Biblical Heritage Center Blog

  This is the second Exploration of the Lord’s Prayer . We will focus on the second line of the prayer. “Our Father, the Creator, Who is above the heavens, May Your Name be sanctified . . . .” A popular Christian doctrine makes it impossible for many Christians to understand the words they pray. The second line is found in Leviticus 19:1-18. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/407585bd7428/may-your-name-be-sanctified

  Christians may be divided by any number of theological conflicts at other times, but if you go to any of their funeral services you will probably hear “ The Lord’s Prayer .” Death is real and people seem to change when someone they know is the one being remembered. I believe that helping people better understand the ancient words Jesus taught his disciples has the power to bring people with biblical heritages together. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/1b6d07e8ed0e/who-is-our-father-in-the-lords-prayer

  The next election is coming soon in one year, and the next Presidential Election in three years. That’s how fast everything could change again. This time our heads and hearts need to be sync and this is how we can do it! Ancient wisdom teachers of the Hebrew Scriptures taught, “There is a wisdom in living life.” Unless we have mastered it, we are vulnerable to serious disasters. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/8d6faedb6116/the-wisdom-of-counting-your-blessings

  Different teachings of Jesus focus on a variety people who loved “ riches and wealth ” instead of the God of Israel – the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth . At the top of the list, were the “ money lenders .” Interestingly, even though almost every Christian I know is familiar with this teaching, it isn’t part of the usual discussions about the “Will of God.” Having been educated in banking before I became an ordained minister, I was able to see things that other ministers wouldn’t understand . Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/848f505b7ed8/make-money-a-matter-for-your-heart-and-head-asap

  The parable of Jesus about the Great Day Judgment in Matthew reflect the “ Jewish culture and an emerging rabbinic style of writing ” more than the others. But Matthew’s inclusion of the Parable of the Great Day of Judgment has another meaning most people never see! Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/f02dfd516e0b/a-traitorous-betrayal-of-an-entire-land

  When I talk to Christians about the beginning of their religion the story usually begins with something like this – “ Jesus was born, and he founded Christianity – a new Gentile religion.” When I talk to Jews about the beginning of Christianity, they often say the same thing – “Jesus was born, and he founded Christianity – a new Gentile religion.” It is clear that neither group has a story that begins with “ Jesus was a Jew born . . . .” Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/50b98edd7c14/building-a-bridge-across-a-time-gap-that-separates-christians-and-jews

  Autonomous technologies, runaway markets, and weaponized media seem to have overturned civil society, paralyzing our ability to think constructively, connect meaningfully, or act purposefully . It feels as if civilization itself were on the brink, and that we lack the collective willpower and coordination necessary to address issues of vital importance to the very survival of our species. It doesn’t have to be this way. Everyone is asking how we got here, as if this were a random slide toward collective incoherence and disempowerment. It is s not. Continue reading at – https://mailchi.mp/a79c85d96b52/building-shared-values-based-relationships-and-identities

  Millions of women are alive today who have given birth, and they can validate this information. Birth is the beginning of the first human relationship – the relationship of a mother and her child . Other creatures also have a similar, too. But science has discovered cross-generational transfers take place. As fetal cells cross the placenta into maternal tissues, a small number of maternal cells migrate into fetal tissues, where they can persist into adulthood . Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/7ab793cd9d0d/family-the-source-of-our-first-relationship

  We do not live in ancient kingdoms or cultures. The vocabulary of the Hebrew Scriptures and teachings of Jesus are unknown to almost all Americans in 2025. Based on research in BHC’s databases, I created a model to provide an overview and a way to apply the ancient wisdom principles and values to our lives. In my opinion, it has never been needed by more people than we need it today . Continue reading at -  https://mailchi.mp/100b0f4c10bb/living-in-the-kingdom-of-elohim-in-2025

  When Jesus said the Kingdom of Elohim is here, he meant the Kingdom of Elohim had been here since the first Day Seven of the creation. Where is it located? What does the Kingdom of Elohim look like? This Kingdom isn’t a place on earth that has boundary lines, like cities, states, and nations. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/ecee542ac931/changing-your-world-by-changing-the-way-you-think

