Commentary
A House Divided by Jennifer Ross
As is the human way, when we hear terms like “A house divided,” our first thoughts usually zoom in to look at our personal lives and individual homes. With the emotional understanding of what a divided house can mean, we commit ourselves to overcoming struggles and differences knowing that strength in love must be used to […]
ReadA Novelist Looks at John 3:16 by Davis Bunn
High Drama. At its simplest, this is a story which carries a universal theme. What is important for us to understand is how this theme need not be fully revealed until the very last moment. In such cases, the story’s moral becomes a component of the drama itself, a pillar by which the mystery is […]
ReadA Response to John Piper’s Article Part 1 (of 2) by Rabbi Baruch
“Israel, Palestine and the Middle East” Part 1 (of 2) The issue that Mr. Piper speaks to in the aforementioned article is indeed important and dear to my heart. I agree with him that both Biblical and historical concerns must be taken into consideration to arrive at a view that is in line with the […]
ReadA Response to John Piper’s Article Part 2 (of 2) by Rabbi Baruch
“Israel, Palestine and the Middle East” Part 2 (of 2) Under his third point, Mr. Piper has no trouble quoting Scripture that speaks to terrible curses that will (have been) placed upon Israel. For example he writes, “…in the terrible list of curses that God promised to bring on the people if they broke his […]
ReadAn Exciting First for the Fourth Gospel by E.A. Knapp
A few months ago there was a very interesting development in Israeli scholarship. For the first time – to the best of my knowledge – an Israeli press published an academic book about the Gospel of John in Hebrew. This may not sound like a very big deal – and there are believers who are quick to dismiss […]
ReadAnav by Jennifer Ross
Our Father’s principles are completely interwoven with the idea of humility. In the original Hebrew text, signs of it are everywhere! Such as in the word bless, which in Hebrew means, “to kneel” (barak). Or the Hebrew word for worship (shakhah), which means, “to bow down.” G-d in His Wisdom knew that pride would be […]
ReadBe Still and Know That I Am God by Jennifer Ross
Be still and know that I AM GOD! I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. The 2008 Summer Olympics were recently held in Beijing, China. I won’t go into describing the visual and artistic scope of the opening ceremony, although it was spectacular. What preyed on my mind […]
ReadBelief: Article on Belief by Jennifer Ross
Gen: 15:5-6 5Then He [the LORD] brought him [Abraham] outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6 is that famous verse that is recited […]
ReadBiblical Slavery – How Bad Was It Really? by Joanna M. Saidel
As originally published in the Times of Israel, with permission of the author. “Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.” (1 Peter 2:18) It seems that, in this day and age, biblical slavery, in the context […]
ReadBoldness and a Big Brother by Jennifer Ross
I have two big brothers. They are eight and nine years older than me so ‘sibling rivalry’ was never an issue as it is with children closer in age. Growing up I adored them. I looked to them for help when I was faced with a task I couldn’t do myself… I looked to them […]
ReadBy The Finger of God by R. Steven Notley
Jesus’ ministry of miracles and deliverance occasionally brought him into conflict with the religious establishment of his day. One of the most intriguing controversies oncerned the accusation by a group of Pharisees—termed “Jerusalem scribes” in Mark’s gospel—that Jesus had accomplished the healing of a dumb man with the aid of Beelzebul, the prince of demons (Matt. 12:22-30; Mark […]
ReadCan A Rational Person Take the Bible Seriously Today? by John Knapp II
In the spring semester of 2003, Derrick McCarson enrolled in “Introduction to the New Testament” at the University of North Carolina. On the first day of this 500-student class the professor, Bart Ehrman walked in and started abruptly, “ ‘How many Bible-believing Christians do we have in the auditorium today?’…After about a half dozen students […]
ReadComments from the dead: Zionist philosophy, Israeli politics and a double assassination By Joanna M. Saidel
As a doctoral candidate, researching Revisionist Zionism in America during the 1940s and the campaign there to win public support for Israeli statehood, I conducted a series of interviews, at first by phone and later in person, with a number of high profile individuals: an Israeli head of state, ambassadors, Israeli industrialists, philosophers, Irgun and […]
ReadCongratulations, Dan Shechtman! by John Knapp II
[Israel—past, present, and future—is close to the heart of the Seed of Abraham Ministries. So we pause in our usual Bible-related teaching to highlight a recent high honor received by a citizen in that tiny country the size of New Jersey. This moment of secular celebration, we feel, is another piece of evidence that God’s […]
ReadCovenant of Salt – You Gotta Serve Somebody by Chris Suitt
A number of years ago, during his “Christian” phase, Bob Dylan wrote a song called “Gotta Serve Somebody.” In this song, Dylan mentions all kinds of people, lifestyles, and professions. Yet the bottom line for every person, no matter who they are or what they do, is that they must serve somebody – either the […]
ReadDaniel and the Messiah Part 1 (Daniel 9:24-27) by Rabbi Baruch
One of the most important prophecies in the Bible appears in Daniel 9:24-27. In order to understand this prophecy, one must be very familiar with its context. Chapter nine opens up with Daniel trying to understand the prophecy of Jeremiah in which Jeremiah prophesied concerning the exiles that were taken to Babylon. Jeremiah says that […]
ReadDaniel and the Messiah Part 2 by Rabbi Baruch
We learned in the previous article that the Messiah must come prior to the destruction of the Second Temple 68 AD; that He would offer His life in atonement for sin and thereby establish a covenant through His blood. In this article we will see that after these events the false messiah will arise and […]
ReadDaniel and the Messiah Part 2 continued by Rabbi Baruch
We have learned already that when Messiah returns to earth to establish His Kingdom, He will arrive from the clouds at the Mount of Olives. He will descend the mountain, much like when He entered Jerusalem (Forty years before the destruction of the Second Temple), a few days prior to laying down His life as […]
ReadDid the Messiah Speak Aramaic or Hebrew? (Part 1) by E.A.Knapp
What language(s) did the Messiah and other Jews speak during the late Second Temple Period? Most students of the Bible will be quick to volunteer Greek and Aramaic, but is this the whole story? Mel Gibson apparently thought so when he had the script for his Passion film translated into Aramaic, presumably because that was the language […]
