The book of Revelation is based upon a revelation which the apostle John had received during a banishment to the island of Patmos, off the coast of Asia Minor, not far from Ephesus. Probably the book itself was written on the same island. The book contains letters to seven churches of western Asia Minor which are intended to encourage or warn them in accordance with the needs of every individual congregation. The whole book is a tremendous prophecy, which strengthens the faith of the Church in the midst of persecutions and trials by revealing the plan of God, especially as it concerns the second coming of our Lord and the end of the world. Details of future events, especially times and seasons, are not intended to be revealed, but rather great principles both of good and of evil, which manifest themselves in various ways in the subsequent history of the Church. The prophecy, however, will receive its highest and final fulfillment only when our Lord shall come again, and bring in the final reign of righteousness and the blessedness of those whom he has redeemed. QUESTIONS ON LESSON XXIII 1. When, where, and why were the three Pastoral Epistles written? 2. Outline the life of Paul after his release from the first Roman imprisonment. 3. What is known about the latter part of the life of Peter? 4. What was the occasion for the writing of I Peter? of II Peter? of Jude? What are the characteristics of these letters? 5. What is known about the latter part of the life of John? 6. What were the date and the purpose of the Gospel According to John; of the Epistles of John; of the book of Revelation? * * * * * Transcriber's note: Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). Small capital text has been replaced with all capitals. Variations in spelling, punctuation and hyphenation have been retained except in obvious cases of typographical error. The cover for the eBook version of this book was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Brief Bible History, by James Oscar Boyd and John Gresham Machen