These two concise epistles confess a rich theology of the end times. They warn against libertine heretics who condone promiscuity as an acceptable expression of the Christian life, and who scoff at Christ’s second coming because of his apparent delay. These inspired books of Scripture recall OT events such as the fallen angels’ rebellion, the sexual abomination and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Balaam’s seduction of Israel. God’s earlier acts of judgment and salvation guarantee that he will indeed act again. Christ will return, destroy the present corrupted world, raise all baptized believers, and bring them into the new creation characterized by righteousness. The final day is also the time of severe judgment against the false teachers. This message about the downfall of evildoers provides Gospel comfort to the church, which will be vindicated.
The Reverend Dr. Curtis P. Giese is a professor in the Theology Division at Concordia University Texas in Austin, where he has taught Greek and New Testament since 2004. He was born and raised in Wausau, Wisconsin and received his education at Concordia University-St. Paul (B.A.), Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri (M. Div., S.T.M), Lutherische Theologische Hochschule, Oberursel, Germany, and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, Ohio (M. Phil., Ph.D.) where his emphasis was Judaism in the Greco-Roman period.
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