Biblical Heritage Center Blog

I was reading Bible: The Story of the King James Version By Gordon Campbell, when I came upon the following information about how much better educated people were to understand and discuss the Bible than the general population is today – as well as how Protestants and Catholics viewed each other. Read complete article at --  http://fromonejesus.blogspot.com/2013/08/19th-century-bible-readers-protestants.html  

In the past few blogs we have learned what the words that have been translated jot , tittle and verily meant to Yeshua. Go back and read those blogs if you haven’t do so yet. In the last blog, we also learned how to recognize the three-fold teaching pattern Yeshua used to make his points. We are examining Matthew 5:17-18. 1. Significant statement -- Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets ; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them . 2. Amen! 3. Added statement strengthening the Amen -- I tell you till heaven and earth pass, not one yod or one qotz shall pass from the Law till all be fulfilled . Now let’s discover what “ abolish, fulfill, and the Law or the Prophets ” meant to Yeshua. Read the complete article at --  http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2013/08/yeshua-came-to-fulfill-law-not-abolish.html

We have unlocked the original meanings of two of Yeshua’s words in the verse below. We used them to replace “jot” and “tittle” in the following translation: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one yod (the smallest Hebrew letter) or one qotz (the smallest part of the smallest letter) shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18) Now let’s turn our attention to the word “ verily .” If we look it up in a dictionary we find the following definitions: i n truth; really; indeed . Did Yeshua mean: ● “For in truth I say unto you . . .” ● “For really I say unto you . . .” ● “For indeed I say unto you . . .” Read the complete article at --  http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-does-verily-mean-why-did-yeshua.html

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one yod or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18) In the last blog we learned that a “jot” was really “ yod ,” the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So, now let’s turn our attention to “ tittle ” and see what it means. Go to --  http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-is-tittle.html

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18) Have you ever been reading the Bible and noticed the word “ jot ” before? What is a “ jot ”? When was one of the last times you used “ jot ” in everyday conversation with a friend or heard anyone else use it? I would guess that a whole lot of the people who see the word “ jot ” in their Bibles do not know what it means.   There is an English word “ jot ” that is used this way – Take time to jot it down . But Yeshua wasn’t speaking English, so I don’t think that is what he meant in the verse above. There is also an app you can get for smartphones and iPads called “ Jot ,” but I am very sure that  wasn't  what Yeshua meant. Find out what he meant at --  http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-is-jot.html

A man named Marcion was the first person to publish a fixed collection of books, which is considered to be the first Christian New Testament.  Over the next 229 years later – keeping in mind that the United States is only 237 years old – other men would create other New Testament, until one that has the same books as New Testament’s today was created by an Alexandrian Bishop named Athanasius .    Marcion created the first Christian canon, but he did not call it a New Testament or New Scriptures .   He referred to it by the titles which he gave to its two component parts - The Gospel of Christ and the Apostle. Our primary source of information about this book is Tertullian's treatise Against Marcion . It was written over half a century after Marcion’s death and was an attack against Marcion’s followers. Read the complete article at --  http://fromonejesus.blogspot.com/2013/08/marcions-gospel-of-christ-and-apostle.html

All of the Gospel provide multiple references to Yeshua going to the Temple, on many of those trips he also taught there daily to o -- Matthew 26:55; Mark 14:49; Luke 19:47, 22:53; and John 7:28.   Ritual impurity was a subject that Yeshua would have been much aware of, as were his fellow Jews. Ritual impurity has nothing to do with being physically clean. It is impurities defined by the Torah, the Laws of Moses. During Second Temple Judaism (c. 300 BCE to 70 CE), Jews were very concerned with obeying the developing requirements of ritual purity. . . “The Temple Mount played as important a role in Jesus’ life in Jerusalem as it played in Jewish life altogether.” It is certain that almost all the purification rules were related to the Temple cult and festivals related to the Temple, and the vessels shaped by Jewish rules for purification were associated with the Temple and the Temple Mount. [i] Read the complete article at --  http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2013...

Twenty-five days after Yeshua was circumcised and named in Nazareth, we find him at the Temple in Jerusalem. Read complete blog at --   http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2013/08/yeshuas-first-trip-to-temple.html

The Gospel of Luke provides us with an important clue that reveals what took place on the eighth day of Yeshua’s life. And when eight days had been fulfilled for circumcising, his name was called Yeshua. (Luke 2:21a) Yeshua’s Jewish culture provides more clues that will help us understand what happened and what those acts meant. Read the complete blog at --   http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-eighth-day-of-yeshuas-life.html

The importance of the Temple in the life of Yeshua is something that is not understood by many people today. Not being aware of and understanding the role of the Second Temple in Yeshua’s Jewish world while reading the Bible, would be like reading American history without knowing anything about the roles of the White House, Congress, Federal Reserve and IRS. But learning about the role of the Second Temple will elevate your understanding of the Jewish people and Yeshua and his followers to a new level.  Read the complete article at --  http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2013/08/experiencing-temple-that-yeshua-knew.html

