A to Z Guide to Bible Signs and Symbols

Neil Wilson, Ryken Taylor Nancy

Description

How might our understanding of God's Word be deepened if we recognized the significance of the signs and symbols found within its pages--signs that would have been obvious to the original readers? From the tree of life to Noah's ark, from circumcision to animal sacrifice. From the feasts, the Passover lamb, and the manna in the wilderness to the furniture in the tabernacle and the visions of prophets. From the Lord's Supper to baptism and from the cross to the empty tomb.Throughout the Scriptures, signs and symbols weave a consistent message of God's presence, grace, and faithfulness. This illustrated resource will help readers understand key biblical images that reveal God's purposes and truth. Each entry includes multiple illustrations, explanations, and key Bible passages. Sidebars, quotes, and photos make this guide approachable and engaging.

Sujets

• Reference work
• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 10 février 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441221889
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 9 Mo

Extrait

© 2015 by Barton-Veerman Company
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-2188-9
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from G OD ’ S W ORD ®. © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.
Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007.
Scripture quotations labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations labeled NASB are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations labeled NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled NLT are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Developed by Livingstone, the publishing services division of Barton-Veerman Company. Contributing staff included: Rick Ezell, Nancy Ryken Taylor, Katherine Wilson, Neil Wilson, Larry Taylor, Tom Shumaker, and Dave Veerman.
The A to Z Guide to Bible Signs and Symbols is dedicated to all those who eagerly read the figurative language of God’s Word, appreciate the literary scope of God’s amazing written revelation, apply the truth presented in creative ways, and will immediately note with delight the many signs and symbols we didn’t have room to include. Biblical signs and symbols can be described the same way the apostle John summarized the signs of Christ he chose for his Gospel:
Jesus performed many other miracles that his disciples saw. Those miracles are not written in this book. But these miracles have been written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and so that you will have life by believing in him.
(John 20:30–31)
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Dedication 5
Introduction 10
A
Altar 16
Ark 18
Arm 20
B
Babylon 22
Baptism 24
Beast 26
Bethlehem 28
Birth 30
Black 32
Blood 34
Body 36
Book/Scroll 38
Branch 40
Bread 42
Bride 44
Bridegroom 46
Brimstone 48
Building 50
Bull/Calf 52
C
Camel 54
Canaan 56
Candlestick/Lamp Stand 58
Circumcision 60
Clear/Crystal/Transparent 62
Clothing 64
Cornerstone 66
Cross/Crucifixion 68
Crown 70
D
Darkness 72
Day 74
Deer 76
Donkey 78
Door/Doorpost 80
Dove/Wild Pigeon 82
E
Eagle/Vulture 84
Eden 86
Egypt 88
Eye 90
F
Father 92
Feast/Banquet 94
Feet 96
Fire 98
Fish 100
Five 102
Flowers 104
Forty 106
Four 108
G
Gate 110
Goat 112
Gold 114
Graft 116
Grapes 118
H
Hand 120
Head 122
Heaven 124
Honey 126
Horn 128
Horse 130
I
Incense 132
J
Jar/Pottery/Vessel 134
Jonah in the Great Fish 136
Jordan River 138
K
Key 140
Kingdom 142
L
Lamb/Sheep 144
Lamp 146
Leprosy 148
Light 150
Lion 152
Locust 154
Lord’s Supper/Last Supper/Lord’s Table 156
M
Mark/Seal 158
Marriage 160
Meal 162
Mirror 164
Mountain/Hill 166
Mount Moriah 168
Mount Sinai 170
N
Nineveh 172
O
Oil 174
One 176
One Hundred Forty-Four Thousand 178
P
Passover 180
Pigs 182
Precious Stones 184
Purim 186
Purple 188
Q
Quail 190
R
Rainbow 192
Raven/Crow 194
Red/Scarlet 196
Ring 198
Rome 200
Root 202
S
Sabbath 204
Sacrifice/Offering 206
Salt 208
Sea of Galilee 210
Seed 212
Serpent on a Pole 214
Serpent/Dragon 216
Seven 218
Ship/Boat 220
Silver 222
Six Hundred Sixty-Six 224
Sodom 226
Son 228
Stone/Rock 230
Sword 232
T
Tabernacle 234
Temple 236
Thousand 238
Three 240
Threshing Floor 242
Throne 244
Tower 246
Tree 248
Trumpet/Shofar 250
Twelve 252
Two 254
U
Unleavened Bread/Yeast 256
V
Veil/Curtain 258
Vine 260
W
Water 262
White 264
Wilderness 266
Wind 268
Wine 270
X
Xerxes the Great (and Other Significant Rulers) 272
Y
Yoke 274
Z
Zion/Jerusalem 276
Image Credits 279
Back Ads 283
Back Cover 287
Introduction
