To whom were the letters of the New Testament addressed? Who wrote theses letters? What was the situation that caused the need for theses letters to have been written? How did the readers understand what written?
These are such basic questions whose answers can make the letters so much easier to correctly understand. There is a course taught on this in the universities called "hermeneutics."
This is a big word that I understand to mean, "just use common sense." Use the same principles in understanding the Bible as you would when reading any others letter. The course has great value. It helps one to consider the answers to the above question.
The letters of the New Testament were not written to us. Before you scream, consider what the letters say, such as to Timothy, to Titus, to the Romans, to the church at Galatia, to the seven churches of Aais etc.. And how John say he was "their brother" and "companion" in "tribulation." Rev. 1:9
These were letters written to the first century people and to first century churches about first century situations and events. (Matthew 24:1-3; Luke 21:21-22) God has preserved these letter for us today for our learning, 1 Kings 10:8 instruction, 2 Timothy 3:16 and comfort, John 14:27 but they were not written to us. They were written to first century people. (Acts 2:36-40)
We are, in effect, reading someone else's mail. When we read these letters, we must understand them as they were written. When the writer told the reader that those events would happen "soon," Romans 13:11-12; James 5:8-9 he was talking about events that were about to happen at that time in the first century.
We have absolutely no problem understanding this principle when reading the "Old Testament," then why is it such a big problem understanding it in the New Testament?
We need to read the New Testament letters from a first century perspective. The passages come to life with a fresh new view when we view them thought the eyes of the first century people.
What was the writer trying to convey to them? Many of the saints were being troubled, and put through persecution, and tribulation, by the Jews leaders. (1 Thess. 1-9) How were they to understand the comforting words the writer was trying to convey?
That the Lord Jesus would be "revealed from heaven" with His mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them who did not know God.
Traditional views often nullify our understanding of God's message. The common practice today is to tear these passages out of their historic setting and to try to apply them to the year 2002. Many preachers expound on how these words say that theses events are to happen "soon" possibly this very night. They fail to explain that the apostles in the first century were talking to the first century people in that generation Romans 13:11-12 not in our time 2002 years way off in the future.
We are blessed today because Christ kept His word and brought about the events when He said he would, in their generation, before some of them died. He did not fail.
Today, we live with Christ in His kingdom. We can be in Christ and He can be in us. We share with all people the blessings promised to Abraham. It was through Abraham that all nations were to be blessed. This was accomplished through Christ who was of Abraham's seed. We have the salvation promised through Abraham.
We are blessed with "completed salvation." We will never see death. God's plan of salvation did not get knocked off track, get delayed, or fail as so many would have you to believe.
He did not inset a church age to make up for His supposed failure to complete His work in the first century. It was not an afterthought, How important was the church? He purchased it with Hid blood. Christ accomplished exactly what He said He would, when He said He would. We serve an awesome God.