 GLOSSARY
Glossary Seed and Bread Index
Selected Words from the Writings of Otis Q. Sellers
A PATTERN OF SOUND WORDS
FOR THE ACTIVE BELIEVER by M. B. Hammond
INTR0DUCTI0N
The Word of God provides many paths of pertinent study for the interested believer.
One of those paths is responsibly learning and using the proper definitions of
many words, terms or phrases used throughout God's Word.
The true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ needs to have a pattern of sound
words to understand Scripture. As it says in 2 Timothy 1: 13, "Hold fast
the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which
is in Christ Jesus." This glossary is designed to provide an index of
words used in Scripture that have given translators difficulty, or words that
have changed in their meaning with continual usage. The glossary form is also
used to provide the reader quick alphabetical access to the words and references
to SEED & BREAD articles for more in-depth explanations.
The symbol SB followed by a number represents the issue number of one of
the studies in SEED & BREAD, written by Otis Q. Sellers (OQS), former
Bible teacher and student.
One important point to note is that English is a living language and that its
words are subject to changing meanings. However, words in ancient Hebrew and Greek
are fixed in the past. Our job is to understand them. Since much of the Bible,
especially in prophecy and in parables, is written in figurative language, both
literal and figurative meanings are considered, stressing the contexts in which
the words appear. Refer to SB099
Positive Biblical Theology.
By way of background, Sellers accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior
in 1920, when he was 19 years old. He went to Moody Bible Institute and became
pastor of various Baptist churches in the 1920s. Being an ardent student of the
Bible, he came into scriptural disagreement with the practices of "baptism"
and "the Lord's Supper."
He came to the belief that continued study of the Scriptures required developing
a strong basis in progressive revelation. The effort throughout the remainder
of his life was designed to reveal the truth of God.
Sellers was meticulous in his methods and wrote a magazine entitled, The Word
of Truth, of which 16 volumes and two additional issues were completed. At the
age of 67, he decided to record his latest truth on Biblical subjects in the terse
format of the four-page SEED & BREAD articles. Before his death, he completed
196 of the articles, publishing the first 100 in a single volume, and after his
death, the additional 96 were published in a second volume. Included in this
Glossary is also an INDEX to using those volumes.
GLOSSARY
ACTS DISPENSATION -- The Acts period was a unique period of about
33 years following Christ's death and resurrection, which was actually the blade
and ear stage of the Kingdom of God (Mark 4:2630). This period was marked by many
marvelous features, such as the visible gifts of the Spirit including the ability
to heal the sick, to raise the dead, to cleanse the lepers, and to speak in tongues.
See SB006 The Biblical Gift
Of Tongues, SB007 The Acts Dispensation,
SB009 Truth Concerning Acts,
SB019 The Charismatic
Dispensation, SB044 Israel
In The Acts Period, SB052 Tongues
Are Languages, SB067 A Foretaste
Of The Kingdom, SB177 Rightly
Dividing Romans, SB178
Rightly Interpreting Romans, SB191
Examination Of Acts 3:19.
ANGEL/MESSENGER -- Angels consist of three special classes of
created beings with superhuman and supernatural powers. Wherever you see the word
angel think of them as messengers. The Bible describes them to be in appearance
like men; however they do not seem to be subject to death. Paul describes angels
in Hebrews 1:14 as "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them
who shall be the heirs of salvation." See SB050
The Powers That Be.
ANTICHRIST -- The Greek prefix anti has the real meaning of "in
place of' or "instead of" Even today there are antichrists, in
which people step in and take the place of Christ. Anybody setting up themselves
as an intermediary between God and man takes from the honor and respect due our
Messiah. Also activities, religious events and other things are substituted by
men for real study of and belief in Jesus Christ. See SB161
The Antichrist.
APOSTLE -- This word (Greek-apostolos) has a verb form, meaning
to send. The word refers to one commissioned with authority, such as an ambassador
from a foreign country. The disciples, for example, became apostles when
commissioned (sent with power) to do His will. See SB005
What Does Apostello Mean, SB010
From Cana To Calvary, SB013
The Divine Commissions, SB116
I Will Build Me, SB131
Truth From Matthew 10:1-10, SB148
How Then Shall They Hear, SB149
Apostolic Expectation.
