The nation of Israel was a strategic trade location. Check out what they traded and how trading shaped the culture of the Ancient Near East. The earliest Israelites traded in animals, milk, cheese, and wool. Even after they settled in Canaan, the Israelites were farmers and herders, but few… Read More

Most of the Israelites were nomads. Find out where and how they traveled in the Ancient Near East. Before they settled in Canaan, the earliest ancestors of the Israelites were nomads, which means that they lived by moving herds of sheep and goats from place to place to… Read More

In the beginning . . . human societies interacted with each other. See how they did it. No clear evidence has been found to show how the earliest human beings traveled. Archaeologists date the earliest evidence of any kind of travel from the end of the “Ice Age,” about… Read More

Who is the anti-Christ? Where is he mentioned in Scripture? Read more to get a sound biblical perspective of this figure. The decision of the film-making industry to produce a wave of movies with apocalyptic themes has resulted in resurgent interest in the physical nature of the antichrist, his… Read More

During Jesus’ earthly ministry he often communicated through the use of parables, stories used to teach a lesson. Learn about why Jesus used these stories. “Parable” comes from the Greek word which means “to put things together in order to compare them.” Parables are usually short stories told to… Read More

The term paradise appears several places throughout the Old and New Testaments. Find out the background of the word and how it relates to heaven. Topics: Heaven, Paradise, Eternal Life The Hebrew word for “paradise” was borrowed from the Persian word which means a wooded park where everything… Read More

The Old Testament uses several names for God. Read about the significance of the different names and what this implies about God’s character. Of the many words used to name God in the Bible, the following are especially important. The most common is the general noun Elohim, usually translated… Read More

The Greek word for martyr means “witness.” In the New Testament martyrs were individuals were those who bore witness to the life, death and work of Jesus. Two words, “martyr” and “witness,” are translated from the same Greek word, martys. The earliest meaning for the word is probably “witness.”… Read More

Scripture is full of promises that people make to God and that God makes to people. Find out what some of these promises are and how they apply to our everyday lives. Vows are spoken promises made to God, and are often made in response to help received from… Read More

What are the spiritual gifts? How are they supposed to help the church? Learn more about the types of spiritual gifts and their role in the church. The Greek word charisma is most often translated as “spiritual gifts” in 1 Corinthians 12:1 and elsewhere in the New Testament. It… Read More