What is the meaning of "Mizpah?"

        Mizpah, or Mizpeh, was the name of several localities in Old Testament history. The word means "a watch-tower'' and in literature the whole of the beautiful remark made by Laban to Jacob has been included in its meaning: "The Lord watch between me and thee when we are absent one from the other." Genesis 31: 149

How was the Brazen Serpent a type?

        "As the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up." These were the Savior's words. Jesus' death on the cross was an uplifting, and in this sense it is compared to the uplifting of the brazen serpent. In both cases the remedy is divinely provided and there is another striking similarity: As death came to the Israelites in the wilderness by the serpent's sting and life came by the uplifting of a serpent, so, in redemption, by man came death, and by the death of the God-man in the likeness of sinful flesh comes life eternal. In the first instance the cure was effected by directing the eye to the uplifted serpent; in the other, it takes place when the eye of faith is fixed upon the uplifted Christ.

What is meant by the "Beast and His Mark?''

       The Seer of Revelation appears to have had his visions in the form of a series of scenes, as in a panorama. Almost at the close (Rev. 14:9) he saw the beast you refer to. It is evidently identical with the beast described by Daniel (7:7). It is representative of the power which is said to have throughout the world's history opposed God. It appears in John's narrative in a series of forms, and is sometimes identified with a persecuting church, and sometimes is the civil power. At the culmination of its career, John saw it as the great Antichrist, who is yet to arise, who would attain to such power in the world that he would exclude any many from office and from even engaging in trade, who did not acknowledge him. Only those who bear the mark of the beast can buy or sell in that time. This mark may be a badge to be worn on forehead or hand, or as some scholars think, merely the coins to be used in business, which will bear Anti-christ's title symbolized by the number 666. 

What Is the Baptism of Fire?

It has been variously interpreted to mean:

1. the baptism of the Holy Spirit
2. the fires of purgatory,
3. the everlasting fires of hell. 

Modern theologians take the view that the baptism of fire and that of the Holy Ghost are the same, and that it may be rendered "baptized with the Holy Ghost through the outward symbol of fire or "as with the cloven tongues of fire'' referring to the Pentecostal baptism.

What is to be understood by being "Baptized for the Dead"?

       Beuzel translated the familiar passage in I Cor. 15:29 thus: "Over the dead'' or "immediately upon the dead," meaning those who will be gathered to the dead immediately after baptism. Many in the ancient church put off baptism till near death. The passage probably referred to some symbolical rite of baptism or dedication of themselves to follow the dead even to death. Another view held by some expositors is that it was a custom to baptize certain persons with the names of the dead, in the hope that they might inherit their spirit and carry on their work.

What is meant be the "Prince of the Power of the Air?"

       It refers to Satan (Eph. 2:2), the "prince of evil'' who assails men on earth with trials and temptations.
The word "power" is used here for the embodiment of that evil spirit which is the ruling principle of all
unbelief, especially among the heathen. (See I Tim. 4:1; II Cor. 4:4; John 12:31.)

What are we to understand by the Battle of Armageddon, referred to in Revelation?

       Armageddon is the name given to the last great battle to be fought in the world's history, in which the whole human race is arrayed on one side or the other. It is to be the final struggle of Antichrist. When it will be fought no one can tell; but that there will be a great struggle we are assured. Before that day comes "many false prophets shall arise and lead many astray . . . iniquity shall be multiplied and the love of many shall wax cold." There are to be false Christs, false teachers doing signs and wonders, and leading astray "even the elect if such were possible." It is to be preceded by a period of apostasy, in which the authority of the wicked one will be fully demonstrated, with the assumption of divinity and the demand for universal worship as God. In the present stage of the conflict between good and evil, when mighty forces are arrayed on both sides, we can see the foreshadowing of the fierce struggle that is to come; but we may rest assured that righteousness will triumph in the end. (See the parallel passage in Joel 3:2-12.) Armageddon is "the mountain of Megiddo," west of the Jordan, a scene of early historic battles and the place that would naturally suggest itself to the mind of a Galilean writer to whom the place and its associations were familiar.

What Significance Has the Word "Abba" as When It Precedes the Word "Father"?

