This celebrated book is a narrative regarding an ancient patriarch who lived in Arabia. As a test case, designed to prove that God is "worthy to be praised" (Psa. 18:3) irrespective of the blessing...

The first three Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are called SYNOPTICS (see), because they view the life of Christ from roughly the same vantagepoint. John's account is different. His recor...

John's first epistle is an defense against the "gnostic" doctrine that alleged that Jesus Christ was not a real, flesh-and-blood human being. This sect claimed a special "knowledge" received direct...

John's second epistle is a word of commendation for a certain "elect lady" and her children. Further, it provides strong warnings regarding those who go beyond the teaching of Christ, and cautions ...

This book is an appeal to a godly Christian whose name was Gaius, to the end that this brother might assist certain workers who were laboring on behalf of the Lord. Additionally, it conveys a stron...

A Jewish historian who lived around A.D. 37-103. He was initially a resistor against the Roman invasion of Judaea (A.D. 70), but he surrendered eventually. He went to Rome where he was commissioned...

This book contains the record of Israel's conquest of the land of Canaan. The leader of the campaign was Joshua, who substantially took the land in three military invasions -- first, the central re...

Jude, a brother of James, and half-brother of Jesus (1:1; Mt. 13:55), is the author of this general epistle. As he was in the process of beginning a letter relative to the "common salvation," he wa...

The Greek word krino means to render a verdict (Lk. 7:43; Acts 15:9). Prepositions may be attached as prefixes to provide some direction to the term. For example, diakrino suggests the idea of dist...

The book of Judges narrates the administrations of fifteen national leaders (judges, deliverers) during that era when the land of Canaan was being settled by the Hebrew people. It covers a period o...

This is a specific time determined by God for the vindication of divine operation. Acts 17:31 is a very comprehensive passage in this regard: (a) A day of judgment has been "appointed." (b) The ent...

Justification may be defined as the divine process by which God acquits the sinner and reckons him as righteous. The noun dikaiosis ("justification") is used but twice in the N.T. (Rom. 4:25; 5:18)...

This is the title of a sovereign who exercises regal authority over a certain territory. The term is used in the following senses in Scripture. (a) Jehovah God is king over the entire earth (1 Sam....

The word "kingdom" (basileia) is a noun that generally refers to a territory over which a king rules. Three senses are prominent in the theology of the N.T.  • Jesus uses the term to denote the rei...

This historical book covers a period of about 126 years -- from the death of David, Israel's great king, to the death of Jehoshaphat, one of Judah's rulers. It embraces the reign of Solomon, the tr...

This document is a historical narrative of a period of about 270 years, from the time of Jehoshaphat's death, to the fall of Jerusalem, when Judah's final group was taken into Babylonian captivity ...

The imagery of a "lamb" is taken from the O.T. to convey certain thoughts about Christ. John the Baptizer introduced Jesus as the "lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn. 1:29). The P...

Prior to the incident at Babel (Gen. 11:1ff), the people of the earth spoke one language. Because of ancient man's ambition to "make a name" for himself, and due to his resistance to dispersing and...

The text of the Bible consists of three languages. (a) The O.T. was composed principally in Hebrew. This Semitic tongue was well adapted to emotional, poetic, and religious expression. It was ideal...

Law is a mandate that is designed to regulate procedure; it proceeds from a superior, who possesses authority to rule, to a subordinate. Law is viewed from several angles in the Scriptures. (a) The...