Category Archives: Encyclopedia

Son of David

Related: The Son of Man   The Son of David is a title of the promised Messiah, according to: the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7:12-13), the prophetic scriptures that speak of Him; e.g. “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots” (Isa. 11:1), […]

Judaizing Teachers

Judaizing teachers are mentioned in many of the Epistles: they had made inroads among the Corinthians (2 Cor. 11:22), the Philippians (Phil. 3:2), the Colossians (Col. 2:18), the Cretans (Tit. 1:10), but nowhere with as much success as among the Galatian assemblies. The tendency towards natural religion has been the bane of Christianity. They were […]

Assembly Meetings

Related: The Assembly; The Ground of Gathering   What are assembly meetings? There is a difference between the times when believers are gathered together “in assembly” (1 Cor. 11:18) and the times when believers meet together for recreational purposes, casual fellowship, or even a bible study. Assembly meetings are official meetings, where the assembly comes together in […]

Gnosticism

Related: Church Heresies   Gnosticism. The word Gnostic comes from the Greek word ‘gnosis’, which means knowledge. The word is used by historians to describe a school of thought. Gnosticism arose from a group of evil workers who claimed to have higher light, special spiritual knowledge, or “secret wisdom”. This movement began in the days […]

The Mystery

“The Mystery”. Often we think of a “mystery” as something that is difficult to discover or decipher. Paul does not use the word in this way. Rather, it refers to a secret counsel of God that was previously unknown in the Old Testament, but now revealed and made plain. It could not be known by […]

Sins

What is sin? An important yet grim subject in scripture is that of sin. Sin is the reason for pain, suffering, and sorrow. Sin is the reason for death. Sin is the reason why Jesus had to suffer and die on the cross. Sin the reason the present universe will one day be dissolved, and […]

King of kings and Lord of lords

Main article: Key Players and Terms in Prophecy Related: The Personal Beast; The King of the North   The King of kings and Lord of lords is a reference to Christ returning from heaven in a warrior character (Rev. 19:11-16; Rev. 17:14). He will come “judging and making war in righteousness”. Accompanying Him will be […]

Satan

Satan’s Fall. It would appear that the original creation (Gen. 1:1) was committed to the hands of angels, over which Satan was the chief. It was an earthly paradise, called “Eden, the garden of God”. Satan was not a serpent then, but “the anointed covering cherub”, clothed with the reflected glories of God (Ezek. 28:14). […]

Solomon’s Porch

Solomon’s porch was a porch or colonnade attached to the Temple. It was originally constructed by King Solomon (1 Kings 6:2–3), and later rebuilt after a fashion by Herod. Solomon’s porch comes up three times in the scripture, and each time it is connected with a notable rejection of God by Israel. The first mention […]

The Father’s House

Main article: Millennium and Eternal State Related: The Intermediate State; Heaven   The Father’s House is the eternal dwelling place of the redeemed (John 14:2). Is it where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will be for all eternity, in the circle of divine light and love. When Jesus went back to heaven, He prepared […]

Footwashing

Related: Cleansing   Footwashing. The very first subject brought out in the upper room ministry (John 13 – 17) is footwashing, which represents the work of refreshment and removing daily defilement for the maintenance of communion. It comes first before the rest of the upper room ministry, because we cannot enjoy Christ with defiled feet, […]

Rome’s Covenant with Israel

Main article: Preliminary Events in Prophecy Related: The Great Tribulation   The covenant. The leader of the revived Roman Empire, called “the prince that shall come”, will be instrumental getting a treaty or “covenant” online between his people (Rome) and “the many”, which refers to the Jews. “And he shall confirm a covenant with the many for one week;” Daniel […]

Paul’s Prayers

Related: Prayer   Paul’s prayers. Not including benedictory prayers at the ends of his epistles, Paul records twenty-eight of his prayers! It is nice to trace these prayers through his writings. We are very thankful for them because they give us: (1) an insight into the heart of the apostle, and (2) a pattern for the way we should pray. […]