W e want a sign!” The demand was issued in a threatening tone that left unspoken the “or else!” that was part of the tense moment. Jesus had just cleared the temple court in Jerusalem that had been turned into a kind of farmers’ market / money exchange under the permission of the religious people in charge. They were not happy with Jesus, and decided the best way to get rid of him and bring back the merchants was to challenge his right to intervene. They demanded his credentials. “Show us you have the right to order us around! Do a miracle! You claim to speak for God? Prove it!” John 2:13–22 gives us a glimpse of the significance of signs and symbols in the Bible. When his opponents demanded proof, Jesus said, “Tear down this temple, and I’ll rebuild it in three days” (John 2:19). His hearers thought he was referring to the impressive buildings surrounding them, but John explains Jesus was using the temple as a symbol: “But the temple Jesus spoke about was his own body. After he came back to life, his disciples remembered that he had said this. So they believed the Scripture and this statement that Jesus had made” (John 2:21–22).
Before Jesus is actually recorded as having performed any miracles, he faced a similar challenge: “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread!” (Matt. 4:3). Satan taunted him, “Prove you’re the Son of God. Show me a sign; whip up a miracle.” The exchange that follows between Satan and Jesus during the wilderness temptation (Matt. 4:1–11) is one of the places in the Bible that emphasizes the significance of signs and symbols in understanding what God tells us in his Word.
Bible Signs and Symbols
Maybe your first question in opening this book is, what are signs and symbols and what is the difference between them? Good question. Signs point or draw attention; symbols represent. Signs are clues; symbols are pictures that denote an object, purpose, or concept. Public bathrooms around the world display recognizable symbols (usually on the door) that indicate male and female facilities. In some cases, signs and symbols work together. Walk through an airport in a foreign place and you will see signs displaying a plate and utensils, indicating a place to eat in the direction of the arrow. Signs are like calling cards, passports, and deeds—not necessarily related directly to an object, they confirm or prove a claim. The signs that you own a car or home are the keys in your hand and the title in your possession with your signature (itself a sign) on the correct line. Signs don’t have to be documents; they can be unconnected events or circumstances whose occurrence indicates the truth of a different claim.
In the English Bible, the word sign translates the Greek word semeion , which is used in a passage like Luke 2:12, “This is how you will recognize him” (or as the King James translation puts it, “And this shall be a sign”): “You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” Literally, the angel said, “And this will be to you the sign that what I just said is true about the Savior, who is Christ the Lord, born to you this day in the city of David.” Signs serve as X that marks the spot. When we find or see a sign, we expect to find what we were told we would find.
The word symbol is used rarely in any translation of the Bible. G OD ’ S W ORD , for example, uses the term twice (Ps. 74:4; Isa. 8:18). But the term is often used by students of the Bible to describe the teaching style of the Scriptures. Biblical writers often substituted a trait or quality in one familiar object to highlight a similar or parallel trait they were explaining. Symbols often allowed Bible people to talk about one thing while actually describing something else.
The word sign , in comparison, is used many times throughout the Bible. The Greek word semeion is often translated miracle because that usually is the primary idea. To those eager to confront Jesus, a miracle on command might demonstrate that he had some special powers from God, but it would also demonstrate he was vulnerable to manipulation. If he’d felt it necessary to “prove” himself, he would actually be revealing a lack of confidence in his own identity. Jesus didn’t fall for Satan’s challenges in the wilderness—“If you are the Son of God” (Matt. 4:3, 6)—because in “proving” who he was he would be yielding control to Satan. The sign-miracles Jesus performed were in response to genuine need rather than a need on his part to demonstrate to doubters who he was. Even the miracle of walking on the water wasn’t done by Jesus “on command” or because the disciples expected/demanded it, but to give them an indelible lesson.
Perhaps you are one of those people who is already thoroughly confused about Bible signs and symbols and is just looking for an introduction to shed some light on the strange, unusual, and surprising aspects of this book we often refer to as the Word of God. One of the surprises may be that when you understand the way signs and sym