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Decapolis
[Bible]The Decapolis (Greek for "ten cities") was a region of Hellenistic cities located mainly east of the Jordan River. It appears three times in the Gospels as a place of Jesus' ministry.
Burning Bush
[Bible]The burning bush is the event in Exodus 3 in which God appeared to Moses at Mount Horeb in a flame of fire within a bush that was not consumed, called him, and commissioned him to lead Israel out of Egypt.
Virgin Birth
[Doctrine & Theology]The virgin birth is the Christian doctrine that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, without the involvement of a man, and was born of the Virgin Mary. It is confessed in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed.
Breastplate (High Priest)
[Bible]The breastplate was a square ornamental piece of fabric that the high priest of Old Testament Israel wore on his chest over the ephod. It held twelve gemstones engraved with the names of the twelve tribes and contained the Urim and Thummim.
Didache
[History]The Didache, meaning "the Teaching (of the Twelve Apostles)," is an early church document generally thought to have been written in the late first or early second century. It contains instructions on baptism, the Eucharist, fasting, prayer, and church offices.
Great Tribulation
[Doctrine & Theology]The Great Tribulation is an eschatological term for a period of intense suffering said to occur immediately before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Interpretations of its duration and nature, and of whether the church will pass through it, vary among theological positions.
Water of Life
[Bible]The water of life is a biblical expression that likens the life God gives to water. In the book of Revelation it is depicted as a river flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb in the New Jerusalem.
Rechabites
[Bible]The Rechabites were the descendants of Jehonadab (Jonadab) the son of Rechab. In obedience to their ancestor's command, they drank no wine, built no houses, and lived in tents. They appear in Jeremiah 35 as an example of obedience.
Tent of Meeting
[Bible]The Tent of Meeting is the tent where God met with Moses and Israel and spoke to them. In the Old Testament the term is used chiefly as another name for the tabernacle.
Valley of Elah
[Bible]The Valley of Elah is a valley in western Judah where Saul's Israelite army faced the Philistine army in 1 Samuel 17. It is known as the place where David struck down Goliath.
Breaking of Bread
[Bible]The breaking of bread is an expression derived from the Jewish mealtime custom of breaking bread by hand and sharing it. In the New Testament it refers to the meals of Jesus and to the communal meals and the Lord's Supper of the early church.
Straight Street
[Bible]Straight Street is a street within the city of Damascus mentioned in Acts 9:11. The house of Judas, where Saul stayed immediately after his conversion, stood on this street, and Ananias was sent there.
Euphrates
[Bible]The Euphrates is a great river of western Asia. In the Bible it appears as one of the four rivers into which the river flowing out of the Garden of Eden divided, and as the northeastern boundary of the land promised to Abraham's descendants.
Song of Moses
[Bible]The Song of Moses refers to two Old Testament poems attributed to Moses: the hymn of deliverance sung after the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15) and the song bearing witness to the covenant that he delivered before his death (Deuteronomy 32).
Dead Sea
[Bible]The Dead Sea is a salt lake in eastern Palestine into which the Jordan River flows. The Old Testament calls it the "Salt Sea," the "Sea of the Arabah," and the "Eastern Sea." It is known as the lowest lake on the earth's surface.
Resurrection Appearances
[Doctrine & Theology]The resurrection appearances are the occasions on which Jesus Christ, having died on the cross and risen again, showed himself to his disciples and others before his ascension.
Holy Place
[Bible]The holy place, or sanctuary, is a sacred place set apart for God. In its narrower sense, it refers to the outer room of the tabernacle and the temple, located in front of the Most Holy Place, where the lampstand, the table of showbread, and the altar of incense stood.
Abyss
[Bible]The Abyss, or "bottomless pit," is a New Testament term for a deep place in which demons and evil powers are confined or from which they ascend, or for the realm of the dead.
Feast of Trumpets
[Bible]The Feast of Trumpets was an Old Testament festival observed on the first day of the seventh month of Israel's religious calendar. It was marked by the blowing of trumpets and a holy convocation, as prescribed in Leviticus 23 and Numbers 29.
Two Witnesses
[Bible]The Two Witnesses are two prophetic figures in Revelation 11 who prophesy for 1,260 days, are killed by the beast, and then come back to life and ascend to heaven. Interpreters differ over who they are.