        "Abba" is the Hebrew word for "father," in the emphatic or definite state, as "thy father." Its use in referring to God was common among the Jews; but in order that it might not seem too familiar or irreverent, the New Testament writers gave it the two-fold form, which has become a recognized phrase in Christian worship. It is as though they said: "Father, our Father."

What is the Meaning of "Selah?"

        The word "Selah," which occurs a number of times in the Psalms, was a musical or liturgical sign, whose meaning is unknown. Some regard it as a pause in the music, to mark a transition in the theme or composition. It seems to have no grammatical connection with the sentence after which it appears, and has
therefore nothing to do with the meaning of the passage. It was a note to the singers of the psalm, or to those who were accompanying the singing with instruments.

Where Did the Jews Get the Name "Hebrews"?

        It is held by the best authorities and by the Jews themselves that the name is derived from Heber, or Eber (which means "from the other side," or a sojourner, or immigrant). Heber was the son of Salah and the father of Peleg (see Gen. 10:24, 11 114, and I Chron. 1:25). Abram was the first to be called a Hebrew (Gen. 14:13), presumably in the immigrant sense. The name is seldom used of the Israelites in the Old Testament, except when the speaker is a foreigner, or when the Israelites speak of themselves to one of another nation. Some writers have held that Hebrew is derived from Abraham (Abrai), but this explanation is not generally adopted.

What Is a "Generation"?

       "Generation" is used in a variety of senses in the Scriptures. In some cases, it means a period of limitless duration; in others it means the past (Isa. 51 :8), and still others the future (Psalm. 100:5) again, it means both the past and future (Psalm. 102:24). In Gen. 6:9 it means all men living at any given time. In Prov. 30:11, 14 it refers to a class of men with some special characteristics, and in Psalm. 49:19 it may be interpreted to mean the "dwelling-place." A generation, in modern phraseology, means thirty to thirty-five years, but there is no instance of the word being used in this particular sense in the Bible. Thus, "the book of the generation of Jesus Christ" is a genealogical record extending back to Abraham. In I Peter 2 :9 it means an elect race. 

• How long is a generation in the Bible? 
• Community and Testimony by Dennis Bratcher

What Was the Forbidden Fruit?

       There have been many interpretations of the Fall, and the books on the subject would fill a small library. The majority of the early Christian fathers held the Mosaic account to be historical, and interpreted it literally, believing that an actual fruit of some kind, not definitely known, was eaten by our first parents. A few early writers, Philo among them, regarded the story of the Fall as symbolical and mystical, shadowing forth allegorical truths, and that the serpent was the symbol of pleasure, and the offense was forbidden sensuous indulgence. Whatever the "fruit" may have been, its use was plainly the violation of a divine prohibition, the indulgence of an unlawful appetite, the sinful aspiration after forbidden knowledge. Professor Banks, several years ago, while traveling in the region of the Tigris and Euphrates, found in a little known district a place which the natives declared to be the traditional site of Eden and a tree (name and species unknown) which they believed to be the successor of the original tree of knowledge, and it was venerated greatly. It bore no fruit. 

• What was the forbidden fruit that Adam and Eve were told not to eat? Was it an apple, like I've heard people say? I like apples, but does this mean I ought to avoid them?
• The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

What Were the "Marks of the Lord Jesus"?

       It was a practice to brand slaves with their owners' initials. A slave by showing the brand proved to whom his service was due and that no one else had a claim upon him. The marks of the Lord Jesus which Paul bore (Gal. 6:17) were the scars received in his service - the marks of the rods with which he was beaten and the wounds he received in fighting with wild beasts. He showed them as evidence that he belonged to the Lord Jesus. 

• Bearing the Marks of Jesus
• Study The Marks of The Lord Jesus
• Why Did Paul Have Scars? by James Flanders

What Is Meant by "Strange Fire"?