APPEARING -- The word appearing means to blaze forth (Gk.epiphaneia,
from the Greek word phaino meaning to shine forth, with the accelerative
prefix epi). See SB037 What
Does "Epiphaneia" Mean?, SB101
God Must Intervene, SB194 The
Kingdom Is Coming.
APPOSITION -- This is a grammatical tool in which a second noun is set
beside another noun so that it explains and defines the first. See SB122
The Kai Explicative Principle.
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BAPTISM -- This word means identification resulting in a merger. The
word is not a translation, but a transliteration of the Greek word baptizo,
which comes to us from the old dyer's art. It identifies the believer with Jesus
Christ, in His death and His resurrection. For further material, see SB134
Concerning Baptism, SB135 What Does
Baptizo Mean?, SB136 Baptism
Means Identification, SB137 The
Baptism Of John, SB138
Identification With The Holy Spirit, SB139
Identification With Jesus Christ, SB143
Baptism In Matthew, SB144 Baptism
In Mark And Luke, SB145 Baptism
In John And Acts, SB146 Baptism
In The Epistles.
BELIEF/FAITH -- See FAITH
BODY -- The word body (Gk.-soma) refers to organized substance.
The key to its meaning is found in Colossians 2:17, where body is contrasted
with the word "shadow." See SB119
Body, A Word Study, SB147
Members Of His Body.
BORN AGAIN -- Born again (Gk.-genao anothen) refers to divine
generation and literally means "generated from above." For more, see
SB093 Concerning
"Born Again," SB094
Generation From Above, SB095
Lessons From Nicodemus, SB103
Divine Election.
CALLED/CHOSEN -- To be called may mean to name, or to command
or to sound. But in many Scriptures, to call, (Gk.-kaleo) means
to position, to appoint, to place, to name, or to designate. All these terms are
synonymous, agreeing in the sense of declaring a person's calling as being God's
choice for an office or position. See SB087
What Does Kaleo Mean?, SB123
Call His Name Jesus.
CHRIST /MESSIAH -- These two words both mean the same thing: "the
Anointed One." The Israelites looked for their Messiah (Heb.messiach)
who is the same One as the Christ (Grk.-christos) of the New Testament.
See JESUS, IMMANUEL,
MEDIATOR, JEHOVAH and GOD/LORD. Also see SB012
This Generation Shall Not Pass, SB096
God's Presentation Of Christ.
CHURCH -- As much as we may be conditioned to it, this word church
is not in Scripture. It is a bad translation of the Greek word ekklesia,
which Young's Analytical Concordance defines as "that which is called out."
It is derived from the Greek root verb, kaleo (to call), and in its simplest form
means "out-called" or "out-positioned" for special service.
See SB087 What Does Kaleo Mean?,
SB097 What Does Ekklesia Mean?,
SB115 Ekklesia Men, SB120
Ekklesia Truth, SB131 Truth From Matthew
10:1-10, SB141 More About Ekklesia,
SB158
Those Turning From The Church, SB198
You've Gotta Have A Ceremony.
COMING -- When we think of the Lord Jesus Christ returning to this earth,
we think of it as Him coming to take His place as king. The normal word
(Gk.-erchomai) just means to come, but the special word "personal
coming" (Gk.-parousia) is said to be "a being alongside"
or "a presence" (Young's Analytical Concordance, p.188). This word parousia
really is a personal presence, an appearance in an official capacity because of
who He is and what He can do. For more detail, see SB020
The Jigsaw Puzzle Of Prophecy, SB024
What Does Parousia Mean?, SB025
The Parousia Of Jesus Christ, SB066
When He Shall Come, SB133
The "Parousia" In Matthew 24, SB192
Puzzling Parousia Passages.
COVENANT -- A covenant is an agreement, and is a legal term to
this day. It is an agreement between two people, but in God's case, when Israel
broke its covenant, He still confirmed it for His name's sake (Ezek. 36:22).
