Click a Term to view it’s definition

The first month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, corresponding nearly to our April. After the Babylonish captivity this month was called Nisan.

The country of Ammon was located north of Moab and east of the Jordan River. The Ammonites originated from Ben-Ammi, the son of an incestuous union of Lot with his younger daughter. In the time of Moses, the Ammonites as well as the Moabites were excluded from the Israelite community.

There was constant fighting between Ammon and Israel. Jephthah, the Judge, subdued the Ammonites, King Saul drove back Ammonite King Nahash from Jabesh in Gilead. There were good relations between King David and Ammon, but when David sent his servants to console the Ammonite King on the death of his father, the new king embarrassed the servants by shaving their heads.

A war then broke out and David subdued the Ammonites. It was during this war, the David-and-Bathsheba affair occurred, with the killing of Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah. Ammon was defeated by Israel two more times in later years. When the Assyrians, followed by the Babylonians, took over the area, Ammon paid tribute to them for protection.

The Anakim/Anakites were a formidable race of giant, warlike people who occupied the lands of southern Israel near Hebron before the arrival of the Israelites. The Anakim’s ancestry has been traced back to Anak, the son of Arba, who at that time was regarded as the “greatest man among the Anakim”.

The name “Anakim” most likely means “long-necked,” i.e., “tall.” The Hebrews thought them to be descendants of the Nephilim, a powerful race who dominated the pre-Flood world. When the twelve Israelite spies returned from exploring the Promised Land, they gave a frightening report of “people great and tall” whom they identified as the sons of Anak.

The Israelites, seized with fear and believing themselves to be mere “grasshoppers . . . in their sight”, rebelled against God and refused to enter the land God had promised them.

The Israelites were exhorted by Moses not to fear the Anakim, but they refused to trust God’s promises. As a result, God became angry and prohibited the “evil generation” from entering the Promised Land; Joshua and Caleb were the only exceptions. Because of their fear of the Anakim and their rebellion against God, the children of Israel were forced to wander for another 38 years in the wilderness.

During the conquest of Canaan, Joshua expelled the Anakim from the hill country, and Caleb finally drove them out of Hebron completely. However, a small remnant found refuge in the cities of Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

Many Bible scholars speculate that the Anakim’s descendants were the Philistine giants David encountered, including Goliath of Gath.

The antichrist is not merely one individual person or entity, for the Bible says that there are “many antichrists.” (1 John 2:​18) Rather, the term “antichrist,” which comes from a Greek word meaning “against (or instead of) Christ,” refers to anyone who does the following:

• Denies that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) or denies that he is the Son of God.
• Opposes the Christ, God’s Anointed One.
• Pretends to be the Christ.
• Persecutes the followers of Christ, since Jesus views what is done to them as being done to him.
• Falsely claims to be a Christian while practicing lawlessness or deception

Besides speaking of individuals who take such actions as being antichrists, the Bible also refers to them collectively as “the antichrist.” (2 John 7) The antichrist first appeared in the time of the apostles and has been active ever since. Bible prophecy foretold just such a development (1 John 4:3)

How to identify antichrists

They promote false ideas related to Jesus. (Matthew 24:​9, 11) For example, those who teach the Trinity or that Jesus is Almighty God actually oppose the teachings of Jesus, who said: “The Father is greater than I am.”​ (John 14:28)

Antichrists reject what Jesus said about how God’s Kingdom operates. For instance, some religious leaders say that Christ works through human governments. Yet, this teaching contradicts Jesus, who said: “My Kingdom is no part of this world.” (John 18:36)

They say that Jesus is their Lord, but they do not obey his commands, including the one to preach the good news of the Kingdom.​ (Matthew 28:19, 20; Luke 6:​46; Acts 10:42)

“Apocalypse” is a Greek word meaning “revelation”, “an unveiling or unfolding of things not previously known and which could not be known apart from the unveiling”.

As a genre, apocalyptic literature details the authors’ visions of the end times as revealed by an angel or other heavenly messenger.

Revelation is an apocalyptic prophecy with an epistolary introduction addressed to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia.

“Apocalypse” means the revealing of divine mysteries; John is to write down what is revealed (what he sees in his vision) and send it to the seven churches

Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. Biblical apocrypha are a set of texts included in the Latin Vulgate and Septuagint but not in the Hebrew Bible. … Other non-canonical apocryphal texts are generally called pseudepigrapha, a term that means “false attribution”.

The 14 Apocryphal Books are :

• Tobit
• Judith
• The Additions to the Book of Esther (added to the book of Esther in Roman Catholic Bibles)
• The Wisdom of Solomon
• Ecclesiasticus (or the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach)
• Baruch
• The Letter of Jeremiah (added to the book of Baruch in Roman Catholic Bibles)
• The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men (added to the book of Daniel in Roman Catholic Bibles)
• Susanna (added to the book of Daniel in Roman Catholic Bibles)
• Bel and the Dragon (added to the book of Daniel in Roman Catholic Bibles)
• 1 and 2 Maccabees

Apostasy is a theological category describing those who have voluntarily and consciously abandoned their faith in the God of the covenant, who manifests himself most completely in Jesus Christ.” “Apostasy is the antonym of conversion; it is deconversion.

An apostle is sent to deliver or spread those teachings to others. The word “apostle” has two meanings, the larger meaning of a messenger and the narrow meaning to denote the twelve people directly linked to Jesus Christ. We can say that all apostles were disciples but all disciples are not apostles.

During the life and ministry of Jesus in the 1st century AD, the apostles were his closest followers and became the primary teachers of the gospel message of Jesus. … The commissioning of the Twelve Apostles during the ministry of Jesus is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels.

Stony heap, an “island,” as it has been called, of rock about 30 miles by 20, rising 20 or 30 feet above the table-land of Bashan; a region of crags and chasms wild and rugged in the extreme. On this “island” stood sixty walled cities, ruled over by Og. It is called Trachonitis (“the rugged region”) in the New Testament. These cities were conquered by the Israelites.

It is now called the Lejah. Here sixty walled cities are still traceable in a space of 308 square miles. The architecture is ponderous and massive. Solid walls 4 feet thick, and stones on one another without cement; the roofs enormous slabs of basaltic rock, like iron; the doors and gates are of stone 18 inches thick, secured by ponderous bars. The land bears still the appearance of having been called the `land of giants’ under the giant Og.

The Ark of the Covenant , also known as the Ark of the Testimony, and in a few verses across various translations as the Ark of God, is a gold-covered wooden chest with lid cover described in the Book of Exodus as containing the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments.

According to various texts within the Hebrew Bible, it also contained Aaron’s rod and a pot of manna.

Hebrews 9:4 describes: “The ark of the covenant [was] covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tablets of the covenant.”

The biblical account relates that, approximately one year after the Israelites‘ exodus from Egypt, the Ark was created according to the pattern given to Moses by God when the Israelites were encamped at the foot of biblical Mount Sinai.

Thereafter, the gold-plated acacia chest was carried by its staves while en route by the Levites approximately 2,000 cubits (approximately 800 meters or 2,600 feet) in advance of the people when on the march or before the Israelite army, the host of fighting men.

When carried, the Ark was always hidden under a large veil made of skins and blue cloth, always carefully concealed, even from the eyes of the priests and the Levites who carried it.

