For a master copy of the outline, click here: Basic Bible Doctrine
To Listen on YouTube, click here: An Overview of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation (Part 7) - Hebrews to Revelation
N. The book of Hebrews
i. The book of Hebrews is a letter by Paul to the Hebrews which was written probably in the 50's or 60's AD.
ii. The following are reasons why Paul wrote the book of Hebrews.
a. Paul might have not given his name in the beginning of the epistle like he did the others he wrote because he was the apostle to the Gentiles (Rom 11:13), which might have put off some of his Hebrew readers.
b. Paul was more qualified than any other to write a book to the Hebrews considering he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews and a Pharisee who was trained by Gamaliel (Php 3:4-6; Act 5:34 c/w Act 22:3).
c. Paul was in bonds (Heb 10:34 c/w Php 1:7,13,14,16 c/w Col 4:18).
d. Peter, the apostle to the Jews (Gal 2:8-9), said that Paul had written to the Jews (Hebrews) (2Pe 3:15).
e. Paul mentions his convert and son in the ministry, Timothy in Hebrews (Heb 13:23), who is only mentioned in Paul's epistles, but not in any of the other epistles.
f. The book of Hebrews ends with Paul's signature (2Th 3:17-18 c/w Tit 3:15 c/w Heb 13:25).
iii. The book of Hebrews was written to a Jewish church to assure them of the supremacy of Jesus Christ to Moses, and of His once all-sufficient sacrifice to the sacrificial system of the law of Moses and the Levitical priesthood.
iv. Paul also encourages the Hebrews to continue steadfast in the faith in the face of persecution and ostracization.
O. The book of James
i. The book of James is a letter by James to a Jewish church which was written before 63 AD.
ii. The James that wrote it was likely James the Lord's brother for the following reasons.
a. James, the Lord's brother, was an apostle (Gal 1:19).
b. James the brother of John was killed by king Herod early in the days of the spread of Christianity (Act 12:1-2).
c. After James the brother of John was killed and Peter was miraculously saved from prison, he told the brethren to go tell the news to James and the brethren (Act 12:17).
d. This James appears to be the presiding elder of the church in Jerusalem (Act 15:13-22; Act 21:18).
(i) James, the presiding elder at Jerusalem, appears to be James the Lord's brother because Paul mentions seeing James the Lord's brother with Peter when he went to Jerusalem three years after his conversion (Gal 1:17-19 c/w Act 9:26-28).
(ii) This was before the death of James the brother of John in Acts 12:1-2.
(iii) In the next chapter of Galatians, Paul recounts when he and Barnabas went to Jerusalem 14 years later to dispute with the Pharisees in Jerusalem (Gal 2:1-5) which happened in Act 15:1-2.
(iv) There, Paul met James, Peter, and John (Gal 2:9 c/w Act 15:7,13-14).
(v) In that Paul had previously referred to meeting James the Lord's brother who was an apostle in Jerusalem in Gal 1:18-19, and then mentions meeting James again in Jerusalem in Gal 2:9 after James the brother of John was dead, it seems reasonable to conclude that James the Lord's brother was the presiding elder in the Jerusalem church in Acts 15.
e. In that James the Lord's brother was most likely the presiding elder in the Jerusalem church, which was a Jewish church, it is reasonable to conclude that he wrote the book of James that was addressed to Jews (Jam 1:1).
f. There was also another apostle named James the son of Alphaeus (Mat 10:3), but it seems unlikely that he was the author of James because of the prominence of both James the Lord's brother and James the brother of John (who was killed early on, likely before the epistle was written).
iii. James covers mostly practical matters of Godly living, including resisting sin, not showing favoritism, the importance of maintaining good works which validate faith, controlling the tongue, humility, and much more.
P. The book of 1 Peter
i. The book of 1 Peter is a letter by Peter to a Jewish church which was written around 64 AD.
ii. Peter was one of Jesus' closest disciples and he went through quite a transformation from being a immature, impulsive Christian to a mature apostle who wrote two books of the Bible.
iii. 1 Peter covers many facets of Christian doctrine and practice such as election, salvation, the nature of the local church, submitting to authority, spousal relationship, suffering as a Christian, and instruction to elders on overseeing the church.
Q. The book of 2 Peter
i. The book of 2 Peter is another letter by Peter to a Jewish church which was written around 64 AD.
ii. 2 Peter covers topics such as making one's election sure, false teachers and wicked people creeping into the church, and the second coming of Christ and destruction of the world.
R. The book of 1 John
i. The book of 1 John is a letter by the apostle John to Christians which was likely written in the late first century AD.
ii. This was one of five books that John wrote in addition to 2 & 3 John, the gospel of John, and Revelation.
iii. In this epistle, John covers his personal witness of the life of Jesus Christ, confession of sins, identifying antichrists, how to know that one is born of God, the Trinity, and the deity of Christ.
S. The book of 2 John
i. The book of 2 John is a letter by the apostle John to a Christian lady and her children which was likely written in the late first century AD.
ii. In this letter, John emphasized the importance of knowing the truth of Jesus Christ and abiding in His doctrine.
T. The book of 3 John
i. The book of 3 John is a letter by the apostle John to a Christian named Gaius which was likely written in the late first century AD.
ii. In this letter, John praised Gaius for walking in the truth and warns him about a wicked pastor of a church named Diotrephes who was being of lord over God's heritage.
U. The book of Jude
i. The book of Jude is a letter by a man named Jude to Christians which was likely written between 65-80 AD.
ii. The author of Jude was "the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James" (Jud 1:1).
a. This could be Judas the apostle who was the brother of James the apostle (Luk 6:15-16).
b. This could also be Juda the brother of James and of our Lord Jesus (Mar 6:3).
iii. It is more likely that it was Juda the brother of Jesus Christ who wrote Jude for the following reasons:
a. Jude didn't identify himself as an apostle as Peter and Paul did in their epistles, but only as a servant of Jesus Christ (Jud 1:1) like his brother James did (Jam 1:1).
b. Jude exhorts his readers to remember the words spoken by the apostles, and refers to them as "they" not "we" (Jud 1:17-18).
iv. The book of Jude closely follows 2 Peter chapter 2 in warning about false teachers and converts that will creep into the church.
5. The Book of Revelation
A. The book of Revelation is a letter by the apostle John to the seven churches in Asia (Rev 1:1,4) which was likely written in the late first century AD.
B. John received The Revelation from Jesus Christ (Rev 1:1) while on the island of Patmos (Rev 1:9).
C. The book of Revelation is signified (To be a sign or symbol of) (Rev 1:1) which means that it is largely symbolic and not to be taken literally, but figuratively and allegorically.
D. The Revelation includes messages and warnings from Jesus Christ to the seven churches of Asia.
E. It also covers events in the past, present (1st century), and future (Rev 1:19).
F. Revelation prophesies of the end times when Satan amasses a world empire and religion which culminates in the second coming of Christ in which He destroys the devil, destroys the heavens and the earth, judges the wicked, and creates new heavens and a new earth where His saints dwell with Him forever.
