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Pasa Graphe' Theopneustos Kai Ophelimos (Greek) is one of the most often-repeated passages from the Scriptures, ie, the Bible. The passage appears in the heading of our Facebook page. But what does it say to us in our various tongues? Well, for those of us who speak English, this passage is a bold testimony from the pen of one Paul, a first-century scholar from the Isrealite tribe of Benjamin. It is also a statement steeped in the thelogy of the Biblical narratives. So, Paul wrote to a young ethnic Jew named Timotheus: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable......"
At the time Paul wrote those words, there was not yet a codex known as the "New Testament." The scrolls of papyrus on which were written the Scriptures are what we call today the "Old Testament." In its immediate and limited interpretation, Paul is saying that the messages in the Old Testament are inspired by God. That being so, who is the man who would say that the record of the flood in Noah's day was simply an allegory, and not an historical account?

Revelation

For many Christians, the book of Revelation is the most mysterious book of the Bible. Chapter after chapter is filled with the visions of John the Revelator.

He saw a leopard-like beast.
He beheld a great red dragon.
He viewed angels in the sky and terrible plagues upon the earth.
He also saw different colored horses and the wedding feast of a Lamb.

It’s clear that John was using symbolic language as he wrote the book of Revelation. What’s not so clear is just what each symbol means. One of the keys for unlocking the treasures in the book of Revelation is the Old Testament.

John used many figures of speech and allusions based on the Old Testament. So, when we discover what the symbol meant in the Old Testament, we can begin to understand what John meant in Revelation.

Even though there are differences in interpretation of this book, the overall theme seems clear. John wanted to give his readers a message of hope and encouragement. Written when Christians were persecuted for their faith, Revelation reminds believers that Jesus Christ will one day defeat Satan. Evil will end, and God’s people will live with Jesus Christ forever in an earth made new.

So the last two chapters of the Bible are a fitting climax to Scripture. They picture the eternal world of the saints who live with the joy of seeing God, face to face.