God was said to have spoken with Moses “from between the two cherubim” on the Ark’s cover. When at rest the tabernacle was set up and the holy Ark was placed in it under the veil of the covering, the staves of it crossing the middle side bars to hold it up off the ground.

Armageddon, (probably Hebrew: “Hill of Megiddo”), in the New Testament, place where the kings of the earth under demonic leadership will wage war on the forces of God at the end of history. 

Armageddon is mentioned in the Bible only once, in the Revelation to John, or the Apocalypse of St. John (16:16).

The final battle between God and Satan is known as Armageddon, and is usually situated at the Megiddo Valley in Israel.

An artisan or craftsman is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, sculpture, clothing, jewellery, household items and tools or even machines such as the handmade devices of a watchmaker.

Artisans practice a craft and may through experience and aptitude reach the expressive levels of an artist.

The adjective “artisanal” is sometimes used in describing hand-processing in what is usually viewed as an industrial process, such as in the phrase artisanal mining.

Thus, “artisanal” is sometimes used in marketing and advertising as a buzz word to describe or imply some relation with the crafting of handmade food products, such as bread, beverages or cheese.

Many of these have traditionally been handmade, rural or pastoral goods but are also now commonly made on a larger scale with automated mechanization in factories and other industrial areas.

In Christianity, atonement refers to the needed reconciliation between sinful mankind and the holy God.

This reconciliation is possible through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as expressed in Romans 3:25, Romans 5:11, and Romans 5:19. Atonement is the Bible’s central message.

“Receiving the atonement is our actual reconciliation to God in justification, grounded upon Christ’s satisfaction.”

The barbarians were starting to take over parts of the Roman empire. To the Romans, anyone who was not a citizen of Rome or who did not speak Latin was a barbarian. In Europe there were five major barbarian tribes – the Huns, Franks, Vandals, Saxons, and Visigoths (Goths) – and all of them hated Rome.

These people have an inner serenity which adversity cannot disturb; it is the peace of Christ. They have a spiritual power that physical weakness cannot destroy; it is the power of Christ. They have a hidden vitality that even the process of dying and death cannot quench; it is the life of Christ.

To use Biblical expressions, “The peace of Christ rules in their hearts,” “the power of Christ is made perfect in their weakness,” and “the life of Christ is made manifest in their mortal flesh.”

The commonest description in the Scriptures of a follower of Jesus is that he or she is a person “in Christ.” The expressions “in Christ,” “in the Lord,” and “in him” occur 164 times in the letters of Paul alone, and are indispensable to an understanding of the New Testament.

To be “in Christ” does not mean to be inside Christ, as tools are in a box or our clothes in a closet, but to be organically united to Christ, as a limb is in the body or a branch is in the tree. It is this personal relationship with Christ that is the distinctive mark of his authentic followers.

The word “Christian” occurs only three times in the Bible. Because of its common misuse we could profitably dispense with it. Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul never used the word, or at least not in their recorded teaching. What distinguishes the true followers of Jesus is neither their creed, nor their code of ethics, nor their ceremonies, nor their culture, but Christ. What is often mistakenly called “Christianity” is, in essence, neither a religion nor a system, but a person, Jesus of Nazareth.

Now let us explore some of the implications of being “in Christ.” First, to be in Christ brings personal fulfillment as a human being. All around us are men and women who are unfulfilled and alienated, who are asking what it means to be a human being. They are seeking the secret of satisfaction, of happiness, and are searching for their own identity. Where is it to be found?

 Our concern as followers of Jesus is neither with a religion called “Christianity,” nor with a culture called “Western Civilization,” but with a person, Jesus of Nazareth, the one and only God-man who lived a perfect life of love, died on the cross for our sins, bearing in his own person the condemnation that we deserve, was raised in triumph from the grave and is now alive, accessible and available to us through the Holy Spirit. He is also coming again one day in sheer magnificence, that every knee should bow to him. That is the Person with whom we are concerned.

To be “in Christ” is to find personal fulfillment, to enjoy brotherly unity, and to experience a radical transformation. Only then can we become the world’s salt and light, sharing the good news with others, making an impact on society, and above everything else seeking to bring honor and glory to his wonderful Name.

A bishop (English derivation from the New Testament of the Christian Bible Greek ἐπίσκοπος, epískopos, “overseer”, “guardian”) is an ordained, consecrated, or appointed member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight.

A “diocesan bishop” is entrusted with the care of a local Church (diocese). He is responsible for teaching, governing, and sanctifying the faithful of his diocese, sharing these duties with the priests and deacons who serve under him.

The main difference between Pastor and Bishop is that the Pastor is a ordained leader of a Christian congregation and Bishop is a ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy

A secular dictionary defines blasphemy as a profane or contemptuous utterance, act or writing concerning God and can also be an oral reproach of God, God’s name, or His attributes. 

It could be the act of insulting God and His name or showing a lack of reverence toward God. 

It is close to slandering His holy name or spreading malicious lies that harm God’s reputation, so blasphemy in a sense is slandering God.  

The beast blasphemed God’s name (Rev 13) as Satan does but so too will those who receive the future punishment of God for their wickedness and failure to repent (Rev 16).

A bondservant is a slave. In some Bibles the word bondservant is the translation of the Greek word doulos, which means “one who is subservient to, and entirely at the disposal of, his master; a slave.” Other translations use the word slave or servant.

In Roman times, the term bondservant or slave could refer to someone who voluntarily served others. But it usually referred to one who was held in a permanent position of servitude. Under Roman law, a bondservant was considered the owner’s personal property. Slaves essentially had no rights and could even be killed with impunity by their owners.

The Hebrew word for “bondservant,” ‘ebed, had a similar connotation. However, the Mosaic Law allowed an indentured servant to become a bondservant voluntarily: “If the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life” (Exodus 21:5-6).

Many prominent men of the Old Testament were referred to as servants. God spoke of Abraham as His servant (Genesis 26:24; Numbers 12:7). Joshua is called the servant of the Lord (Joshua 24:29), as are David (2 Samuel 7:5) and Isaiah (Isaiah 20:3). Even the Messiah is called God’s Servant (Isaiah 53:11). In all of these instances, the term servant carries the idea of humble nobility. Being God’s servant is an honorable position.

During the time of Jesus and the first-century church, as much as one third of the Roman population were slaves, and another third had been slaves earlier in life. It was common for freeborn men and women to work side-by-side with slaves as street sweepers, dockworkers, doctors, teachers, and business managers. Convicted criminals became bondservants of the state and usually died working in the mines or on galleys.

Historical records reveal that it was not unusual for Jews to own slaves during the New Testament period. Because slavery was a familiar part of the culture, Jesus sometimes referred to slaves and owners in His parables (e.g., Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 12:41-48). Also, Jesus taught that the greatest in God’s kingdom would have to become “the servant of all” (Mark 9:35).

Such a concept was unthinkable to a Roman citizen, who prided himself in his freedom and would never identify himself as a bondservant. But Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), and the selfish values of earth are of no consequence in heaven.

Throughout the New Testament, the word bondservant, slave, or servant is applied metaphorically to someone absolutely devoted to Jesus. Paul, Timothy, James, Peter, and Jude all describe themselves as “bondservants of Christ” (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1, NKJV).

Believers today should still consider themselves bondservants or slaves of Christ (1 Corinthians 7:22; Ephesians 6:6; 2 Timothy 2:24). He is our Lord, and our allegiance is due to Him alone. As bondservants, we renounce other masters (Matthew 6:24) and give ourselves totally to Him (Matthew 16:24).