There are many covenants in scripture, from the first one made with Abraham
in Genesis 12:1-3 in which He promises, "to bless all the families of the
earth through Abraham's seed," to God's promise to raise David to be the
king of the Kingdom when Jehovah raises and regathers Israel (Ezek. 37). See SB165
God's Law To Israel, SB166
The Ten Commandments, SB167
The Terms Of The Covenant, SB168
Misconceptions Concerning The Law, SB169
The Broken Covenant, SB170
We Establish The Law, and SB171
Abraham's Seed Today.
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DAY OF CHRIST -- This is the Kingdom of the Heavens or the premillennial
Kingdom also known as the "Day of the Eon." Paul says in Phil. 2: 16
how proud he is of these gentiles that he may rejoice in the Day of Christ.
See SB054 Four
Great Days, SB111
Before The Day Of The Lord, SB142
The Day Of The Eon.
DAY OF THE LORD -- This refers to the time of the tribulation through
the thousand year reign of Christ. It is the time of the end, when the indignation
of God is poured out upon all the people of this earth who do not know their God,
even after several hundred years of blessing in the premillennial Kingdom. In
1 Thess. 5:2, Paul warns them, even as does Peter in 2 Peter 3:10, that "the
Day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night," and they must be ready.
See SB039 The
Great Tribulation, SB040
The Great Testing, SB054
Four Great Days, SB110
The Lord's Day In Revelation 1:10, SB111.
Before The Day Of The Lord, SB151
Six, Sixty, Six, SB161
The Antichrist, SB162
The Mark Of The Beast, SB193
The Consummation Of The Eon.
DEATH -- The principle of death (Gk.-thanatos) is a return to
the former state. The body returns to the dust and the spirit (breath of life)
returns to God who gave it (Eccl. 12:7). See SB079
What Is Death?, SB082 What Does Sheol
Mean?, SB083 If A Man Die, SB084
Is It Gain To Die?, SB085 Paul's
Desire To Depart, SB104 The Dying
Malefactor.
DESTRUCTION -- Destruction is the final end of the wicked man
(Phil. 3: 19), "They are enemies of the cross of Christ whose end is destruction".
This means the same thing as perishing. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved
the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life." See DEATH and PERISHING.
For more see, SB079 What Is Death?,
SB083 If A Man Die, SB184
What Does Gehenna Mean, SB185 More
About Gehenna, SB186 What Does
Destruction Mean.
DISPENSATION -- This word means an administration, stewardship or method
of dealing (Gk.-oikonomia). See SB023
New Testament Time Periods, SB056
Dispensational Truth, SB129 The
Order Of Events, SB180
A Study In Dispensational Truth. DISPENSATION OF GRACE -- God's present dispensation
of grace lies between Acts 28:28 and the epiphaneia or "blazing forth"
of Jesus Christ which signals the beginning of the Kingdom (Titus 2:13, 2 Tim.
4:1). It is the time, today, in which we live and a time in which a silent God
exhibits only love and favor, as divine intervention, to the undeserving, namely,
all mankind. See SB004
Interpretation Of Philippians 1:6, SB011
The Importance Of Acts 28:28, SB023
New Testament Time Periods, SB053
A Psalm For Today, SB056 Dispensational
Truth, SB057 The Dispensation
Of Grace, SB058 Ephesians 1-Translation,
SB059 Ephesians 2, SB060
Ephesians 3, SB061 Ephesians 4,
SB062 Ephesians 5, SB063
Ephesians 6, SB064 God's Present
Purpose, SB065 Christian
Individualism, SB129 The
Order Of Events, SB179 The Gospel
Of John
EARTH/WORLD -- See WORLD.
ELECT/ELECTION -- This word (Gk.-eklektos/eklegomai) means "out-positioned"
for a special service. God can elect or choose any man, but the man must submit
to His call and follow Him. See CALL/CHOSEN, CHURCH. Also see SB065
Christian Individualism, SB103 Divine
Election.
EXPECTATION/HOPE -- See HOPE.
ETERNAL/FOREVER -- See FOREVER.
