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Vision
[Bible]A vision is a means by which God makes something known to a person by showing scenes or meanings that cannot be perceived with ordinary sight. Visions appear frequently in the Old Testament prophetic books and in the Book of Acts.
Genealogy
[Bible]A genealogy is a record that traces descent from ancestors to descendants by name. In the Bible, genealogies appear in Genesis, 1 Chronicles, Matthew, Luke, and elsewhere.
Ziggurat
[History]A ziggurat is a massive, tower-like structure of ancient Mesopotamia, built of brick in stepped tiers to raise a temple to a lofty height. It is frequently cited as the background to the account of the Tower of Babel in Genesis.
Pillar of Fire and Pillar of Cloud
[Bible]A sign during the Exodus in which the LORD led the people of Israel through the wilderness, going before them by day in a pillar of cloud and by night in a pillar of fire. It symbolizes God's presence and guidance.
Pearl
[Bible]A pearl is a round gem formed inside a mollusk. In the Bible it denotes something of great value, and it is best known from the New Testament parable of the pearl of great price and from the pearly gates of the New Jerusalem.
Christian
[Bible]A Christian is "one who belongs to Christ," a person who believes in and follows Jesus as the Christ. The word appears three times in the New Testament, in Acts and 1 Peter.
Portion
[Bible]A portion is a share that is divided and received, such as an inheritance or an allotment of land. In the Old Testament the term is used for the tribes' allotments of land and in the confession of faith "the LORD is my portion"; in the New Testament it appears in the parable of the prodigal son.
Lord's Day
[Bible]A New Testament expression that, in Revelation 1:10, refers to the day on which Christians gathered for worship and, in the Epistles, to the last day, when Christ will return to judge.
Redeemer
[Doctrine & Theology]A redeemer is one who pays a price to recover a person or property that has been sold or bound. In Christianity, the term is a title for God, and especially for Jesus Christ, who delivers humanity from sin and death.
Raising of the Widow's Son at Nain
[Bible]A miracle in which Jesus met a funeral procession near the gate of the town of Nain in Galilee, raised a widow's only son from the dead, and restored him to his mother. It is recorded only in Luke 7:11-17.
Syro-Ephraimite War
[Bible]A war in the late eighth century BC in which Rezin, king of Aram (Syria), and Pekah, king of the northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim), joined forces to attack Ahaz, king of Judah. The Immanuel prophecy of Isaiah 7 was given during this crisis.
Sojourner
[Bible]A sojourner, or resident alien, is a biblical term for a foreigner who has left his homeland and lives among another people. The Old Testament law commands that such people be protected, and the New Testament applies the term to Christian identity.
Guardian Angel
[Doctrine & Theology]A guardian angel is an angel whom God sends to protect a person or community; the term also refers to the belief that God sends such angels. The Catholic Church teaches it as doctrine, while Protestants generally affirm angelic protection but do not insist that each person is assigned a single angel.
Sacred Pillar
[Bible]A sacred pillar (Hebrew matstsebah) was a standing stone erected in ancient Canaan to worship or commemorate a deity. The Old Testament commands Israel not to erect pillars associated with pagan worship and to break them down.
Bishop
[Church Offices]A bishop is a senior member of the clergy who oversees a diocese made up of multiple churches and performs the ordination of clergy. The title is used by the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. In Korean, Protestant Bibles and the Methodist Church render the same term with a different word, *gamdok* ("overseer").
Breastplate
[Bible]A breastplate is a piece of armor that protects the chest in battle. In the New Testament, the term renders the Greek *thōrax*; representative uses include "the breastplate of righteousness" in Ephesians and "the breastplate of faith and love" in 1 Thessalonians.
Miracle
[Bible]A miracle is an event brought about by God that cannot be explained by the ordinary course of nature. The Bible describes such events with words such as sign, wonder, marvel, and power (mighty work).
Cupbearer
[Bible]A cupbearer was a court official in ancient royal palaces who poured wine and served it to the king. In the Bible, the best-known examples are Pharaoh's chief butler in the story of Joseph and Nehemiah, who served the Persian king Artaxerxes.
Winepress
[Bible]A winepress is an installation in which grapes are trodden by foot to extract their juice. In the Bible it can signify the blessing of harvest, and it also serves as a symbol of God's judgment.
Stumbling Block
[Bible]A stumbling block is a stone or obstacle that catches the foot and causes a person to fall. In the Bible, the term refers to anything that causes a person to fall into sin or unbelief. The New Testament also describes Christ as a stone that becomes a stumbling block to those who do not believe.