Excerpts from our Weekly Newsletter
During the Yom Kippur service, there is an enigmatic yet powerful book from the Hebrew Bible that is read in its entirety. It is the Book of Jonah. Why do they read this particular book and at such a high moment during the Yom Kippur service, just before the closing of the gate, which is at Ne’ilah, the last service of the day? The reason for its reading could be understood through a simple story which comes to us from centuries ago…
But this is when God found a devout woman named Hannah. We learn that she was barren but because of her faith and her prayers, the LORD miraculously touched her. She gave birth to a son, Samuel. Coming from the priestly line, he would later anoint David as King. The Davidic line would then continue until the last King of Judah – Yeshua the Messiah, who came to save the world.
So the seed is the Word of God, the Word of salvation that is spread everywhere. But like the gift of the manna which fell from the sky, some loved it, while others came to despise it.
Let me take a moment and share some news from the Temple Mount Institute in Jerusalem, known in Hebrew as Machon HaMikdash (מכון המקדש). This is an organization in Israel focusing on the hope of establishing the Third Temple…
Seeing it this way, one can see the reason why the Lord is not allowing so many to come closer to the truth. Perhaps it is to give them time to repent so that they will not commit the eternal sin and be doomed for eternity.
Clearly, the Word of God is fully inspired! No other history would be so open and sincere about the weaknesses of its people. Whether it is Israel, or Mary, or Peter, the Bible depicts them as they are so we can learn from them and stay close to God…
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Rom. 1:16)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Rom. 1:16)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Rom. 1:16)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Rom. 1:16)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Rom. 1:16)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Rom. 1:16)
In the New Testament and also in the Hebrew Scriptures we see divine attributes which are possessed by both God and the Messiah, both these personalities united by a single nature and purpose. This is something quite difficult to explain since it must be grasped by faith…
People often question whether this particular verse speaks of Isaiah the prophet or of Yeshua the Messiah. Chapter 50:4b is part of a larger section of Isaiah, from chapters 40-53 which speak about the Servant of the Lord, the Suffering One, the Righteous and Exalted Servant. Who else but the Servant Himself could claim this description of such perfect a man in character and obedience?…
Did you notice that Yeshua did not initiate the interaction at all? The demon did, angrily and with surprise. Why is that? (…) Why couldn’t the demon stay quiet? What disturbed the demon and made it so uncomfortable?…
How do we know that this happened at the time of Shavuot? See what Yeshua told the disciples after they witnessed the salvation of this woman. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. John 4:35. Which harvest was Yeshua referring to?…
In the Targum on Ezekiel, that is, in the Aramaic Bible which they used to read in the first century, for the words “put a new spirit within you”, they wrote, “And the Holy Spirit will I put deep inside of you.” I find it so interesting that they use the words Holy Spirit, like John does here. The term Holy Spirit is only mentioned three times in the whole of the Hebrew Scriptures.
After declaring that the coming of the Messiah is likened to a new beginning, like the dawn of a new era, Mark brings us to two crucial passages from the Hebrew Scriptures which also speak of a new beginning in the history of messianic prophecies.
How can one appreciate salvation without seeing the abyss of sin from which we have so graciously been saved? Following the Trail of Blood to the Messiah What do these sacrifices represent? How are they fulfilled today since there is no Temple? That is when the whole Bible directs us to the Messiah…
For many hundreds of years and even up to today, people must have questioned why they should read Mark when there is so little unique information given. Instead, they may choose to only read the fuller accounts. That would be a great mistake! First, by omitting this book, it belittles the divine inspiration of the Scriptures. Would God inspire every word of a gospel to serve no greater purpose?…