ReadDid the Messiah Speak Aramaic or Hebrew? (Part 2) by E.A.Knapp
In the first installment of this study we looked at instances where the “Aramaic” (Συριστι) or “Hebrew” (Εβραιστι ) language was specifically referred to by name in the New Testament. As it turns out there are eight explicit citations of Hebrew and none of Aramaic. For many this is cut and dried. The New Testament […]
ReadDid the Messiah Speak Aramaic or Hebrew? (Part 3) by E.A.Knapp
Aramaic Words and Names in the New Testament In the first two studies we took a brief look at Aramaic and the role it is said to have played in the events and composition of the New Testament. Coupled with this we took a look at several passages in the New Testament where Aramaic is […]
ReadDid the Messiah Speak Aramaic or Hebrew? (Part 4) by E.A.Knapp
In our quest to determine the language(s) of Yeshua we have examined the explicit mentions of “Aramaic” or ”Hebrew” in the New Testament, as well as several instances where Matthew and Mark transliterated words or phrases into Greek from Hebrew. Now we will change gears a bit and survey some of the other witnesses from […]
ReadDo Christians Have to Keep the Torah? The Cases of Matthew and Luke-Acts by Isaac W. Oliver
If in the past many supposed that any substantial attachment by Christians to the observance of Jewish customs essentially vanished after the first generation of Jewish followers of Jesus passed away, it is now conceivable that many Christians remained open and even committed to observing the Torah after 70 CE—the year when the Temple of […]
ReadDoes Biblical Archaeology Help The Case For Biblical Reliability? Page 1 by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
In many academic circles today, “Biblical Archaeology” is a disappearing discipline that has often been replaced by “Syro-Palestinian Archaeology” or “Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology.” While the reasons for such a move are often somewhat overdone, more prominently placed must be the general consensus that this discipline should not be linked with the Bible, but with […]
ReadDoes Biblical Archaeology Help The Case For Biblical Reliability? Page 2 by Walter C.Kaiser, Jr
II. MISSING PEOPLES MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE Genesis 10:15 mentioned the ”Hittites” as descendants of Canaan, but up until 1906, this was also regarded as another error by post Enlightenment scholars. But in 1906, Hugo Winckler began excavating at ancient Hattusha (Modern Bogazkoy) in present day Turkey. What he found was the center of Hittite […]
ReadDoes God Exist? by John Knapp II
At the post office, when I handed over my Earth Is Not Alone¹ to be sent priority mail to the Harvard-Smithsonian for Astrophysics, I got both the look and the question: “Does this package contain anything potentially hazardous?” “Don’t know,” I replied. The look grew more serious. “It’s a novel, and you know books…they can go […]
ReadEarth Is Not Alone… Perhaps by John Knapp II
“Will there be fiction in Heaven?” asks the English teacher. “After all, if there’s no conflict there’s no story.” Since I suspect the answer is “No,” I’ve been scrambling before it’s too late to create a novel called Earth Is Not Alone¹ because I like stories that, along with science, scratch the itch caused by our […]
ReadEvangelicals and Israel by Robert W. Nicholson
At a time when the state of Israel lies under existential threat from jihadist Islam, and under ideological and diplomatic assault in foreign ministries, international organizations, churches, universities, editorial offices, and other circles of advanced Western opinion—and when even some Jews in the diaspora seem to be growing disenchanted with the Zionist cause—millions of evangelical […]
ReadExcerpts From David Flusser’s :The Sage of Galilee”
The late David Flusser was one of the world’s foremost Jewish authorities on the New Testament and early Christianity. The Sage from Galilee is Flusser’s biography of Jesus (written in collaboration with his student, R. Steven Notley). In this biography, Flusser tells what he learned in a lifetime of studying the life and teachings of Jesus of […]
ReadFall Protection by Jennifer Ross
The last time I wrote I was b’midbar (in the wilderness). I encourage you to read that article to get a point of reference for this one. Ha’Shem led me to the appointed place at the appointed time to work out His established purpose in my life. He was very intentional. Humbling me…testing me…making me hunger…and […]
ReadFire in the hole: Blasting the Altalena by Joanna Saidel
As originally published in the Times of Israel, with permission of the author. Sixty-five years after the Irgun ship was shelled by order of Ben-Gurion, with the loss of 16 lives, previously unpublished interviews with several interested parties underline how deeply the animosities over the affair still lingered decades later. Altalena off Tel-Aviv Beach Sixty-five […]
ReadFirst Century Discipleship by David Bivin
The call to be a sage’s disciple in first-century Israel often meant leaving relatives and friends and traveling the country under austere conditions. It also meant total commitment. A prospective disciple first had to be sure his priorities were in order. Consider the words of the man who said to Jesus, “I will follow you, […]
ReadFreedom and the Vultures by Jennifer Ross
As I was driving to work the other day I came upon a common scene. A group of turkey vultures were eating a dead raccoon that had been killed in the middle of the road. The beauty and intricacy of nature has always, always held a special place in my heart and I was overcome […]
ReadGood Doctrine Makes Good Talmidim (Disciples) by Rabbi Baruch
There is no question that over the past several decades the believing community has placed less significance on proper doctrine for those who identify themselves as followers of Messiah Yeshua. Within the evangelical world there has been a resurgence of Reformed Theology, which has been often times embraced without considering the implications that some of the […]
ReadHanukkah: Cleansing and Dedication by Jennifer Ross
“For the victory of battle stands not in the multitude of a host; but strength comes from heaven.” 1 Maccabees 3:19 The Festival of Hanukkah fast approaches. Although it is not one of the seven Feasts G-d commands His people to observe, it is definitely rich in meaning for those with a discerning heart. Yeshua, […]
ReadHappy Holidays! by John Knapp II