EVERLASTING -- This is the adjective of the noun "forever"
and has the same root which is "eon" (Gk.-aion, Heb.-olam,
which means "to flow"). The term "eonian" (adj.) may refer
often to that which is perpetual, but more than that it has the idea of that which
"flows out" of God. See SB126
The Problem Of Aion, SB127 Olam And
Aion, SB128 What Does Aion Mean?
EVERLASTING LIFE -- This is defined as life flowing directly out of
God.
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FAITH/BELIEF -- In today's English, we can have faith or belief
in a person, we can believe a fact, but we cannot say we are "faithing"
in it. The words faith and belief are the same in the original language
(Gk.-pistis,-eo). Faith is taking God at His word and responding accordingly.
See SB100 The Glory Of Believing,
SB105 What Is Faith, SB1O9
Faith Exemplified, SB112 The
Centurion Of Capernaum., SB179 The
Gospel Of John.
FIRSTBORN -- Firstborn refers to the ancient custom of sonship.
It can be the male child born first, or the one positioned first and having the
birthright (e.g. Jacob and Esau, Gen. 27). It can also describe an exalted position
such as the sovereignty and preeminence of Jesus Christ. See ONLY BEGOTTEN SON,
SON OF GOD and SB190 Firstborn
Of Every Creation.
FOREVER/ETERNAL -- This concept is the same as "everlasting"
and refers to the outflow of God, e.g. etemal life refers to the quality
of God given life (Gk.-aion, Heb.-olam). See SB126
The Problem Of Aion, SB127 Olam And
Aion, SB128 What Does Aion Mean, SB142
The Day Of The Eon.
GENTILES -- The term gentiles (Gk.-ethnos, Heb.-goi) always
stands for the nations, while Israel, or the Jews, are the future nation-the people
of God. See SB153 Cornelius,
The Centurion, SB157 The
Nations-Now Joint Bodies.
GLORY -- The Greek noun doxa has many meanings and is derived
from the verb meaning, "to recognize or esteem a person or thing for what
it is." This word stands for a condition or state, and not praise. Thus doxa
can mean appearance, or reputation. See SB071
Earth's Glorious Future, SB100
The Glory Of Believing.
GOD/LORD -- God has many names in Scripture. Many of His names
are connected with Jehovah in the Old Testament, as well as compounds of El
and Jah. In the New Testament, He is known as God (Gk.-theos)
and Lord (Gk.-kurios), but all of these really refer to Jesus Christ who
expresses the invisible, inaudible God the Father to us mortals (psa. 145:10-12,
Isa. 40:5--the Jehovah of the Old Testament is the Jesus Christ of the New Testament).
See JEHOVAH and JESUS. Also see SB003
The Father And The Son, SB010
From Cana To Calvary, SB051
The Biblical Concept Of God, SB187
The Rights Of God, SB188 What Does
"Ginomai" Mean, SB196
The Days Of God Upon The Earth.
GOSPEL -- The word gospel (Gk.-euagglion [evangelionJ)
means "good tidings" or "good news." This is the right message
and a "good message" which fills a need. See SB163
The Divine Arrangement, SB179 The
Gospel Of John, SB181 The
Confirmation Of The Gospel.
GRACE -- This is a love and favor that is totally undeserved (Eph.3:2).
See SB060 Ephesians 3--Translation,
SB065 Christian Individualism.
GREEK ALPHABET -- The Greek alphabet is useful for working with
the Greek interlinear Bibles (as the New Testament is in Greek) and has been included
in SB117 The Greek Alphabet.
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HEAD -- In the past, the head of a column of numbers was the
sum, likewise, the head sums up the human body. This term can also mean
the front of a line or the leader of a group, but in Scripture, the word head
is used most often figuratively where it means an outflowing source from God.
See SB118 Head: A Word Study.
HEAVEN -- The term heaven (Gk.-ouranos) refers to everything
that is over or above, whether it is the earth, men, governments and even God.
It often is a title for "God," and in the plural form may also mean
the beings of that exalted place, "the heaved ones." See SB034
The Word "Heaven," SB058
Ephesians 1-Translation.