  Did you know that Jesus founded a school? How do I know that? His followers were called “ talmidim ” which means “ learners ” or “ students .” This wasn’t unusual because every parent was commanded to be a teacher! Everyday Jesus and his family prayed one of the most important and famous portions of the Torah. It is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/6c567bc86e1b/make-students-in-all-nations-of-the-earth-and-teach-them

  Our views come from the stories we were told about our conception, about our history, about who we are supposed to become, about our parents and families, about our world. We draw upon elements of all these tales to create a “ master identity narrative ” -- our version of the story we tell to explain ourselves . By the time we are young adults, we think our stories are “ the truth. ” Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/fc5556be62de/building-strong-safety-nets-to-protect-our-lives-and-our-nation

  Today I will share some very important insights I found while digging through BHC’s Databases. They are related to relationships, how to make them better, and the benefits of maintaining values-based relationships. This information is supported by BHC’s Tov Wisdom and Lives 1 st Values research. (1) People make choices about how to act , even if they do not choose the context in which they make them. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/78790e5ac413/fundamental-truths-about-human-beings-and-trust

  Adam and Eve were doomed to fail from the beginning. Why? They had no parents to teach them who they are and what they are supposed to do. They did not have the Creator’s Tov Standard to guide them. The primary purpose of this story, and the next three stories, is the importance of parents . Continue Reading at - https://mailchi.mp/9b1ab66284db/the-lost-meanings-of-stories-in-the-bible

  Adam and Eve were both cunning, crafty, and shrewd, and they had not shamed themselves. T he serpent was more cunning, crafty, and shrewd than any wild animal of the field which Yahweh Elohim had made. Make sure to note that Adam, Eve, and the serpent were all made by Yahweh Elohim. The serpent is a wild animal, not an angel or Satan. And the serpent said to the woman. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/be0886eb436c/what-really-happened-in-the-garden-of-eden

  “And a certain man was rich, and he was dressed in purple and fine linen, feasting every day, splendidly. And a certain poor man, named Lazarus, was lying by his gate, being covered with sores. And he desired to be satisfied from the things falling   from the rich man’s table . . . and the rich man died and went to Hades.” Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/82b842b8bb58/was-the-rich-mans-sin-being-rich

  Tov is translated “ good .” The Creator measured His acts by the Tov Standard . In other stories, He also measured acts by people that affected the lives of other people by the Tov Standard . Once you learn to recognize acts that are Tov , even though the word Tov isn’t mentioned, you will be able to recognize them in many Bible passages. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/d618f38f77b7/jesus-taught-the-tov-standard

  Hebrew word Tov is translated “ good ” in Genesis. Humans create words which are transmittable symbols . But the meanings are bundled in life experiences . The life experiences required to understand Tov are in the first story in Genesis. Humans are the only creatures created to function by doing acts of Tov individually, collectively and in harmony. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/ce86a134d4e1/tov-is-what-good-means-to-the-creator

  In the teachings of Jesus, there is one underlying and overriding theme, a theme that serves as the foundation upon which biblical faith is built. If one looks at the Bible as a whole, if one includes additionally all Jewish literature that is extant, the Oral Law, the Written Law, the commentaries, and search for one, single, overriding theme, it is summed up in the Hebrew word tzedakah. Tzedakah is the outstanding, overriding, and yet simple, theme of Jesus. He taught, “let your kingdom be spread abroad over the whole earth in such a way that God may begin to rule in the lives of more and more people.” Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/ee4e20247d64/tzedaqah-the-foundational-theme-of-biblical-faith

  Does the “original” meaning of a Bible passage, apart from Christian or later Jewish interpretation, still have anything to say to us? Those words described the obstacle I have been facing for decades. BHC’s Guidelines and Linguistic Model clearly indicate that Jesus was “Jewish,” but Jewish in the early 1st century CE does not mean the same thing as Jewish means today . So what did Jewish mean then? Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/65108941c178/breaking-through-jewish-and-christian-barriers-to-understand-the-original-jesus