No, this isn’t a secular greeting. But it does concern this season when many who love the Bible stop and think about what matters most. I share my thoughts here, not as a natural-born son of Abraham, but as one who’s been gratefully adopted into Abraham’s family, and one who takes joy in celebrating with […]
ReadHow It Came About: From Saturday to Sunday by Samuele Bacchiocchi
Roman repressive measures following the first and second Jewish revolts spurred Christian change to Sunday worship. Scholars have long debated how the first day of the week—Sunday—came to be adopted by a majority of Christians as the day of rest and worship in place of the Biblically-prescribed, seventh-day Sabbath. (In Hebrew, the seventh day is called Shabbat from […]
ReadHow Much? How Big? and Why? by John Knapp II
—A Multiverse for the Day— “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of water of life freely to him who thirsts.” —Rev. 21:6 NKJV From the old test maker comes a simple question: Which best states what is? a) Nothing exists b) Everything exists. c) Something […]
ReadI Sold My Soul on EBay and other Christmas gift ideas for readers… by John Knapp II
For caring Bible-believers who wish to grow, and don’t mind stepping a bit beyond the church lawn, out of sight of the worship hall, these words are for you. It’s risky to read, of course, but for most who seriously ponder God and his world, it just might be more dangerous not to. Enough about […]
ReadI’m Dead, Now What? Part 1 by Rabbi Baruch
What happens to a person when he or she dies is a very important question. The Bible speaks in a most clear manner to this issue. In this article we will take a brief, but comprehensive look at what Scripture declares on this subject. Death was mentioned in the very first book in the Bible, […]
ReadI’m Dead, Now What? Part 2 by Rabbi Baurch
The Firstborn From the Dead The Bible states in several places that Messiah Yeshua is the Firstborn from the dead. Just what does this phrase mean? There are some who say that although others were raised from the dead that they all eventually died again; like Lazarus, the widow’s son, etc. ; therefore Yeshua was […]
ReadImmanuel by Rabbi Baruch
There is a great deal of significance of the word “son.” Generally speaking, there are three uses for the word “son” in Hebrew thought. The first usage is the most common. A son is a male child, for example “For a child is born to us, a Son is given to us, and the government […]
ReadIn Regard to Jesus of Nazareth by Rabbi Baruch
An Examination of the works of Rabbi Tovia Singer &The Late Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan In regard to Jesus of Nazareth A Publication of V’ahavtah Yisroel Judaism and Christianity share a belief in a Messiah. The identity of this Messiah has been the source of much hostility and violence for almost two thousand years. The question that this study […]
ReadIn That Day by Jennifer Ross
Woe to those desiring the day of the LORD! What is this for you? The day of the LORD is darkness, not light. Amos 5:18 So said the LORD, our G-d; the God of Israel when speaking of the impending judgment set for the people of Judah. That was then…this is now…and I am curious… […]
ReadIn The Beginning GOD…- But When Was That? by John Knapp II
—A Multiverse for the Day— “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of water of life freely to him who thirsts.” —Rev. 21:6 NKJV From the old test maker comes a simple question: Which best states what is? a) Nothing exists b) Everything exists. c) Something […]
ReadIn the Wilderness, B’Midbar by Jennifer Ross
Have you ever found yourself wandering in a place in your life that is dark, foreign and foreboding? Maybe it’s troubles with finances. Maybe its family or health issues. And considering current economic times it could be everything rolled into one. And you are struggling to make sense of this place that seems to have […]
ReadIsaiah’s Messianic Picture by Rabbi Baruch
We have already seen in a previous article that the character of Messiah is expressed in the commandments of the Torah. In other words, Messiah will perfectly observe the Torah and be a living example of righteousness. We shall see (in the second section of this study) that this fact in inherently tied to His […]
ReadIsrael’s Borders and Nationhood History by Gary Ridenour
Illustrations To read this article complete with maps open the PDF file. ISRAEL’S BORDERS & NATIONHOOD HISTORY A Generalized Summary of Events & Peoples July 25, 2014 Gary T. Ridenour FOREWORD This review of the history of Israel’s borders and nationhood and how Israel came to exist was initiated for personal reasons […]
ReadIt Is What It Is by Jennifer Ross
What does someone mean when they say “G-d knows my heart”? While I am uncertain as to whether or not I have ever said these words to someone else…I do know that I have thought them. And upon closer inspection I can testify, with full assurance, that the times I have told myself that G-d knew […]
ReadJesus and Elijah in Luke 4:15-30 by Jack Poirier
If our goal is to understand the Bible on its own terms, there is an evident danger in creating new typological associations between the Gospel narrative and Old Testament events. At the same time, however, we cannot turn our back on typology altogether, as it is vividly clear that the New Testament writers often embraced […]
ReadJesus’ View of Pacifism by David Bivin
The idea that Jesus taught pacifism arose primarily due to the misunderstanding of a number of his sayings. When viewed from a Jewish perspective, the gospel passages on which pacifism is based point to a quite different conclusion. Many people over the years have seen Jesus as a pacifist — and for good reason. Here […]
ReadJewish Identity and the Torah Part 1 by Rabbi Baruch
Jewish Identity and the Torah Being Jewish is a blessing that comes with a responsibility. In order to understand both the blessing and the responsibility one needs to study G-d’s call to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12. Abraham was born a gentile who HaShem called into a covenant and to whom He gave a special […]
ReadJewish Identity and the Torah Part 2 by Rabbi Baruch
Jewish Identity and the Torah – Part 2 Part one finished with the idea that the Torah is not in force today. Therefore it is incorrect to speak about Torah observance in the sense that an individual can keep Torah law. I am not speaking about the impossibility of Torah observance in the same way […]
ReadJewish Identity and the Torah Part 3 by Rabbi Baruch
Jewish Identity and the Torah – Part 3 In this third and final article, dealing with the relationship between the Torah and Jewish Identity, I will respond to a growing perspective within Messianic Judaism that Gentiles are not under the same mandate as Jewish individuals in regard to the obligations of the Torah commandments. In […]
ReadLegos and Change by John Knapp II
