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...

Socially sensitive people are greatly concerned about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that continues to rage in the Middle East. Unfortunately, midguided political and religious commentators are adding fuel to the controversy. Who has the legitimate claim to the so-called “Holy Land”? This week’s Penpoints addresses this issue.

If you want to liven up a conversation, introduce the subject of sin. Is sin a reality or a figment of our imagination?

The English “elect” derives from a compound Greek term, eklektos (ek — “out of,” and lego — “to gather”). It suggests the idea of being selected or chosen. 

The New Testament uses the term in va...

Thanksgiving in prayer is a common theme in the Bible. This article focuses upon three “tenses” of prayers of thanksgiving.

Some Bible students are puzzled that the writer of Hebrews uses present tense forms (8:13) to depict the passing of the Mosaic law. How are these to be explained in light of Bible teaching elsewhere that the law of Moses was abolished by the death of Christ (Eph. 2:15)?

Are the twenty-seven books of the New Testament genuine history, or merely the reflections of ancient mythology?

This word comes directly from the Greek blasphemeo, which is believed to derive from blapto (to injure) and pheme (speech), hence injurious speech.

Scripture speaks of those who blaspheme God (Ro...

In his letter to the church in Laodicea recorded in the book of Revelation, the Lord expresses his disgust with their current condition. What could have elicited such a response?

What is a command in the New Testament and what is merely cultural and not binding today?

Moslems insist that Jesus Christ was merely a “messenger” of God, in the same sense that others (e.g., Moses) were but prophets. They deny that he possessed the nature of deity, or that he even claimed to be the “Son of God.” But what does the actual evidence reveal?

In an attempt to harmonize the biblical record with evolutionary chronology, some allege that the creation description of Genesis 1 is merely metaphorical. Such a position thrusts aside responsible interpretative procedure.

Ezekiel was a prophet during the Babylonian captivity; his ministry lasted more than twenty years. Jeremiah had foretold that the captivity would last seventy years (Jer. 25:11), but false prophets...

The book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings, many of which were written by Solomon, king of Israel (cf. 1 Kgs. 4:32), and addressed to his son (presumably Rehoboam). The material within th...

The first three Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are called SYNOPTICS (see), because they present the life of Christ from roughly the same vantage point. John’s account is different. His r...

God calls every person who is saved. Not only does God pardon the sinner (cf. Rom. 3:26), but he also teaches him about the need and means of forgiveness. The Lord Jesus said,

““No man can come to...

An atheist thinks he has crafted an ingenious argument against the time-tested concept of “design demands an intelligent designer.” But his reasoning is logically flawed and internally inconsistent.

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...

Did Jesus of Nazareth ever live? Is the New Testament data regarding him reliable? This is a crucial issue.