Being a bondservant of Christ is not drudgery. His “burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Also, we have this promise: “Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” (Romans 6:22).

There are eight references in New Testament to the “book of life,” and two of them refer specifically to the book of life that belongs to the Lamb, Jesus Christ. Seven of the references appear in the book of Revelation. Those whose names are written in the book of life are those who belong to God, those who have attained eternal life.

Paul refers to those who have labored alongside him as those whose names are in the book of life (Philippians 4:3), again identifying the book of life as a record of the names of those who have eternal salvation. In the same way, Revelation 3:5 refers to the book of life in which the names of believers in the Lord are found. These are those who overcome the trials of earthly life, proving that their salvation is genuine.

This verse also makes it clear that once a name is written in the book of life, Jesus promises that He will never blot it out, proving once more the doctrine of eternal security. The Lord Jesus, who is speaking to the churches in this part of Revelation, promises to acknowledge his own before His Father. Conversely, Revelation 20:15 reveals the fate of those whose names are not written in the book of life—eternity in the lake of fire.

Revelation 17:8 clarifies when the names of the redeemed are written in the book of life: “The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast” (emphasis added). The names of those who approve of the Antichrist are not found in the book of life, and the names that are in the book of life were written there before the world was created. Thus, Revelation 17:8 teaches both eternal security and election.

In Revelation 13:8 and 21:27, we find the references to the “Lamb’s book of life,” in which also are the names of all those who have been washed by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. The Lamb who has been “slain from the creation of the world” has a book in which are written all those who have been redeemed by His sacrifice. They are the ones who will enter the Holy City, the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:10) and who will live forever in heaven with God. Since the book of life is that which records all who have eternal life through the Lamb, it’s clear that the book of life and the Lamb’s book of life are one and the same.

Is a phrase used by many Protestants to describe the phenomenon of gaining faith in Jesus Christ. It is an experience when everything they have been taught as Christians becomes real, and they develop a direct and personal relationship with God.

 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except, a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting. … For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

In the biblical sense is an extension of the natural affection associated with near kin, toward the greater community of fellow believers, that goes beyond the mere duty in Leviticus 19:18 to “love thy neighbor as thyself”, and shows itself as “unfeigned love” from a “pure heart”, that extends an unconditional hand of friendship that loves when not loved back, that gives without getting, and that ever looks for what is best in others.

The burnt offering is one of the oldest and most common offerings in history. The Hebrew word for “burnt offering” actually means to “ascend,“ literally to “go up in smoke.” The smoke from the sacrifice ascended to God, “a soothing aroma to the LORD”.

Technically, any offering burned over an altar was a burnt offering, but in more specific terms, a burnt offering was the complete destruction of the animal (except for the hide) in an effort to renew the relationship between Holy God and sinful man. With the development of the law, God gave the Israelites specific instructions as to the types of burnt offerings and what they symbolized.

The Israelites brought a bull, sheep, or goat, a male with no defect, and killed it at the entrance to the tabernacle. The animal’s blood was drained, and the priest sprinkled blood around the altar. The animal was skinned and cut it into pieces, the intestines and legs washed, and the priest burned the pieces over the altar all night. The priest received the skin as a fee for his help. A turtledove or pigeon could also be sacrificed, although they weren’t skinned.

A person could give a burnt offering at any time. It was a sacrifice of general atonement—an acknowledgement of the sin nature and a request for renewed relationship with God. God also set times for the priests to give a burnt offering for the benefit of the Israelites as a whole, although the animals required for each sacrifice varied.

To be “called into ministry” or “called of God?” In a sense, as Christians we are all called to Christ, to follow and obey Him. … From the Old Testament to the New, God frequently called people to Himself and to His work. The purpose of a divine call or even a call to minister is not something we create, but something God places within us.

Second Peter 1:10–11 says, “Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (KJV). The clear command is to “make your calling and election sure,” or, as the NIV puts it, “make every effort to confirm your calling and election.”

A believer’s “calling” is God’s drawing him to salvation. Peter alludes to this calling earlier in the same chapter when he speaks of God “who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). A believer’s “election” is God’s selection of him to be saved from before time began. The doctrine of election or predestination is taught elsewhere in the Bible, too (see Romans 8:29–30; Ephesians 1:5, 11; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; and 2 Timothy 2:10).

God is the one who calls and elects, so the believer’s calling and election are already “sure” from God’s point of view; therefore, the command for believers to diligently make their calling and election sure must refer to the believers’ point of view. God wants us to have assurance of our salvation, and the best way to do that is to be pursuing godly virtues and actively growing in the Christian life.

Second Peter 1:5–7 lists godly qualities that believers should add to their faith—goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love. Those qualities are the “these things” of verse 10, and the reader is urged thereby to “make your calling and election sure.” In doing “these things,” one will never stumble and is promised “a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom” (verse 11).

On the surface 2 Peter 1 seems to affirm that one’s salvation depends on having the qualities listed in verses 5–7. On closer inspection, however, it becomes apparent that Peter is addressing those who already have “faith,” which he lists as the first (and foundational) quality.

Also, Peter presumes that some of those who did not demonstrate these qualities had in fact been saved, for “whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins” (2 Peter 1:9). So, being cleansed from past sin does not automatically mean a person will grow in goodness, knowledge, etc., but, if he doesn’t “possess these qualities in increasing measure” (verse 8), he is spiritually myopic and forgetful of God’s grace.

In summary, to make one’s calling and election sure is to live out the Christian life in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is to do more than simply pay lip service to Christ. Those who profess salvation but never grow in their walk with God will suffer a lack of assurance, always wondering if they are really saved or not. Those who grow ever more like Christ will be “sure” of their calling and election. They will know they have eternal life (see 1 John 5:13); they will be living testimonies of the power of God to change lives.

Canaan was the name of a large and prosperous ancient country (at times independent, at others a tributary to Egypt) located in the Levant region of present-day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Israel.

According to the Bible, the land was named after a man called Canaan, the grandson of Noah (Genesis 10).

The Israelites occupied and conquered Palestine, or Canaan, beginning in the late 2nd millennium bce, or perhaps earlier; and the Bible justifies such occupation by identifying Canaan with the Promised Land, the land promised to the Israelites by God.

A biblical canon or canon of scripture is a set of texts (or “books”) which a particular religious community regards as authoritative scripture. …

Believers consider canonical books as inspired by God or as expressive of the authoritative history of the relationship between God and his people.

The Old Testament is the first section of the two-part Christian biblical canon; the second section is the New Testament.

The Old Testament includes the books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) or protocanon, and in various Christian denominations also includes deuterocanonical books.

To chasten someone is to correct him or her, often with the use of some pretty steep punishment. 

Chasten can also mean “to restrain.” … Chasten is related to the word chastise, meaning “to punish severely.”

Both words can be traced back to the Latin root castus, meaning “morally pure.”

Cherubim/cherubs are angelic beings involved in the worship and praise of God. The cherubim are first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 3:24, “After He drove the man out, He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”

Prior to his rebellion, Satan was a cherub (Ezekiel 28:12-15). The tabernacle and temple along with their articles contained many representations of cherubim 

Chapters 1 and 10 of the book of Ezekiel describe the “four living creatures” (Ezekiel 1:5) as the same beings as the cherubim (Ezekiel 10). Each had four faces—that of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (Ezekiel 1:10; also 10:14)—and each had four wings.

