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How to use this glossary: Each word has two
definitions.
The first is a very simple word equivalent, just a phrase or a few words. The second is a more detailed explanation with examples. |
Glossary Terms - D
Index Numeric Daffynitions Expressions Fun King James Words
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
DamnationA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
The state of being condemned to eternal punishment in Hell
The righteous judgement of God upon a sinner where the sinner is cast out of the presence
of God into Hell for ever. The punishment of God for persons with unredeemed sin.
[Eternal]
[God]
[Hell]
[Last Judgement]
[Redeem, Redemption]
[Sin, Sinner]
Daniel
A prophet who lived around 600 BC. The Old Testament book named after him deals with
historical events in Babylon and shows Daniel's faith in God. It also includes visions of future events.
From the Hebrew name Daniyel meaning "God is my judge". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet
whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon,
where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also
presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.
[Babylon]
[Nebuchadnezzar]
[Prophet]
[Vision]
Darwinism
The earliest general form of the theory of biological evolution as it was set forth by Charles
Darwin in "The Origin of the Species" (1859). It is often used as a synonym for evolution.
Of or pertaining to the views of English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882). Specifically
referring to Darwin's views concerning biological evolution which, as a comprehensive theory, asserted that all
life on Earth was the product of purely natural processes.
[Creation]
[Evolution]
[Fundamentalism]
[Palaeontology]
David
Hebrew King anointed King after King Saul. This is the David of the well-known Bible stories
labelled "David and Goliath" and "David and Bathsheba." King David is also the father of Solomon and
considered by many Christians and Jews to have written several of the Psalms. His life and reign is recorded in
the ancient scriptural writing known as the Books of Samuel. His progeny are recorded in the Books of Kings
and of Chronicles. Christians believe Jesus Christ comes from the genealogical line of David.
A great king of Israel
1 Samuel 16-31
2 Samuel 1-24
God promised that members of David's family would rule a kingdom that lasts forever.
2 Samuel 7:1-16
Psalm 132:11-12
Jesus was born from the family of David. He is the "Son of David" who will rule God's kingdom forever.
Luke 1:31- 33
Acts 2:22-36
Romans 1:1-4
[Hebrew]
[Jerusalem]
[Jesus]
1 Samuel 16-31
2 Samuel 1-24
God promised that members of David's family would rule a kingdom that lasts forever.
2 Samuel 7:1-16
Psalm 132:11-12
Jesus was born from the family of David. He is the "Son of David" who will rule God's kingdom forever.
Luke 1:31- 33
Acts 2:22-36
Romans 1:1-4
Day of Judgement
At the end of the world when all people will be judged on their behaviour during their
lives.
The description of the Day of Judgement in Revelation, chapter 20
According to the prophetic book of Revelation in the New Testament, this is the day when God will judge humankind, pronouncing salvation for the good soul and doom for the evil, after the passing away of the world in its present form. It is also referred to as the Last Judgement and Doomsday;
The expression is now used loosely to mean end of the world and, without capital letters, any retribution for one's actions.
[Book of Life]
[Last Judgement]
[Reckoning, Day of]
According to the prophetic book of Revelation in the New Testament, this is the day when God will judge humankind, pronouncing salvation for the good soul and doom for the evil, after the passing away of the world in its present form. It is also referred to as the Last Judgement and Doomsday;
The expression is now used loosely to mean end of the world and, without capital letters, any retribution for one's actions.
Deacon
A serving church leader. Qualifications are found in Acts 6:3 and 1 Timothy 3.
Biblically, this designates a servant in the church but not someone who is a slave since the
latter refers to a slave/master relationship. It has become an office of the church where individuals are
designated to help in the ministry, sometimes serving communion, sometimes by taking care of such needs as
church welfare, feeding the homeless, taking care of the sick in the church, etc. It comes from the Greek word
diakonos and is translated as "servant" in John 6:25; 12:26, "minister" in Rom. 13:4.
[Church]
[Lay People/Laity]
Dead Sea
A salt lake, about 397 m (1,300 ft) below sea level, between Israel and Jordan. It is one of the
saltiest bodies of water known and is the lowest point on the surface of the earth.