HELL -- This is a King James Version rendering, and study of the original
words (Heb.-sheol, Gk.-hades) indicates that they mean the place of the
dead (old Eng.-hell = grave, pit, hole). Another word for hell is
(Gk.gehenna) a burning refuse dump (in the days of King Josiah outside
Jerusalem) and is used as a figure for the second death. See SB082
What does Sheol Mean?, SB184 What
Does Gehenna Mean?, SB185 More About Gehenna, SB186
What Does "Destruction" Mean?
HOPE/EXPECTATION -- These words are the explanations of a single word
(Gk.-elpis, Heb.-tiqvah) which contains the idea of being confident, to
trust, and to expect confidently. In the KJV the word hope, like
expectation, had its basis in fact, while today hope is only a wish. See
SB071 Earth's Glorious Future,
SB073 Inheriting The Earth, SB004
The Believer's Destiny, SB075
The Earth—Our Future Home.
IMMANUEL -- This is another name for Jesus Christ and it literally means
"God with us" (Matt. 1 :23). It is also spelled Emmanuel. See
SB010 From Calla To Calvary, SB196
The Days Of God Upon The Earth.
IMMORTALITY -- The word immortality (Gk.-athanasia) signifies
that death is not working in us, just as the word "mortal" (Gk.thanetos)
signifies being subject to death. See INCORRUPTIBILITY and SB132
Concerning Immortality.
INCORRUPTIBILITY -- This means that without death working in us, we
are incapable of being corrupted, (Gk.-aphthartos) i.e. not perishable.
JEHOVAH -- This is the Hebrew name of Jesus Christ in relation to the
covenant people of Israel (Yaweh or Jehovah). See GOD/LORD and SB002
The Lord Jesus Is Jehovah.
JESUS -- The human name of our Savior Jesus Christ. It is a Greek form
of the Hebrew Jehoshua/Joshua which means "savior" or "deliverer."
Jesus is the primary personality revealed in the Bible. He is the Creator,
Elohim, the God of Israel, Jehovah, the Word or Expression of God, the Son of
God, the King of the Kingdom of God, and for us today, the one Mediator, and propitiation
for our sins. See CHRIST,
GOD/LORD, IMMANUEL, JEHOVAH. Also see SB018
Jesus Only, SB021 God Our Savior, SB123
Call His Name Jesus, SB159 The
Deity Of Jesus Christ, SB163 The
Divine Arrangement, SB171 Abraham's
Seed Today, SB172 How Can A Man
Be God?, SB176 The Complex Of
The Deity.
JUDGMENT -- The word judgment (Heb.-mishpat, Gk.-krisis)
has to do with God establishing His righteous order in the world. It is a blessing
to good men, but punishment to the wicked. See SB033
The Word Judgment, SB036 The
Kingdom Judgment, SB197 God's Judgments.
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KINGDOM -- The word kingdom (Heb.-malkuth, Gk-basilea)
means "government." The term "the Kingdom of God" or
"the Kingdom of the Heavens" refers to the next step in God's
plan; a future grand period of blessing that will engulf the whole earth. See
SB026 The Divine Purpose, SB027
The Kingdom Of God, SB028 The Kingdom:
Why Two Names, SB029 Kingdom
Means Government, SB030 Kingdom Truth,
SB031 The Kingdom: Present
Or Future, SB032 Kingdom Blunders,
SB035 The Kingdom In Reality,
SB038 A Neglected Prophecy, SB041
God's Next Move, SB045
The Most Important Parable, SB047
Questions And Objections, SB048 The Most
Important Parable, SB049
A Psalm Of Divine Government, SB055
The Kingdom Titles, SB075 The
Earth Our Future Home, SB091
The Mission Of Elijah, SB101 God
Must Intervene, SB113 The Kingdom
Restraints, SB114 The Kingdom
Rebellion, SB121
The "Not Being" But "As Being" Principle, SB142
The Day Of The Eon, SB150 The
Kingdom Within Men, SB154
Israel's Prophesied Return, SB155
Ezekiel's Amazing Prophecy, SB156
King David's Glorious Future, SB194
The Kingdom Is Coming.