       The "strange fire" mentioned in Lev. 10:1, 2 is understood to mean that Nadab and Abihu, instead of taking fire into their censers from the brazen altar, took common fire which had not been consecrated, and thus were guilty of sacrilege. They had witnessed the descent of the miraculous fire from the cloud (see chapter 9:24), and they were under solemn obligation to use that fire which was specially appropriated to the altar service. But instead of doing so, they became careless, showing want of faith and lamentable irreverence, and their example, had it been permitted to pass unpunished, would have established an evil precedent. The fire that slew them issued from the most holy place, which is the accepted interpretation of the words, "from the Lord." Besides, the two young priests had already been commanded (or warned) not to do the thing they did (verse 2). They had undertaken to perform acts which belonged to the high priest alone, and even to intrude into the innermost sanctuary. See the warnings in Ex. 19:22 and Lev. 8:35.

• Strange Fire by Ray Stedman
• Leviticus 10: 1-11 - Strange Fire

What Is Meant by "Saved, Yet As by Fire"?

       The apostle in I Cor. 3:15 speaks of mistaken teachings and concludes that the man whose work was not of genuine character, who had been seeking worldly gain and popularity and not trying to win and build up souls, would lose the reward which would be given to the preacher who built on the foundation of Christ, "gold, silver, and precious stones." The unprofitable worker's work he likens to wood and stubble which would not stand the day of judgment. Even though his soul should be saved, he would miss the reward promised to the faithful worker, while his own work, being false, will not escape the destruction. 

• What does the phrase "saved as by fire" in 1 Corinthians 3:15 mean?
• Expound on the meaning of 1 Cor. 3:12-15?

What Is Meant by the "Elect"?

       "Elect" is a term variously applied. It sometimes meant the ancient church, and the whole body of baptized Christians; again, it was those elected to baptism; and still again, it was the newly baptized who had just been admitted to full Christian privileges. Further it is applied to those especially chosen for the Lord's work, like his prophets and evangelists, and to those who had undergone tribulation and even martyrdom. It has been applied to the whole Jewish people as chosen of God. Finally, it is applied to individuals who, not of their own merit, but through God's grace, through Jesus Christ, are chosen not only to salvation, but to sanctification of the spirit and who are holy and blameless before the Lord. They are individuals specially chosen out of the world to be heirs of salvation and witnesses for God before men. This is not of works, but of free grace. In a general way, the "elect" are the sanctified - those chosen to salvation through sanctification of the spirit, as explained in Peter 1:2 and similar passages. They are the special vessels of the Spirit chosen in God's good pleasure to carry out his purposes. This election is of grace and not of works (see Rom. 9:18, 22, 23). In all ages such men have been evidently chosen by the Lord as his witnesses. This choice is at once an expression of his sovereignty and his grace. Paul himself was so chosen. On the other hand, it should not be forgotten that salvation is by grace. The whole subject of election has been one of acute controversy for ages and has given rise to many differences of opinion. The attitude of Christians with regard to the Second Coming should be one of prayer, expectancy and constant preparation.

• Double Or Nothing: Martin Luther's Doctrine of Predestination and Intuitu fidei
• Who are the Elect and why?

In What Sense Was Man Created in The Divine Likeness?

       Man's likeness to God, referred to in Gen. 1:26, is the great fact which distinguishes him from the rest of creation. He is a "person" with power to think, feel and will, and with the capacity for moral life and growth. Still further, at the beginning, man had not only the capacity for moral life, but his moral disposition was such that he loved God, loved the right, and hated the wrong. The tragedy of the fall reversed this. Man was still a person and still had the capacity for righteousness, but his spirit was so changed that he feared and distrusted God, and, to a greater or less extent, loved the evil and disliked the good. Jesus came to undo this calamity and to restore us to a moral likeness to God. 

• What does it mean to be made in God's image?
• What does it mean to be created in the image and likeness of God?
• What It Means to Be Made in God's Image
• Made in The Image of God
• God Has No Body

What Is the Origin of the Name "Jew" ?

       The appellation "Jew" is derived from the patriarch Judah, and was originally applied to all members of that tribe and also to subjects of the separate kingdom of Judah, in contradiction to the seceding ten tribes, who retained the name of Israelites. During the captivity and ever since, the term "Jew" seems to have been applied indiscriminately to the whole race.

• Why Are Jews Called Jews?
• Origin and meaning of the name jew by Online Etymology
• Who Is a Jew?