In their appearance, the cherubim “had the likeness of a man” (Ezekiel 1:5). 

The cherubim serve the purpose of magnifying the holiness and power of God. This is one of their main responsibilities throughout the Bible.

In addition to praising God, they also serve as a visible reminder of the majesty and glory of God and His abiding presence with His people.

The office of chief priest was a high position among the Israelites. In the Old Testament, the terms chief priest and high priest are sometimes alternate translations of the same Hebrew phrase (compare 2 Chronicles 26:20 in the NIV and NET).

In Jesus’ day the office of chief priest seems to have been distinguished from that of the high priest. Mark 14:53 lists several groups of people involved in Jesus’ arrest: “They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together.” These chief priests mentioned by Mark were high-ranking members of the priesthood who served on the Sanhedrin. A chief priest is named in Acts 19:14: Sceva.

The priesthood was instituted by God after the children of Israel left Egypt during the Exodus. In Numbers 3:12–13 the Lord set apart the entire tribe of Levi for special service. From the Levites came the priests, and among the priests were the high priest and, in Luke 19:47, the “chief priests.”

The chief priests would have been from the tribe of Levi. Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were all Levites, as were thousands of other men and women. God indicated that the high priest had to be a direct descendant of Aaron.

All priests were Levites, but not all Levites were priests. Only some of the Levites belonged to the Aaronic priesthood. Exodus 29:7–9 states, “Take the anointing oil and anoint [Aaron] by pouring it on his head. Bring his sons and dress them in tunics and fasten caps on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons.

The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance. Then you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.” Only the high priest, or chief priest, could enter the Most Holy Place once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The other Aaronic priests served in rotating “courses” so that they could have a turn to minister in the Holy Place and offer sacrifices (see Luke 1:8–9).

The other Levites (not descended from Aaron) served in other ways. The other sons of Levi were involved in carrying the ark and the various parts of the tabernacle. After the temple was built, the Levites were involved in caring for the temple. Numbers 3 provides information about them.

To be chosen by God, simply means at some point God made the choice for something to happen according to His perfect wisdom, foreknowledge, and will. We also see that it is because of His reason, not ours. We have to remember that God has known from the foundations of the world what our choices would be in any given situation. Because of this, He also knows how to accomplish His perfect will, while yet still allowing man to make choices, either good or bad.

For example, as we saw in Romans 8:28-30, God foreknew who would love Him. This means He foreknew that given every situation we could ever be in, He knew who would trust Christ as their Savior and who would not. Those He foreknew would love Him, or trust Christ, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.

This means that by God’s perfect will and power, He would bring it to pass that believers would one day stand before Him in a perfected state as His Son is perfect. Yet, He also knew that there are some people that no matter what, they will never trust Christ as their Savior so God predestined them that they would not stand before Him in a perfected state.

Instead, they would stand before Him in their sinful state at the Great White Throne Judgement where they would hear those fateful words, “I never knew you, depart from Me, ye that worketh iniquity” (Matthew 7:23; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:11-15).

The phrase “chosen by God” is used in a variety of ways. The Bible is very clear that there are people chosen by God to do specific things. This simply means at some point God made the choice for something to happen according to His perfect wisdom, foreknowledge, and will. Because of this, God’s choices are perfect and will result in the fulfillment of His perfect will.

Colossae was an ancient city in the Lycus River valley, about 100 miles east of the great, cosmopolitan capital city of Ephesus, located in the Roman province of Asia, in present-day Turkey.

Colossae was the smallest of three cities in the Lycus Valley — along with Laodicea (12 miles west) and Hierapolis (15 miles northwest). Each of these cities had Christian churches.

Though these cities were far from the big city, they weren’t isolated, since they were situated near the great Persian Royal Road that ran from Ephesus and Sardis in the West to the Euphrates and on to Persia in the East.

At one point in the fourth or third centuries BC, Colossae had been the most important of the three cities, known for its flourishing textile industry and high-quality dark red wool, known as Colossian wool.

But after the north-south road was moved west to pass through Laodicea, Colossae began to decline. Roman historian Tacitus mentions an earthquake that destroyed Laodicea in 60-61 AD. Laodicea was rebuilt quickly.

We don’t know how long it took to rebuild Colossae. Today, however, nothing remains of Colossae above ground. The tell (acropolis or mound) of the city has not been excavated, though the contour of an outdoor amphitheater is discernable on the site.

The population of Colossae was probably quite diverse — especially in light of the nearby highway. We know that Antiochus III had settled about 2,000 Jewish families in the general area in 213 BC.

The area still had a strong Jewish minority presence in Paul’s day, a fact which probably relates directly to Paul’s letter. Proximity to the nearby highways ensured that the Colossians were exposed to the latest ideas, which then mixed together with other ideas.

Thus the Christian church was subject to syncretism with other religious movements.

Colossians is apparently written primarily to Gentile Christians. We observe:

Paul’s description of their conversion in terms more appropriate to Gentiles, rather than to Jews.

He mentions the mystery revealed among the Gentiles. The sins mentioned are more typical of Gentiles, than of Jews. He includes neither Old Testament quotations nor any explicit reference to the law.

Though he writes primarily to Gentile Christians, the heresy that Paul was fighting seems to have Jewish roots, as is discussed below.

While Paul had probably passed through Colossae on his second missionary journey, he didn’t find the church at Colossae — directly. Rather, it was founded by Epaphras, whom Paul mentions in this letter.

Paul had been preaching in the big city of Ephesus, about 100 miles west of Colossae from 53 to 55 AD. His ministry was quite effective, first in the synagogue and later in the rented lecture hall of Tyrannus.

This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. Paul didn’t travel through the province of Asia, but people came to him to learn about Jesus, and then took the message of the gospel to their own hometowns. Epaphras was undoubtedly one of these.

Is the grace God gives to creation as a whole, to all unbelievers. In this universal non-salvific form of grace, God allows the sun to shine upon both the righteous and the unrighteous.  He does not judge unbelievers right away due to the work of Christ on the Cross by which people are saved.  God endures with them for the sake of those who would believe.  Unbelievers can be doctors, engineers, parents, etc., and function within God’s domain and counsel.

God shows his goodness to all people when He feeds them, allows them to work, experience beauty, learn and have joy. It is also common grace that “restrains” the wrath of God until a later time.

To say in a strong and definite way that someone or something is bad or wrong.

To give (someone) a usually severe punishment.

To cause (someone) to suffer or live in difficult or unpleasant conditions.

To convert is to change from one character, type, or purpose to another. Our bodies convert food into energy. We can convert inches to centimeters, pounds to kilograms, and dollars to euros. Our hearts can undergo similar conversions. We can change direction morally, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. We are what we think (Proverbs 23:7).

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word translated “converted” means “to turn back or return.” It is also translated “restore,” as in Psalm 23:3, “He restores my soul.” The picture the Bible paints of the word convert is to return to what we were initially created to be.

Since the fall of mankind, every human has been born with a sin nature. Our natural tendency is to please ourselves rather than God. Our human attempts to be good fall far short of the perfection of God (Romans 3:10, 23; Isaiah 53:6). We cannot please God through our own efforts and are destined for eternal separation from Him (Romans 6:23, 8:8; John 3:16-18); we cannot convert ourselves.

