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This book records Israel's conquest of the land of Canaan. The leader of the campaign was Joshua, who captured the land in three military invasions — first the central region, then the south, and finally the north. The document thus depicts the fulfillment of the land promise Jehovah made to Abra...
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 book of Judges recounts the administrations of fifteen national leaders (judges, deliverers) during the era when the land of Canaan was being settled by the Hebrew people. It spans more than three hundred years, from the death of Joshua to that of Samson. The book reveals the cycles of aposta...
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 ...
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 ...
A careful consideration of the various texts in the Old Testament that mention the "angel of the LORD" (KJV) or the "angel of Jehovah" (ASV) reveals that this being was not of the ordinary angel class. The Angel of Jehovah promised to multiply Hagar's seed, and she confessed, "You are a God who s...
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 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 punishment, the spirits of wicked men will be extinguished. But the idea embodied in apollumi is "r...
While the term "unity" is rare in the English Bible (Psa. 133:1; Eph. 4:3; 4:13), the idea prevails profusely in a variety of contexts. (a) Unity is that oneness that obtains perfectly among the members of the divine Godhead -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These holy Persons are "one" (Dt. 6:4; ...
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...
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 stars. This mythology is condemned in the Scriptures (Dt. 18:10-12; 2 Kgs. 23:5; Isa. 47:13-14; Jer....
Peter addressed this letter to "the elect," i.e., Christians, who are dispersed in Asia Minor. The main theme of the epistle is explicitly stated. He urges the brethren to "stand fast" in the "grace of God" (5:12). The apostle appeals to these Christians to maintain courage, to be pure, and to re...
The Greek word eirene ("peace") may derive from an original term meaning, "to weave together." This is a very significant Bible word. (a) There is a peace to be sought with God. Sin has separated man from his Creator (Isa. 59:1-2), so that rebellious man has become an enemy to God (Rom. 5:10; Jas...
During his earthly ministry, Jesus promised that, following his death and ascension back to heaven, he would "come again" eventually (Jn. 14:3; cf. Mt. 24:37ff; 25:31ff). When he left the earth, angels vowed he would return again (Acts 1:10-11). The doctrine of the second coming was steadfastly p...
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 parallel terms, are employed of: • The authority of God (Lk. 12:5; Rom. 9:21; Jude 25). God's authority is...
Life may be viewed under two categories -- physical life and spiritual life. (a) All biological organisms are characterized by physical "life." A living creature has independent movement, processes food and oxygen, reproduces, etc. Life is a mystery that science cannot explain. It is a "gift" fro...
The expression "Son of Man" is found mostly in the Gospel accounts (some 80 times) -- especially the Synoptics (see) -- and it is the term Christ used more than any other to designate himself. In fact, only he uses it of himself. The word is a Messianic title with roots in the O.T. (cf. Dan. 7:13...
Literally speaking, the "tongue" is an organ of taste and speech within the mouth. By metaphorical extension, it is used in literature for a human language. In the N.T., the gift of being able to "speak in tongues" was one of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit (Mk. 16:17; 1 Cor. 12:10). There ...
"Gospel" derives from the Greek euangelion, literally "good tidings" (see Lk. 2:10, where it is fully translated). The gospel is mentioned more than 75 times in the New Testament. It is the good news of a plan of redemption for fallen man. Much can be learned about the gospel by a consideration o...
The English "angel" is an anglicized form of the Greekaggelos(pronounced angelos). The term signifies a "messenger." The wordAggelosis used in several ways in the Scriptures. • It commonly denotes a heavenly order of created beings (Psa. 148:2, 5), who are by nature "spirit beings." These creatur...