Biblical Heritage Center Blog

The first word in Yeshua’s first message was TESHUVAH : From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “ TESHUVAH , for the Kingdom of Heaven is here!” (Matthew 4:17) English translators translate the words above as -- “ Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! ” Today people think of “ repent ” a ritual that is done as part of “ being saved ,” or “ a prayer that is prayed after committing a sin .” That is not what “ TESHUVAH ” meant to Yeshua or his Jewish audience. They knew that Yeshua was “ teaching a way life .” Learn what TESHUVAH meant to Yeshua at -- https://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2018/09/repentance-is-way-of-life-not-ritual.html  

A Jewish Answer When a man is asked in the world-to-come: “ What was thy work? ” and he answers: “ I fed the hungry ” it will be said to him: “ This is the gate of the Lord (Ps. 118:20). Enter into it, O thou that didst feed the hungry .” When a man answers: “ I gave drink to the thirsty ,” it will be said to him: “ This is the gate of the Lord. Enter into it, O thou that didst give drink to the thirsty .” When a man answers: “ I clothed the naked ,” it will be said to him: “ This is the gate of the Lord. Enter into it, O thou that didst clothe the naked .” This will be said also to him that brought up the fatherless, and to them that gave alms or performed deeds of loving-kindness. Midrash Tehillim on Psalm 118:17 * Yeshua’s Answer “Then the King will say to those on his right hand, ‘ Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:   for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I...

The first clue the ancient text provides about this mysterious image is found in two words of Genesis 1:2 – “ RUACH ELOHIYM .” RUACH is defined as breath, wind or spirit; ELOHIYM is the word translated God . They are traditionally translated as “ Spirit of God .” But, since they are in a “ construct state, ” this means they are so closely united that “ together they constitute one compound idea .” 1 It is important to know where the RUACH ELOHIYM is located in the account – “ It was hovering above the surface of the waters .” The ancient text makes it clear that everything created has its own specific place and that requires a map. Words you take for granted mean very different things in this account, beginning with “ Earth .” Everything Has a Place 1. Humans live on the dry thing named “Earth.” 2. Water creatures live in the Seas. 3. Winged creatures fly beneath the Heavens. 4. Sun, moon and stars are set in the Heavens. 5. Nothing is said about the...

I began this series by asking why is it important for 21 st century Americans to share a common understanding of “ what it means to be humans? ” My answer to that question was because it is the one thing that affects every thought we have that includes humans – others and ourselves . And then I pointed out that if your beliefs about God are linked to the words of Genesis , then your understanding of what it means to be a human includes “ humans are created in the image of God .” This is the second blog in this series and it is about the first activities that took place on the Sixth Day of Creation . Keeping things in context is essential for creating accurate understanding of the words of Jewish and Christian Scriptures . For some readers, some of the things you are about to read may challenge your understanding of certain verses. That’s normal because of the linguistic model we use to translate the ancient Hebrew text into English. We let the words of the ancient texts te...

This is the first blog in a series I call “ A Radical New Understanding of Humans .” Why is it important for 21 st century Americans to understand what humans are? It is because that our view affects and influences everything we do – and everyone else’s view affects and influences what they do . Humans are social creatures and that means from conception to the disposal of the body humans are dependent on other the actions of humans. In most of the “ good ” and “ bad ” things humans experience in life, they are the result of actions of other humans. So, individual and cultural understandings of “ what humans are ” and “ why humans do what they do ” are very important. In many cases, “ understandings of what humans are ” is related to “ understandings of what gods are .” Conflicts over gods and their relationships to human have been major factors in the rise and fall of nations, as well as the types of governments that exist and the quality of life those that are governed expe...

Today we live in a highly polarized “ Us vs. Them ” nation in which members strengthen their feeling of “ in-group ” belonging by increasing their distance from and tension with their “ out-group ” competitors — “ the Others! ” E ndless attempts at fact-checking, while valuable, causes group members to go into defense mode instead of change . Scientists now know that “belonging is stronger than facts .” 1 I want to highlight some key points from the MIT Technology Review article I quoted from above: ● Members of opposing groups are strengthening their feeling of “in-group” belonging by increasing their distance between members of the groups . ● Members of opposing groups are strengthening their feeling of “ in-group ” belonging by increasing tension between the members of the groups . ● Members value belonging is valued above scientific facts . In order to change things we must create different ways of belonging. Trying to change things by yelling and screaming fac...

Many pages of opinions have been written about the terms “ Kingdom of God ” and “ Kingdom of Heaven. ” Some say they mean the same thing , others say they mean different things and few say they have very mysterious meanings . Two questions will help us discover what Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven mean. Read the complete blog at -- https://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2018/09/kingdom-of-god-or-kingdom-of-heaven.html

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