This world is like an anteroom before the world to come. Prepare yourself in the anteroom so that you may enter the banquet hall. Rabbi Ya’akov, Pirke Avot 4:21 Prepare – “The nature of the afterlife has never been clear in Judaism.”[1] In contrast to the highly developed ideas of the afterlife in Christian literature…
“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 NASB Spirit and truth – If you are familiar with the words of the Tanakh, you might hear this phrase differently. The combination of “truth” with another crucial Hebrew word is so common in the Hebrew Scriptures that you…
“Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.” Jonah 3:9 NASB May turn – Rabbi David Aaron addresses the difference between Jews and Christians on the subject of prayer in his online article, “Why Do We Pray?” In that article he states the Jews do…
Repent, therefore, and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19 NASB Return – We know the word for repent. It is a word that means to change your direction. In Hebrew, it means distress that causes us to act…
I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Psalm 145:1-2 NASB Every day – How does the Twelve Step phrase go? “It works if you work it.” Defeating the yetzer ha’ra…
“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 NASB Worship – Please notice a rather odd thing. Yeshua was not giving instruction to the woman at the well in Greek. He was probably speaking Hebrew or Aramaic. In either case, the word he used was not proskyneo…
True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity. Malachi 2:6 NASB True instruction – It doesn’t take much to discover that “true instruction” is really torat ‘emet, the Torah of trustworthiness. It also doesn’t…
“For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My Name is great among the nations. And in every place incense is presented to My Name, and a clean offering. For My Name is great among the nations,” said YHVH of hosts. Malachi 1:11 SRI Among the nations – Perhaps it’s time…
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV Bǝtach el-Adonai bǝchol-libecha vǝel-biynat’cha al-tisha’en Bǝchol-dǝracheycha da’eyhu vǝhu yǝyasher orchoteycha. It’s funny how things often come to me when I’m in the shower,…
Little children, guard yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:21 NASB Guard yourselves – You don’t worship idols, do you? You aren’t bowing down to Buddha or bringing food gifts to statues on the street, right? Now you are a part of a much more dangerous form of idolatry. You can have the fantasy world…
