The
man in Hades called out to Abraham and asked him to send Lazarus to Hades to
comfort him. Abraham refused. The man in Hades asked Abraham to send Lazarus to
the home of his five brothers and tell them about what happened to him. Again,
Abraham refused. But there was another very rich man in Abraham’s Bosom – and sin
affected generations of Israelites. Continue reading at -
http://mailchi.mp/9c683e2c50d9/guess-who-was-in-abrahams-bosom
This is part two of “The Parable About Lazarus and
the Rich Man.” The rich man died and is in Hades. He is having a discussion with
Abraham, who is another place with Lazarus (who is also dead). The rich man wants
Abraham to send Lazarus -- with a wet fingertip -- over to Hades to comfort
him. Abraham refused. The conversation continues in this email. Continue
reading at -
http://mailchi.mp/26ebf2c9523d/why-wasnt-lazarus-worth-a-few-crumbs-falling-on-the-floor
“Contextual
definitions” cut through the theological maze. In my previous email I discussed
the requirement for nations entering into eternal life. That’s a very important
thing to know. This time we are going to explore another parable about the
afterlife, but this one is about individuals. Compare them to your beliefs and
consider how afterlife beliefs affect the ways people live their everyday
lives. Continue reading at -
“Righteousness”
is one of the most important words in Christianity and “TZEDAQAH” is one of the
most important words in Rabbinic Judaism. The teachings of Yeshua aka the Jesus
of History linked them together, while teaching important wisdom principles and
values. The words were also the foundation of a values-based relationship of a
preacher and a rabbi – Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor and me! Continue reading at -
http://mailchi.mp/4a5fdd3daede/exploring-the-link-of-righteous-to-eternal-life
The
Great Day of Judgment and the Kingdom of God are linked together by
Jesus in this famous parable (Matthew 25:31-46). At that time no form of modern Christianity existed – Roman Catholic,
Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, or “cut-and-paste Jesus / Christ / Holy Spirit”
religions, etc. His sacred writings were separate Hebrew scrolls, not writings
in one book. He spoke Hebrew, not English. His lived in Galilee, not the United
States. He never taught any Christian salvation doctrine. Should Christians
ignore what Yeshua the Real Jesus taught? Could an atheist benefit from
what he taught? Continue reading at -
http://mailchi.mp/7686911b3de5/exploring-jesus-salvation-and-the-great-day-of-judgment-parable
Soon
after sending my previous email, I became aware of new information regarding
the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas. I could not believe that
I haven’t heard anything about it on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, or PBS. If I hadn’t been
involved in celebrating Hanukkah, writing these Exploring Jesus emails, and
exploring biblical heritages since 1999 -- I might have missed it too!
Hanukkah is the beginning of a demonstration on the part of the Jewish people that
they would not go down without a fight. It is the first recorded instance in
the history of a war conducted purely and solely in defense of religious
freedom. On October 7, 2023 Israel was challenged once again by multiple groups
at the same time. Continue reading at -
Around 90 CE, the Gospel of Matthew was written. Once again, the name of the author doesn’t appear in the Gospel. The birth of Jesis is recorded in Matthew 2 and his movement begins in chapter 4. Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem. Be sure to note that Bible does not say “three wise men.” There could have been two or twenty or three. There are no shepherds or multitude of angels. And in this story Jesus lives in Bethlehem not Nazareth. Continue reading at - http://mailchi.mp/6e135297ae1f/exploring-jesus-the-gospel-of-matthew
When
I lead tours to explore Jesus, there is always a big “elephant in the
room” that most people can’t see – and the few that see it will not
talk about it. However, we must talk about it so everyone can see it. What
do you see when you hear “the Gospels or Mark and Luke”? Almost
everyone sees “two books that are in the Bible.” No
Bible existed when the Gospels of Mark and Luke were written.
Continue reading at -
http://mailchi.mp/e858c305a1f5/exploring-jesus-the-relationships-of-the-gospels-of-mark-and-luke
Mark
began with a grown man, Luke begins the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Shepherds were in a field guarding their
flocks when an angel appeared. The angel said, “Do not be afraid, for
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For
there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Anointed
One of Yahweh.” And then a multitude of
the heavenly host joined the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, on the earth SHALOM, in men acceptance.” Your English translations do not say that –
and it is one of the most important clues about the Jesus movement in the Bible! Continue reading at - http://mailchi.mp/dd6fa871e9cd/exploring-jesus-the-gospel-of-luke
The
idea of Exploring the Bible and Biblical Heritages came from one of the
first live streamed broadcast on Facebook – Safari Live. A tour guide
was sitting in the driver’s seat of a jeep and a camera person was sitting on a
raised platform in the backseat. This
tour is for anyone that has Belief Models linked to Jesus – Christian, Jew,
atheist, etc. You need to know what your own beliefs are, be “brain hackers”
and “propaganda makers” that bought your profile from social media sellers know
more about your Belief Models than you do. This series of emails will give you quick
tours of Jesus in the four Gospels in the New Testament. Continue reading at –
http://mailchi.mp/61a84f8bf6a6/exploring-jesus-the-gospel-of-mark
In
my previous email I asked you to consider the differences between cave dwellers
and smartphone users separated by 191,700 years. I pointed out that their DNA
would be the same and it would produce identical bodies and organs, including
brains. Anything that you can name has a corresponding belief model in your
brain. A belief model is like an app on a smartphone. When something that a
person can name catches their brain’s attention, the belief model is activated.
Their actions were driven by instincts. We are immersed in an invisible Infosphere
full of misinformation, propaganda, and weaponized information produced by
nations, religions, corporations, criminals, and other individual users. Continue
reading at -
http://mailchi.mp/fd70d66f39ad/empowered-to-change-our-crazy-and-conflicting-world
In
10,000 BCE (25,000 years after the first cave paintings), the Ice Age had
ended, and the world became warmer and wetter, and the climate became more
stable. By 9500 BCE there are the first signs of domesticated plants and the first
farmers. After 8000 BCE there are the first signs of domesticated animals and
shepherds. And then about 7,500 years later, a scroll of the Torah (first five books
of the Bible) was carried from Persia to Jerusalem. 1,000 years after that, the
first Muslims appear. In this article you will discover how those dates are
connected. Continue reading at - http://mailchi.mp/917711905ca9/from-the-first-farmers-to-muslims