LEGOS AND CHANGE: What Do You Tell a Child about Evolution? And What About Intelligent Design? Whether you’re a regular reader of the Torah Class website, or not, I’ll assume you have some questions about evolution… As do I. First, as I’ve often said, we must define terms. The charged word “evolution” basically means […]
ReadLove Shine by Jennifer Ross
G-d loves you. Do you believe that? Many of us are so tainted and so ‘on guard’ due to experiences in this world… we don’t even understand what love is. And we allow these negative experiences to blind our vision as we isolate ourselves and create our own fairytale version of what love should be. An unrealistic […]
ReadMashiach with Certainty Part 1 by Rabbi Baruch
Rambam, the famous rabbinical commentator of the 12th century, authored 13 Principles of Judaism. One of them deals with the concept of Messiah. “I believe with a perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah. And even though he tarries, with all of this I will wait for him every day that he should come.” […]
ReadMashiach with Certainty Part 2 by Rabbi Baruch
All commentators see a connection between the city of Bethlehem and Messiah. The question is what is this relationship? Micah the prophet clarifies this issue in chapter 4. In this chapter, Micah begins to speak about the last days. “And it shall come about in the latter days that the mountain of the L-rd shall […]
ReadMessiah and Isaiah 53 by Rabbi Baruch
There is no doubt that Isaiah chapter 53 is speaking of Israel’s Suffering Servant, for the passage immediately preceding this chapter says, “Behold My Servant will succeed, He will be exalted and lifted up and be very high. Just as many will be astonished over Him, thus His appearance is too marred to be a man’s, […]
ReadMessiah and the Spirit of God by Rabbi Baruch
The story of the Exodus from Egypt makes it clear that man is unable to redeem himself; only G-d can be the redeemer. This is why the children of Israel cried out to HaShem (Ex. 2:23-24) during their oppression. G-d heard their cries and raised up Moses to bring about the physical redemption of the […]
ReadMessiah In the Promise Plan of God Part 1 by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
Although it may not seem to make much of a difference whether we think of the Tanak’s (old Testament/ OT) words about Messiah’s person and work as being either scattered “predictions” found throughout the Old Testament or part of a continuing “promise-plan,” there was a vast difference in the minds of the Biblical authors and […]
ReadMessiah In the Promise Plan of God Part 2 by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
IV. The Messiah Predicted in the Latter Prophets One would have thought that the promise-plan of Messiah would have ended when the predictions made to Eve, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David were over. Surprisingly enough, this was only the beginning, for now these same promises begin to proliferate and blossom way beyond anything anyone […]
ReadMizrahi Nation by Matti Friedman
Illustrations Long shut out of the country’s story, Middle Eastern Jews now make up half of Israel’s population, influencing its culture in surprising ways. Who are they? The story of Israel, as most people know it, is well trod—perhaps even tiresome by now. It begins with anti-Semitism in Europe and passes through Theodor Herzl, the […]
ReadPalestine: The Psychotic Stage by Bret Stephens WSJ
The truth about why Palestinians have been seized by their present blood lust. If you’ve been following the news from Israel, you might have the impression that “violence” is killing a lot of people. As in this headline: “Palestinian Killed As Violence Continues.” Or this first paragraph: “Violence and bloodshed radiating outward from flash […]
ReadPeeling the Onion by Jennifer Ross
PaRDeS is an acronym for what the Jewish sages understood as the four levels of understanding and interpretation of the Scriptures. P’shat, Remez, D’rash and Sod. Usually compared to peeling an onion (a staple vegetable in Jewish cuisine) it is believed that each layer leads to a deeper understanding (or dimension, if you will) to the text. P’shat is the literal […]
ReadPilgrimage in the Time of Jesus by Shmuel Safrai
Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast, according to the custom of the feast. When they had fulfilled the days [of the feast], his parents started home, unaware that the boy Jesus had stayed behind in Jerusalem. (Luke […]
ReadPlain and Simple, Really by Jennifer Ross
My son, do not forget my Torah; but let your heart keep my commands; for they shall add length of days and long life and peace to you. Mercy and truth will not forsake you; tie them on your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart; and you shall find grace and good […]
ReadPrayer: Form or Free Verse Part 1 by John Knapp II
Do you follow a pattern¹ when you pray alone? Or do you just sort of wing it and let your heart take flight? (Be aware: Once again, don’t overlook the numbered endnotes!) I believe both ways are important in approaching God, but I, the English teacher, am going to spend the next few paragraphs telling […]
ReadPrayer:Form or Free Verse Part 2 by John Knapp II
Praying Together As a Group In my next-to-last article (“Part 1,” though not labeled as such) I recommended using a fixed pattern, or form, as an aid in daily talking to God, who’s encouraged us in his Word to “pray (to him) continually” (I Thess. 5:17). In that article, now in our archives, I emphasized […]
ReadRubber Meets the Road by Jennifer Ross
“Where the rubber meets the road” is a common English idiom. Literally, the phrase refers to when a tire of a vehicle touches pavement. I believe the saying came from an add campaign for a tire company. The tire company was selling the idea that where it really counted was where the rubber (tire) met […]
ReadSALTED WITH FIRE by Weston Fields
Among the difficult sayings of Jesus, Mark 9:49 is one of the most enigmatic: “Everyone will be salted with fire” (pas gar pyri halisthesetai). What Jesus meant by this strange mixture of “salt” and “fire” has perplexed Greek scholars for a very long time. Many Interpretations At least fifteen different explanations for this verse have […]
ReadScience’s Articles of Faith by John Knapp II
Everyone “believes.” Or is a believer, operating on faith. If those words seem too sticky, let’s start by saying everyone “assumes.” Or, to create a neologism (new word) without baggage: Everyone is an “assumer.” Or, as we will show, everyone is religious, like it or not, acting upon general assumptions that feel right, but go […]
ReadShelter From the Storm by Jennifer Ross
