The apostle John lived to old age (2 John 1:1; 3 John 1:1 cf. John 21:22-23). According to tradition, he was the only apostle to die a natural death. Along with his Gospel account, John wrote 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John emphasizing love, truth, and the assurance of salvation. On an island called Patmos, he wrote Revelation showing the ultimate victory of Christ and His people against fierce enemies.
THE ULTIMATE VICTORY IS CHRIST’S.
James, a brother of Jesus, wrote his letter James to scattered Christians (James 1:1), encouraging them in the face of persecutions. Jude, another brother, wrote Jude “to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). Jews made up the church in its earliest days. But as Gentiles flooded into the church, unbelieving Jews pushed away their believing brothers. Disheartened Jewish Christians were tempted to slip back into Judaism. Hebrews was written to show that Christ outranks Moses (Hebrews 3), His priesthood and sacrifice are infinitely superior (Hebrews 4-8), and His New Covenant makes the Old Covenant obsolete (Hebrews 8-10). Hebrews was written when Jerusalem’s temple still stood—“every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices” (Hebrews 10:11). But shortly after that, as foretold by Jesus Himself (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), General Titus and his Roman army destroyed Jerusalem and its magnificent temple in A.D. 70. The Romans stamped out persistent Jewish rebellion and scattered Jews to foreign lands. So ended the formal Judaism that had depended on the temple, its priests and its sacrifices. This was fulfilling Jesus’ predictions:
SO ENDED THE JUDAISM OF THE TEMPLE.
And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, He said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (Luke 21:5-6)
The kingdom of God will be taken away from you [rebellious Jews] and given to a people producing its fruits. (Matthew 21:43)