LAST DAYS/LATTER DAYS -- The term, the last days is used to describe
the "resultant or concluding days" (Heb.-acharith yam, Gk.eschatos
hemeron). This often refers to the sequel of the days of this present evil
eon. However, the term "the end time" (Heb.-kehetz) is reserved
for that final period of the indignation of God. See SB014
What Are The Last Days, SB015
What The World Needs Now, SB016
The Character Of The Last Days, SB053
A Psalm For Today, SB124 At Such A Time,
SB193 The Consummation Of
The Eon.
LAW -- The word law (Heb. -torah and Gk. -nomos)
means "a precept, teaching, ordinance, or custom." This word reflects
a word from God, and relates His mind on what is His righteous order. See SB165
God's Law To Israel, SB166 The Ten
Commandments, SB167 The Terms
Of The Covenant, SB168
Misconceptions Concerning The Law, SB169
The Broken Covenant, SB170 We
Establish The Law.
LIFE -- The life (Heb.-chaiyim, nephesh, Gk.-bios, zoe, psuche)
within us is the result God breathing the "breath of life" into
the body He created. Today it results from the natural process of fertilization,
gestation and birth. Scripture often uses life and soul interchangeably.
The concept of "etemal life " is not just a perpetual life, but
rather life that stems directly from God. See SB077
What Is The Soul, SB078 The Breath
Of Life.
LIGHT -- This word (Gk.-phos, Heb.-or) has a very literal meaning
of that which stimulates our visual senses. In Scripture light represents
enlightenment, therefore relating to the understanding, personification, and perception
of or from God. See SB125
The Divine Interchange Principle, SB164
Fearing God And Working Righteousness.
LOVE -- The Scripture says "God is love" (1 John 4:8).
The definition of love used by OQS is: "Love is that principle
or attitude that seeks the highest good for the one that is loved." The word
love in Scripture translates into two words in the Greek: agape,
which means a love that is offered without condition or reservation; and
phi/eo, which means a strong friendship or brotherly love. See SB069
The Love Of The Truth.
MEDIATOR -- Sometimes considered a middleman or go-between, (Gk.-mesites);
Moses was a mediator in Israel, and there were many mediators during
the Acts period. However, the truth for today is there is one mediator
between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5). See SB017
The One Mediator.
MESSIAH/CHRIST -- See CHRIST, JESUS.
MILLENNIUM -- This non-scriptural term refers a time period, the thousand-year
reign of Christ on earth after His personal return at the end of the Great Tribulation,
as mentioned in Rev. 20:8. See SB025
The Parousia Of The Lord Jesus, and booklet, SS012,
The Thousand Year Reign of Christ, by OQS, 1957.
MORTAL -- This is the condition of man today. The fact that man is capable
of dying means he is mortal. It is the act of resurrection that gives man
life again. See DEATH, and IMMORTALITY. SB163
The Divine Arrangement, SB174 The
Savior Of The World, SB182 Future
Punishment, SB195 Universalism
Examined.
MOUNTAIN -- A mountain, in Scripture symbolism, e.g. the Hebrew
poetry in the prophets, means "a kingdom or a government." See KINGDOM
and SB029 Kingdom Means Government.
MYSTERY/SECRET -- The word translated mystery in Scripture means
a secret and is a transliteration of the Greek word musterion. It
means that which was "hidden" (and is now revealed), and not that which
is "mysterious and unknowable." See SB056
The Dispensation Of Grace, SB090
The Truths God Calls Secret.
NATIONS/GENTILES -- See GENTILES.ONLY BEGOTTEN SON -- This is an adjective
(Gr.-monogenes) which means literally "one of a kind, or unique."
In Scripture it means Jesus Christ is the "only Authorized Son/Expression
of God," implying there is no other. It has nothing to do with human birthright.
See SB173 What Does "Monogenes"
Mean?
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OUT -CALLED -- See CHURCH.
PERISH -- This means the same thing as "destruction." See
DESTRUCTION, SB182 Future Punishment,
SB186 What Does Destruction Mean?