[Brimstone]
[Dead Sea Scrolls]
[Qumran]
Dead Sea Scrolls
Ancient manuscripts written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, found in 1947-56 at Qumran. The
Dead Sea Scrolls date from around the time of Christ, and are an invaluable resource for biblical
scholarship.
The oldest known manuscripts of any books of the Bible. They contain all the books of the
Old Testament, except Esther. A few of these books are almost complete. They were found in the 1940s and
1950s in caves near the north-west shores of the Dead Sea. Now they are kept in the "Shrine of the Book",
part of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
[Bible]
[Manuscript]
[Qumran]
Death
A permanent end of all life
The word "death" is used in two main ways in the Bible.
First, it is used to describe the cessation of life.
Second, death is used in reference to the lost. This refers to their eternal separation from God as a result of sin (Isaiah 59:2), in a conscious state of damnation without hope (1 Thess. 4:13; Rev. 20:10,14,15).
Death to humans is unnatural. When God created Adam and Eve, death was not part of the created order. It was not until they sinned that death entered the scene (Rom. 5:12; 6:23). Death will be destroyed when Christ returns and the believers receive their resurrected bodies.
[Adam and Eve]
[Bible]
[Damnation]
[Eternal]
[Fall, The]
[Mortal]
[Sin, Sinner]
First, it is used to describe the cessation of life.
Second, death is used in reference to the lost. This refers to their eternal separation from God as a result of sin (Isaiah 59:2), in a conscious state of damnation without hope (1 Thess. 4:13; Rev. 20:10,14,15).
Death to humans is unnatural. When God created Adam and Eve, death was not part of the created order. It was not until they sinned that death entered the scene (Rom. 5:12; 6:23). Death will be destroyed when Christ returns and the believers receive their resurrected bodies.
Decalogue
A term for the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20).
The Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20. Deca means ten in Latin. Logue comes from
"logos" which means "word."
[Commandment(s)]
[Moses]
Deeds
An act; a deed
[syn: works]
performance of moral or religious acts; "salvation by deeds" or "the reward for good works"
"I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 1:14).
[Salvation]
[Works]
performance of moral or religious acts; "salvation by deeds" or "the reward for good works"
"I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 1:14).
Deification
The elevation of a person (as to the status of a god)
[Deity]
[Divine]
Deism
The belief that an impersonal God created everything and then removed Himself from active
involvement in His creation. Deism is not Christian
[Creation]
[Theistic]
Deist
The belief, based solely on reason, in a God who created the universe and then abandoned it,
assuming no control over life, exerting no influence on natural phenomena, and giving no supernatural
revelation.
[Atheist]
[Creationism]
[Pantheism]
Deity
The estate or rank of a god:
[Middle English deite, from Old French, from Late Latin deits, divine nature, from Latin deus,
god]
The essential nature or condition of being a god; divinity.
[Deification]
[Divine]
[God]
The essential nature or condition of being a god; divinity.
Delilah
Means "delicate" in Hebrew.
In the Old Testament she was the lover of Samson. She betrayed him to the Philistines by cutting his hair, which was the source of his power.
In the Old Testament she was the lover of Samson. She betrayed him to the Philistines by cutting his hair, which was the source of his power.
A Philistine woman who dwelt in the valley of Sorek (Judg.16:4-20). She was bribed by the
"lords of the Philistines" to obtain from Samson the secret of his strength and the means of overcoming it
(Judg.16:4-18).
She tried on three occasions to obtain from him this secret in vain. On the fourth occasion she wrung it from him. She made him sleep upon her knees, and then called the man who was waiting to help her; who "cut off the seven locks of his head," and so his "strength went from him."
[Samson]
She tried on three occasions to obtain from him this secret in vain. On the fourth occasion she wrung it from him. She made him sleep upon her knees, and then called the man who was waiting to help her; who "cut off the seven locks of his head," and so his "strength went from him."
Demon
Originally an angel, it joined with Satan to oppose God.
The Greek form, rendered "devil" in the Authorised Version of the New Testament. Daemons
are spoken of as spiritual beings (Matt. 8:16; 10:1; 12:43-45) at enmity with God, and as having a certain
power over man (James 2:19; Rev. 16:14). They recognise our Lord as the Son of God (Matt. 8:20; Luke 4:41).
