Biblical Heritage Center Blog

China, India and Saudi Arabia have lately leased vast tracts of land in sub-Saharan Africa at knockdown prices. Saudi Arabia has leased land in Sudan to grow wheat and rice, while cutting back on wheat production on home soil and save its water. China and India have leased huge tracts of farmland in Ethiopia. The bottom line is that they are importing "virtual water", since food production accounts for nearly 80 per cent of annual freshwater usage. The net effect is that populations in nations that import water can grow without restraint since they are not limited by water scarcity at home. Although this could be seen as a good thing, it will lead to greater exploitation of the world's fresh water. When other nations needed laborers they came to Africa and took its people and made them slaves. When other nations needed Africa’s natural resources the “Africa Scramble” took pace. Now, other nations are beginning to need water. Don’t forget the words of George Santayana: “...

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor discusses the Jewish understanding of the Hebrew word TESHUVAH, which is translated "repentance." Many translators use the meaning of the Greek word METANOIA when they translate the words of the Jewish Jesus. Jesus wasn't a Greek and he didn't think or teach in Greek. Rediscover the original meaning and see how it changes what you have probably been taught. See the 11 min. video at -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npDnxrVpdoM Download the handout (PDF) at -- http://www.biblicalheritage.org/BHC_Handouts/TESHUVAH_Handout.pdf

Harold Camping, the one who predicted that 200 million Christians would be taken to heaven Saturday before catastrophe struck the planet, apologized Monday evening for not having the dates “worked out as accurately as I could have." He spoke to the media at the Oakland headquarters of his Family Radio International, which spent millions of dollars_ some of it from donations made by followers — on more than 5,000 billboards and 20 RVs plastered with the Judgment Day message.  It was not the first time Camping was forced to explain when his prediction didn't come to pass. The 89-year-old retired civil engineer also prophesied the Apocalypse would come in 1994, but said later that didn't happen then because of a mathematical error.  Now he has revised his apocalyptic prophecy, saying he was off by five months and the Earth actually will be obliterated on Oct. 21.  Why does he keep doing this? I don...

There have been many people before Harold Camping that used beliefs about religious texts to create power bases by claiming to have "inspired" knowledge of the exact date the end of the word will take place. And then, when they are proven to be untrue, simply walk away. Camping is trying to get off the hook by just saying he's "flabbergasted." It would be comical if he had not persuaded a lot of people to make some very bad decisions about their relationships with others and their finances. The lives of not only the adults who bought in to Camping's BS (belief system), but the futures of their children, who had no options, will be profoundly affected -- some forever.   Over the years I have met & heard from a number of people who sold, gave away, or donated everything they owned because some Bible guru convinced them that he or she knew the thoughts of God. The day after the end didn't come, the reality of their decisions always set in as the conse...

By returning to the original Hebrew meaning of the word TZEDAQAH, which is translated as “righteousness” in the teachings of the Jewish Jesus, you will be amazed at the way the understanding of his messages and mission will be transformed. Jesus said that the “righteous” will inherit eternal life, so that alone makes it extremely important for every Christian to accurately understand what it meant. Rabbi Leynor explains what TZEDAQAH meant to Jesus and the Jews of biblical times in this 11 minute video. When you apply the accurate meaning to the words of your Bible you will be amazed at how those words will take on a completely new meaning and message. View Rabbi Leynor's video at --   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP2IkQK1LFw Download the TZEDAQAH Handout (PDF) for this lesson at --  http://www.biblicalheritage.org/Bible%20Studies/TZEDAQAH_Handout.pdf

The world grain prices have doubled since early 2007 because of by two factors. The first is an accelerating growth in demand. Each night, there are 219,000 additional people to feed at the global dinner table. This adds up to a new group of 1,533,000 people needing food every week. Since economic models have long shown the relationship of supply and the demand, you can probably guess what the second factor is that is driving grain prices up -- the increasing difficulty of rapidly expanding production. This situation will focus attention on a very important question – What is the role of government? Obviously, any government with a growing number of starving citizens will have to do something. Will it find ways to get food into the hands of its citizens or will certain officials use the situation to make fortunes for themselves? Lester R. Brown, in his article “The New Geopolitics of Food” reveals examples of both types of governments. “The politically troubled Arab Middle East is t...

While doing some research today I came across the "Federalists No. 10" written by James Madison on Thursday, November 22, 1787. Madison warned his readers about the dangers of the formation of political parties and allowing them to become involved in government.  When the Constitution was written in 1787, the founders thought of political parties as "factions," acting only for their own selfish interests rather than the public good. The founders saw instances in history when factions resorted to assassination and civil war if they failed to get their way. The writers of the Constitution believed that political parties would play no formal role in the new government. The Constitution made no mention of them. Even in electing the president, the founders assumed the absence of political parties. The Constitution established an Electoral College, which called for a small number of electors—elected or appointed in the states— to meet, deliberate, and choo...

Der Tzitung, a Jewish paper  published in Brooklyn,  photoshopped Clinton, as well at the only other woman who could be seen in the room -- Audrey Tomason, the national director of counter terrorism -- out of the frame.  Indeed, "The Hasidic newspaper will not intentionally include any images of women in the paper because it could be considered sexually suggestive," Rabbi Jason Miller  explains  in The Jewish Week. Though he notes that the publication's "fauxtograpphing" may in fact be a graver act against their religious tenets: "To my mind, this act of censorship is actually a violation of the Jewish legal principle of  g'neivat da'at  (deceit)." Beyond that, Der Tzitung's editors apparently missed or blatantly ignored the guidelines stipulated on the official White House Flickr page. Read complete article at -- http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thecutline/20110509/ts_yblog_thecutline/wheres-hillary-hasidic-paper-breaks-the-rules-by...

Today is Mother’s Day so I thought I would share a memory about my mother with you. It is a memory of something that happened after her death. My mother – Gladys Geraldine Ward Myers -- was loved by everyone. Mother and dad owned a nursery – Myers Pant Company – they grew and sold plants for over 60 years. My childhood was like growing up in the Garden of Eden because dad had a huge greenhouse full of exotic plants that came from all around the earth. Mother loved plants and spent countless hours growing them and planting her gardens. Mother passed away in 2009.  A few months ago my wife Susan, our granddaughter Lynlee and I were riding around. I came to a stop sign at a road where the cemetery in which many of my relatives are buried was across the street. As we were sitting at the stop sign waiting for traffic to go by, Lynlee, age 4, spoke up and asked – “Are we going to Great Grandma’s pa...

The Civil War affected the way of life in America in many areas – political, economic and religious. The way Americans viewed each other and life in general changed after 1865. The fact that it was a war of Christians against Christians was nothing new. . . The thing that was different in this case was that the Christians on both sides were Americans before and after the Civil War. During the Civil War, both sides believed in the same Jesus and prayed to same God for victory. Northern and Southern Christians were assured from their respective pulpits that their cause was just and righteous. How would the religious leaders of the South explain the loss to their members? Read the current issue of Discovering the Bible at -- http://www.biblicalheritage.org/BHC%20Newsletters/bhcnews.htm

The internet has clearly changed the way the public learns about breaking news and then compares it to what the established media reports. The recent events in Japan and the Middle East were being tweeted while they were in progress. The latest news event was the attack on Bin Laden. Read the story at --   http://www.fastcompany.com/1750977/osama-bin-laden-dead-the-story-twitter-broke-part-2?partner=homepage_newsletter Keep those tweets coming so the world can know what's taking place in your area!