That’s why Jesus came to earth, died in our place, and rose again to conquer death and sin (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). He took the punishment our sin deserves. He offers to trade His perfection for our imperfection so that we can be seen as righteous before God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

When we admit our helplessness apart from Christ, we are ready to embrace Him as Savior and Lord (Acts 3:19; Romans 10:9). Conversion happens when we trade our old sin nature for the new nature Christ provides. When we come to Him humbly, confess our sin, turn away from it, and seek His ways, our entire perspective changes. The Holy Spirit moves into our spirits and transforms our entire way of life (Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

We are converted—restored to the relationship God intended us to have with Him. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” This is more than a human attempt to “clean up your act.” It is a wholesale change of direction. You were going east; now you are going west. Conversion changes the human heart from sinful to righteous, from hell-bound to heaven-bound.

The Bible has many examples of people who were converted by the grace of God. The Christian-hating Saul became Paul, who devoted the rest of his life to serving the church he once tried to destroy (1 Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 3:7-8). The impetuous and condemning John was transformed into the “apostle of love” (see 1 John 4:7-21).

The demoniac of Gerasene, after meeting Jesus, was “dressed and in his right mind” and begging to follow Jesus (Mark 5:15-18). The Holy Spirit has lost none of His power. Modern conversion stories include the amazing transformations of John Newton, Mel Trotter, David Berkowitz, and Chuck Colson.

This is all accomplished through faith. Faith is placing your whole life into the hands of Someone your spirit recognizes but your physical senses cannot confirm (Hebrews 11:1). Hebrews 11:6 says that “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

We are saved from our old sin nature and the penalty of that sin through faith in Jesus Christ. But even that faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). God gives us the faith to believe in Him, but we must receive it and act on it. Exercising that gift of faith results in conversion.

Conversion begins in the heart and radiates outward to affect everything we think, say, or do (James 2:26). Merely stating that conversion has occurred does not make it so. Real conversion is obvious as a person switches direction, changes allegiance and moves from self-worship to God-worship. As the heart is transformed, the actions follow until the entire life has been converted from sin-filled to God-honoring (Romans 6:6-7).

The cubit is an ancient unit based on the forearm length from the tip of the middle finger to the bottom of the elbow. Cubits of various lengths were employed in many parts of the world in antiquity, during the Middle Ages and as recently as Early Modern Times. One cubit = 1 ½ feet.

In the Biblical book of Exodus, the original Decalogue, or Ten Commandments, was handed to Moses by God atop Mount Sinai.

They include commands to honor God, the Sabbath day, and one’s parents, and bans on worshiping images, swearing, murder, adultery, theft, lying about others, and envying what others have.

In Christianity, disciple primarily refers to a dedicated follower of Jesus. This term is found in the New Testament only in the Gospels and Acts. In the ancient world a disciple is a follower or adherent of a teacher. … A disciple in the ancient biblical world actively imitated both the life and teaching of the master.

 The 12 Disciples were :

1. Simon Peter (became the first Pope, wrote 1^st Peter & 2^nd Peter)
2. Andrew (Simon Peter’ brother)
3. James (son of Zebedee)
4. John (James’ brother, wrote John, 1^st John, 2^nd John, 3^rd John, Revelation)
5. Philip
6. Bartholomew
7. Thomas (doubting Thomas)
8. Matthew (the tax collector, wrote the book of Matthew)
9. James (son of Alphaeus, also James the Less)
10. Thaddaeus (also Lebbaeus)
11. Simon (the Cananite)
12. Judas Iscariot

Additional Disciples were :

13. Matthias (replaced Judas)
14. Stephen
15. Paul (also Saul, wrote 13 New Testament books)
16. Luke (was a physician and Paul’ co-worker, wrote Luke & Acts)
17. Mark (Peter’ interpreter, wrote the book of Mark)
18. James (also James the Just, brother of Jesus, wrote the book of James)
19. Timothy (Paul’ co-worker)
20. Jude (brother of Jesus, wrote the book of Jude)
21. Barnabas (Mark’ cousin & Paul’ companion)

In ancient societies, the elders were the adult men, usually older, who were responsible for making decisions in a local village or community. While the term elder could simply refer to someone older (as in Genesis 10:21), most often, a reference to “elders” was an allusion to the men who led in local decision-making.

We first see an example of elders as community leaders in Genesis 50:7: “So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt” (ESV). The “elders” (or “dignitaries,” NIV) were the leaders who represented the families and community at Jacob’s funeral.

In Exodus 3:16 Moses was told to first tell the elders of Israel about God’s call to lead the Israelites out of Egypt: “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me.’” Later, in Exodus 12:21, Moses calls the elders together to communicate the Passover commands.

By Exodus 24, a team of 70 elders had been selected as the governing body of Israel under the leadership of Moses. In Numbers 11 we read of God’s specific call for this body of leaders to serve with Moses in the wilderness: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you” (verse 16).

It is clear from these and other biblical passages that elders held a place of leadership from an early period. Over time, the position of elder progressed from an informal position of leadership to a specific calling of God. Elders continued to serve as local leaders throughout the Old Testament period, including during the return of the Jews to Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah.

Proverbs 31:23 highlights the respect given to an elder: “Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.” This verse also reveals that those called “elders” may not have always been “elderly” but were mature adult males in Jewish society. In this passage, the husband seems to be of the age at which a family is still having children.

In the New Testament period, local elders continued to lead. In addition, the 70-member Jewish Sanhedrin helped lead the religious body of Israel. In the early church, elders became synonymous in many cases with pastors and served as the local church leaders. The elders’ role of teaching and leading is emphasized in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

Election in Christianity involves God choosing a particular person or group of people to a particular task or relationship, especially eternal life. Election to eternal life is viewed by some as conditional on a person’s faith, and by others as unconditional.

While the Bible clearly teaches that God elects people to salvation, there are disagreements as to the basis of that election. Conditional election is the belief that God elects people for salvation based on His foreknowledge of who will put their faith in Christ. Conditional election says that an all-knowing God looks to the future and decides to elect people based on a future decision they will make to come to faith in Christ. It is considered “conditional” election because it is based on the condition of man doing something of his own free will. According to conditional election, those who God knows will come to faith in Christ are elected by God, and those who God knows will not accept Christ are not elected.

Conditional election is one of the Articles of Remonstrance that define Arminian theology, and it is a core part of that worldview and theological system. As such, it stands in direct contrast to the belief held by those who hold to Reformed theology, which believes that the Bible teaches unconditional election, the view that God elects people based on His sovereign will and not on any future action of the person being elected.

Those who believe in conditional election will often cite verses like 1 Peter 1:1–2, where Peter is writing “to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.” The key phrase here is elect . . . according to the foreknowledge of God. Or another verse with similar implications is Romans 8:29–30: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined, he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

Yet there really is no debate or disagreement in the fact that God, because He is all-knowing, knows beforehand who will be saved and who will not. The debate between conditional and unconditional election is about whether these verses teach that man’s “free will choice” is the cause of God’s election or an acknowledgement that God has the foreknowledge of who will be saved and who will not. If these were the only verses in Scripture that dealt with election, the issue as to whether the Bible teaches conditional election would be up for debate, but they are not. There are other very clear passages that tell us on what basis God elects people for salvation.

