Key Bible Words Explained

By Norman Nolle

What is this book all about and why should I want to read it? I will try to explain, but first, I will explain what it is not about. This is not a scholarly attempt to impress anyone or a deep study of some complex theology, but instead, it is written in a way that anyone can easily understand it: sometimes you may think, as you read, that this was written for a fifth-grade child to read, and it was. That does not mean that I’m looking down on the reader’s intelligence but writing to reach as many people as possible, regardless of age or education.

What you will read in this short book will not contain anything new for many Christians, except that I believe everyone will find something that they didn’t know. You may find something that you disagree with. That’s great. That will encourage you to study your Bible to prove me wrong. However, most of you reading this book should find it enlightening as to what the Bible is all about. I have touched on many doctrines, but I did not attempt to do a deep theological study on them. That is what I hope you, the reader, will do.

Now for those of you who are not yet Christians, my hope is that you will get to know who we are and what we believe and why. As you read chapter by chapter, you will find all that you need to know to make heaven your permanent address in the future. And in the last five chapters, you will find out about the exciting things that Christians are looking forward to in the future.

You will also find in this book such things as where the word Christmas came from and why it was not observed until the fourth century, where did the name Easter come from and why Easter sunrise services were observed many years before Jesus was born, and more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638850069

Book preview

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Key Bible Words Explained

Norman Nolle

ISBN 978-1-63885-005-2 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63885-006-9 (Digital)

Copyright © 2022 Norman Nolle

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books, Inc.

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Table of Contents

The Bible

Life and Death

Grace and the Gospel

Atonement and Salvation

Eternal Security

The Holy Spirit

The Church

Deacons

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

Stewardship

The Ten Commandments

Speaking in Tongues

Prayer

The Heavens and Paradise

Hades, Hell, and Satan

Marriage and Divorce

Prophet or Priest

Christmas and Easter

Planet Earth

The Rapture

The Tribulation

The Millennium

A New Heaven and Earth

The Great Commission

Preface

Today, many people are confused by the terminology used in the Bible, and even though a lot of new translations have come out recently that have helped the problem, in some cases, they may have made the problem worse. When Christians talk about spiritual things or things concerning the Bible in front of a secular group or an individual who is not familiar with such things, that person or persons may feel lost in the conversation. Actually, some Christians do not have proper understanding of some words in the Bible even though they think they do. And in some cases, they may have only a partial understanding. This book is written in an attempt to correct these problems and enhance your understanding in many areas of the Bible. Now, it is my understanding that a word’s true meaning is determined by its common usage, and with some words, that usage is changing to some degree all the time. That change may, or may not, be the same as the definition found in your dictionary. Also, in the Bible, some words may have a spiritual meaning which is different from its common usage. I have read the Bible through in several different versions. Over time, I have observed how words are used, and I will share my observations in this book. I have also taught the Bible for about fifty years and have on occasion found that the person writing the Bible study book (Sunday school book) was in error because his understanding of a word was wrong. So it can happen to anyone.

I will discuss simple words and phrases that are commonly used in both the Bible and in our daily lives. I will also discuss words that are used in the Bible but are not commonly used outside the Christian faith and the church. I will also include certain things that have their foundation in the Bible, such as marriage and divorce and where the word Christian came from. It is my hope that through this book, you will get a better understanding of the Bible, and through better Bible knowledge, you will be drawn to a closer relationship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

I will be sharing some stories to enhance your understanding of the Bible and how it relates to us in the here and now. These stories come from my memory and not from some book. I write them as I remember them. Many of them came from letters I received from missionaries who experienced them, or I heard them from men who heard them from someone who was there.

I will be quoting from the King James Version of the Bible so you can see for yourself how many words have changed over time. The original King James Version was first completed in 1611, and even it was mostly a revision of the Geneva Bible of 1560 and the Bishops Bible of 1568. All these revisions were necessary because of changes in the English language. However, among English translations, the King James has been the most popular for the longest period of time, and it is still in use by many people today. However, the King James Version that we read today is very different from the original because it has been revised several times, again, because of changes in the language.

Today, there are many new translations that are not just revisions but are new and different because new scrolls (manuscripts) have been discovered that are older, and some newer than the scrolls from which the King James versions came. And some versions were written just to be easier to read; in fact, some are not translations at all but paraphrase versions, which use different words or phrases instead of the actual words from the manuscripts. This is also done to make it easier to read, but sometimes the real meaning of the original is altered or lost. However, the basic teachings (doctrines) of the Bible are found to be true to the original meaning in almost all translations and paraphrase versions even though the wording might be quite different. Most of these translations were done by men who are dedicated to God and guided by the same Holy Spirit, as were the original writers of long ago.

Most of this book will be about the here and now, about how God sees us, about what he requires of us, and about many other things. But the last four chapters will give you an outline of the things that are yet to come in God’s plan for planet Earth, starting with the next event on his calendar, and what we should look for as it may be sooner than we think.

1

The Bible

In explaining certain words in the Bible, let’s first look at the word bible . The word bible comes from a Greek word which simply means books. The Bible is divided into two major sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The word testament means an agreement, a contract, or a covenant between God and mankind. Both the Old and New Testaments are made up of a collection of essays, letters, or stories that we call books. There are books of history, law, love, poetry, praise, and instruction. The Bible contains sixty-six books, thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament. These books were written by many different authors over a period of over four hundred years, and they all complement each other. None contradicts another. The authors were all inspired by the Creator of all things, God. Some biblical scholars believe that God personally dictated every word, and the writers were merely stenographers copying down each word as God spoke it. However, most scholars believe that God spoke to the writers, revealing to them the message that he wanted them to convey, and then let them write it in their own words. But remember, God had access to their thoughts through the Holy Spirit to further guide them. As you read the Bible, I think you will agree that the latter opinion makes more sense, and today, as the books are translated into various languages, the same action must take place as it did with the original authors, the true message that God intended has to be worded in such a way that God’s true message comes through in each new language it is translated into.

Originally, each of these books was written as a stand-alone book, or letter, with a message from God. However, the authors of some of these books do contain references to books written earlier. The putting together of these books began in the Old Testament time as the Jews put together the first five books of the Bible and called it the Torah. The grouping together of these books continued with the Jews on into the New Testament times until the Bible that we know today, with the Old and New Testaments in a single book, came to be mostly during the fourth century ad. There were numerous counsels like the Third Council of Carthage in ad 393 and some after that. This is when the spiritual leaders determined which books were true scripture: inspired by God. There were other books out there that were not included in the canon (authorized books). Today, the Catholic Bible has fourteen more books than the Bible that most other people use. These books are called the Apocrypha, and there are still more books out there that were not included in either the Catholic or Protestant Bibles because they were determined to be not inspired by God.

The Old Testament was based mainly on God’s commandments, laws, and rules to live by and how well mankind was able to keep them. Mankind failed completely, beginning with the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. You will find thousands of examples throughout the Old Testament, from the lowly shepherd to mighty kings and queens; they all failed the test: men like Abraham, Moses, and even King David, who God said was a man after his own heart. These stories are there to prove that mankind is incapable of keeping God’s laws. So in time, God ushered in the New Testament.

The Bible as a whole, and especially the New Testament, from which Christianity came, is