Posts Tagged ‘terminology’
How Can It Be Right to Turn a Child of God Over to Satan?
by Roger D. Campbell Have you ever heard of the proposal that there comes a point when the Lord’s church should somehow deliver its unfaithful members to the devil? Does that idea strike you as being unreasonable or unthinkable? The truth is, beloved, that is exactly what the God of heaven instructs us to do.…
Read MoreDid the Early Churches Commune with the Lord?
by Terry Wane Benton You might think it is easy to answer with a “Yes,” and it is. However, when an AD 70 advocate gets a hold of almost any topic, the simple becomes very complex, and they would answer the title question with a no. I’m not kidding! Here are quotes from Steve Baisden:…
Read MoreHow could Melchizedek be “without father and mother”?
by Bob Prichard Melchizedek is one of the more mysterious figures in all of scripture. He is mentioned only in Genesis 14, Psalms 110:4, and in the book of Hebrews. The writer of Hebrews demonstrated that Melchizedek foreshadowed the ministry of Christ, serving as both priest and king. After the patriarch Abraham defeated a confederacy…
Read MoreDo Not Quench the Spirit
by Terry Wane Benton You can quench a thirst by stopping yourself from being thirsty. You quench a thirst by drinking some water. So, what does Paul mean by “Do not quench the Spirit” (I Thessalonians 5:19)? The Spirit has been trying to appeal to our hearts through such letters as He inspired Paul to…
Read MoreWhat does “isles of the Gentiles” refer to?
Question: What do “Isle” and “Gentile” mean in the verse: “By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations” (Genesis 10:5 KJV). Answer: “Gentile” refers to nations, specifically nations other than Israel. “Isles” is an older way of saying “islands.” Newer…
Read MoreDo These Passages Talk of Human Sacrifices?
Question: I have a question about human sacrifice in Scripture, please. I believe in the Bible and I am a Christian, of course. But the following verses do bother me, because they really do sound like human sacrifice: Isaiah 34:5–6 (about Edom): “The LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land…
Read MoreFrom the Womb of the Morning
by Terry Wane Benton “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Your people shall be volunteers in the day of Your power; In the beauties…
Read MoreBruised
by Terry Wane Benton “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15). The very first prophecy of “the seed of the woman” bruising the head of the Serpent and…
Read MoreWhat does “go to” mean in the King James?
Question: “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4 KJV). What does the archaic word go to mean in Genesis 11:4? Wiktionary…
Read MoreWho does “firstborn” refer to in Hebrews 12:23?
Question: In reading Hebrews 12:23 in another language, I noticed that “firstborn” is in the plural. Does it refer to the Christians in the church? Answer: One of the interesting results of studying with people with different backgrounds is that things will be pointed out that you never considered before. In English, “firstborn” is used…
Read MoreIs there a difference between “divorce” and “puts away”?
Question: Mr. Hamilton, First of all, thank you very much for taking the time to respond to emails. Your grace and patience have been a tremendous help to me. I have some questions I have been pondering on and hoping to gain some of your insight on, if that’s alright? While reading my Bible, I…
Read MoreWho Are the Sons of God in the Book of Job?
Author Unknown Almost every reference in the Bible to “sons of God” refers to men who live in harmony with the will of God. However, I believe the three instances of the sons of God found in Job (Job 1:6; Job 2:1; Job 38:7) refer to angels. I would be inclined to believe that the…
Read MoreMy Servant: Israel or Jesus?
by Terry Wane Benton The skeptic claims: “Christian interpretations emerged over the centuries, often distorting the original meanings by selectively quoting verses and overlooking the nuances of Hebrew grammar. For example, in Isaiah 49:3, the servant is explicitly identified as “Israel.” Here, the skeptic took a verse out of its context and pretended that “My…
Read MoreSpend and Be Spent
by Joe Chesser “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls” (II Corinthians 12:15). I’m not sure we fully grasp what Paul meant. I’m not sure we want to. When writing his second letter to the Corinthian church, Paul felt spiritually and emotionally connected to them. The first time he had been…
Read MoreWhat is an “instrument” in Romans 6:13?
Question: What is an instrument in Romans 6:13? The Thayer’s Greek lexicon and Strong’s dictionary didn’t help me understand this word. Answer: “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and…
Read MoreInseparables
by David Gibson Some things are meant to go together. Only one sock or one glove is next to useless. One cannot do the work of two. For good health, we need a balance of work and rest. Good communication involves both speaking and listening. Not either/or This is also true in the spiritual realm.…
Read MoreWhat do saint and blameless mean?
Question: Does saint mean to be morally blameless? Strong’s says: “From hagos (an awful thing) (compare hagnos, thalpo); sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated) — (most) holy (one, thing), saint.” Answer: I suspect that the difficulty is understanding the meaning of “blameless.” We tend to assume it means “without fault” or “sinless.” However, various…
Read MoreThe Last Days
by Ron Boatwright The apostle Peter says in Acts 2:16-17, “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘ And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall…
Read MoreDwelling in the Spirit
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Read MoreWhat is meant by “secret things?”
