Who's Who in the Bible
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Yeshua: Whole Burnt Offering and Martyr
After these things **God tested Abraham** and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Gen 22:1-2 ESV) This is the first instance of YHVH *testing* man. We learn elsewhere that YHVH tests man to see *what is in his heart* and to see if *he will obey Him*. (Exo 15:23-26, Exo 16:2-5, Exo 20:18-20, Deu 8:1-3, 11-16) So given what takes place in the following verses of Genesis 22,…
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When Was the Son of Man Raised from the Dead?
Christianity teaches that Jesus died on a Friday and was raised on a Sunday, hence the celebration of “Good Friday” and “Easter Sunday”. Many Messianics, however, believe that he was in the grave for three days and three nights, thereby making it impossible for him to have met that Friday to Sunday scenario. Sadly, I see many Messianics criticizing, even mocking at times, the Christians for their supposed error calling it “fuzzy math”. Admittedly I questioned the math myself when I considered the three days and three nights understanding for a time. But over the course of my Biblical calendar journey I have come to learn that while I don’t agree…
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The Promised Messiah: the Son of David
We see in the Tanakh (Old Testament) where it is promised that YHVH will raise up a seed after David, which shall be of his bowels, who will build a house for Him. He will be a son to YHVH and His throne will be established for ever. And it came to pass in that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, Go and say to David my servant, Thus said the Lord, Thou shalt not build me a house for me to dwell in it. For I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought up Israel until this day, but…
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The Son of David and the Son of God
It seems that the understanding of the Messiah being both the Son of David and the Son of God is pictured in the Tanakh (Psalm 2, 2 Samuel 7:8-16), but the Jews in Yeshua’s day did not understand how Yeshua could be both. Jesus (Yeshua) answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out…
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When is the Sabbath Day According to Yeshua?
Did Yeshua ever indicate when the Sabbath day was? I used to think not, but then an online acquaintance brought to my attention the following gospel accounts, which I now realize clearly indicates a particular day of a month (“chodesh”) to be a Sabbath day. (NOTE: This is not an argument for a Lunar Sabbath reckoning.) At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them,…
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Challenging the “Virgin Birth” Doctrine
I have always struggled with the concept of the Virgin Birth as espoused by the Roman Catholic Church and embraced by nearly, if not all Protestant denominations. In recent years while studying the Old Testament (or Tanakh) more in depth, I find no precedent for a woman to conceive a child without the seed of a man. I say this not to imply that these accounts of Yeshua’s birth are false, but rather what we’ve been taught about these accounts doesn’t line up with the entirety of Scripture. Instead of me simply arguing my belief, I’d like to lay out these accounts in the text and share what I am…
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Don’t Call Me A Gentile
Dear Older Brother of the Tribe of Judah, I would appreciate it if you would not refer to me as a gentile. I am not. I am as much Israel as you are, perhaps more. This would depend on your status with the Mashiach. I know him, do you? It is has never been about the natural seed. If it was, I believe Scripture would read a little differently. After all, we have Cain, Ishmael, Esau and on down the line. All had natural seed and were tares just the same. It seems that the natural lineage so greatly boasted upon falls to the second born. Those Patriarchs of faith…