In our last article we looked at one of the Hebrew root words translated as ‘trust’ in English, galal, which means ‘to roll’. Together we saw that galal is rolling everything onto HaShem. This condition is shown by submitting to HIS instructions, plans, commands and wisdom in relevance to our lives. From the most ‘trivial’ to the most momentous….we […]
ReadSigns Symbols and the Son of Isaiah by Rabbi Baruch
We have already learned in the previous article concerning the verse, “…behold the virgin conceived and bore a son and called His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14). This prophecy was given in order to confirm the victory of the house of David over their enemy. Isaiah prophesied to the house of David that Ratzin, King of […]
ReadSlaves to Righteousness by Jennifer Ross
In the book of Romans Rav Shaul (Rabbi Saul…Paul) makes a statement that can be so easily passed over and yet is so fundamental to our walk. Especially considering the times we are living in, with the debate growing ever hotter as to what our role regarding Torah is all about. Some still maintain among the Christian […]
ReadStruck Out Looking by Jennifer Ross
Did you know that you can check real time scores for sporting events on the computer? And that it even includes a “play by play” commentary? I didn’t know it… until my husband came out to the computer one night to check the score of the Red Sox game (since it wasn’t being aired on […]
ReadThe “Hypocrisy” of the Pharisees by David N. Bivin
Many Christians assume the Pharisees were Jesus’ opponents. I once received the following comment from a reader: How can you be so positive in your assessment of the Pharisees? Remember that Jesus was pleased with the kneeling prayer of the tax collector and rebuked the prideful prayer of the Pharisee (Luke 18:10-14). He also told us not […]
ReadThe Barbarians Within Our Gates by Hisham Melhem
Arab civilization has collapsed. It won’t recover in my lifetime. The dictators, always unpopular, opened the door to the Islamists’ rise when they proved just as incompetent as the monarchs they had replaced. That, again, came in 1967 after the crushing defeat of Nasserite Egypt and Baathist Syria at the hands of Israel. From that […]
ReadThe Beat Goes On by Jennifer Ross
“Do you believe in G-d?” the man asked, as he cornered his co-worker at the door of their office. “Of course!” his co-worker answered glibly. “Are you going to Heaven?” the man pressed. “Well, yeah,” his co-worker replied. The man then proceeded to go down the list of the 10 commandments…pausing at each one to […]
ReadThe Birthvirgin by Rabbi Baruch
Part III In this article, we will investigate the following verse from Isaiah: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 Is there a relationship between this verse and Messiah? The main part of the synagogue service […]
ReadThe Book of Daniel Lesson 1 Part A by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr
INTRODUCTION: Few books of the Old Testament are as hotly contested in its date, authorship, and interpretation as the book of Daniel. On its own, the book does pose some unique characteristics: for example, it is written in two languages (Hebrew and Aramaic), and it is narrated in two voices (third person for the court stories of Daniel 1-6, […]
ReadThe Book of Daniel Lesson 1 Part B by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr
Lesson 1b (the second half of Lesson 1: Dan. 1:3-21) II. When Pressured to Compromise (1:3-8) A. Our Spiritual Heritage The four young Judean captives are identified by their Hebrew names: Daniel (“God is my judge”), Hananiah (“Yahweh is gracious”), Mishael (“Who is as/like God?”) and Azariah (“Yahweh has helped”). They were described as being from “the royal family […]
ReadThe Book of Daniel Lesson 2 Chap 2 by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr
Daniel 2 is one of the most important as well as one of the pivotal chapters in the Bible. It is also one of the longest. This chapter takes place in the “second year” of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (2:1), so we are somewhere between April 603 B.C. and March 602 B.C. on our Julian calendar. The […]
ReadThe Book of Daniel Lesson 3 Chap 3 by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr
All too many interpreters have been tempted to interpret this narrative, about the enormous size of the golden image, the intense heat of the furnace and the miraculous deliverance of the three Hebrew captives, in a metaphorical or mythical manner, rather than treating it as an historical event, as it should be handled. But as […]
ReadThe Book of Daniel Lesson 4 Chap 4 by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr
This chapter of Daniel is the fourth in a series of six court narratives from Daniel 1-6. Some have discovered some nine scenes in this passage, but we think a better analysis traces some five different scenes: (1) Nebuchadnezzar’s proclamation and doxology (4: 1-3); (2) Content of the king’s dream (4: 4-18); (3) Daniel’s interpretation of the […]
ReadThe Book of Daniel Lesson 5 Chap 5 by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr
The fifth chapter of Daniel continues with one of his six court narratives. The text falls into five different scenes: (1) The celebratory banquet of Belshazzar (5:1-9), (2) The Queen Mother’s speech (5:10-12), (3) Belshazzar’s speech (5:13-16), (4) Daniel’s speech (5:17-28), and (5) The way the banquet ended (5:29-31). All events in this chapter took place in one evening, which also became […]
ReadThe Book of Daniel Lesson 6 Chap 6 by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
This chapter completes the six court narratives. Here, as in chapter 3, rival colleagues in the government accuse Daniel of a new charge they have specially cooked up in order to catch him in a state crime because they have tricked the king into foolishly signing a new law. However, once the king has signed […]
ReadThe Book of Daniel Lesson 7 Chap 7 by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
Whereas the first six chapters of this book of Daniel are historical, Daniel chapters 7-12 are mainly predictive with a minimum amount of historical detail. Daniel 7-12 has four separate visions given at four separate times. The seventh chapter of Daniel is the most comprehensive vision of the four. From a human perspective, it seemed […]
ReadThe Book of Daniel Lesson 8 Chap 8 by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
The Aramaic section, which began in 2:4b with a prediction about four world empires that would precede the final kingdom of God, closes the Aramaic portion of Daniel’s book in Daniel 7:28 by presenting the same four earthly empires that will expire before a fifth kingdom from heaven would be set up to last for […]
ReadThe Book of Daniel Lesson 9 Chap 9 by Walter C Kaiser, Jr.
