How does the Bible define sin? How do sinful human beings relate to God? Read more to find out. Sin is pictured in Genesis as beginning with Adam and Eve, who disobeyed God by eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:9). The… Read More

Many Jewish people thought the Messiah would return as a victorious king. However, four passages in Isaiah discuss a servant who will bring Israel back to God. Four passages in Isaiah are often identified as “the Servant Songs” because they focus on the call and work of “the Lord’s… Read More

Throughout Scripture, hope refers to confident trust in God to provide for the Israelites’ needs. Read more about the theme of hope that is woven through the Old and New Testaments. In present-day society, the word “hope” often refers to wishful thinking or to the expectation that something positive… Read More

In the New Testament, Jesus promises that he will return. Read more about the context of the second coming and what it will mean for believers. This term is used to refer to the future time Christ will return to judge people and establish God’s kingdom. The term, “second… Read More

When people in ancient Israel died and were buried, it was believed that their souls went down and stayed in the dark underworld called “Sheol” or “Hades.” Later, when the people of Judah were in exile in Babylon about 600 years before Jesus was born, some prophets announced the… Read More

Find out what different faith traditions in Western Christianity say about the Deuterocanonical books and what role these books play in the Old Testament canon. The term “apocrypha” is Greek for “hidden or secret (things).” When Jerome translated the Scriptures into Latin in the late fourth century, he noted… Read More

Throughout the Old Testament, the Day of the Lord, a time of punishment for the wicked and blessing for the righteous, brought hope to faithful Israelites. The “Day of the Lord” refers to a future time when the Lord will act in history to punish his enemies and to… Read More

In the ancient world, blood was a symbol of life and sacrifice. Consequently, it played an important role in the Old Testament sacrificial system. In the Bible, the power of life is understood to be present in blood. This is true of animals (Gen 9.4) and of humans (Lev… Read More

The Bible is full of dreams, visions and fantastic images. How should the modern reader understand these apocalyptic writings? Read more to find out. Apocalyptic Writing The word “apocalyptic” comes from a Greek word, “apokalypsis,” meaning revealing or unveiling. In the Bible, Daniel in the Old Testament and Revelation in… Read More

Angels are popular images in the modern world. But what does the Bible say about angels? Find out here. The word “angel” in English is based on the Greek word angelos, which means “messenger.” Most often in the Bible, this is exactly what angels do—bring messages from God to… Read More