The first verse that helps us understand whether conditional election is what the Bible really teaches is Ephesians 1:4–5: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will.” Clearly, we see that God predestines or elects individuals “according to the purpose of His will.” When we consider the idea of adoption and the fact that it is God who chooses us for adoption and that it is done before the foundation of the world, it seems to be clear that the basis of God’s election and predestination is not a choice we would make in the future but solely His sovereign will, which He exercises “in love.”

Another verse that strongly supports unconditional election is Romans 9:11, where God describes “the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls.” While some want to dismiss Romans 9:11 as applying to corporate election and not individual election, we simply cannot dismiss this section of Scripture that clearly teaches that election is NOT conditioned on anything man has done or will do but is solely based on the divine will of a sovereign God.

Another verse that teaches unconditional election is John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” Further, in John 10:26–27 Jesus says, “But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow me.” Conditional election says that people who believe are chosen as His sheep because they believe, but the Bible actually says just the opposite. The reason they believe is that they are His sheep. Election is not conditional upon man’s acceptance of Christ as Lord and Savior but is instead the cause of his acceptance.

Conditional election is the view that man’s “free will” decision to accept Christ as Savior is the basis for his/her election. Therefore, in a very real sense, man’s decision is the cause of salvation. This view of election is in large part necessary because of the Arminian worldview where man chooses God, instead of God choosing man. Boiled down to its simplest form, Arminian theology is that, ultimately, man’s salvation depends on his “free will decision” alone and not God’s will. Conditional election leads to the conclusion that God’s actions in election are dependent upon man’s free will choices. This view of election and salvation makes God subject to the whims of men and their decisions, and man’s will, becomes essentially the cause and effect of salvation.

On the other hand, in unconditional election it is God’s sovereign will that determines who is elected and who is not. Therefore, it is God’s will and God’s grace that are completely responsible for man’s salvation. All those whom God elects to salvation will come to saving faith in Christ, and those whom He does not elect will not (John 6:37). In this scenario, it is God who gets the glory for His grace and mercy in offering salvation to those who do not love Him and who can’t come to Him on their own (Ephesians 2:1–5).

These two views on election are not compatible at all. One is true, and the other is false. One makes God’s election and ultimately man’s salvation dependent upon man, ultimately giving man the credit and glory, while the other recognizes that election and salvation depend on God’s sovereign will. One worldview has man being the master of his destiny and, in essence, in control of his salvation, while the other has God rescuing lost, hopeless sinners not because they deserve it but because He wills it. One view exalts man, and the other exalts God. One is a testimony to man’s goodness and ability, and the other is a testimony to God’s amazing grace.

Elohim is the Hebrew word for God that appears in the very first sentence of the Bible. When we pray to Elohim, we remember that he is the one who began it all, creating the heavens and the earth and separating light from darkness, water from dry land, night from day.

This ancient name for God contains the idea of God’s creative power as well as his authority and sovereignty. Jesus used a form of the name in his agonized prayer from the cross. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Elohim (e-lo-HEEM) is the plural form of El or Eloah, one of the oldest designations for divinity in the world. The Hebrews borrowed the term El from the Canaanites. It can refer either to the true God or to pagan gods.

Though El is used more than 200 times in the Hebrew Bible, Elohim is used more than 2,500 times. Its plural form is used not to indicate a belief in many gods but to emphasize the majesty of the one true God. He is the God of gods, the highest of all.

Christians may recognize in this plural form a hint of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Elohim occurs thirty-two times in the first chapter of Genesis.

After that the name Yahweh appears as well and is often paired with Elohim and, in the NIV, the two together are translated “the LORD God.”

Stated to have been the earlier inhabitants of Moab, and to have been of tall stature, and hence, “accounted Rephaim (or giants) as the Anakim” or the Zamzummim of Ammon. As the name was given to them by the Moabites, it may not have been that by which they called themselves. A tall race, known to the Israelites as REPHAIM, once existed in Southern Palestine as well as on the East side of the Jordan, but its exact relationship is unknown.

The Hebrew word “ephah” means a particular measure for grain, and “measure” in general. The measurement for an ephah is about 21.14 litres, or ten omers. A dry measure of about 3/5 of a bushel capacity.

An Ephod was an artifact and an object to be revered in ancient Israelite culture, and was closely connected with oracular practices and priestly ritual.

A passage in the Book of Exodus describes the Ephod as an elaborate garment worn by the high priest, and upon which the Hoshen, or breastplate containing Urim and Thummim, rested.

The word epistle comes from the Greek word epistole that means “letter” or “message.” Epistles were a primary form of written communication in the ancient world, especially during New Testament times. Since many of the New Testament books were originally written as letters to churches or individuals, they are referred to as the Epistles.

An epistle would have been written on a scroll. Often, it was dictated and then reviewed by the author before being delivered by a trusted messenger. For example, 1 Peter mentions that it was Peter’s letter written down by Silvanus, or Silas (1 Peter 5:12). Timothy was involved in the writing and delivery of several of the apostle Paul’s letters (Colossians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; Philemon 1:1), although Paul signed each one to verify that he was the author (Galatians 6:11).

Epistles also generally followed a familiar format. Most of Paul’s letters begin with an introduction that identifies his name and those of any associates, mentions his audience, and gives a greeting. The introduction is followed by the main body of the letter, and the epistles often conclude with a general blessing and personal notes to individuals within the recipient church.

The Epistles of the Bible are all found in the New Testament. They include 21 of the New Testament’s 27 books, extending from Romans to Jude. Thirteen of these Epistles were written by the apostle Paul: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.

Within this group of Pauline Epistles is a subgroup labeled the Prison Epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon) so-called because they were written during Paul’s two-year house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30–31). The Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) were written to church leaders and include many teachings regarding practices within the early church.

Following these writings are eight General Epistles (sometimes called Catholic Epistles, since they were written to a “universal” audience) that include Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Jude. The author of Hebrews is unknown (though many have historically attributed it to Paul or one of Paul’s associates).

James was one of the earliest New Testament writings and was written by James, the half-brother of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:7). The apostle Peter wrote 1 and 2 Peter. The apostle John (the same author of the Gospel of John and Revelation) wrote 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John. The short Epistle of Jude was written by Jude, another half-brother of Jesus (Jude 1:1).

All of the known authors of the Epistles are either an apostle (Paul, Peter, John) or a family member of Jesus (James, Jude). Each of these individuals had a unique calling from the Lord Jesus that included writing letters to others. These letters, inspired by the Holy Spirit, are preserved as part of the New Testament’s writings today.

Eschatology is the study of what the Bible says is going to happen in the end times.

Many treat Eschatology as an area of theology to be avoided. Of course, Eschatology is not as crucial as Christology or Soteriology.

That does not mean, though, that it is unimportant to a Biblical worldview.

How we understand Eschatology has an impact on how we should live our lives and what we are to expect to occur in God’s plan.

A key verse on Eschatology is Titus 2:13: “we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Some important issues in Eschatology are these:

What is the Rapture? 

When is the Rapture going to occur in relation to the Tribulation? 

What is the Second Coming and why is it important? 

Is the millennium literal or figurative?

Will the generation that saw Israel re-formed as a nation still be alive for the Second Coming?

Eternal life traditionally refers to continued life after death, as outlined in Christian eschatology. The Apostles’ Creed testifies: “I believe… the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.” In this view, eternal life commences after the second coming of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead, although in the New Testament‘s Johannine literature there are references to eternal life commencing in the earthly life of the believer, possibly indicating an inaugurated eschatology.

