God’s Power Model for People

One of the most remarkable lessons of the opening stories in Genesis is about who should be placed in positions of power over people -- and who shouldn’t. The elders of ancient Israel wanted a king to rule over them and asked Samuel the prophet to ask God to give them one. Interestingly, God told them “that’s a really bad ideal” – and the rest is history.

Let’s not make the same mistake as the ancient elders. Continue readings at -

https://mailchi.mp/d6454ff7b5fc/gods-power-model-for-people

Knowing What the Word “Jew” Means Helps Us Understand Key Words of the “Jewish” Jesus.

The words of the Jewish Scriptures are almost all Hebrew words. The words of the Christian Scriptures are Greek words. Yeshua, the Jewish Jesus, spoke to his followers and audiences with Hebrew words. The people that preserved the Hebrew language are the “Jewish people.” However, for many people the words “Jew” and “Judaism” have been a source of “confused thinking.” Read more at -

https://mailchi.mp/05403b2e9aa6/knowing-what-the-word-jew-means-helps-us-understand-key-words-of-the-jewish-jesus

Would Capitalism or American Democracy Exist without Martin Luther?

Martin Luther is a saint to Protestants and Satan’s messenger to Catholics. He was great orator, scholar and expert at using “reason.” Hitler used his words to inflame the anger and hatred of citizens against Jews. But, without Luther, the West might still be the Dark Ages – and I think he is one of the most important men in history! Continue reading at -

https://mailchi.mp/c62c8180832b/would-capitalism-or-american-democracy-exist-without-martin-luther

Meet the Original Jesus!

For over thirty years I believed Jesus founded my religion – Christianity. That was something I had heard all of my life. But, nowhere in the New Testament does it say that Jesus started a new religion. By the way, neither does the New Testament say Paul started a new religion either. I discovered something even more important many years later – religion as we understand it didn’t even exists in first century. Continue reading at -- https://mailchi.mp/30242469a5af/meet-the-original-jesus

Do Not Let the Man Eat the Fruit of the Tree of Life and Live Forever

Yahweh had finished speaking to the man, woman and serpent. The ground and the serpent had been cursed. The man and woman had been told what their futures would be like. We find another verse that has created a lot of confusion for centuries. This is what Yahweh said in Genesis 3:22a.

"Behold, the man has become like one from it,

knowing TOV (good) and RAH (evil).”

But, this is what you find in most English translations.

“Behold the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil.”

Continue reading at –

https://mailchi.mp/ebac6e2c4d49/do-not-let-the-man-eat-the-fruit-of-the-tree-of-life-and-live-forever

The Creation of Evil, Justice and Mortality in the Garden in Eden

In the first story in the Bible the Creator introduced TOV (good) into his creation:

Doing things that protect and preserve lives,

make lives more functional and increase the quality of life.

When the man ate the forbidden fruit he introduced RAH (evil) into Yahweh’s Garden:

Doing things that destroy and threaten their lives,

make their lives less functional and decrease the quality of life.

It is important to clearly understand this point:

Good and Evil are concrete actions,

not an abstract internal or spiritual qualities.

The next wisdom principle taught by this story is how to respond to evil:

Justice is the divine response to evil actions.

After the man and woman stepped out of their hiding places and faced Yahweh, both wearing fig leaves, it was clear to Yahweh something had happened since he last saw them. Continue to read at --

https://mailchi.mp/dbb213524f4c/the-creation-of-evil-justice-and-mortality-in-the-garden-in-eden

Laying Up Treasures for Yourselves in Heaven

In today’s world Yeshua the Jewish Jesus would have said – “Follow the money if you want to know where a person’s heart is!” So, how does a person “deposit” money in Heaven with Yahweh? Find out at -

https://mailchi.mp/505277e94a41/laying-up-treasures-for-yourselves-in-heaven

Let Your Light Shine Before Men

Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works

and glorify your Father in heaven.

