Insights into 2nd & 3rd Epistles of John Thank you for your interest in the Scriptures and deeper insights in the Word. In our newsletter, we proceed quickly through the scriptures a book at a time adding the context and historical setting and other significant meanings of the passages. Our desire is to provide a condensed, intense summary of each chapter. We're finishing 1st John today and starting on 2nd John later this week. We've covered the books of Matthew, Luke, John, Romans, Hebrews, and James, as well as the fist 14 chapters of Acts, and 1st John. If you missed any of them, send us an email at update@onepathpublishing.com and it will be our pleasure to send them to you via email. Our response time is typically 8 hrs or less. We learned last week from the first epistle of John that he desires that we have the same fellowship that he has with our heavenly Father. He gave us a roadmap for us to follow so we would have this same relationship. John declared that God is the God of light, love, and life. To have fellowship with God we must walk in light, love, and spiritual life which occurs through following the scriptures and the Holy Spirit. The second and third epistles of John are extremely short and are to the point and each consists of only 13 verses. We saw that in 1st John that he warns us that we do not need to be taught from a man (or pastor) and instead be led by the Holy Spirit. He provides this warning as he is starting to see corruption entering in the churches and he is trying to keep them on the straight and narrow. 2nd Epistle of John This short letter is directed to the readers at that time, but is even more applicable to us today. John addresses himself as the elder which would not only refer to his position as the pastor of the church of Ephesus, which signifies his authority to discuss these matters, but also the fact that he was the oldest and only Apostle left as all the others have been martyred. John writes this epistle to “the Elect Lady, and her children”. In Johns’ writings, he assumes that you are familiar with all prior writings of all the apostles and the terminology presented in them. For example, John assumes that you are familiar with everything written in the first three gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (written 66AD-68AD), as his gospel of John, written 90AD, is vastly different and there is little overlap between the other gospels. Knowing that, we can gleam to whom this letter was written by understanding the prior books and epistles. There are some that believe the letter is written to a woman and her children but the extreme importance of the letter, and precise wording suggests something more important. Those that go to heaven are of the “Elect” and Peter tells us to “give diligence to make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). We are also the bride of Christ (Elect Lady) and dozens of verses tell us this including Matt 9:15; 25:10, Mark 2:19-20, John 3:29, and Eph 5:25. In John’s first epistle (1 John), he lets us know that newborn Christians are referred to as “little children” (1 John 2:12-17). Even Jesus said, “Suffer the little children and forbid them not to come unto me for such is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt 19:14). A few years after writing this letter (95AD, book of Revelation), John writes about the marriage supper of the Lamb where the church is married to Christ so there is no misunderstanding that we “the Elect” and “her children” are the “bride of Christ”. We believe this letter was possibly written to a pastor of a single church and her congregation of newborn Christians, warning them not to stray from the doctrines that they already have been taught. Even though they are walking in the Lord, John encourages them to “love one another … and walk according to His commandments”. His warning is so strong that he goes on to say, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house (church) nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.” (vs 10-11). The reason the warning is so dire is that Paul had already previously declared that the spirit of the anti-christ was present and the Church would be destroyed from within, and it appears as if John is fearing this is starting to take place at some of these churches and does not want that to happen to this church. Jesus Himself provides the same warning in Matt 7:15 when He said, “Beware of false prophets (teachers), who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Side Note: During the time of the early churches after Christ rose and ascended, there were traveling teachers and prophets that went from church to church giving messages. Some were false teachers and prophets who were delivering deceptive messages to the churches. It became necessary that some guidelines be referenced so that the early churches could identify false traveling teachers and prophets. The written rules for the early church were named the Didache. Some of the rules were (1) if they ordered a meal and they ate that meal then they were a false prophet; (2) if they stayed more than three days then they were a false prophet; (3) if they ordered money to be given to them, then they were a false prophet. These rules were not made by the apostles, but rather local churches made them which helped but, in the end, they were not very effective. The Didache text continued to evolve until around 150AD. As most Christians are fully aware, Johns’ warning wasn’t adhered to, and some denominations and churches have embraced worldly values and congregations are falling away from the scriptures. Today we are seeing the end-times unfold and many are surprised to learn the current state of the churches as a whole. As of 2021, some shocking AWVI polls among “Christians” reveal that up to 95% are already potentially deceived by false doctrines and not following the scriptures by their own admission: - 95% do not consider success in life to be described as consistent obedience to God.
- 91% do not believe that people are born into sin and need to be saved by Jesus Christ.
- 88% say they get their primary moral guidance from various sources other than the Bible.
- 76% contend that good people earn a place in Heaven through their good behavior.
- 76% of Christians say that 'People should not criticize someone else's life choices.'
- 76% of Christians say that the best way to “find yourself” is to look within, and not Jesus.
- 75% do not believe that God is the basis of all truth.
These polls tell us that we must dedicate our lives to being led by the Holy Spirit and reading the scriptures for ourselves so that we can tell if someone is telling us something that is untrue. As David said, we should memorize the scriptures and hide His Word in our hearts so that we don’t sin against God. (Psalm 119:11) Using that same symbolism that John used at the beginning of the epistle, the last verse which says “The children of your elect sister greet you. Amen”, could likely mean “my congregation, the church of Ephesus, greets you, Amen”. 3rd Epistle of John From the 2nd epistle of John to a church and her congregation, it became clear that John, who was the last surviving Apostle, was afraid of false doctrines and “doctrines of demons” (as Paul called them in 1 Tim 4:1-4) trying to get into the church and they “will turn away from the truth” (2 Tim 4:3-4). Matthew tells us that this will happen through the pastors and church leadership (Matt 16:6). John was warning the church and its congregation to hold fast to the scriptures and the doctrines of Christ and not be swayed by false teachers. [The same message is applicable to us today as we need to focus our lives on studying the scriptures for ourselves instead of following whatever a pastor says.] The 3rd epistle of John is written to a different church, pastored by Diotrephes, where the unthinkable is happening, realizing John’s greatest fears and many church members don’t probably know that they are no longer following Christ and are being led astray. John addresses his letter to one of its members named Gaius who walks in the truth. [Remember that John uses words that were previously equated to other things that were covered in prior writings of the Apostles. “The truth” in this case is Jesus, as Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6).] John tells Gaius that Diotrephes is someone who is in the church and should not be there as he prevents the prophets of God to talk to the church, and even casts those in the church out that disagree with him. Diotrephes even refused to have John come and talk to the church. The Apostle isn’t tattle-tailing, but is sincerely concerned for the church and his friend and encourages him to not follow that path (3 John 11). He tells Gaius that he intends to visit and talk with him shortly. Do you Want to Know God More? We Must Read His Word. I would like to suggest that every Christian obtain a copy of The Pure Word New Testament and use it alongside your favorite Bible version to see the original meanings and open your eyes like never before. It is not a translation but a Pure extraction or substitution from Greek into English using the original meaning of each root word as closely as possible as it existed at the time of Jesus Christ and the Apostles Watch the official intro video to see how The Pure Word is an invaluable resource that should be used by every Christian, pastor, and Bible study group. Experience the gospel as they did in the first century, during the time of Christ, the Apostles, and the birth of the Church! Click Here for just a few of the thousands of reviews of The Pure Word. Revealing the Original Depth of Meaning as Written by the Apostles Over 1,900 Years Ago! | 
Posts