This phrase is found in Galatians 4:4, where Paul speaks of Christ's birth and earthly ministry as occurring when "the fulness of time" had arrived. The expression takes note of the preparation tha...

The Book of Galatians was one of Paul's letters to several churches in Galatia, written about A.D. 48. A Jewish element in these churches taught that one must be obedient to the law of Moses and th...

Gambling may be defined as the willingness to take a risk (a wager), motivated by the desire to get something for nothing. Gambling, an ancient vice condemned in virtually all societies, is motivat...

This is the erroneous theory that a vast span of time (billions of years) transpired between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. During this time period, huge creatures roamed the earth (e.g., dinosaurs), and the...

The opening book of the Bible is a document of "beginnings." Written by Moses some 1,500 years before Christ, it introduces the beginning of: the Universe, life, mankind, the home, sin, the plan of...

The Bible is filled with affirmations of the generosity of our Creator. Every good and perfect gift is from him (Jas. 1:17). Surely our gratitude must be lavishly expressed for his graciousness. (a...

Some seventeen different words are found in the Greek N.T. that represent, in one way or another, the concept of "giving." (a) While God does not "need" anything from man (Acts 17:25), he has alway...

"God" (theos) is the name of the divine nature. "God" simply signifies the essence of being deity. Important facts regarding the Deity are these: (a) There is one God (Dt. 6:4; Jas. 2:19), i.e., a ...

The gods of the biblical era were profuse. They were the inventions of the human mind in a world that had rejected the true God and his sovereignty over humanity.  The Old Testament prophets denie...

"Good" in the Bible is expressed in a variety of ways. It can have reference to that which is perfect in design, flawless. Such was the state of the earth at the conclusion of the creation week (Ge...

"Gospel" derives from the Greek euangelion, literally "good tidings" (see Lk. 2:10 where it is fully translated). The gospel (mentioned more than 75 times in the N.T.) is the good news of a plan of...

The term "grace" occurs about 155 times in the N.T. The word relates to a Greek term, chairo, meaning "to rejoice," and grace itself comes to mean favor, gratification, or gratitude -- depending up...

The New Testament was written originally is what is known as Koine Greek. Koine is to be distinguished from Attic Greek, the latter being predominately the language of the ancient classics, e.g., A...

Sometime before the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians (586 B.C.), the prophet Habakkuk wonders why God appears to have ignored Judah's sins. The Lord informs the bewildered prophet that he is pl...

This word comes directly from Greek into English, letter-for-letter. W.E. Vine noted that some derive the term from the negative prefix a ("not") and eido ("seen"), hence "the unseen," though he fe...

After Judah's initial return from Babylonian captivity (536 B.C.), God's people had begun the work of rebuilding the temple. Then, due to opposition from certain enemies, the Hebrews became discour...

By virtue of man's transgression, death and all its attendant evils (sicknesses) have become a part of the human experience. It is not surprising, therefore, that "healing" is a biblical theme. Hea...

The Greek word for "heart" is kardia (as in the English, cardiac). Though "heart" literally refers to the blood pump within man's body cavity, the term rarely refers to the physical organ in the Bi...

The term "heaven" is used in different ways in the Bible. (a) The expression may refer to the atmospheric region just above the earth wherein the birds fly, the rain is formed, and in which the win...

On several occasions the Scriptures speak of a "new heavens and a new earth" (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1). What does the phrase mean? (a) It does not refer to a literal new heavens and earth. This is s...