PRAYER -- Prayer is our means of communicating with God. We can
talk with God any time, anywhere, through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
See SB152 Concerning Prayer.
PREDESTINATION -- This word, translated from the Greek word proorizo
means that which is "determined beforehand." (pro, which means
before, in front of, or prior to; and horizo, which means to mark out,
or to designate). See SB130 Does God
Know?, SB160 Concerning Predestination.
PUNISHMENT -- The future punishment has to do with destruction,
or perishing (John 3:16). See DESTRUCTION, PERISH. Also see SB182
Future Punishment.
RAPTURE -- This is not a scriptural term, while the rescue of Christians
by resurrection is. The indignation is actually over when He returns. See MILLENNIUM,
TRIBULATION. Also see SB039
The Great Tribulation, SB040 The
Great Testing, SB041 God's Next Move.
RELIGION -- This word has a thousand meanings and as many different
sacraments and rituals attached to it. The word religion (Gk.-threskia)
really refers to outward service to a deity, hence idol worship, in reference
to "superstition and magic." Our experience is that all men's religions
are men's attempts to control God, in contrast to the fact that God gave only
one religion, that of the Hebrews. See SB022
Let Us Go Also, SB042 The Inherited
Lie, SB043 Who Crucified Jesus?,
SB045 The Theological
Conspiracy, SB046 The "Jews"
In John's Gospel, SB068 The Christian
Fakers, SB092 The Seven Millennium
Theory, SB098 What Does "Ta
Panta" Mean?, SB140
Religionless Christianity, SB141
More About Ekklesia, SB198
You've Gotta Have A Ceremony.
REPENTANCE -- This very broad word in Greek (metanoeo) means
to "submit, yield or ease" (relieve of burden). Metanoeo literally
means "the after-mind," but has no reference to being sorry for sins
or doing penitence over. See SB106
What About Repentance?, SB107 What
Does Metanoeo Mean?, SB108 Metanoeo-Problem
Passages.
RESURRECTION -- This word (Gk.-anastasis) literally means "a
standing up or a rising up," hence reflecting the positive act of God to
bring man to life again. See SB080
Concerning Resurrection, and a booklet, SS006 The Resurrections, by OQS, 1955.
SABBATH -- The first definition of the Sabbath is the seventh
or last day of the week, Saturday. However, it is also used of special high holy
days which in the land of Israel might last for several days. The Sabbath was
made for Israel and no other nation (Ezek. 20:20). See booklet, SS016 The
Sabbath and the Sunday Question, by OQS, 1944.
SAINT/HOLY ONE -- The term saint (Gk.-hagios) means one who has
been set apart or separated for special service for God. It has nothing to do
with being especially pious or religious. Just as the Holy Spirit is separated
for service (Gk.- pneuma hagion) for God, so are men who are believers
in Jesus Christ. See SB058 Ephesians
1-Translation.
SAVIOR/SALVATION -- Salvation basically means " safety,
ease, rescue and deliverance" (Heb.-yeshuah, yesha, and Gk.-soteria,
soterion).The word soterion has a further idea, that of the "saving
health" the Savior Jesus Christ provides. See SB001
You Need A Savior, SB008 What
Does Soterion Mean?, SB021 God Our
Savior, SB065 Christian
Individualism, SB072 The
Salvation of The World, SB140
Religionless Christianity, SB163
The Divine Arrangement, SB174 The
Savior of The World.
SECRET/MYSTERY -- See MYSTERY.
SIN -- This word (Gk.-hamartia, hamartano) simply means "missing
the mark." The mark is always a goal. For Adam and Eve, sin was to
eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, a rebellion against
God's command. See SB001 You Need
A Savior, SB016 The Character
Of The Last Days, SB114 The
Kingdom Rebellion.
SON OF GOD -- The Hebrew concept of a son (Gk.-huios) is that
of the offspring or assigned servant who legally controls the family wealth and
persons in the absence or death of the father. A male child (Gk.-technon) is
not truly the son. Christ is the Son of God, the one who expresses
the invisible, inaudible, almighty God, the Father, to men who would not know
Him otherwise (John 5:37). See also booklet SS040 FIRSTBORN OF ALL CREATION and
SB003 The Father
And The Son.
