-
Paul Saw the Light and Heard the Voice of Jesus
According to the book of Acts, Saul, before he came to be known as Paul, had an illuminating experience on the road to Damascus. He describes it like this: “and it came to pass, in my going on and coming nigh to Damascus, about noon, suddenly out of the heaven there shone a great light round about me, I fell also to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why me dost thou persecute? `And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? and he said unto me, I am Jesus the Nazarene whom thou dost persecute– and they who are with me the light did see, and became…
-
When is the Start of the Year?
EDITED 1/25/17: See Notes in Red. Recently I received an email that read: I have been thinking about the start of the year and wondered how you determine the beginning of the year using a solar calendar. Here was my response: From what I understand from the Book of Enoch, the years are solar in nature one year with the has months being determined by way of the sun rising in 6 different stations of the sky in the east and setting in 6 in the west (marked by the 12 constellations of the stars), and the moon likely plays a part in telling us which year we are in over a series of years.
-
When is the Sabbath Day According to the Bible?
This past week at our fall camp-out I did a presentation on what I understand the Torah to be testifying to concerning when the Sabbath days fall out on the 364-day solar year model put forth in the Book of Enoch. It’s been a few years since I discovered this layout, and I’ve been relatively quiet in discussing this subject publicly because I have not been able to reconcile how that model would play out in a modern setting given what we experience with a 365.24 day solar year. However, more recently I’ve been associating with some folks who esteem the 364-day priestly calendar discussed among the Dead Sea Scrolls, and…
-
The Great Deviation: The Virgin Birth Doctrine
Biblical Model for Conception In Genesis 4:1 we’re told, “Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and brought forth Cain and said, I have gained a man through God.” This provides a model for us: a man knows a woman, and with the help of God, she conceives and brings forth a child. MAN + WOMAN + GOD’s HELP = CHILD We see examples of this model being played out throughout the Bible in the young and old, or more specifically in the old and young.
-
The Finished Work of Creation
When I began voicing my objections to the Virgin Birth doctrine, stating there was no precedent in the Old Testament for such an occurrence, I was met with the claim that the Creation of Adam is the needed precedent for the Creator to create again. Let’s evaluate what took place in the beginning and test that claim. In the Beginning… Genesis 1:1 establishes the notion of a Creator God when it records: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth land. (Genesis 1:1 KJV, adaptation mine) For six days, the author lays out the creation or fashioning of the heaven and the land and seas with vegetation, seed-bearing…
-
Christmas Tradition vs. Biblical Truth
While I never took to Santa Claus bringing gifts each Christmas, since my cousin spoiled the illusion for me as a child, I used to think erecting and donning a tree for the Christmas holiday was just a fun tradition.
-
In the Beginning Was the Word – Part 2
This is the second installment of a two-part series on John 1:1-18. If you have not read part one yet, please do so now. 😉 Since we already explored the foundation laid for chapter 1 of John in Part 1 of In the Beginning Was the Word, let’s consider the structural base that is built upon it by delving into verses 6-18.
-
Messiah: A Man Over Men
Throughout the New Testament, we read of Jesus/Yeshua being called “Christ”, which is a transliteration of the Greek word, “Christos”. In Hebrew, the word would be “Moshiach”, or in English, “Messiah”. This word in both languages means “Anointed”. In Christ: The Priesthood and The Kingship, I wrote about how YHVH made covenants with Aaron and David, declaring they and their seed after them were anointed to be Priest and King, respectively. I also pointed out that in the gospel accounts, Jesus/Yeshua “asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ And they told him, ‘John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.’ And he…
-
The Power to Lay It Down and Take It Again
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This…
-
In the Beginning was the Word – Part 1
Too often we either assume or take the words of others concerning various matters as truth without applying proper investigation for ourselves. In this series I’m calling, “In the Beginning was the Word”, I’m going to break down what I have come to understand concerning John 1:1-18. This first installment will focus on the first five verses, which I believe to be the foundation of not just the first chapter of John, but the entire book. The second installment will cover the remaining verses. It appears to me that this opening passage is laid out in a precept upon precept manner, one thing building upon another, therefore it seems logical that we study and receive it…
