The Nazirite

A Nazirite (Hebrew: Nazir, meaning “consecrated” or “separated”) was an ancient Hebrew who took a special vow of dedication to God. Both men and women could make this vow to “separate themselves to the LORD.” A Nazirite was forbidden to cut their hair, drink wine or any grape products, or touch a dead body. Initially, […]

Incarnation

The Bible states that the Incarnation (John 1:14) is when God’s Son, Jesus, came down to earth and became a human being. The “Word” mentioned here refers to Jesus Himself. John 1:1 says, “the Word was God,” which means Jesus is God. God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son, […]

Moab and Ammon

Moab and Ammon are the names of two ancient Middle Eastern peoples. In the Old Testament, these names also referred to the regions they inhabited, east of the Dead Sea and the Jordan River. When Abraham moved to the land of Canaan, he brought his nephew Lot with him. Later, Lot separated from Abraham and […]

Edom

Edom was an ancient kingdom and people located south of the Dead Sea in Transjordan. Its borders were the Levant to the south, Moab to the northeast, the Arabah Valley to the west, and the Arabian Desert to the southeast. It is now part of modern-day Israel and Jordan. This late Bronze Age and early […]

Barnabas

Barnabas, also known as the “Son of Encouragement” or “Son of Consolation,” was an early Jewish Christian in the New Testament who was also called an apostle. He and the Apostle Paul undertook a series of missionary journeys, which led to the widespread dissemination of Christianity. Barnabas’s original name was Joseph. He belonged to the […]

Israel (Original name: Jacob)

Israel was the grandson of Abraham and the son of Isaac, whose original name was Jacob. He had a twin brother, Esau. His father, Isaac, favored Esau, while his mother favored Jacob. Jacob’s life was full of legends: he traded a bowl of red lentil stew for his brother Esau’s birthright; with his mother’s help, […]

Eternal Death

We often use the term “breathed one’s last” to describe a person’s death. When a person first dies, their body may still be warm and appear normal, but it lacks one thing: breath. [Genesis 2:7] Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of […]

What Is Eternal Life?

People often misunderstand eternal life to mean physical immortality. This misconception creates a seemingly irreconcilable contradiction between a Christian’s “immortality” and the reality that “everyone dies,” leading some to believe that the Christian concept of eternal life is a delusion. In reality, “eternal life” does not mean that the body will live forever. Everyone’s soul […]

A Name of God in the Bible: Elohim

Elohim (אֱלֹהִים) is the Hebrew plural form of a name derived from the shortened name El, whose root likely means “strong” or “preeminent.” Elohim is generally translated as “God,” and it is used over two thousand times in the Old Testament. Jehovah God is the Creator and Sovereign Ruler; He is the “Creator, power, and […]

What Is Righteousness?

The basic meaning of righteousness is “to be right.” In the Bible, God’s righteousness is the foundation of salvation. It is God fulfilling His own requirements so that He can enact His salvation. From God’s Perspective God desires to give us grace, to save us, and to grant us life. He longs for all of […]