One What?

I and the Father are one.  John 10:30  NASB One – Philip Jenkins expresses what most Christians believe when he writes, “In the New Testament, Jesus says quite explicitly that he is identical with God: ‘I and the Father are one,’ he declares.”[1]  It certainly seems so, doesn’t it?  In fact, it is so commonly…

On the Importance of the Talmud

The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Matthew 1:1 NASB Record – “It is obvious that the Torah contains much idiomatic usage, and translating it literally (as do most translations) distorts the meaning of the text.  To a large degree, the ‘Oral Torah’ consists of a tradition as…

The Silver Spoon Syndrome

For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights. Proverbs 3:12  NASB Disciplines – How do we know that God cares for us?  If you listen to some popular theological viewpoints, you might answer, “I know God cares because I have been blessed with health and prosperity.  When you do what God…

Who Is He?

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.  They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; …

The Power of the Past

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written: “He is the one who catches the wise by their craftiness”;  1 Corinthians 3:19 NASB Foolishness – Pay attention to Richard Lim’s insight: “Christians, in particular, bore the brunt of such polemical assaults because they lacked the protective armor of…

The Pursuit of Power (4) Rewind

Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord, intoxicating the whole earth; the nations have drunk her wine, therefore the nations are going mad.  Jeremiah 51:7  Robert Alter In the hand – Babylon was an instrument in the hand of YHVH for His purposes.  The text tells us quite clearly that…

The Pursuit of Power (3) Rewind

Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord, intoxicating the whole earth; the nations have drunk her wine, therefore the nations are going mad.  Jeremiah 51:7  Robert Alter Mad – The elixir of the gods is power.  It is the aphrodisiac of self-sovereignty.  And it is deadly.  Jeremiah proclaimed that the…