This book surveys some 424 years, from the beginning of Solomon’s reign to the edict from the Persian king, Cyrus, to free the Jews. 

Cyrus commissioned the Jews to return from the Babylonian capt...

Apocalyptic language is a highly symbolic form of expression. Vivid figures of speech convey the ideas. When the figures are interpreted, the meaning of the message is uncovered. The word derives f...

This phrase has roots in the Old Testament. The book of Daniel alludes to “the abomination that makes desolate” (cf. 9:27, 11:31, 12:11). 

It is generally believed that 11:31 is a reference to the...

The Bible occasionally speaks of the wicked being ultimately “destroyed” (apollumi) in hell (Mt. 10:28; Lk. 13:3, 5; 2 Thes. 2:10). Some, therefore, have assumed that after an appropriate period of...

The Greek word is huiothesia, from huios, “son,” and tithemi, “to set, put, or place.” 

The word suggests the idea of putting one into the position of a son. It is used five times in the New Testa...

Adultery is sexual intimacy between a married person and someone other than their lawful mate. The act begins in the mind (Mt. 5:28; Mk. 7:21) and ultimately manifests in physical union (cf. Jn. 8:...

This word originally meant “hidden things,” suggesting a special body of information reserved for a select group. Eventually, it came to signify a collection of fourteen or fifteen books, some of w...

The doctrine of hereditary total depravity is also known as “original sin” in Roman Catholicism. This concept asserts that all children come into the world with both the effects and guilt of Adam’s...

This word is related to a Greek verb, apostello, meaning “to send away, to send forth.” It is used in several senses in the New Testament. 
• Christ was God’s “apostle,” sent from heaven to reveal ...

Astrology is a pagan superstition that believes the heavenly bodies influence human activity. Additionally, the theory often includes the belief that human events can be predicted by “reading” the ...

This is an expression used frequently in the Old Testament to describe those who forsook their loyalty to God and began to serve Satan again. 

No fewer than thirteen times, the prophet Jeremiah re...

The Christian commitment is biblically designated as a “calling.” The divine calling (Eph. 4:1) is not a direct communication from God or his Holy Spirit, as some today allege. No one on earth know...

The Greek term antikristos is found five times in the New Testament — all references being in John’s writings (1 Jn. 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 Jn. 7). The meaning is “against Christ.”

John warns that man...

The term atheism derives from two Greek roots, a (meaning “no”) and theos (“God”). It is a word that depicts the irrational ideology of the person who dogmatically says: “There is no God” (cf. Psa....

This word is an anglicized form of the Greek apologeia, literally meaning “a verbal defense.” It is found eight times in the New Testament, and a verb form occurs some ten times.

For example, Luke...

A word that denotes the commencement of anything with a point of origin. 

The “heavens and the earth” had a beginning (Gen. 1:1); hence, they are not eternal. Material origins must be explained su...

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...

The most popular Greek word for “authority” is exousia (sometimes translated as “power”). The term, with various usages, is found 102 times in the New Testament. The word, together with some parall...

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 boo...

On the night before his death, during the Passover celebration, Jesus instituted the communion supper for his disciples (Mt. 26:26ff; Mk. 14:22ff; Lk. 22:19ff; cf. 1 Cor. 11:23ff). The Lord’s Suppe...