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The opening book of the Bible is a document of "beginnings." It consists of 50 chapters in our modern translations. Written by Moses some 1,500 years before Christ, it introduces the beginning of the Universe, life, mankind, the home, sin, the plan of redemption, nations, diverse human languages,...
This theory attempts to reconcile the six days of creation activity (Gen. 1) with the billions of years required by evolutionary chronology. However, there is overwhelming evidence that the "days" in Genesis 1 are ordinary solar days. Moses, who wrote the entire Pentateuch, viewed the creation da...
This is the erroneous theory that a vast span of time (billions of years) transpired between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. Allegedly, during this period, large creatures roamed the earth (e.g., dinosaurs), and a satanic rebellion occurred among a pre-Adamic human race. This revolt precipitated massive des...
The Hebrew term yom, with its Greek equivalent, hemera, typically signifies a unit of time determined by the full rotation of the Earth upon its axis. That is its meaning in Genesis 1, concerning the "days" of the creation week. Exodus 20:11 makes this clear, as its meaning is the same as the Sab...
A genealogy is a record of the names of a person's ancestors or descendants. Several genealogical lists are recorded in the Bible, for example, in Genesis, Chronicles, Matthew, and Luke. These are not meaningless, boring lists of names. Rather, they served important functions. These catalogs trac...
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 supernaturally since there is no known naturalistic explanation. When the Universe experienced its begin...
The term "sabbath" is derived from the Hebrew shabath, to "cease." The use of this word for the "seventh day" reflects the Genesis account of creation, when, after six days of creative activity, Jehovah "ceased" his labor (cf. Ex. 20:8-11). There is no astronomical phenomenon to explain a seven-d...
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 ...
Jesus once prayed that God's will might be done on earth, just as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). Jehovah's will is what is best for humanity and what he requires us to implement in our lives. The Lord has the right to exert his will because of who he is (deity), and he can impose it in any way c...
"Materialism" is commonly used in two different senses. (a) Philosophical materialism is the idea that nothing exists except that which is material in nature (i.e., composed of matter). There is, therefore, no spiritual Being known as "God" (Jn. 4:24). Moreover, man, according to this view, does ...
The Greek word paradeisos derives from the Persian term pairidaeza, which meant an enclosure, a royal park, a garden with a wall. In the Greek Old Testament (LXX) the term is employed of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8; cf. Ezekiel 31:8). Paradise is found three times in the New Testament. 1. Whi...
The Greek term palingenesia consists of two components. Palin means "again, back," and genesis, denotes "to become, come about, birth." The word thus signifies a rebirth or a renewal. The actual word is found but twice in the N.T., though the idea is suggested frequently. (a) In Titus 3:5 the wor...
Contrary to the denominational claim that infants are born in sin, the Bible teaches otherwise. • Children do not inherit evil from their parents (Ezekiel 18:20). • The practice of sin begins in "youth" (Genesis 9:21), not at birth. • Both Jesus and Paul used little children as models to emulate ...
"Good" in the Bible is expressed in various ways. It can refer to something perfect in design or flawless. Such was the state of the earth at the conclusion of the creation week (Gen. 1:30), which, incidentally, reveals that there was no destructive catastrophe in an alleged "gap period" between ...
The Flood, recorded in Genesis 6-8, was the most widespread disaster ever to affect this planet. Waters from the atmosphere above and from chasms beneath the earth inundated the entire globe (Gen. 7:19, 21; cf. 2 Pet. 3:6). More than 200 traditions of an ancient, universal flood, from which only ...
Paul commended Timothy for making "the good confession" before many witnesses (1 Tim. 6:12). The word "confession" comes from the Greek homologia, which means "to say the same thing." It implies agreeing with and openly affirming what Jesus said about himself—that he is the Christ, the promised M...
The term devil means one who slanders or accuses (cf. Rev. 12:9-10). This word is used thirty-three times in the New Testament of the arch-enemy of man, Satan (Mt. 13:28). Since only the deity is characterized by underived immortality (1 Tim. 6:16), Satan was obviously created (Col. 1:16). But si...
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 driven by the desire for gain, a lust for excitement, and a passion for combativeness. To express the matter...
The noun "baptism" and the corresponding verb "baptize" come directly from Greek into English with only slight spelling changes. The word literally denotes to immerse, dip, or submerge. When used metaphorically, it suggests being overwhelmed. It takes several senses in the New Testament, dependin...
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. 12:12; Mt. 22:7; 1 Tim. 6:16). (b) The title is sometimes used of the political rule of certain ear...