They belong to the number of those angels that "kept not their first estate," "unclean spirits," "fallen angels," the
angels of the devil (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 12:7-9). They are the "principalities and powers" against which we must
"wrestle" (Eph. 6:12).
[Angel]
[NT]
Denomination
A group within the Christian church.
A group of religious congregations having its own organisation and a distinctive faith.
[Christian Denomination]
Determinism
The view that human actions are entirely controlled by previous conditions, operating under
laws of nature. Determinism is often understood as ruling out free will.
(Philosophy) Claims that every physical event, including human cognition and action, is
causally determined by an unbroken chain of prior occurrences. The principal consequences of this doctrine
are that free will is an illusion, and that the outcomes of all future events have already been determined.
[Creationism]
[Fatalism]
[Pantheism]
[Philosophy]
Devil
The word "devil" comes from the Greek "diabolos," which means "one prone to slander; a liar."
"Devil" is used to refer to a fallen angel, also called "Satan," who works to steal, kill, destroy, and do evil. The
devil's doom is certain, and it is only a matter of time before he is thrown into the Lake of Fire, never to
escape.
Greek is "diabolos," which means accuser. The greatest of all the fallen angels. He opposes
God and is completely evil. He is often called Lucifer which is a Latin translation of "light bearer" found in
Isaiah 14:12, and also the accuser of the brethren in (Rev. 12:10), dragon (Rev. 12:9), the devil (Matt. 4:1), the
tempter (Matt. 4:3), the accuser (Rev. 12:10), the prince of demons (Luke 11:15), the ruler of this world (John
12:31), See Isaiah 14:12-15 for a description of the fall of the devil. Upon Jesus' return, the Devil will be
vanquished -- depending on the eschatological position. His future is the eternal lake of fire.
[Lucifer]
[Satan]
Diaspora
The dispersion of the Jews outside Israel; from the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in
587-86 BC when they were exiled to Babylonia up to the present time
(Greekdispersion, fr. diaspeirein to scatter, fr. dia- + speirein to sow; a scattering or sowing
of seeds)
Dispersion. Biblically, it refers to the dispersion of the Jews outside of Israel from the time of the Babylonian Captivity until now. It has also been applied to the dispersion of Christians after 70 A.D. when Rome sacked Jerusalem and thousands of Christians fled and dispersed throughout the Mediterranean area.
[Israel, Excile]
[Israel, Lost Tribes]
Dispersion. Biblically, it refers to the dispersion of the Jews outside of Israel from the time of the Babylonian Captivity until now. It has also been applied to the dispersion of Christians after 70 A.D. when Rome sacked Jerusalem and thousands of Christians fled and dispersed throughout the Mediterranean area.
Dichotomy
Split or division into two, e.g. mind and body; fact and value; sacred and secular
The division of anything into two parts. In theological discussion the teaching that a human
consists of two parts: body and soul. Sometimes the soul is also referred to as spirit.
[Soul]
[Theology]
Dietary Laws
For Judaism, see kosher
[Kosher]
Disciple
Our word disciple comes from a Latin word meaning "student." But the Greek word translated
"disciple" in the New Testament means more than "student." It also means one who imitates his or her
teacher.
A disciple is a student and Christians are disciples or students of Christ.
A disciple is a student and Christians are disciples or students of Christ.
A follower, someone who believes and does what his or her leader teaches. Jesus picked 12
disciples to be his special helpers. Today anyone who follows Jesus is his disciple.
Luke 6:12-16
Luke 14:25-35
John 15:1-17
Matthew 28:16-20
[Apostle]
[Apostles, Twelve]
[Follower]
Luke 6:12-16
Luke 14:25-35
John 15:1-17
Matthew 28:16-20
Dispensation
A determined period of time. "...that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might
gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth; in Him" (Eph.
1:10).
[Dispensationalism]
[Interpretation]
Dispensationalism
A system of biblical interpretation and of theology which divides God's working into different
periods (dispensations) which He administers in different ways.
Dispensationalism says that God uses different means of administering His will and grace to
His people. These different means coincide with different periods of time. Scofield says there are seven
dispensations: of innocence, of conscience, of civil government, of promise, of law, of grace, and of the
kingdom.
[Dispensation]
[Interpretation]
Divination
[L. divinatio, fr. divinare, divinatum, to foresee, foretell, fr. divinus: cf. F. divination. ]
The act of divining; a foreseeing or foretelling of future events;
There shall not be found among you any one that . . useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter. Deut. xviii. 10.