According to mainstream Christian theology, after death but before the Second Coming, the saved live with God in an intermediate state, but after the Second Coming, experience the physical resurrection of the dead and the physical recreation of a New Earth.

 N.T. Wright argues that “God’s plan is not to abandon this world… Rather, he intends to remake it. And when he does, he will raise all people to new bodily life to live in it. That is the promise of the Christian gospel” 

In the Synoptic Gospels and the Pauline Letters, eternal life is generally regarded as a future experience, but the Gospel of John differs from them in its emphasis on eternal life as a “present possession”. Raymond E. Brownpoints out that in the synoptic gospels eternal life is something received at the final judgment, or a future age (Mark 10:30, Matthew 18:8-9) but the Gospel of John positions eternal life as a present possibility, as in John 5:24.

Thus, unlike the synoptics, in the Gospel of John eternal life is not only futuristic, but also pertains to the present. In John, those who accept Christ can possess life “here and now” as well as in eternity, for they have “passed from death to life”, as in John 5:24: “He who hears my word, and believes him that sent me, has eternal life, and comes not into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” In John, the purpose for the incarnation, death, resurrection and glorification of The Word was to provide eternal life to humanity.

Is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Perhaps no other component of the Christian life is more important than faith. We cannot purchase it, sell it or give it to our friends. So, what is faith and what role does faith play in the Christian life? The dictionary defines faith as “belief in, devotion to, or trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof.”

It also defines faith as “belief in and devotion to God.” The Bible has much more to say about faith and how important it is. In fact, it is so important that, without faith, we have no place with God, and it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). According to the Bible, faith is belief in the one, true God without actually seeing Him.

Faith is not something we conjure up on our own, nor is it something we are born with, nor is faith a result of diligence in study or pursuit of the spiritual. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it clear that faith is a gift from God, not because we deserve it, have earned it, or are worthy to have it. It is not from ourselves; it is from God. It is not obtained by our power or our free will. Faith is simply given to us by God, along with His grace and mercy, according to His holy plan and purpose, and because of that, He gets all the glory.

God designed a way to distinguish between those who belong to Him and those who don’t, and it is called faith. Very simply, we need faith to please God. God tells us that it pleases Him that we believe in Him even though we cannot see Him. A key part of Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” This is not to say that we have faith in God just to get something from Him. However, God loves to bless those who are obedient and faithful.

We see a perfect example of this in Luke 7:50. Jesus is engaged in dialog with a sinful woman when He gives us a glimpse of why faith is so rewarding. “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” The woman believed in Jesus Christ by faith, and He rewarded her for it. Finally, faith is what sustains us to the end, knowing that by faith we will be in heaven with God for all eternity. “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Without demonstrating faith and trust in God, we have no place with Him. We believe in God’s existence by faith. Most people have a vague, disjointed notion of who God is but lack the reverence necessary for His exalted position in their lives. These people lack the true faith needed to have an eternal relationship with the God who loves them.

Our faith can falter at times, but because it is the gift of God, given to His children, He provides times of trial and testing in order to prove that our faith is real and to sharpen and strengthen it. This is why James tells us to consider it “pure joy” when we fall into trials, because the testing of our faith produces perseverance and matures us, providing the evidence that our faith is real (James 1:2-4).

The term “firmament” and its identity has been one of the greatest puzzles concerning the Creation account.

In summary, here is the structure of the physical world as it now exists from the face of the Earth upwards:

• The lower sea of physical waters (our seas and oceans)
• The first heaven (the atmosphere)
• The second heaven (outer space)
• The Firmament is the first and second heavens  combined
• The sea above outer space and below the third heaven (a sea of separation)
• And above it all, there is the Third Heaven.

Genesis 1:10 (The Earth and it’s water “sea”) And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 

Genesis 1:20 (The first heaven is the atmosphere) Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 

Genesis 1:14-16 (The second heaven is outer space, Sun, Moon and Stars) Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 

Genesis 1:6-8 (The first and second heavens combined are the firmament) Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven.

Revelation 4:6 (The upper sea is above outer space and below the third heaven) Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. 

Job 38:29-30 (The upper sea is frozen) From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth? 30 The waters harden like stone, And the surface of the deep is frozen. 

2nd Corinthians 12:2-4 (The third heaven is the world of GOD) I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago–whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows–such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know such a man–whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows– 4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 

The Biblical definition of God’s foreknowledge is different. … Therefore, when you bring the Biblical definition to Romans 8:29-30 it means this: God, based solely on His sovereign grace, chooses (elects) to set His affection on some men, regenerating them and thereby opening their heart to His truth.

Predestination is a religious concept, which is about the relationship between God and His creation. … Definition: predestination is the divine foreordaining or foreknowledge of all that will happen. It applies to the salvation of some and not others.

If “free will” means that God gives humans the opportunity to make choices that genuinely affect their destiny, then yes, human beings do have a free will. The world’s current sinful state is directly linked to choices made by Adam and Eve. God created mankind in His own image, and that included the ability to choose.

However, free will does not mean that mankind can do anything he pleases. Our choices are limited to what is in keeping with our nature. For example, a man may choose to walk across a bridge or not to walk across it; what he may not choose is to fly over the bridge—his nature prevents him from flying. In a similar way, a man cannot choose to make himself righteous—his (sin) nature prevents him from canceling his guilt (Romans 3:23). So, free will is limited by nature.

This limitation does not mitigate our accountability. The Bible is clear that we not only have the ability to choose, we also have the responsibility to choose wisely. In the Old Testament, God chose a nation (Israel), but individuals within that nation still bore an obligation to choose obedience to God. And individuals outside of Israel were able to choose to believe and follow God as well (e.g., Ruth and Rahab). 

In the New Testament, sinners are commanded over and over to “repent” and “believe” (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Acts 3:19; 1 John 3:23). Every call to repent is a call to choose. The command to believe assumes that the hearer can choose to obey the command.

Jesus identified the problem of some unbelievers when He told them, “You refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:40). Clearly, they could have come if they wanted to; their problem was they chose not to. “A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7), and those who are outside of salvation are “without excuse” (Romans 1:20-21).

But how can man, limited by a sin nature, ever choose what is good? It is only through the grace and power of God that free will truly becomes “free” in the sense of being able to choose salvation (John 15:16). It is the Holy Spirit who works in and through a person’s will to regenerate that person (John 1:12-13) and give him/her a new nature “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). Salvation is God’s work. At the same time, our motives, desires, and actions are voluntary, and we are rightly held responsible for them.

The Gauls were an aristocracy in a land which they had conquered. They clung stubbornly to their own Celtic religion long after the time of Paul, even though they also acknowledged the power of the old goddess of the country.

They spoke their own Celtic tongue. They were proud, even boastful, and independent. They kept their native law under the Empire.

The “Galatians” to whom Paul wrote had Changed very quickly to a new form of religion, not from fickleness, but from a certain proneness to a more oriental form of religion which exacted of them more sacrifice of a ritual type.

They needed to be called to freedom; they were submissive rather than arrogant. They spoke Greek. They were accustomed to the Greco-Asiatic law: the law of adoption and inheritance which Paul mentions in his letter is not Roman, but Greco-Asiatic.

