Book Description

The Bible is simply a love letter compiled into sixty-six books and written over a period ofsixteen hundred years by more than forty authors living on three continents. Although theauthors came from different backgrounds, there is one message, one theme, one thread that runs throughout the entire Bible from the first book, Genesis, to the last book, Revelation. That message is God's redeeming love for mankind--a message that is as relevant for us today as it was two thousand years ago.Other Letters (Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, First John, Second John, and Third John) were written over a period of approximately fifty years. The book of James was the earliest, penned between AD 46 and 49, and Revelation was the last to be recorded; it was written by the apostle John in AD 95 or 96. Most of these letters were written after the apostle Paul's death, and they carried on the Christian epistolary tradition.In contrast to many of Paul's writings, the General Epistles were written during the years of heavy Roman persecution of the Christian population. The content of some of these letters reflects this increasingly hostile environment. In addition, the spread and strength of false teachings was much greater than it was during the years that Paul wrote. This challenge to Christianity is also very evident in the content and tone of these last nine books of the New Testament.Of course, there could be no better capstone to the New Testament -- and, in fact, to the entire Bible -- than the book of Revelation. In it, God records His last words about the final days and the ultimate victory of His Son, the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah.