Reflections on the Holy Scripture

This is a glossary of major terms, ideas, or places that frequently pop up in the Bible and on this site. If you run into something you do not quite understand, you may find enlightenment here. Please question on the forums if you still have questions. Click here to add an entry.

A ~ B ~ C ~ D ~ E ~ F ~ G ~ H ~ I ~ J ~ K ~ L ~ M ~ N ~ O ~ P ~ Q ~ R ~ S ~ T ~ U ~ V ~ W ~ X ~ Y ~ Z

A

Abiogenesis — The theory that stands alongside evolution by attempting to show how life could arise without God — that is, from abiotic, or lifeless, chemicals. See Creation and Evolution.
Antichrist — The Antichrist, also known as the Beast, will be a hero that rises in the future who will rule the entire world through false images and worship. His reign will be during the End Times. Antichrist may also refer to anyone who opposes Christ.

B

Baptism — Baptism is the idea of being immersed into water as a representation of being immersed into Christ and coming out clean and blameless. Read more on Baptism.
Bible — The Bible is the holy text of Christianity. It is inspired by God, therefore infallible, and it is the base of all Christian doctrine. See Bible.

C

c-decay — c-decay is a theory proposed by Barry Setterfield that states that the speed of light is slowing down and was therefore faster in the past. It would explain the quantized red shift patterns, show how modern radiometric dating is unreliable, and solve the Starlight Problem. However, the theory is criticized even by prominent Creationists in that there is little observable evidence in support of it and it violates even the most basic law of E=mc2.

Christ — See Jesus

Christian — A Christian is a believer in Christ. Such a person believes that they can only be saved through the forgiveness of Jesus. To deny Jesus is to deny God himself. Christians recognise that Jesus fulfilled prophecy that was written in the Old Testament. Due to the vast number of prophecies in the OT, the fact that Jesus fulfilled every single one of them is seen to be irrefutable proof that he was - and is - the Messiah.

Christmas — The holiday of Christmas, usually celebrated on December 25, is a day designated to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Pagan influences have altered the typical traditions of Christmas as well as its original foundation. See Christmas.
Church — The Church refers to the entire body of believers in Christ especially in the early days of the New Testament, after Jesus's death. Nowadays, church is used to describe the general meeting of believers normally on a Sunday to worship God and study His word in fellowship. See Church.
Creationism — Creationism is a stem off of Intelligent Design that explains the existence of everything through a Christian standpoint, especially based off the Bible.
Cross — The Cross is the generic symbol of Christianity. The significance of the cross is that Jesus was crucified on one in order to purify us of unrighteousness.

D

David — King David is considered to be the best of the kings of Israel, except for Jesus Himself. He is known as a "man after God's own heart", and it was with this king that God established the Davidic Covenant, in which the Messiah would come from his line and establish an everlasting kingdom.

E

Easter — Easter is a Christian holiday celebrated on a Sunday in either the end of March or beginning of April. Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus on the third day after His crucifixion on the cross. Pagan influences have led to figures such as the Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs that don't contribute to the Christian meaning. See Easter.
Eternity — Eternity is the concept of timelessness, or the oblivion of time itself. Things that are eternal simply don't have lots of time but are outside the dimensionality of time, not being bound by it.
Evolution — Evolution is the theory, published by Charles Darwin in The Origin of Species, that attempts to explain the origin and development of life. This theory states that species gradually adapted to their environments over time, out of necessity for survival.

F

Flood — The Flood was a Biblical event that took place about 4000 years ago. God caused the entire earth to flood killing all but Noah, his family, and two of every kind of animal. This flood changed the conditions and physicality of the earth.

G

God — God is known as the Creator of Earth and the Universe. God in Christianity is loving, holy, righteous, and just. He also exists in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.
Gospel — A gospel is a work created by an early historian, disciple or follower of Jesus. The "four gospels" of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the most famous, and are the first four books of the New Testament. See The Gospel.
Great Tribulation — The three and a half year period in the End Times in which God releases His wrath upon the world.

H

Heaven — Heaven is where Christians who have accepted Jesus's sacrifice will go and live eternally. In Heaven, there will be no sadness or pain or suffering. See Heaven and Hell
Hell — Hell is a place of eternal separation from God. Those who do not accept the sacrifice of Jesus will be thrown into Hell and suffer eternally. See Heaven and Hell
Holy — Holy is a word to describe the utmost state of purity. In the Bible, it is used to describe a state of sinlessness or sanctity.

I

Intelligent Design — Intelligent Design is the scientific field that attempts to explain the origin and existence of life and the universe through a Designer. It is very much related to Creationism, though it allows some room for natural processes and does not identify the designer as a particular God. See Creation and Evolution

Israel — Israel, nowadays, is a country established for the Jewish population back in 1948. In the Bible, Israel were God's chosen people, and it will be the country God saves in the End.

J

Jerusalem — Most commonly known as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, Jerusalem was also the birthplace of Jesus' human father - Joseph. Joseph and a pregnant Mary were travelling to Jerusalem for a census just prior to Jesus' birth.

Jesus — Jesus is the begotten Son of God who came to earth some time ago, died, and rose from the dead so that every person may be forgiven of sin. Jesus is known by many names throughout the Bible, such as Messiah, Son of Man, Immanuel, and Prince of Peace. Jesus is alive today and capable of doing great works as He did in the past.

Jew — A Jew believes that Jesus was a mere man who falsely claimed to be the Messiah. They believe that the messiah is yet to come to Earth. Jews use the Torah (the Old Testament of the Bible) as their scripture and believe in salvation by works, not faith.

K

L

M

Mary — Mary was the mother of Jesus and gave birth to Him as a virgin.

Miracle — An event or the lack thereof that, naturally, seems impossible or highly improbable that happens which generally is beneficial to the party receiving or experiencing the miracle. See Miracles.

N

Nativity — The Nativity is the common name given to the historical event of the birth of Jesus and all that the Bible portrays it as. See The Nativity.

O

Omnipotence — Generally, having infinite ability. In the context of Christianity and God, omnipotence of God is limited to His nature. (See Character of God)
Omnipresence — Omnipresence is the concept of existing everywhere simultaneously, or scientifically having no locality. Only God is attributed with this quality, though He can select where He is not, such as Hell. He promises to exist everywhere otherwise. See Character of God.
Omniscience — Omniscience is the capability of knowing everything. This attribute is only given to God, as He knows everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen. See Character of God.

P

Paul — Paul was the most influential person in the early spread of Christianity. He wrote at least 13 of the books in the Bible mainly as letters about God to churches or people.

Pharisee — A Pharisee was a Bible scholar that believed in the Bible literally.

Prayer — Prayer is speaking to God. See Prayer and Worship for more detail.

Prophecy — A prophecy is the foreshadowing of a future event that will come true. When a prophecy comes from God, then it is bound to come true. The Bible is full of prophecy, especially Revelation which tells of our future.

Q

R

Rapture — The Rapture is an event that will occur in the future where all the Christians that have lived and are living will be brought up to heaven by God.

Roche Limit — Smallest distance by which a natural satellite can orbit a celestial body without being torn apart by the gravitational forces of the larger body. For the Earth-Moon relationship, this is approximately 18000 kilometers from Earth meaning the Moon could not possibly exist anywhere from that distance or less.

S

Salvation — Salvation is the act of becoming a Christian by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus. To become saved, all one has to do is ask for redemption. Read more on Getting Saved.

Satan — Satan is a fallen angel who now represents the main force against God. Because of his sin of betraying God, he along with those who do not accept Jesus will be thrown into Hell.
Sin — Sin is a disobedience to God and His standard. Sin ultimately causes death or loss of spiritual life. Sin must be paid in this way, and , who lived a completely sinless life, paid the price though He wasn't deserving of it. See Getting Saved

T

Torah — The Torah can refer to either to the Law of the Jews, which is the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) or the Old Testament in its entirety.

Trinity — The word trinity is not mentioned in the bible, it is a term created by the church to describe three statements that the bible does make: The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. God is a single entity, not three separate entities. Therefore God exists as three persons, yet as one being. See The Trinity.

U

V

Version — Version refers to how a specific Bible or group of Bibles is phrased. Some Bibles are paraphrased and others literally translated as possible, and the different style a Bible has is known as its version. Examples: New International Version (NIV), New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

W

X

Y

Z

Fix IE