Year: 2014

Bible Term: Kingdom of God

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

The phrase “the Kingdom of God” is synonymous with “the Kingdom of Heaven.” Some writers in the Bible simply prefer one over the other; it is not meant to designate two different concepts.

These two phrases could perhaps be best understood by considering that Jesus desires to bring heaven’s rule to earth. Under his rule, there are benefits and responsibilities to his subjects, the church.

Jesus explains about the Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven through parables:

The parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)
The parable of Scattering Seed (Mark 4:26-27)
The parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:31-32, Luke 13:18-19)
The parable of Yeast (Matthew 13:33, Luke 13:20-21)
The parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44)
The parable of the Pearl (Matthew 13:45)
The parable of the Net (Matthew 13:47-48)
The parable of Settling Accounts (Matthew 18:23-35)
The parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16)
The parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:2-14)
The parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)

Key verse about Kingdom of God: After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God, Luke 8:1, NIV).

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Justice

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

The concept of justice deals with what is fair, right, equitable, and moral.

When someone is wronged, they demand justice, be it in the form of an apology, remuneration, or punishment. However, when we do something wrong, we prefer mercy instead of justice.

The word justice occurs several hundred times in the Bible, mostly in the Old Testament. Although it also appears in the New Testament, the focus there is more on God‘s mercy and grace and not so much on God’s justice.

Total justice precludes the option for mercy, whereas complete mercy rules out justice.

Paradoxically, God is a just god, but is merciful to those who follow him.

Key verse about Justice: Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you (Deuteronomy 16:20, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Judgment

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

Biblical judgment is generally the spiritual parallel to being legally judged in a court of law against a preset standard.

In the Old Testament, judgment often refers to God‘s righteous punishment of those who continually turn their backs on him or harm his people. In many cases, the judgment was to the entire nation of Israel, although sometimes it was to individuals, groups, or other nations.

In other cases, judgment (the act of judging) refers to one person judging another.

The New Testament has much to say about this type of judgment, generally critical in nature (Matthew 7:1-2, Luke 6:37, 1 Corinthians 4:3, 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, 1 Corinthians 6:2-5, and James 4:11-12.

Ultimately, in the end times, the entire earth will be judged (2 Peter 3:7 and Revelation 6:10).

Key verse about Judgment: Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it” (Deuteronomy 1:17, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Judge

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

The men and women who are called Judges in the Bible were not Judges as we understand them today.

They were more akin to informal military leaders who were called and empowered by God to rescue his people from the oppression of surrounding nations. After their military success, the Judges often implemented or inspired spiritual reform.

Historically, the Judges served the nation of Israel in the early part of it’s history, before they were led by kings.

A reoccurring pattern is that the Israelites are oppressed, they call out to God for deliverance, he raises up a Judge to save them, they then turn to God for a time, but later fall away. The cycle repeats.

The actions of some of the Judges are noteworthy and significant. Other Judges are scarcely mentioned, some only garnering the briefest of citations. The lives, work, and heroic acts of these Judges are recorded in the book of Judges.

Key verse about Judge: They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves (Exodus 18:26, NIV)

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Judaism

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

Judaism was the religion of Israel during biblical times.

Key verse about Judaism: This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism (Acts 6:5, NIV)

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Judah

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

Judah refers to a person, a tribe, and a nation.

Judah, the person, was one of Jacob’s twelve sons.

Jacob’s descendants grew in number and became the tribe of Judah, one of twelve tribes comprising the nation of Israel. Each tribe settled in an assigned geographic area, which would be similar to a state or province today.

Later, when the nation of Israel was divided, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, split off, forming a new nation that was known as the nation of Judah.

Key verse about Judah: The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun (Genesis 35:23, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Jew

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

The term Jew, or Jewish, can refer to either a nationality or a religion.

In biblical times these were one in the same. Nowadays a person can be one without the other. That is, they can be Jewish by birth but not belief, or they could be Jewish in faith but not biologically.

A person can be Jewish by birth, technically a child of a Jewish mother, or become Jewish, in a religious sense, through conversion.

From a human standpoint, Abraham is the founder of the Jewish nation..

Traditionally, the Jewish language is Hebrew, so Jews are sometimes called Hebrews.

[Read verses in the Bible with the word Jew and Jews.]

Key verse about Jew: So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia (Ezra 6:14, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Jesus

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

Jesus is God who came to earth as a man.

The purpose of Jesus’ coming to earth was to die in place of all of us for the wrongs we have done. In essence, he paid our fine and did our time — so we won’t have to.

If we accept this act of Jesus, it makes us right with God the Father, thereby allowing us to serve him now and be with him for eternity. It’s easy to accept this gift (it’s free) and start on a journey with Jesus. Jesus simply said, “Come, follow me,”(Mark 1:17).

After Jesus died, he rose from the dead, thereby overcoming death, and waits for his followers to join him in heaven.

The Bible sometimes calls him “Jesus of Nazareth” or “Jesus the son of Joseph.”

Jesus referred to himself as the Son of man. Son of God is another apt title, which others used for him, but which Jesus seldom used himself, because doing so would inflame the religious leaders who would charge him with blasphemy and prematurely execute him.

Later, when the time was right, they did execute him (Luke 23:33).

Jesus, along with the Father and Holy Spirit, make up the Trinity.

Key verse about Jesus: She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Israelite

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

In the Bible, the Israelites were the descendants of the twelve sons of Israel (that is, the twelve tribes of Israel).

The man Israel, originally called Jacob, was Abraham’s grandson and Isaac’s son.

Israelites, then are people from the nation of Israel. However, today, Israelis is used instead of Israelites.

Also see Israel.

Key verse about Israelite: Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number (Genesis 47:27, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Israel

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

In the Bible, Israel refers to a person, a people, a nation, and a place.

The person Israel (originally called Jacob, Genesis 32:28) was Abraham’s grandson (Isaac’s son) .

Jacob/Israel had twelve sons, which eventually became the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28), the people of Israel, and later the nation of Israel. In the Bible, they were called the Israelites; nowadays, they are called Israelis.

The land in which they eventually settled was also called Israel.

Key verse about Israel: God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel (Genesis 35:10, NIV)

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