Question: Good afternoon, In Deuteronomy 29:29, what is meant by “secret things”? Is it referring to unrevealed things not found in the Bible? Is it referring to things that the Bible, specifically the New Covenant, doesn’t speak about at all? I hope my wording is understandable. Thanks. Answer: “The secret things belong to the LORD…
Read MoreOur Faith and The Faith
by Steve Dewhirst via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 3, 30 September 1991 In Paul’s declaration of the gospel’s power to save, he concluded with the words of the prophet Habakkuk, “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17). Man’s fellowship with Deity has always been conditional. God has always demanded a faith that surrenders to…
Read MoreDoes God lead us into temptation?
Question: Matthew 6:13, “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen,” seems to imply that God might lead us into temptation. But James 1:13 says God doesn’t tempt people with evil. Could you explain this? Answer: “And do…
Read MoreWhat does “counted” mean in Romans 4:5?
Question: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5 KJV). I’m trying to figure out what the word “counted” means. Does the word “counted” mean “considered?” When it says “his faith is counted for righteousness,” does that mean his faith is…
Read MoreHaving the Spirit by Measure
by Samuel Matthews “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him” (John 3:34 KJV). Loved ones, in our text, the apostle John said that the Father sent Jesus the Messiah with an “unlimited measure” of the Holy Spirit. What does John mean…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between “them” and “all others” in II Corinthians 9:13
Question: “By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others” (II Corinthians 9:13 ESV). Is there any difference between “for them” and “for all others”? Are they both needy…
Read MoreThe Last Days
by Terry Wane Benton Did you know that the “last days” can mean the last phase of earth-life that can itself involve “ages” of time? Peter said that what happened on Pentecost was part of the “last days” predicted by Joel (Acts 2:16,17), and then Paul said Jesus had spoken in “these last days” (Hebrews…
Read MoreIt Is Finished
by Chadwick Brewer “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30). The Greek word translated as “It is finished” is tetelestai. To our ears, it might sound like Jesus is simply saying, “My life is over.” However, Jesus uses…
Read MoreThe Tabernacle of Witness
by Terry Wane Benton Why was the Tabernacle in Israel referenced as “the Tabernacle of Witness?” The inspired scriptures may provide several different reasons. It was designed to testify to God’s Presence in the pillar of cloud and in the pillar of fire that demonstrated His Presence in the midst of the camp of the…
Read MoreAt Hand
by Terry Wane Benton Most who get tangled up in the Realized Eschatology heresy get puzzled by the “at hand” language found in so many books of the New Testament. All they can conclude is that there was only one thing it could be talking about, and that is the destruction of Jerusalem in AD…
Read MoreIn Matthew 26:29, what does “new” refer to?
Question: Hi Jeffrey, In “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29 NKJV), what’s the “new”? And what is “that day”? How can we drink the new cup with…
Read MorePsalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs
by Wayne S. Walker via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 1, January 2015 We know from the New Testament and can infer from later writings of church leaders that Christians of the first century did sing in their worship, but we do not know precisely what songs they sang or exactly how they sang them. Some…
Read MoreWhy are all nations judged when all were not involved in the oppression?
Question: Greetings! In Joel 3:2, why are “all nations” judged when not all nations participated in the oppressions? Or is this eschatological? Thanks. Answer: “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley…
Read MoreWhat does it mean to bring reproach on the church?
Question: What does it mean to bring reproach upon the church? Answer: “Reproach” means to show disapproval or to be disappointed. It can be used to refer to an individual who sinned and those causing the community around him to look down on him. “The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense;…
Read MoreWhat does “stretched out the Earth over the waters” mean?
Question: “To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalms 136:6). What does “stretched out the earth above the waters” mean? Is there any connection between this verse and II Peter 3:5-7? Answer: There are several passages that indicate that the land mass of the earth rested…
Read MoreThe Church in Two Senses of the Word
based on charts by Scott Mann via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 9, No. 11, November 30, 1983 Universal Church The Relationship of Saints with God Members are enrolled in heaven (Hebrews 12:23; II Timothy 2:19) Consists of all saints, everywhere, living or dead (Ephesians 3:15; 5:27-29) Only the Lord adds to their number (Acts 2:47) Entrance…
Read MoreDon’t animals have spirits?
Question: I was reading the article, “Doesn’t Ecclesiastes 3:19 teach that there is no difference between men and animals?” You said animals have no spirit. The very next passage says that they do have spirits. “Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between a wife and a concubine?
Question: In Deuteronomy 21, after a war in the Old Testament, it says that if you wish to make a woman your wife, you must shave her head and cut her nails, etc., but what if he wanted to make her a concubine? Was this permitted or not? Deuteronomy doesn’t say anything at all about…
Read MoreWhat are “angelic majesties”?
Question: Good afternoon! What exactly does “reviling angelic majesties” mean in II Peter 2:10? Answer: “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between the Greek words “moros” and “anoetos?”
Question: What is the difference between the Greek words “moros” and “ancestors?” Answer: Moros is an adjective that describes someone acting foolishly or without thinking, especially about moral decisions or righteous behavior; thus, it implies godless behavior, but not always. It can also refer to someone with relatively less intelligence or a lack of wisdom. In…
Read MoreThe Crown
by Wayne S. Walker A few years ago, I had to have a gold crown put on a tooth that kept chipping. As I was sitting in the dentist’s chair waiting, I realized that the word “crown” appears quite frequently in the New Testament, so when I arrived back at the office, I studied it.…
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