Who Wrote the Gospel of John?

Question:

Who wrote the Gospel of John, the Epistles of John, and Revelation?  Were they written by Apostle John, the son of Zebedee or different people named John...?

  

My Reply:

The gospel of John is believed to have been written by the apostle. The defense of this includes the fact that he often mentioned himself, but gave himself nicknames (the disciple Jesus loved, the one disciple who ran faster than Peter, etc.). Another is because it's in sync with the first letter claiming his name (1 John). It's also the same Greek style of writing.

The 2nd letter of John, though, doesn't claim to be written by John, but by an elder. I don't know why it's called John 2. I believe it's the same situation with John 3.

Revelation: Though nobody's completely positive that it was John the disciple who wrote it, it's understood that it was since he was banished on an island for some time, as is understood also in Revelation. So his history is in sync with what he reported in the book.

---Pastor Andy

How can I find God?

Picture Courtesy of...

Dear Pastor Andy, 

How Can I find God?

How do I really know He is there?

How do I know the bible could just be another book?

He promises me eternal life in John, but how do I know that it's real and that I won't just die and everything will go black and be another non-existent dead organism? I don't want to die and just be dead.

I have faith and love, but I have doubts right when my faith gets strong.

How do I know that I'm not just insane and only think I'm dealing with demonic activity?

Whenever I read the bible I pass out right away because of all the issues.

Why don't people believe in the devil and demons and their actions when Jesus performed exorcisms? And why don't people believe His every word when the book pretty much states to follow him?

In some books does it really change from Jehovah to Lord because of an edit from the original transcript?

There's a Holy Trinity, is there an unholy trinity?

My Reply:

When I accepted Jesus, I didn't really know what I was getting into. I just knew it had to be better than things were going. Also, I was searching for God, and John 14:6 tells us that the only way to God is through Jesus.  But when I accepted Him, I simply said, "I'm giving you a chance." Then repented for everything I'd done up until then and asked Jesus into my heart, me into His, etc. He'll speak to you in the Scriptures, and help you understand right from wrong, Him from not Him, Truth from not truth, etc. 

Let me see if I can help you with some of your other questions:

1. But you're right that there's an evil (demonic) that's out to create doubts in you. 
   Try this: when you're about to read scripture, pray first, asking Jesus to help you understand and believe what you're about to read. Then after reading it, pray again for understanding of what you just read.
   
   
2. Authenticity of the Bible: check out this link (don't get thrown off by the link's name). You can also check out anything by Lee Strobel or Josh McDowell to help you understand from where we got the Bible).
   
   
3. Also, find a Christian church and join a life group (small group) and/or Bible Study group to help you in your own studies.
   
   
4. People often don't believe in the demon thing because Satan has put other comforts into their lives that caused them to change their beliefs of such. This is a dangerous tactic of Satan's though. Can you imagine if our military in Iraq decided one day to not believe there's a war going on, and walk around unarmed? With nobody shooting the enemy, they'd get picked off for sure. Unfortunately, many Christians have fallen into this trap, and are no longer fighting and being picked off, spiritually.
   
   
5. Actually, the Bible totally says to follow Jesus. But though Bible's are so easy to come by, Bible illiteracy is very common among Christians. They believe the worldview about the Bible, and when they read something against what they've come to believe, they choose not to believe it. Another is reason is because for many, Truth has become Relative. For example, John 14:6 ("I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Nobody comes to the Father but through me.") Many Christians have friends, relatives, even spouses who don't know the Lord, or who've died without knowing Him. So they've chosen to believe that everybody will go to heaven because they don't want to believe their loved one won't make the cut. But Jesus said it right there in scripture.
   
   
6. Jehovah/Yaweh: In the Old Testament (OT), it's spelled with 4 letters, all consonants. Some pronounce it Jehovah. Personally, I understand more so how they got Yaweh from it.
   
   
7. Finally, there is no unholy trinity. Satan is by himself in that respect. His only helpers are the 1/3 of angels who sided with him and whom are now demons. And remember too, (John 1): darkness (evil) can't overcome the light (holy).

---Pastor Andy

Is 666 Nero, or just a curse towards him?

Question: Is it possible that the author of Revelations was just really mad at the ruler Nero, and that Nero is who he is referring to as "the beast" or 616 (and that 666 is a misinterpretation)? I've heard this before but haven't studied much on it.

My Reply:

Tradition has it that the author of Revelation was John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, also the writer of the Gospel of John.
There was a time when John was banished on an island (versus being killed off like the rest of the apostles), where he had the vision, which is what's written in the book of Revelation.
Was he mad at Nero, maybe, for Nero killed off Paul, Peter, and many more of the brethren in Christ. But nowhere in Revelation does he mention any personal commentary, but only recorded what he saw, heard, and replied. Although he does express confusion about what he sees, he never tries to interpret it. Even with the number 666 (or 616)...he tells us how to figure it out, but he never actually say it's Nero.  That was an interpretation by readers.  
As for the number 666 or 616, I've heard some of the argument, but I've also read the Greek, and it does specifically say "six hundred and sixty six".

I know Wikipedia doesn't have the best reputation, but they have some interesting comments on this topic.

---Pastor Andy