We are told that Daniel opened his windows towards Jerusalem three times daily (Dan 6:10). But we have no reason to doubt that just as often he opened the books to know what the will of God was, especially “the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet” (9:2), which scroll may have been […]
ReadThe Book of Daniel Lesson 10 Chap 10, 11, 12 by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
The last three chapters of Daniel (10-12) form one final vision and the most complete revelation Daniel received. They focus in particular on the pressure two nations would place on Israel, but the twelfth chapter of Daniel assures that Israel will be delivered in that final day. Daniel’s final vision begins with a date formula, just […]
ReadThe Burden of Truth by Jennifer Ross
John, Chapter 9 We all understand the symbolic meaning of sight. We can literally ‘see’ with our eyes and we can figuratively ‘see’ through our other senses and the spirit. ‘Seeing’ is synonymous with knowing the truth or having the truth revealed to us. There are countless verses throughout both the Hebrew and Greek Biblical […]
ReadThe Desert: Waiting For God by Felicia Silcox
“The desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly…. Waters shall break forth…. The burning sand shall become a pool…. A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way.” (Isa. 35:1-2, 6-7, 8) My sister and I recently visited the remote, high-desert country of Nevada’s Red Rock […]
ReadThe Disappearance of the Star of Bethlehem
Many of us have heard the centuries-old saying “for the want of a nail,” referring to the aphorism (which has a few variations): For Want of a Nail For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. […]
ReadThe Doctrine of Election Part 1 by Rabbi Baruch
What is the proper understanding of the term, “the elect”? There are some who would argue that “the elect” refers to a predetermined group of people that HaShem has chosen from before the creation of the world to be redeemed and thereby be in the Kingdom. Does this mean that those who are not elected […]
ReadThe Doctrine of Election Part 1 cont by Rabbi Baruch
The terms “election” or “the elect” often bring with them an understanding that carries more implications than terms actually represent. The Greek word “ἐκλογὴν”, which appears in verse 11, simply should be understood as a choice; therefore the “elect” are the ones who are chosen by G-d. In order to have a fuller comprehension of […]
ReadThe Doctrine of Election Part 2 by Rabbi Baruch
In the second part of this article we will continue in our examination of Romans chapter 9. In verses 24-26, the Greek verb “καλέω” appears three times. Although this word appears in different grammatical conditions in each of these verses, the general idea relates to G-d calling. As it has already been pointed out, this […]
ReadThe Doctrine of Election Part 3 by Rabbi Baruch
Did you hear that? G-d’s sovereignty allows G-d to make sure that bad events, i.e. sinful acts happen! Be it known this is heresy! The proper understanding is that HaShem is so sovereign that even the bad events do not hinder His Holy will; in fact, He can use even sin to accomplish His Holy will. […]
ReadThe Doctrine of Election Part 4 by Rabbi Baruch
In this section Paul brings up Elijah the prophet who cried out to HaShem that he alone was left (of the prophets) and they (Israel) sought to kill him as well. Even though Elijah felt he was the only one who walked in faithfulness to G-d, Paul quotes from I Kings 19, “I have reserved […]
ReadThe Feast of Trumpets by Chris Suitt
God’s Prophetical Time-Line As Seen Through The Lens of the 7 Jewish Feasts of Leviticus 23 Many of my friends ask, “Why do you as a Gentile pastor celebrate/teach the 7 Jewish Feasts?” My standard answer to them is found in Romans 15:4, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, […]
ReadThe Genealogy of Yeshua from Nazareth by Rabbi Baruch
There are many genealogies in the Bible. It is important to realize that many of the genealogies are not solely for the purpose of revealing who begat whom. Often there is a theological message contained in these genealogies. This message can be related to the reader through a variety of means. The means that Biblical […]
ReadThe Heart of the Matter by Jennifer Ross
Most of us realize that G-d works in patterns. We have seen His pattern of Election throughout the Scriptures. Tom Bradford, in our class lessons, has stressed this system of election in regards to the line of promise among the Biblical patriarchs… and the people of Israel… and the children of G-d from all nations. Dividing and […]
ReadThe Here and Now by Jennifer Ross
It is so easy for us to assume that when we think we are on the right track…and then get lost… we must be falling prey to the enemy. The enemy does, after all, enjoy distracting us. But if we belong to the Kingdom are we that easily led astray? If we are standing firm (emunah, faith, […]
ReadThe Hidden Bible by John Knapp II
“THE HIDDEN BIBLE”: Paper & Pencil Archaeology—A Puzzle… Warning: Danger and a bit of madness lie ahead. It’s no secret that many today are unfamiliar with the 39 “books” in the “library” we call the Tanakh (or Old Testament) and the 27 books in the library we call the B’rit Hadashah (or New Testament) of […]
ReadThe Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Seine by Mendel Nun
The dragnet or seine is the oldest type of fishing net, and its use was once the most important fishing method on the Sea of Galilee. In the Hebrew Scriptures and the Talmud it is called ( ֵחֶרם kherem), and in Greek σαγήνη (sagene), from which the word “seine” is derived. Sources such as Egyptian […]
ReadThe Passover that Changed the World Part 1 by Rabbi Baruch
A Study of the final events of Yeshua’s First Coming – Explanations Of Seemingly Conflicting Statements In The Passover Account of The Four Gospels Passover is known as the Festival of Redemption. Yeshua states in Mark 10:45 that He came to give His life to redeem many. During the “Last Supper” when they had finished […]
ReadThe Passover that Changed the World Part 2 by Rabbi Baruch