  The Bible’s Wisdom of the Beginnings, combined with its interpretations by Jesus , gave a very clear answer – humans are created to protect lives, preserve lives, make lives more functional and increase the quality of life . So why are so many people destroying lives, harming lives, making lives less functional, and decreasing the quality of life in America today? Continue readding at - https://mailchi.mp/83131fda4f97/doing-more-than-repeating-meaningless-endeavors

  Light is one of the most important words in the Hebrew Bible and the teachings of Jesus. On Day Four Elohim created the Greater Lamp, the Lesser Lamp, and the stars. Jesus used Day Four to teach his disciples a very important wisdom lesson in the Sermon on the Mount. Continue to read at - https://mailchi.mp/a50f521e5483/how-are-humans-supposed-to-function

  This is no easy task. It involves appreciating what biblical texts meant in their earliest contexts and then explaining how over the centuries different communities with different concerns developed different interpretations. This war continues today, when a Christian tells a Jew, “ You obviously don t understand your Bible because, if you did, you would see how it predicts the Messiah Jesus ,” and when a Jew responds, “ Not only do you Christians see things in the text that are not there; you mistranslate and you yank verses out of context .” Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/82c0541f0191/are-you-sure-you-understand-what-we-are-exploring

  In the Jewish culture before 70 CE, sacrifice or gift to Yahweh Elohim at the Temple had no atoning effect unless the person giving them has a pure heart. But in this story, at the moment this person was standing in the closest place to Yahweh Elohim on Earth, priests are waiting to do their rituals, other people are in line waiting to present their sacrifices/gifts – at that very moment this person remembered saying things Jesus warned him not to say! What should he do? Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/49b04589c491/how-many-people-did-you-forgive-today

  The teachings of Jesus are very much like the Jewish Rabbis in tractate Avot: The Sayings of the Fathers -- almost no laws, consisting instead of short statements of advice, ethics, and wisdom. One of the most important teachings of Jesus – that Americans (Christians and everyone else) urgently need to do today is found in Matthew 5:21-26 -- “how to exercise impulse control and self-discipline when they become angry!” Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/e21de67d035e/thinking-like-a-member-of-the-kingdom-of-elohim-in-2025

  One of the most remarkable and misunderstood stories in the Bible is our story -- the ADAM .   Day Six of creation is about the creation of “creatures of the Earth” – animals and humans . It is important to understand the things that humans and animals share, as well as the things that make them different. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/3e383891cee9/a-kingdom-of-people-like-us

  The Parable of the Great Day of Judgment is probably one of the most well-known parables of Jesus (Matthew 25:31-46). The opening words of the parable reveal some very important clues that most people today never see -- this is the judgment of nations , not individuals. This parable is found only in Christian Bibles, but the parable was written for Jewish people who knew the Jewish Scriptures behind the parable. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/b8537f32b2bd/ancient-wisdom-for-modern-families-nations

  I do not believe that members of those Christian groups believe “God visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations.” I also believe that Christians want to do what Jesus taught! So let’s begin there. The Jesus who lived and taught in Jerusalem, Judea, and the Galilee began his movement with these words. “Turn! The Kingdom of Elohim is here!” The Jewish members of the audience knew Jesus was referring to Exodus 18:20-30. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/2f0ce78a5b43/a-source-of-shared-beliefs-and-values-for-christians-jews-and-american-citizens

  We now know the word “ Ten Commandments ” do not appear in the Hebrew text of the Torah Scroll ( Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, or Deuteronomy ). English translators should have translated the Hebrew words “ Ten DEVARIM ” as “ Ten Words ” or “ Ten Legal Sayings .” Question 1 : How would you discuss this information with others? Does knowing the words are “legal sayings” instead of “commandments” change the way you view them? Continue reading by clicking here: https://mailchi.mp/e518fbf0a1b2/questions-for-accurately-discussing-beliefs-related-to-the-ten-commandments

  And Yahweh said: “Behold,  I make a covenant . Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you  are  shall see the work of Yahweh. For it  is  an awesome thing that I will do with you. Observe what I command you this day. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/a29778746596/the-second-set-of-stone-tablets-that-most-people-know-nothing-about