The act of divining; a foreseeing or foretelling of future events;
There shall not be found among you any one that . . useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter. Deut. xviii. 10.
Divination is the occultic practice of ascertaining information by supernatural means. If a
distinction is to be made with fortune-telling, divination has a formal or ritual and often social character, usually
in a religious context; while fortune-telling is a more everyday practice for personal purposes.
Divination is a universal cultural phenomenon which anthropologists have observed as being present in many religions and cultures in all ages up to the present day. However, the Judeo-Christian Bible states that divination is strictly forbidden by God.
[Bible]
[Occult]
Divination is a universal cultural phenomenon which anthropologists have observed as being present in many religions and cultures in all ages up to the present day. However, the Judeo-Christian Bible states that divination is strictly forbidden by God.
Divine
Having the nature of or being a deity.
French. divin, Latin. divinus divine, divinely inspired, fr. divus, dius, belonging to a deity; akin
to L. deus, God
emanating from God (Example: "Divine judgement")
[Deity]
emanating from God (Example: "Divine judgement")
Docetism
[Gr.,=to appear]
an early Christian doctrine that the sufferings of Christ were apparent and not real and that after the crucifixion he appeared in a spiritual body.
an early Christian doctrine that the sufferings of Christ were apparent and not real and that after the crucifixion he appeared in a spiritual body.
Is the belief that Jesus Christ did not have a physical body: his body was an illusion, as was
his crucifixion.
This belief is most commonly attributed to the Gnostics, who believed that matter was evil, and hence that God could not take on a material body.
[Gnosticism]
This belief is most commonly attributed to the Gnostics, who believed that matter was evil, and hence that God could not take on a material body.
Doctrine
Embraces all those beliefs and teachings that are contained in and reflect the message of
Jesus Christ
A set of accepted beliefs held by a group. In religion, it is the set of true beliefs that define the
parameters of that belief system. Hence, there is true doctrine and false doctrine relative to each belief set. In
Christianity, for example, a true biblical doctrine is that there is only one God in all existence (Isaiah 43:10;
44:6,8). A false doctrine is that there is more than one God in all existence.
[Dogma]
[Heresy]
[Polemics]
[tenet]
Dogma
In Christianity, an authoritative statement of belief; official doctrine; can also be used as a
general term.
A principle or doctrine that is authoritatively pronounced by a church or a leader, generally
without widespread debate, investigation or discussion. Often dogma is differentiated from doctrine by its being
based upon authority without investigative evidence. Compare doctrine. In modern parlance, dogma is
frequently seen as a denigrating or pejorative term, though within certain religious traditions it is perceived as
authoritative to the faithful.
[Doctrine]
[tenet]
Dogmatics
The study of religious dogmas, especially those of a Christian church.
[Dogma]
Dogmatism
Arrogant, stubborn assertion of opinion or belief.
[Belief]
Doubting Thomas
A "doubting Thomas" is someone who demands evidence to be convinced of anything,
especially when this demand is out of place.
[Apostles, Twelve]
[Thomas (Apostle)]
Doxology
Declaration of praise to God.
From the Greek for "words of praise." It is an expression of praise to God, using words said
or sung in praise of the Holy Trinity . The Gloria Patri ("Glory be to the Father and to the Son…"), is a common
doxology used to conclude psalms and many canticles. Many hymns have a concluding, doxological stanza
that praises the Holy Trinity. The most familiar of these stanzas is known as the Common Doxology ("Praise
God from whom all blessings flow...")
[Gloria Patri]
[Praise]
Dunamis
The term "Dunamis" (doo'-nam-is) is a Greek word that means 'power'.
The Greek word for "power", is "dunamis" and it is the root of our English word dynamite.
The definition in the Greek is: "force, miraculous power, ability, abundance, meaning and might"
The long and short of it is that it is powerful stuff, and it represents the power of the Holy Spirit that is resident inside of our lives when we ask Jesus to be the Lord of our life.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8
[Holy Spirit]
The long and short of it is that it is powerful stuff, and it represents the power of the Holy Spirit that is resident inside of our lives when we ask Jesus to be the Lord of our life.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8