Conflict #6 Did Either One of the Two Thieves Repent? This apparent conflict is a great example of the second criteria listed under Methodology on page one, “if there is a conflict between two or more textual accounts, can this conflict be explained in a reasonable manner”? Individuals have pointed out that in the Synoptic […]
ReadThe Passover that Changed the World Part 3 by Rabbi Baruch
Conflict #12 Was the stone removed before or after the women arrived? This is an example of individuals making an assertion based upon a cursory reading of the texts. All the Gospels except Matthew make it most clear that the stone was removed prior to the women’s arrival to the tomb. The question is, does […]
ReadThe Passover that Changed the World Part 4 by Rabbi Baruch
Conflict #15 Are there inconsistencies in the women’s departure from the tomb as they went to inform the disciples? All four Gospels tell of the women, after receiving the angelic command to go and tell the disciples, that the women departed to fulfill this command. However, Matthew reveals that it is on the way to […]
ReadThe Sign of Jonah by Rabbi Baruch
Why is the book of Jonah read on Yom Kippur? In order to answer this question one must understand an important point concerning atonement. Atonement is not offered to people who want to continue in their sin, but to those who are seeking not only forgiveness but also a desire to change. But change in […]
ReadThe Temple Mount: In Whose Hands? By Meir Soloveichik
The reason Jews can’t pray at Judaism’s holiest site. The irony went largely unnoticed. On October 29, an Israeli rabbi and tour guide was gravely wounded in an assassination attempt several steps away from the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. On the entrance walls to that building, boldly emblazoned, are these stirring words by the […]
ReadThe Top 10 Myths about the Middle East Conflict by Jonathan Tobin
Sixty-one years after the birth of the State of Israel, the Jewish state continues to be assailed by its enemies. From the halls of the United Nations to the classrooms of major universities and in the pressrooms of major newspapers and magazines, attacks on the legitimacy of every move by Israel — and even of […]
ReadThe West Lives In a State of Denial By Paul Eidelberg Ph.D.
Beneath the surface of the “two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a denial of the clash of civilizations between Islam and the West. This denial is rooted in the rejection of Truth concerning how man should live. The West lives in a state of denial. This is postmodernism. Contrary to the 18th century, “Enlightenment,” […]
ReadThe World’s Oldest Photograph by John Knapp II
A View Within the Canopy “He stretches out the heavens like a tent.” — Psalms 104:2 At the time of this writing (Feb. 22, 2010), the world’s oldest photograph is about seven weeks old. What? First, there are two kinds of “old” pictures: (1) pictures taken in the past of, say, Grandma and Grandpa, your […]
ReadThere Are No Dogs, Only Sheep and Goats by Rabbi Baruch
Yeshua generally walked in the Land of Israel. However, one time He departed from the Galilee area to walk in the area of Tyre and Sidon. The reason that He visited these places was that there were Jewish communities there. After Yeshua arrived there, behold, a Canaanite woman went out from the same place to […]
ReadThirty-Three Minutes to Live by John Knapp II
(“faction”¹ with footnotes) (In the Bible, believers are commanded to make and sing hymns and songs, as well as to listen to stories and consider parables. This short story, with notes to aid discussion, is offered in that spirit.) Day 1 I approached the monastery with hope. My hidden mike was on. The dark brown-robed figure at the […]
ReadTorah On Our Hearts by Jennifer Ross
The festival of Shavuot fast approaches. The Jewish people, as commanded by G-d, have been counting the days from the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot). Termed “The Counting of the Omer”, they are counting fifty days. “From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the […]
ReadVayikra – And He Called by Jennifer Ross
Abraham left home and family when G-d called him. The Israelites left Egypt and all that was familiar when Moses called them out. Elisha took the yoke off his oxen and kissed his parents goodbye when called upon by G-d’s prophet, Elijah. Simon (Peter) and Andrew dropped their nets when Yeshua called for them to follow. And so on and so on…. If we take a […]
ReadWe are not Arabs. We are Arabic speaking Christians. By Dror Eydar
Many of Israel’s Christians feel that their heritage, culture and even history, have been hijacked by the area’s Muslim Arabs, while they feel a much stronger link to Israel’s Jews. The Jewish state of Israel is the only middle-east country where we are protected, they say. It was not just any conference. Even the word […]
ReadWhat Has Happened to the Church? Is it Pagan or Hebrew? by Roy Blizzard
Have you ever stopped and come to grips with how bad the spiritual situation is in the world today? It is frightening when we give ourselves to some serious thought and realize how far we have digressed from what was intended to our present state. We read of a united Church in the New Testament – a […]
ReadWhat Is Life? Where Did It Come From? By John Knapp II, PhD
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth….and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters….And God said let the water teem with living creatures and let birds fly…across the expanse of the sky.” —Genesis 1:1, 2, 20 NIV “What is life?” Is God responsible? Or, Nature working all by itself? Let’s […]
ReadWhat’s in a Name by Jennifer Ross
Throughout the Scriptures there is a name…. A name that consists of four Hebrew letters…. A name that Biblical scholars refer to as the Tetragrammaton… YHVH … Yod…Hey…Vav…Hey…. A name that in Judaism is never uttered…. A name that English Bibles replace with LORD…. A name that no-one, really, knows how to pronounce… It is my […]
ReadWhat’s So Important About Pre-Millennialism? Part 1 by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
One of the most common misconceptions in Biblical interpretation today is that “the thousand years” (hence: the “millennium”), of which John speaks in Revelation 20: 1- 7, are mentioned nowhere else in the Scripture. And since it is generally agreed that no major doctrine should be based on any one single passage of the Bible, […]