  When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of Yahweh settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day Yahweh called to Moses from within the cloud. Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights . . . The tablets were the work of Elohim; the writing was the writing of Elohim, engraved on the tablets. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/0fc3eef0a079/moses-threw-the-writings-of-elohim-at-the-people

  In Texas, the Ten Commandments are in the spotlight again. A 2025 law in the state of Texas that requires all public schools in the state to include the Ten Commandments in the classroom. This is a great opportunity for us to demonstrate the benefits of Exploring the Bible and Biblical Heritages. The Ten Commandments are not as polarizing as Bible verses linked to other Christian and Jewish beliefs. I will use the Hebrew words “ Elohim ” and “ Yahweh ” instead of the standard English translations “ God ” and “ LORD .” Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/5d1bf9307256/is-the-exodus-20-story-about-the-ten-commandments

  The Bible’s Wisdom of the Beginnings is found in the Torah scroll . The wisdom contained in this scroll speaks to families universally . One of the greatest teachers of this ancient family wisdom was Jesus. He only taught for between one and three years. He wrote nothing down, yet his teachings continued to be passed down orally and later written down. Now we are learning from them today. I believe you will understand how this wisdom about dealing with anger could benefit many people today! Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/093ff1ea5d85/how-to-build-fences-around-anger

  A cosmic war is like a ritual drama in which participants act out on earth a battle they believe is actually taking place in the heavens. It is, in other words, both a real, physical struggle in this world and an imagined, moral encounter in the world beyond. The conflict may be real and the carnage material, but the war itself is being waged on a spiritual plane; we humans are merely actors in a divine script written by God. A cosmic war partitions the world into black and white, good and evil, us and them . Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/31669ceec901/distinguishing-between-the-kingdom-of-elohim-cosmic-wars

  Until the end of the exodus, neither Abraham nor the descendants of Isaac, had ever lived in their own land. They had been living in the lands of people who had many gods – and they had their own languages . None of them used the English word “god” or the Hebrew word “Elohim” to identify their deities. What Christian’s called “ The Old Testament ” is the Jewish Bible called “ Tanakh ” (written in Hebrew). Therefore, it is absolutely essential for accuracy, to call deities that are found in it by the Hebrew words that are in the text. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/77aa37eb3918/the-mysteries-and-wisdom-of-the-hebrew-word-elohim

  The first act of creation created “Sacred Light (Fire) in the most holy space.” The second act of creation made a solid dome-like structure that resulted in turning one body of water into two bodies of water. The things that were created are very important, but those two acts were about much more than they appear! Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/6ba538d968ce/elohim-is-superior-to-the-gods-of-the-babylonians-and-persians

  Today I want to expand on a statement I made in my previous email, A Wisdom Option for Dealing with Life in a Toxic Infosphere . “ Biblical Heritages have a way to protect themselves and their children from the symptoms I described above – I am talking about people in these groups: Jews, Christians, and Nones .” After I clicked the button that sent the emails, I began feeling like something was wrong. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/8643cb48e26d/i-need-to-correct-a-mistake-in-my-previous-email

  “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. . . . ” These Rights are not individual rights or a Free ticket to do anything. There are responsibilities attached to them. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/0470657e501e/are-unalienable-rights-civil-rights-and-human-rights-the-same

  How did the Declaration of Independence acquire ideas from the Hebrew Scriptures? In 1492 the Jews of Spain were expelled by royal decree; five years later the Jews of Portugal faced a similar fate. They were educated, wealthy, and had many contacts with Muslim and Christian communities. Over a century later, Christian colonists arrived in America with Hebrew Scriptures and ideas linked to forming a new government. Sadly, this part of our history didn’t make it into our history books or Sunday School classes. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/e419edd294e9/another-forgotten-jewish-messianic-movement

  Those words are clearly linked to the Hebrew Scriptures . So how did they get in America’s founding document? Jews didn’t appear in the American history books I read in public school. The link is there, and a great deal of information is available online. The story began when Queen Isabella asked Pope Sixtus IV for permission to set up an Inquisition to weed out heresy. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/dbc4c1a511dd/discovering-the-missing-hebrew-link

