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Isaiah 40:11
[Bible Verses]Isaiah 40:11 portrays God as a shepherd who carries the lambs in his bosom and gently leads the nursing ewes. Because its image of tender care is paired with the mighty rule described in the preceding verse, it is frequently cited in discussions of comfort and pastoral care.
Davidic Covenant
[Bible]The Davidic covenant is God's promise, delivered to David through the prophet Nathan, to establish his house (dynasty) and throne forever. It forms an important foundation for Old Testament messianic expectation and for the New Testament understanding of Jesus.
Milcom
[Bible]Milcom is a god of the Ammonites mentioned in the Old Testament. Scripture records that Solomon followed this idol in his later years and that King Josiah defiled its high place during his reforms.
Exodus 16
[Bible]Exodus 16 recounts how God gave quail in the evening and manna in the morning to the Israelites after they complained in the Wilderness of Sin that they had nothing to eat. By having the people gather a double portion on the sixth day and rest on the seventh, God teaches them the Sabbath.
2 Chronicles 7
[Bible]Second Chronicles 7 records God's answer to Solomon's prayer of dedication with fire from heaven and the glory of the LORD, the dedication of the temple and the accompanying feast, and the promises and warnings the LORD gave when He appeared to Solomon by night.
2 Samuel 7:12–16
[Bible Verses]The passage in which God, speaking through the prophet Nathan, promises David that He will establish the throne and kingdom of his offspring forever. It is the central text of the Davidic covenant, and the New Testament frequently cites it as a basis for confessing Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of David.
Isaiah 51
[Bible]Isaiah 51 recalls God's calling of Abraham and the Exodus as it promises the restoration of Zion. It also proclaims to Jerusalem, which has drunk the cup of wrath, that God will take that cup from her hand and give it to her enemies.
Jeremiah 15
[Bible]Jeremiah 15 contains God's irrevocable declaration of judgment against the people, along with Jeremiah's lament amid persecution and God's promise of restoration.
Hosea 11
[Bible]Hosea 11 portrays God's love through the image of a father who raised Israel as a young son. Though Israel turns away, God confesses a compassion that cannot finally abandon them: "How shall I give thee up?"
Zechariah 8
[Bible]Zechariah 8 contains God's promise to return to Zion and restore Jerusalem, commands to practice truth and justice, and prophecies that Israel's fasts will become joyful feasts and that the nations will come to Jerusalem to seek God.
Artemis of Ephesus
[Bible]Artemis was a goddess worshiped in ancient Ephesus and identified with the Artemis of Greek mythology; the King James Version calls her Diana. In Acts 19, a riot breaks out in Ephesus when Paul's preaching of the gospel threatens the trade in silver models of her image.
Saints
[Church Offices]Saints are those who belong to God and have been set apart for him, a biblical term for all Christians who believe in Jesus Christ. In Korean Protestant churches, the corresponding term (seongdo) is used both as a general term for church members and as a form of address for members who hold no church office.
Intercessory Prayer
[Christian Life]Intercessory prayer is prayer offered to God on behalf of other people, the church, the nation, and the world. It is associated with the "intercessions" named in 1 Timothy 2:1.
Predestination
[Doctrine & Theology]Predestination is the Christian doctrine that God determined the salvation of human beings from all eternity. It is emphasized by the Calvinist tradition, including Presbyterians, while the Wesleyan tradition, including Methodists and the Holiness Church, places greater emphasis on the human response.
Predestination and Free Will
[Controversies]Predestination and free will is a debate over whether salvation depends on God's election or on the human response. Calvinism, followed by Presbyterians, and the Arminian-Wesleyan tradition, followed by Methodists, Holiness churches, and Full Gospel churches, explain the question differently.
Creation
[Doctrine & Theology]Creation is the Christian teaching that God made the world and everything in it out of nothing. It is a foundation of the faith confessed at the opening of the Apostles' Creed.
Heaven and Hell
[Doctrine & Theology]Heaven is the place where God reigns and where the saved live forever, and hell is the place where those who have turned away from God receive punishment after the Last Judgment. Together they are a central theme of Christian eschatology.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
[Bible Verses]Ecclesiastes 3:11 states that God has made everything beautiful in its time and has given human beings a heart that longs for eternity, yet has made the beginning and end of his work beyond their comprehension. The verse is often cited in discussions of human religiosity and the mystery of time.
Isaiah 43:18–19
[Bible Verses]Isaiah 43:18–19 is God's declaration, "Remember ye not the former things… Behold, I will do a new thing," together with the promise to make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The passage is very frequently used as a motto for the new year and for new beginnings. The central interpretive question is what "the former things" and "a new thing" refer to.
Jeremiah 29:11
[Bible Verses]Jeremiah 29:11 is the promise that God's thoughts toward his people are thoughts of peace and not of evil, intended to give them a future and a hope. It is one of the verses most frequently used at graduations and new beginnings, and it often prompts debate over whether a word given to the community of exiles in Babylon may be applied as a promise of personal success.