ReadWhat’s So Important About Pre-Millennialism? Part 2 by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
The Witness of Ezekiel 37 – 48 In this Ezekielian Apocalpyse of chapters 37 – 48, the “whole house of Israel” is reanimated and revivified in the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezk 37: 5, 11). There, as one flock under one Shepherd and one nation under one king, the resurrected faithful dead of the nation […]
ReadWhere is America in Bible Prophecy? by Chris Suitt
What do Britain, Egypt, France, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, and Russia all have in common? They all were world powers at one time in history. What else do they hold in common? They have a history of mistreating Jewish people in particular and backing the wrong horse against Israel in general. Is there a connection between the […]
ReadWho Can Save Europe’s Jews? Only Its Christians. by George Weigel
To fight anti-Semitism, Europe needs to rebuild its cultural foundations. That project starts with the Church. The deracination of Europe—which Robert Wistrich accurately limns as the “accumulating layers of delusion and denial that paralyze the educated European mind”—is one of the hard facts of early-21st-century world affairs that can no longer be ignored. It is […]
ReadWho Is Walter C. Kaiser, Jr? John Knapp II
First, he was the Old Testament professor at Wheaton College 50 years ago who gave me a B+ on a paper I wrote under which he added in large letters, “FOOLISHNESS!” When I was in Walter Kaiser’s class (his second year of teaching I believe) a Q and A exchange began between him and his […]
ReadWhy Galilee? Part 1 by E.A. Knapp
In the New Testament there are a number of purportedly unexpected features which critics have long pointed to as circumstantial evidence suggesting that belief in Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah was not a reasonable or intelligent belief in the world of 1st century C.E. Judaism. Interestingly, academic research and new archeological discoveries over the past […]
ReadWhy Galilee? Part 2 by E.A.Knapp
In “Why Galilee? – Part One” we briefly reviewed the ancient Jewish and typically Eastern cyclical conception of history, or “pendulum of history,” as I termed it. This gave us a background against which to frame our present question: Why did the Galilee play such a prominent role in the Gospel story, and particularly at […]
ReadWhy Galilee? Part 3 by E.A.Knapp
In the first two installments of the “Why Galilee?” series we looked at a variety of religious traditions, both within the Hebrew Bible and without, that reflect a popular expectation that a returning messiah(s) would appear in the region south of Damascus and move into the ancient land promised to the twelve tribes of Israel. […]
ReadWhy Galilee? Part 4 by E.A. Knapp
In our previous installments in the “Why Galilee?” series we made the case for a widespread popular expectation of one or more deliverers who would appear in eastern Galilee – the “wilderness of the peoples” or the “wilderness of Damascus” as the Qumran sect referred to it during the Second Temple Period. Tradition held that […]
ReadWhy I Changed My Mind about Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israelism by Joshua Muravchik
I once thought it possible to address the world’s turn against Israel without bringing in anti-Semitism. No longer.
ReadWhy the World Loves to Hate Israel? by Chris Suitt
My brother Jeff and I do not like to take tours. We love to rent a car and just see what we can see. On my first trip to Israel, I wanted to see the entire country because I never thought I’d ever get back again. So off we went. We put over 1,500 miles […]
ReadWill the Real Rashi Please Stand Up by Rabbi Baruch
Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaqi was a famous rabbinical commentator from France. He lived in the 11th century and authored commentaries on the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud. He is seen as one of the top Jewish scholars and his works are revered today as foundational for understanding the proper interpretations of the written and oral […]
ReadWork While You Have the Light by Jennifer Ross
This isn’t an article about Henry Matisse, the artist credited with the quote above. But it is about the light. And although Matisse was speaking on the play of light and shadow when creating a work of art…there is a light intrinsic to the walk of a believer…a light brilliant and heavy…the light that is […]
ReadYeshua, Purity, and the Torah By E. A. Knapp
The past few decades have witnessed a renewed awareness among modern Christians to the fact that Yeshua and his early followers observed the commandments of the Torah and maintained a wide variety of other Hebrew traditions. This is something that it has taken time for the modern Christian community to digest. Indeed I daresay it […]
ReadYom Kippur, What’s That? by George Austin
Oh, not much…just the granddaddy of all Sabbaths, that’s all. A prophetic shadow picture of the coming Day of Atonement, also known as the Day of Judgment. Yom Kippur passed recently. It’s one of YHWH’s (G-d’s) appointed times on His calendar. He says that anyone who ignores it should be cut off from His people. YHWH calls it a holy convocation – as […]
ReadZechariah and the King by Rabbi Baruch
The prophet Zechariah reveals a great deal about the person and the work of the Messiah. All too often Judaism takes a “wait and see” attitude concerning Messiah. That is, that Judaism would prefer to remain diligent in the belief that the Messiah is coming, but tends to refrain from offering too much information about […]
ReadZechariah and the Messiah by Rabbi Baruch
The previous article discussed Israel’s mourning of the Messiah when He returned to deliver Israel from all the nations which attacked Jerusalem. There is something very important about this mourning which reveals a vital clue concerning the identity of Messiah. Zechariah 12:11 says, “On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be great as the […]
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