Old Testament has thirty-nine books, and even those books are divided into sections. The first five books of the Bible make up the Pentateuch, which contains the laws that the early Israelites had to live by. The next group of books are the Historical books, which tell the stories of many different people that Christians look up to. After those come the books of Poetry, and the Major and Minor Prophets. In the New Testament, there are twenty-seven books, which are also made up of different parts. The first four books in the New Testament are different accounts of the Gospel of Jesus, which tells of His life and ministry on Earth. Those are followed by the Church’s history, and Paul’s letters to the churches from that time period. And, the last book of the Bible is a part of its own theme, the prophecy. It depicts the future events of the world, and what will happen during the end
Watson and Keller. Dr. Watson said the second part of the Mark begins with Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi, where theme of Jesus as a suffering servant begins (Watson, 47). Furthermore, Dr. Watson lists the cruel punishment called the crucifixion Jesus had to went through with its process (Watson, 48). In the beginning of the chapter nine, Keller states Mark 8 as pivotal chapter (Keller, 103). Jesus accepts the confession made by Peter, but explains further how He have to suffer in order to save the humanity (Keller, 104). The focus began to shift from who Jesus is to Jesus’ purpose (Keller,
The Book of Daniel is the only full-blown apocalyptic book in the Protestant recognized version of the Canon. A literary device divides the book into two halves. Chapters 1-6 are a collection of stories that introduces the reader to Daniel and three other Israelites as unwilling guests of the Babylonia Empire ruled by Nebuchadnezzar. The second half, Chapters 7-12 consists of apocalyptic imagery of deformed beasts and the heavenly court. The focus of this paper will be on chapter 7, which serves as a bridge of the two halves. Chapter 7 is the earliest of the visions as it identifies with the genre of 8-12 while through language and content it reverts to Daniel chapter 2. The linguistic break down is not as neat as the literary divide in that Dan. 2:4b-7:28 was written in Aramaic while other portions of the book is written in Hebrew.
The book of Revelation is full of symbolism. It is a book that you must use your imagination to be able to interpret some of the things that St. John writes about. Many of the discussions allow the reader to interpret many controversial topics, some of which are mentioned by Barbara Rossing in her article. She discusses an ecological stance on the future of the earth. Rossing begins her article by looking at a river in Boston and compares it to the river that runs through New Jerusalem mentioned in Revelation 22:1-2 “Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, shining like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb through the middle of the city’s main street.” She wants us to imagine these rivers with a Christian vision. She mentions that if we maintain a Christian ecological vision when looking at a river we will feel and see ourselves as part of God’s holy city that Revelations discusses (Rossing 205). Rossing supports her claim throughout the article by introducing the two contrasting cities, Babylon and New Jerusalem. In her discussion of these cities she makes note of the importance of the sea in both cities. Violence against women and ecology are an interesting parallel that she makes and is one that a reader can interpret many ways. She uses New Jerusalem for the readers to vision what the “perfect” world would look like. Like the study Beth Utto-Galarneau held for her Bible study to imagine what the new Boston would look like (Rossing 219). Rossing focuses on the differences between the beginning to the end or in other words, eschatology.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. Beale, G.K. The Book of Revelation. The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999.
...evil and demonic forces that exists in this world. This book uses the picture stories to reveal the future events. The stories in the book are very difficult to explain. This book also that Satan will increase his persecution among the believers. Even in this difficult time they were to stand firm even during the time of their death. Those who are faithful believers always believed that the wicked will be destroyed forever and they are sealed form harm. Therefore it allowed people of God to enter the eternity and glory. The repetition of number “seven” is done by 52 times in this book and it is the unique feature of the book. This book falls under four different groups, for example: Historicists, Futurists, Idealists, and Idealists. Many Christians try to avoid reading this book simply because to them they find it intimidating and it talks about the end times.
Revelation identifies itself as “both an “apocalypse”…and as prophecy”, making it distinctly different from the rest of the New Testament. “Jewish apocalyptic literature flourished in the centuries following the completion of the OT canon”, and it is scattered throughout the Old Testaments in books such as Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah. Apocalyptic literature is full of “visions that dramatize the prophet’s admission to God’s heavenly council”, and convey their meaning primarily through symbolism. John brings a “balanced message of comfort, warning, and rebuke” in Revelation, testifying to the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus Christ. Apart from the OT literature, Revelation shows a distinct optimism toward the end of days, for “Christ’s death has already won the decisive victory over evil”, with the Kingdom of God already among believers. This book was written in “approximately A.D. 95 on the island of Patmos”, which is still standing to this day. It was written under the emperor Domitian, with Roman authorities exiling John “to the island of Patmos (off the coast of Asia)”. The events in Revelation are also “ordered
No part of the Bible and its interpretation is more controversial than the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation is the last profound book in the New Testament. It conveys the significant purpose of Christianity by describing God’s plan for the world and his final judgment of the people by reinforcing the importance of faith and the concept of Christianity as a whole. This book was written by John in 95 or 96 AD. What is, what has been, and what is to come is the central focus of the content in Revelation.
Pentecost, J Dwight. Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology. Grand Rapids, MI: Academie Books, 1964.
The known world was impacted by the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which was done by the first century church with great passion. These early followers of Christ set the world on fire, by relaying the Good news of Jesus Christ, first to the nation of Israel then to the gentile world. The Bible tells us that the Apostle Peter was commissioned to bring the announcement of Christ’s death and resurrection to his Jewish brethren, whereas, the Apostle Paul was chosen by Christ to bring the Gospel message of salvation to the gentile world. The early works of the church are recorded in a series of letters that have become known as the scriptures of the New Testament.