Without water a person will survive for about three days. People, animals and crops require water. Water is life! See the places that water flowed or could potentially flow when rains came in Israel. Yeshua and his fellow Jews would have been very aware of them. See pictures and read complete article at --   http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2013/08/water-in-yeshuas-world.html

I had a very good history professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. Donald Kyle, and one day we were talking about studying history. One day, he asked where I would begin a study of the history of a people. I don’t remember what I said, but I have never forgotten what he said – begin with the lay of the land and the sources of water . Obviously, without water no one would be able to survive anywhere. The lay of the land, meaning specifically the topography, played a major role in providing a barrier of safety from enemies, as well as creating protected places to grow food and live.  The home of Yeshua was Nazareth.  Read the complete article at --  http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2013/08/living-and-walking-with-real-yeshua.html

We created the BHC Guideline to help members of our study groups answer that question. We hope you will also use it and share it with your friends. My belief system will be large enough to include all of the facts; it will be open enough to be tested; and, it will be flexible enough to change when errors are discovered or I become aware of new facts. There are other alternatives: I will ignore facts that disagree with my beliefs; I will refuse to allow others to question my beliefs; I will refuse to change my beliefs when errors are discovered; and/or, I will refuse to change my beliefs when new facts are discovered that disagree with them. Which one do you think people who really want to know the truth choose?

Baptism is a very important Christian ritual today, but different denominations do it different ways and for different reasons. All of their reasons are based on verses from the New Testament. One of the most famous New Testament characters is even named after it – John the Baptist. I have met some members of Baptist denominations that believe John the Baptist was the founder of their church— The First First Baptist Church in the World . I grew up attending a Baptist church too and could picture John the Baptist standing in the Jordan River, a huge crowd standing on the bank, and John dunking them one after the other – after he spoke the same words our preacher spoke when he baptized anyone. However, after I became a minister and baptized people in the same manner, I realized that it would be physically impossible for one man to dunk hundreds (or thousands) of people one after the other. I also realized that Bible verses I based my reasons for baptism on did not exist when Joh...

With TV shows like "Pastors' Wives," "Preachers' Daughters" and "Preachers of L.A.," paving the way, viewers might not be too surprised to hear that next on the platter of religion-themed reality-based offerings is a program titled "Snake Salvation" about — you guessed it — Christians who worship using venomous snakes. But this program is unlikely to feature any glamour or glitz, as its stars are far from the comforts of suburbia and the fast pace of city life. Snake handlers believe the New Testament passage includes a command or prophecy from Jesus that his followers "shall take up serpents" without fear of harm. Those who practice this form of worship insist believers must be under God's anointing, or led by the Holy Spirit, if they choose to handle snakes during services. "My job as pastor is to kindly keep myself and my flock in line, and to do what we feel is right according to the word of God," Coots ex...

Melchizedek plays a very important role in Christianity. Many believe he was the High Priest of a priesthood that replaced the Levites -- and also the father of Christian tithing . He plays a much different role in Judaism. Interestingly, Melchizedek is only mentioned twice in the Hebrew Bible and nine times in the New Testament . Read the complete article at --   http://www.biblicalheritage.org/DTB/0813DTB_Melchizedek.pdf

Dola Indidis wants the International Court of Justice in The Hague to consider a re-trial of Jesus Christ, convict those responsible for his unlawful crucifixion. He is also reportedly attempting to sue Tiberius (emperor of Rome, 42 BCE-37 CE), Pontius Pilate, a selection of Jewish elders, King Herod, and the Republic of Italy. “Evidence today is on record in the Bible, and you cannot discredit the Bible,” Indidis told the Kenyan Citizen News. Although those he suggests should have been convicted during the original trial have not been alive for more than 2,000 years, the books of the Bible that he is trying to present as evidence had not been written and do not agree about what happened, and the Second Temple and Roman Empire governments no longer exist today – much less that 2,000 years have passed -- Indidis insists that government that did not exist should still be held responsible. Does this make you wonder if a new book will be coming soon – or – a new “defend Jesus ...

The Most Rev. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, last week announced plans to use the Church's clout to take on a controversial new breed of money lender and "compete [them] out of business."   Welby – a former oil trader who has been highly critical of banking practices while serving on Britain's Banking Standards Commission, a cross party group consisting of MPs and members of the House of Lords – wants to drive payday lenders out of business by launching a network of credit unions. Struggling families and individuals unable to get credit from banks are among the customers of the pay lenders, who provide loans of up to £1,000 ($1,500) to be repaid when weekly or monthly wages come through. Though meant to be short-term, the loans involve astronomical annualized interest rates – for example, those offered by Wonga, which Welby specifically criticized, amount to 6,000 percent. Read the complete article at -- http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2013/073...