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The book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Pentateuch. The title signifies "second law." Moses penned this document near the end of the era of wilderness wandering. Its design is to rehearse the law for the new generation about to enter Canaan—the older generation having died out in the wil...
The word "Trinity" does not occur in the Scriptures. The term combines the dual concepts of "three" and "unity," and thus it does convey a biblical idea, namely that the Godhead is composed of three distinct personalities that share one, identical essence, the nature of deity. God is "one" as to ...
Pentecost was an annual Jewish festival that came fifty days (the word signifies "fiftieth") after the Passover celebration (Leviticus 23:15-21; Deuteronomy 16:9-12). It was also known as the feast of weeks (Exodus 34:22), the feast of harvest (Exodus 23:16), or the feast of firstfruits (Num. 28:...
The English word "bible" means "scroll" or "book" and refers to the sixty-six documents that comprise the book of Scripture -- thirty-nine Old Testament documents and twenty-seven New Testament books. These two divisions are sometimes called the two covenants (Ex. 24:7; Mt. 26:28; Heb. 8:7). The ...
A number of terms, both in the O.T. and the N.T., suggest the idea of a "path" or "way" of travel. The words come to be employed of a "course of conduct," whether for good (Ex. 18:20; 32:8; Dt. 31:29; Jer. 6:16) or evil (Num. 22:32; Psa. 139:24; Isa. 65:2; Acts 14:16). (a) Jesus declared that he ...
The Greek term, found in various forms about forty-five times in the N.T., means "the possession of a lot," or portion. Some ideas associated with the word are these: (a) It can suggest a possession by right of birth (Gal. 4:30; Heb. 1:4; cf. Jn. 3:3-5; Gal. 3:26-27, 29). (b) The inheritance is b...
After Jacob had his famous encounter with the "messenger" of Jehovah (Gen. 32:29; cf. Hos. 12:4-5), his name was changed to "Israel," suggesting, "he who strove with God." Later, the name is applied to the descendants of Jacob generally (Gen. 32:32; Ex. 1:9; 12:3). When the kingdom split during t...
The imagery of a "lamb" is taken from the Old Testament to convey certain thoughts about the Messiah. John the Baptizer introduced Jesus as the "lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The Passover lamb of the Old Testament was clearly a "type" (see) of Christ (1 Corinthians...
The term "brother" is from the Greek adelphos. It technically signifies "from the same womb." The word is used in different senses in the New Testament. • It is employed literally to identify siblings of the same parents (Acts 12:2). • It can denote those of the same nation (Acts 2:29; 9:17; 22:5...
The practice of baptism "for the dead" is mentioned once in the New Testament. "If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?" (1 Cor. 15:29). Though the passage is somewhat obscure, several things are evident: First, it gives no sanction to the modern practice (by Mormo...
The Bible affirms God's omniscience (i.e., that he knows everything—past, present, and future; cf. 1 Sam. 16:7; Psa. 139; Is. 40:13ff; Acts 1:24; Heb. 4:13). One aspect of divine omniscience is "foreknowledge" (prognosis -- knowing beforehand). This divine attribute is affirmed of God in Acts 2:2...
Blood is a prominent theme in the Bible. Because blood is the life stream of a person (Lev. 17:11), it becomes the biblical representation of life. Because of sin, man has forfeited the right to live (Gen. 2:17; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:1). To satisfy the justice of God, a blood-offering was required (H...
There are three kindred words in the Greek N.T. that represent the idea of "propitiation." Two are nouns -- hilasmos (1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10) and hilasterion (Rom. 3:25; Heb. 9:5), and the third is the verb hilaskomai (Lk. 18:13; Heb. 2:17). The terms are designed to provide an explanation as to how God...
The term "heaven" is used in different ways in the Bible. The expression may refer to the atmospheric region just above the earth where the birds fly, the rain forms, and the wind blows (Gen. 1:10; 7:11; Dan. 8:8). The outer space region that houses the stars, the sun, and the planets is also des...
Homosexual activity is sexual intimacy between two persons of the same gender. This form of sexual conduct is uniformly condemned in the Bible. (a) It stands outside the divinely prescribed realm of authorized sexual gratification, i.e., the marriage union (Gen. 2:24; Mt. 19:4; 1 Cor. 7:2), and i...
"Prophecy" is a message from God; the act of bringing forth that message is "prophesying." "Prophecy" derives from a compound Greek term consisting of pro ("forth") and phemi, "to speak," hence, "to speak forth." (a) Most frequently in the Bible, prophecy, when used of righteous people, reflected...
"Communion" is a term applied to the Lord's Supper because of its usage in 1 Corinthians 10:16. This act of worship emphasizes the fellowship (koinonia — sharing, participation) we enjoy with Christ when we partake of the sacred elements (cf. "with you" in Mt. 26:29). The communion involves two e...
The term "sovereign" denotes the right that God has to rule the Universe. Note that the word "reign" is contained within "sovereign." Jehovah has this "right" because he is the Creator, and therefore the Owner, of everything that has been made (Psa. 24:1; Mt. 20:15). Does not the potter have a "r...
The English word "atonement" derives from an Anglo-Saxon term that practically signifies "a making at one." Though the English term "atonement" is common to the Old Testament, it is found only once in the New Testament (Rom. 5:11 KJV). There, the original term (katallage) is better rendered as "r...
"Predestination" is the idea that God determined something beforehand. The noun itself does not appear in the Bible, but the verb behind it does. The Greek term is proorizo (pro — "before" and horizo — "to mark out, to set a boundary"). It is found six times in the New Testament (Acts 4:28; Roman...