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Beast (Book of Revelation)
[Bible]In the Book of Revelation, the beast is a figure that receives authority from the dragon (Satan) and symbolizes the powers that oppose God and His saints. The best-known forms are the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth, and interpreters remain divided over their identity.
Revelation 13
[Bible]Revelation 13 contains the vision of two beasts that receive authority from the dragon: the beast that rises out of the sea and the beast that comes up out of the earth. The chapter introduces the mark of the beast and the number 666.
Revelation 14:1-5
[Bible Verses]Revelation 14:1-5 records a vision of the 144,000 standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion and singing a new song. Interpreters disagree about the identity of the 144,000, and the passage is frequently discussed because some groups cite it in support of their doctrines.
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.
Peter's Vision of the Sheet
[Bible]The vision the apostle Peter received while praying in Joppa, in which a great sheet containing unclean animals was let down from heaven (Acts 10). It led to the acceptance of the Gentile Cornelius.
Revelation 13:1–10
[Bible Verses]In this passage John sees in a vision a beast rising up out of the sea that receives authority from the dragon, blasphemes God, and persecutes the saints. Interpreters differ widely on the beast's identity, and the passage is frequently cited in discussions of eschatology.
Revelation 14:9–11
[Bible Verses]The third angel's warning that whoever worships the beast and its image and receives its mark will drink of the wine of the wrath of God. The passage is frequently cited in discussions of the identity of the "mark of the beast" and the nature of punishment in hell.
Behemoth
[Bible]Behemoth is the enormous beast that God shows to Job in Job 40. Its name derives from the plural of the Hebrew word for "beast." It is commonly identified as the hippopotamus, although some interpreters regard it as a symbolic being or as a dinosaur.
Devoted Thing
[Bible]A "devoted thing" (Hebrew herem) is an object or person wholly dedicated to God, which therefore can no longer be put to private use or redeemed. The term is best known from the account of Achan in Joshua 7.
1 Samuel 15:23-24
[Bible Verses]In this passage the prophet Samuel tells King Saul, who had disobeyed God's command, that rebellion is comparable to divination and idolatry and that Saul has been rejected from the kingship. Saul then confesses his sin, saying that he feared the people. The passage is frequently cited in discussions of obedience and repentance.
John 3:16
[Bible Verses]John 3:16 declares that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him should have everlasting life. Widely regarded as a summary of the gospel, it is the best-known verse in the Bible. Calvinism and Arminianism interpret the scope of "the world" and "whosoever believeth" differently.
Colossians 3:23
[Bible Verses]Colossians 3:23 is an exhortation that reads, "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." It is one of the best-known verses connecting one's occupation and everyday work with faith. Because it was originally addressed to servants (slaves), however, questions have been raised about the scope of its application.
Ram's Horn Trumpet
[Bible]The ram's horn trumpet, known in Hebrew as the shofar, is a trumpet made from the horn of a ram. It is best known from the account of the fall of Jericho in Joshua 6, in which priests blew it before the Ark of the Covenant.
Caphtor
[Bible]Caphtor is an Old Testament place name identified as the land from which the Philistines came. It is generally thought to be an island or coastal region of the Mediterranean, and the best-known view identifies it with Crete.
Sling
[Bible]The sling is an ancient stone-throwing device in which a stone is placed in a pouch of leather or cord, whirled, and released. In the Bible it is best known as the weapon with which David struck down Goliath.
Pharaoh
[People]Pharaoh is a title for the kings of ancient Egypt. Several pharaohs appear in the Bible, the best known being the king in Exodus who refused to let Israel go and suffered the ten plagues.
Contemporary Persecution of Christians
[History]The contemporary persecution of Christians refers collectively to the violence, discrimination, and legal and social disadvantages that Christians in various countries have suffered because of their faith from the late twentieth century to the present. A leading indicator is the World Watch List published by Open Doors.
Hesychasm
[Doctrine & Theology]Hesychasm, from the Greek hesychia, meaning "stillness," is a spirituality of prayer in the monastic tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church that seeks union with God by stilling the heart and ceaselessly repeating the Jesus Prayer.
Hardening of the Heart
[Bible]Hardening of the heart is a biblical term for the condition of a heart that has grown hard and refuses to receive God's word and warnings. It is best known from the account in Exodus of the hardening of Pharaoh's heart.
Birthright
[Bible]The birthright is the firstborn son's right of precedence in inheritance and in representing the family, received from his father. It is best known from Genesis, where Esau sold his birthright to his younger brother Jacob for a bowl of stew.