Gentile, person who is not Jewish. The word stems from the Hebrew term goy, which means a “nation,” and was applied both to the Hebrews and to any other nation.

The plural, goyim, especially with the definite article, ha-goyim, “the nations,” meant nations of the world that were not Hebrew.

The Gibeonites were a group of people, descended from the Amorites. They are described in Joshua 9 as people who deceived the Israelites in order to protect themselves. After the Israelites had defeated the cities of Jericho and Ai, many of the nearby Canaanites united to form a large army to fight Israel.

The Gibeonites, however, took a different approach: They resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes.

All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the Israelites, We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.

The Israelites did not consult with God before agreeing to the treaty and fell for the Gibeonites’ scheme. The Israelites soon discovered they had been tricked and discussed how to respond. The leaders of Israel decided, “‘We have given them our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now.

This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that God’s wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.’ They continued, ‘Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers in the service of the whole assembly.’ So the leaders’ promise to them was kept”.

The end of this account notes, “That day [Joshua] made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the assembly, to provide for the needs of the altar of the Lord at the place the Lord would choose.

And that is what they are to this day.”. In other words, the Gibeonites survived, yet they served as slaves to the Israelites for generations to come. The land of Gibeon would later be allotted to the tribe of Benjamin.

King Saul later broke the treaty that Joshua had signed and attacked the Gibeonites. Later still, during the time of King David, a famine occurred in Israel. When David asked the Lord about the famine, God said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death”.

To appease the Gibeonites and put an end to the famine, seven sons of Saul were given to them to be put to death. God healed Israel’s land after that.

Though Gilgal is first mentioned in Deuteronomy 11:30, it gains its primary meaning and significance in the book of Joshua. The first camp of the Israelites after they crossed the Jordan into the Holy Land was at a place called Gilgal.

This camp served as their base of operations during the initial conquest of the Holy Land under Joshua. Several other important events in the Bible take place either at this Gilgal or at a different one. Eventually, though, Gilgal became corrupt, and two of the prophets railed against it later in Israel’s history.

In the biblical narrative, Joshua orders the Israelites on the 10th of the Hebrew month Nisan, to take twelve stones from the river, one for each tribe, and place them there in memory.  Proposed location of Biblical Gilgal, in the modern-day West Bank

According to the biblical narrative, Joshua then orders the Israelites who had been born during the Exodus to be circumcised. The Bible refers to the place where this occurred as Givat Ha’aralot.

Gilgal is said to have been “on the eastern border of Jericho“. “Gilgal” is also mentioned in a list of places to divide the land under the leadership of Joshua. The first camp of Israel after crossing the Jordan. According to Joshua 15:7 it lay to the North of the valley of Achor, which formed the border between Judah and Benjamin.

Here 12 memorial stones taken from the bed of the river were set up by Joshua, after the miraculous crossing of the Jordan; and here the people were circumcised preparatory to their possession of the land, when it is said in Joshua, with a play upon the word, “This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.”

Whereupon the Passover was celebrated and the manna ceased. To Gilgal the ark returned every day after having compassed the city of Jericho during its siege. Hither the Gibeonites came to make their treaty, and again to ask aid against the Amorites.

Gilgal was still the headquarters of the Israelites after the battle with the Amorites; again after Joshua’s extensive victorious campaign in the hill country of Judea extending to Kadesh-barnea and Gaza; and still later upon his return from the great battle at the Waters of Merom. At the conclusion of the conquest, the headquarters were transferred to Shiloh on the summit of the mountain ridge to the West.

Is the final stage of the ordo salutis and an aspect of Christian soteriology and Christian eschatology. … The process of glorification is where God removes all spiritual defects of the redeemed.

Our salvation in Christ involves 3 marvelous gifts: justification, sanctification, and glorification. Justification is the gift by which our sins are forgiven. Sanctification is the gift by which we grow in likeness of Christ. Glorification is the gift by which we enter into the everlasting joy of heaven.

While the expression also refers to the divinity of God, godliness in the Bible is mainly used to describe a positive way of life influenced by God, and inspired reflection in the tenets of the Christian faith.

God’s Will is that you be :

Saved
Spirit Filled
Sanctified
Submissive
Suffering
Thankful

God’s ultimate will is a peaceful world dominated by love and compassion.

To surrender in spirituality and religion means that a believer completely gives up his own will and subjects his thoughts, ideas, and deeds to the will and teachings of a higher power.

It may also be contrasted with Submission. Surrender is willful acceptance and yielding to a dominating force and their will.

Gog and Magog  appear in the Hebrew Bible as individuals, peoples, or lands.

In Ezekiel 38, Gog is an individual and Magog is his land; in Genesis 10 Magog is a man, but no Gog is mentioned.

Centuries later Jewish tradition changed Ezekiel’s “Gog from Magog” into “Gog and Magog”, which is the form in which they appear in the Book of Revelation, although there they are peoples rather than individuals.

The Book of Ezekiel records a series of visions received by the prophet Ezekiel, a priest of Solomon’s Temple, who was among the captive during the Babylonian exile.

The exile, he tells his fellow captives, is God‘s punishment on Israel for turning away, but God will restore his people to Jerusalem when they return to him. 

After this message of reassurance, chapters 38–39, the Gog oracle, tell how Gog of Magog and his hordes will threaten the restored Israel but will be destroyed, after which God will establish a new Temple and dwell with his people for a period of lasting peace (chapters 40–48).

Chapters 19:11–21:8 of the Book of Revelation, dating from the end of the 1st century AD, tells how Satan is to be imprisoned for a thousand years, and how, on his release, he will rally “the nations in the four corners of the Earth, Gog and Magog”, to a final battle with Christ and his saints.

The Gospels are your most important resource in a study of Christianity. Christians obtain most of their knowledge and understanding of Jesus from the Gospels. Christians regard the Gospels as the Word of God and often treat them with more awe and reverence than other parts of the Bible. Gospel means ‘good news’.

In the Bible there are four such accounts, called Gospels. They are attributed toMatthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and no two of them tell the story of Jesus in thesame way.

A grain offering is a type of sacrifice described in the Old Testament that the Israelites offered to God. A grain offering would have most likely been one of wheat or barley, depending on what was available. While other sacrifices had very specific instructions from God as to how they were to be offered, the rules governing grain offerings had some flexibility.

A grain offering could be given to God either uncooked or cooked in an oven or pan. The requirements for the grain offering were that it had to be finely ground and have oil and salt in it. It could not have any yeast (also called leaven) or honey in it.

When a person brought a grain offering to the priests, a small portion of it was offered to God, with some frankincense, on the altar. The rest of the grain offering went to the priests. No specific amount of grain was required for an offering; people were free to give what they had.

The grain offering is described as “a most holy part of the food offerings presented to the Lord”. Grain offerings would often be presented after a burnt offering, which was an animal sacrifice God required for the atonement of sin. Blood had to be shed for the remission of sins to take place, so a grain offering would not serve the same purpose as a burnt offering.

Instead, the purpose of a grain offering was to worship God and acknowledge His provision. The burnt offering, which had strict regulations and could have nothing added to it, aptly represents the fact that we take no part in our atonement for sin.

It’s interesting to note that during the Israelites’ forty years of wilderness wandering grain would have been quite scarce. This made grain offerings more costly and precious for the people to offer to God. Giving a grain offering in those circumstances represented the Israelites’ complete dependence on God to provide for their needs each day.