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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.
Angel
[Bible]In the Bible, an angel is a spiritual being who serves God and conveys His will. The Hebrew mal'akh and the Greek angelos both mean "one who is sent," that is, a messenger.
Gabriel
[Bible]Gabriel is an angel of God named in the Book of Daniel and the Gospel of Luke. He explained the meaning of visions to Daniel and announced the births of sons to Zacharias and to Mary.
Luke 2:10-11
[Bible Verses]A passage in which an angel announces the birth of Jesus to the shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem, calling him "Savior," "Christ," and "Lord." Because it contains the heart of the Christmas message, it is one of the texts most frequently read in Christmas services and sermons.
Michael
[Bible]Michael is an angel named in the Bible. In the book of Daniel he appears as the "great prince" who protects the people of Israel, in Jude as "the archangel," and in Revelation as the angel who fights the dragon.
Revelation 18
[Bible]Revelation 18 opens with an angel's proclamation that the great city Babylon has fallen. Through the laments of the kings of the earth, the merchants, and the seafarers, and through the symbolic act of casting a millstone into the sea, the chapter depicts Babylon's complete destruction.
Revelation 20:1–3
[Bible Verses]John's vision in which an angel seizes the dragon, that is, Satan, and shuts him in the bottomless pit for a thousand years. Because it is the first passage in the Bible to mention the "thousand years," it is the central text in debates over the interpretation of the millennium.
Acts 12
[Bible]Acts 12 is the chapter in which King Herod kills James and imprisons Peter, an angel leads Peter out of prison, and Herod is struck down and dies.
Galatians 1:8–9
[Bible Verses]In this passage Paul twice declares that anyone who preaches a gospel other than the one he preached should be accursed, whether the apostle himself or an angel from heaven. It is a key text on the authority of the gospel and is frequently cited as a basis for identifying heresy.
Broom Tree
[Bible]The broom tree (Hebrew *rotem*) is a leguminous shrub that grows in arid regions such as the Sinai wilderness and the Negev. In the Bible it is best known as the place where Elijah, fleeing from Jezebel, asked to die and was then given food by an angel.
Exodus 23
[Bible]Exodus 23 is the final chapter of the Book of the Covenant. It sets out ordinances on just judgment and on the treatment of enemies and strangers, establishes the sabbatical year and the Sabbath, and prescribes three annual feasts. It closes with God's promise to send an angel to lead Israel into Canaan.
Acts 8:32–35
[Bible Verses]In this passage Philip explains to an Ethiopian eunuch, who was reading the passage in Isaiah 53 about the one "led as a sheep to the slaughter," that the words refer to Jesus. Because it is a leading text identifying the "Suffering Servant" of Isaiah 53 with Jesus, it is frequently cited and discussed.
Satan
[Bible]Satan is the name the Bible gives to an evil spiritual being who opposes and accuses God and His people. The Hebrew word means "adversary," and the New Testament uses it interchangeably with "the devil."
Revelation 18:20–21
[Bible Verses]This passage calls on heaven and the saints to rejoice over the fall of Babylon the great and records a mighty angel casting a stone like a great millstone into the sea, declaring that the city shall be found no more at all. Discussion centers mainly on what Babylon signifies and how to understand the call to rejoice over its destruction.
Great Whore
[Bible]The great whore is a symbolic figure in Revelation 17–19. She is depicted riding a scarlet beast, drunk with the blood of the saints, and committing fornication with the kings of the earth, and she is called "Babylon the Great."
Matthew 1:22–23
[Bible Verses]Matthew 1:22–23 is the Gospel writer's comment interpreting Jesus' conception by the Holy Spirit as the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14. Cited every Christmas as the basis for the name "Emmanuel" ("God with us") and for the doctrine of the virgin birth, the passage is also debated over its rendering "virgin."
Revelation 20:4–6
[Bible Verses]Revelation 20:4–6 is the passage describing how the martyrs and those who had not worshiped the beast "lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." It is the only text in Scripture that directly mentions the millennium, and it stands at the center of the eschatological debate among premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism.
Revelation 22:17
[Bible Verses]In this verse from the final chapter of the Bible, the Spirit and the bride (the church) say "Come," and the thirsty are invited to take the water of life freely. Interpreters discuss whether it should be read as a prayer for the Second Coming or as a gospel invitation.
Revelation 21:23–24
[Bible Verses]A vision in the Book of Revelation in which the New Jerusalem has no need of the sun or moon, because the glory of God gives it light and the Lamb is its lamp. The passage is often cited as a depiction of the consummation of God's presence. Interpreters differ over the identity of the "nations" and the "kings of the earth" who enter by its light.
Flight into Egypt
[Bible]The Flight into Egypt is the event in which Joseph, instructed in a dream after Herod the Great sought to kill the infant Jesus, took Mary and the child and fled to Egypt. After Herod's death the family returned and settled in Nazareth. The account appears only in Matthew 2.