The Bible mentions various types of celestial beings, known as angels. While all angels were created by God, the Bible indicates that there is some type of hierarchy or order among the angelic beings. Though the Bible does not lay out the specifics of the angelic hierarchy in great detail, we can piece together some information about the different kinds of angels and their rankings from various scriptural passages. The Seraphim The seraphim seem to be the highest order of angels, as Isaiah 6:1-7 describes them surrounding God’s throne and worshiping Him. The passage indicates that they have six wings,…
Author: Kristal Wheatley
The concept of a heavenly mother alongside God the Father is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible. However, some Christians believe there are hints and allusions to a divine feminine figure in Scripture. While this remains an open theological question without definitive biblical clarity, we can examine the key biblical passages related to this topic. Genesis 1-2 – God Created “Man and Woman” In the opening chapters of Genesis, God creates the first man Adam and then fashions the first woman Eve to be his companion and partner (Genesis 2:18). The text says, “So God created man in his own…
In John 14:2, Jesus tells his disciples, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” This statement comes in the midst of Jesus’ farewell discourse to his disciples on the night before his crucifixion. It’s a poignant and comforting promise that has intrigued Christians for centuries. What exactly did Jesus mean when he said he was going to “prepare a place” for his followers? The Context of John 14:2 To fully understand what Jesus meant, we first need to take a look…
The Pure Word Bible is a translation of the Bible that aims to convey the original meaning of the biblical texts as accurately as possible. It seeks to avoid interpretive bias and provide a transparent rendering of the ancient texts into modern English. Here is an overview of the key features and goals of the Pure Word Bible translation: Literal Translation Approach The Pure Word Bible takes a literal (word-for-word) translation approach as much as possible. The goal is to translate each Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek word into its closest English equivalent based on its meaning in the original languages.…
The Bible has a lot to teach us about how Jesus related to and valued women during his earthly ministry. Here is an overview of some of the key things we can learn from Scripture about Jesus and women: Jesus broke cultural barriers to include women During Jesus’ day, women were often marginalized in society and religious life. But Jesus frequently went against the cultural norms of his day to include and interact with women. For example: Jesus engaged in public theological dialogues with women like the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-42). This crossed multiple cultural boundaries. Jesus…
The Bible is clear that while Muslims refer to God as Allah, they do not view Allah as a “Father” in the same way that Christians view God the Father. Here’s a 9000 word overview of what the Bible teaches about this topic: In Christianity, God is understood as triune – one God existing in three co-equal and co-eternal persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. This doctrine of the Trinity is central to Christian theology and a key distinction between Christianity and Islam. The Father-Son language used in Christianity to describe the…
Prophecy is God’s way of revealing truth about the past, present, and future for the purpose of growing His people in understanding, faith, and obedience. According to the Bible, prophecy originates from God, is communicated through prophets, and points people to Jesus Christ. The main Hebrew word for prophet in the Old Testament is “nabi” which means “one who is called” or “one who announces.” A prophet is someone called by God to speak on His behalf. Throughout Scripture, prophets brought messages from God to specific people and groups. These messages provided warnings, instruction, revelation about God, and predictions of…
Antinomy refers to a contradiction or paradox between two equally valid principles or truths. The word comes from the Greek anti meaning “against” and nomos meaning “law.” In theology, an antinomy exists when two principles or doctrines seem to contradict each other, yet both are found to be true in the Bible. Antinomies pose a challenge to human logic and reason, since we struggle to reconcile two seemingly opposed truths. However, from God’s perspective, there is no actual contradiction, even if we cannot fully comprehend how both principles can be true at the same time. Some examples of theological antinomies…
Lordship salvation is the belief that saving faith in Jesus Christ involves more than just mental assent to the gospel. Advocates of lordship salvation affirm that true, biblical salvation requires a person to repent of sin and submit their life fully to the lordship of Christ. This goes beyond simply believing facts about Jesus to entrusting one’s whole self to Him as Lord. The doctrine of lordship salvation stands in contrast to the view known as “easy believism” or “cheap grace.” This is the idea that a person can be saved by merely acknowledging certain facts about Jesus without any…
Impiety refers to a lack of reverence, respect, or devotion for God. It manifests itself through irreverent behavior, speech, or attitudes that show contempt for God and holy things. The Bible has much to say about impiety and its dangers. Here is an overview of some key biblical teachings on this topic: Impiety Is Sinful Rebellion Against God The Bible makes clear that impiety is more than simply lacking proper reverence for God – it is active rebellion and sin against Him. Passages like Romans 1:18 and Jude 1:18 describe impious people as those who actively “suppress the truth” about…