(Matthew 5:16 New King James Version)

One thing Yeshua, the Jewish Jesus does is drop hints into his teachings that link points he is making to larger portions of texts of the Jewish Scriptures. He expected his audience members to know what those texts said from memory. But many readers of Jesus’s words in the New Testament today, do not recognize those hints and have not memorized large portions of the Old Testament. The hint in the teaching we are studying today is – “let your light shine.” Discover what it meant to Yeshua at –

https://mailchi.mp/b29f5a6f93ac/let-your-light-shine-before-men

The “How Will It Affect Your Life Tree” in the Garden in Eden

“The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” is not only a tree in the center of the Garden in Eden – it is the center of the entire story. So, what is it?

First of all, the words we are reading are the words a group of translators – not the actual Hebrew words of the ancient text. Do their translations accurately reflect accurate the ancient author’s words – and why should we even care? Continue reading at –

https://mailchi.mp/f118c4d35e91/the-how-will-it-affect-your-life-tree-in-the-garden-in-eden

The Most Important Commandment in the Bible

That is what a Pharisee, who was also a lawyer, wanted to know. Yeshua, the Jewish Jesus gave him this answer.

“‘You are to love Yahweh your God with all your heart,

with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

This is the first and great commandment.”

(Matthew 22:37-38)

He was quoting Deuteronomy 6:5. As I have pointed out before, Yeshua the Jewish Jesus was an expert teacher of the Jewish Scriptures (Christian Old Testament). He used popular teaching techniques to make important points. Notice what he did when he answered the lawyer’s question. Continue reading at -

https://mailchi.mp/d638c34d0d19/the-most-important-commandment-in-the-bible

I was an Ordained Minister and Did Not Know Anything about the Real Jesus.

I was saved when I was thirteen years old. In my mid-thirties I was an ordained minister – preaching the Gospel of Jesus and saving people. But, I had never even considered that my understanding of Jesus could be wrong! How could I? I lived in a small town that had over 100 churches and a nation with over 100 million believers -- that I thought believed the same things I did about Jesus.

Over the years I have written a lot about my journey and how I learned about using linguistic, fact-based models to reconstruct the teachings of Jesus in the Hebrew language he spoke. My goal was to understand what the words of Jesus meant to him. It didn’t take long for me to discover two very scary things. Continue reading at -

https://mailchi.mp/3882798bcd2b/i-was-an-ordained-minister-and-did-not-know-anything-about-the-real-jesus

The Moment the Humans Created Shame in the Garden in Eden

For readers of most English translations, this is a story about two naked people who didn’t know they were naked until they ate the forbidden fruit.

The reason God told them to not eat that fruit was because

he didn’t want them to know they were naked

or he was testing their obedience to him.

As I pointed out in earlier emails, the serpent wasn’t Satan and this was not a battle between God and Satan over the souls of all people who will ever live. So what did the original author of the story want his readers to learn? Continue to read at -

https://mailchi.mp/3e270c10e81d/the-moment-the-humans-created-shame-in-the-garden-in-eden

Oh No! We are Naked!!!

According to the serpent, when the woman and man ate the forbidden fruit this is what would happen -- y’all will be like the god, knowing good and evil. But after they actually ate the forbidden fruit this is what they knew:

“They were naked!”

The author uses a Hebrew wordplay to make an important point that can’t be seen in English translations. Keep in mind that author intended for audiences to hear this story, not read the story silently from a book. He expected the audience to hear two words that sound like this – arum (ah-room) and arom (ah-rome). Continue reading at -

https://mailchi.mp/a480b9526e8b/oh-no-we-are-naked

Round 2 in the Garden of Eden: Serpent Hacks the Brains of the Humans and Exposes Them!

Round 1 ended with the words of the serpent:

"Y’all surely shall not die!

Because the god knows that in the day y’all eat from it

y’all’s eyes will be opened,

and y’all will be like the god, knowing good and evil."

(Genesis 3:4-5)

In order for your brain to process the story of the Garden in Eden in a way it can relate to, the story must be placed in timeline it can understand – otherwise it just pushes the fast forward button until something else catches its attention. Continue reading at –

https://mailchi.mp/9fdc6c177a98/round-2-the-serpent-hacks-the-brains-of-the-humans-and-exposes-them