Second Epistle of John facts for kids

The Second Epistle of John is a very short letter found in the Christian Bible. It's the sixty-third book overall and the twenty-fourth in the New Testament. Many people believe this letter was written by John the Apostle. It is the shortest book in the entire Bible, with only 13 verses!

There's some discussion among scholars about whether the John who wrote this letter is the same John who wrote the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation. However, many believe they are all the same person.

Who Received This Letter?

The letter is addressed to "the elect lady and her children." Some bibles translate this as "elder lady and her children." It ends with a greeting from "The children of your chosen sister."

There are two main ideas about who this "lady" might be:

• A Real Person: Some believe the letter was sent to a real woman John knew, and her children were her actual sons and daughters.
• The Church: Others think the "lady" is a symbol for the Christian church. In this view, the "children" would represent the members of that church or Christian groups.

What Does the Letter Say?

This letter shares many ideas with the Third Epistle of John. Most people believe that John the Apostle wrote all these letters. The way they are written, the words they use, and the arguments they make all seem to support this idea.

The letter also gives an important warning. It tells people to be careful of those who say that Jesus was not a real human being. John writes, "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who say that Jesus Christ has not come in the flesh."

This shows that even when the letter was first written, some people had strange ideas about Jesus. They believed that Jesus was only a spirit or that he didn't really come to Earth as a human. John calls these people "deceivers" and even "Antichrist" (meaning against Christ). He warns Christians not to welcome such people.

Images for kids

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  Manuscript of the New Testament with the text of the Second Epistle of John 1-5 (5th or 6th century)

See also

In Spanish: Segunda epístola de Juan para niños