  Covenants were a common institution in the ancient Near East. The covenants of the Hebrew Bible are most similar to the covenants made among the ancient Hittites . These were made between powerful, sovereign kings and less powerful, subordinate vassals. The Hittite covenants provided protection in return for allegiance. They were always voluntary and just. They were made under oath and included no termination clause. In other words, they were meant for all time . Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/5215794c91fc/understanding-covenants-and-the-jesus-movement

  When you have been Exploring the Bible and Biblical Heritages for decades with the same associates, we do many things subconsciously without mentioning them. As I looked back over previous emails, I realized I had not been pointing them out to readers. The most important one defines what we are actually doing. I will use this email as an example -- Jesus and The Kingdom of Elohim . The correct title should have been this: Belief Models about Jesus and the Kingdom of Elohim. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/9006aa07349a/do-not-forget-we-are-talking-about-belief-models

  Being in the Kingdom of Elohim has nothing to do with salvation rituals, praying to be saved, or believing in anyone or anything. Elohim’s highest priority is human lives . A key to understanding the Kingdom of Elohim is to understand the meanings of “peacemakers.” Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/9bfa38214af2/jesus-and-the-kingdom-of-elohim-part-two

  One of the most distinguishing differences between the group led by Jesus and the other groups (Sadducees, Essenes, Pharisees, and Hasidim) is his teachings on the Kingdom of Elohim . In English translations it is called “ The Kingdom of God ” and “ The Kingdom of Heaven .” But as you will later understand, the name comes from the first story in Genesis. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/8b5665473275/jesus-and-the-kingdom-of-elohim-part-one

  As many of you already know, the teachings of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, and Luke are very different from John – and Paul’s Christ . Christians have a difficult time seeing that, but Jewish rabbis usually instantly recognize the importance of the teachings of Jesus. Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor was one of those rabbis. He said, “I think the Jewish Jesus would be much more comfortable at my synagogue than any church. Jesus was a Jew. He was raised in a Jewish home by Jewish parents. I will always remember the night Jim Myers walked into my class carrying a lot of books, and asking just as many questions.” Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/6928676d31e9/why-do-the-images-of-god-continue-to-kill-each-other

  Trillion-dollar tokens traded. Trades valued in billions of dollars made in seconds without any paperwork and without government regulations. The democratization of investing: expanding prosperity in more places, for more people. You have until 2030 to decide or there could be costly consequences. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/e42cfdc0f2fb/is-tokenization-tov

  Two of the major reasons for the poor translations is that between the 13 th century and 1560 CE chapter and verse markers were inserted into the biblical texts. I had been reading English words that I had been speaking all of my life. Genesis, however, was not written in English. The scribes did not live in Cleburne, Texas. Continue reading at – https://mailchi.mp/d200886823f6/decreasing-religious-chaos-by-having-better-bible-reading-skills

  We are now launching the BHC Lives 1 st Teams & Networks of Safety Nets Program . Its purpose is to “ empower people to create overlapping sources of Safety Nets, which will increase order and decrease chaos .” We will use this model. Each of the circles represents centers of different sources of chaos. The first kind is linked to the Bible. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/5ca09305d985/identifying-primary-sources-of-chaos-in-america-today

  I was a banker before I became a preacher and later the co-founder of the Biblical Heritage Center. Banking is in my blood and when financial markets go crazy, that always gets my attention. So that’s what I have been doing instead of writing these emails. Interestingly, I discovered something I had been looking for in my biblical research as I analyzed a bunch of financial statements. Continue at - https://mailchi.mp/3ce09c728038/chaos-or-order-the-choice-is-ours-to-make  

  In the modern world we want to know precise definitions and be able to view comprehensive legislation . However, the cultures of the scribes of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Persians, and the Israelites shared a “ way of thinking ” that is unknown to us. Their writings have “ lists of legal sayings ” that are “ aspective .” The first story in Genesis contains some of the most important aspects. Continue to read at - https://mailchi.mp/706049fdacc0/identifying-key-aspects-to-discover-wisdom-and-create-order