SOUL -- The word soul (Heb.-nephesh, Gk.-psuche) means that aspect
of a being which refers to his possession of senses and feelings. Man does not
have a soul, rather, man is soul, the composite of the body God gave him and the
breath of life (Gen. 2:7). See SB076 What
Is Man?, SB077 What Is The Soul, SB081
The Interpretation Of Matthew 10:28.
SPIRIT -- The word spirit (Heb.-11lach, Gk.-pneuma)means "breath
or wind," and is that aspect of man that cannot be seen, but that God places
in each and every one of us that gives us life. It can refer to that aspect of
God who is described as spirit. See SB078
The Breath of Life, SB176 The
Complex Of The Deity.
SPIRITUAL -- This word is an adjective (Gk.-pneumatikos) which
is used specifically by the Spirit to designate things produced by the Spirit
of God, which come directly from God without any human intervention or instrumentality
in the process. It is contrasted with the Greek psuchikos which means "the
natural man," hence that produced by natural processes, literally meaning
"soulish." See SB088
What Does "Spiritual" Mean, and SB089
"Spiritual" A Word Study.
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TABERNACLE/TENT -- A tabernacle is a tent and a dwelling place
(Gk.-skene). God's divine purpose is to dwell (tabernacle) with
men and make His tabernacle His center of activity. See SB026
The Divine Purpose. For more details, see the booklet, Absent From The Body,
OQS, 1966, in which tabernacle/tent are carefully compared with house (Gk.-oikia).
TRIBULATION -- This word (Gk.-thlipsis) refers to the end of
the Kingdom when some men rebel against God (sometimes called "the time of
Jacob's trouble"). This becomes a time of testing, hence pressure on mankind,
a time of God pouring out His indignation upon those who rebel against Him (Matt.
24:21). See SB039 The Great
Tribulation, SB040 The Great Testing,
SB114 The Kingdom Rebellion,
SB151 Six, Sixty, Six, SB161
The Antichrist, SB162 The Mark
Of The Beast. SB182 Future
Punishment, SB183 What Does
"Torment" Mean?
TRUTH -- The word truth (Gk.-aletheia) is defined as that which
accords with the facts in the case. In the Gospel of John, we are told that "God
is Spirit" and we must worship Him in "spirit and in truth"
(John 4:24). To do this we are responsible to know the facts. See SB069
The Love Of Truth, SB086 The
Signs Of The Times, SB125
The Divine Interchange Principle.
UNIVERSALISM -- This is a religion which claims that all people, including
Satan, are to be saved by the work of Jesus Christ. See SB189
Universalism Disavowed, SB195
Universalism Explained.
WORLD/EARTH -- The basic meaning of this word (Gk.-kosmos) is
"system, order or arrangement." The word earth (Gk.-ge)is synonymous
in most respects. Without the ecosphere that surrounds our earth, this
world would not be inhabitable; in fact, it would not be our world.
This world began when, in the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth. See KINGDOM, ETERNAL/FOREVER. See also SB067
A Foretaste Of The Kingdom, SB070 God's
Earth, SB071 Earth's Glorious
Future, SB072 The Salvation
Of The World, SB073 Inheriting
The Earth, SB074 The Believer's
Destiny, SB075 The Earth--Our
Future Home, SB175 More About
The World.
WORD -- When we speak a word, we are expressing ourselves. It
can be literal, meaning groups of letters we use for communication and containing
many meanings in the English dictionary, i.e. a brief remark, an expression, a
declaration, a pledge, a saying, a dispute, an articulate sound, etc. In Scripture,
a figurative sense of the word is often used to impart the idea of a saying
or speech (Heb.-emer, imrah; Gk.-Iogos, rhema). For example, the Greek
word logos means the Expression of God (John 1: I), where it is personified,
referring to the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:14). See SB012
This Generation Shall Not Pass, SB102
Who Is "The Word" In John 1:1-14?
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