Welcome to the Epistle to the Hebrews

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Background of the Epistle to the Hebrews

A debate exists among scholars as to when the Epistle to the Hebrews was written. Some believe it was written just before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, while others maintain that it was written just after 70 AD. This author favors the former position since the author of Hebrews speaks of the sacrificial system in the present tense as if was still functioning (Heb 10:11; 13:10, 11).

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At the same time, the author of Hebrews seems to be addressing the concerns of early believers that without the temple standing and the sacrificial system functioning, there is no longer remission for sins. He assiduously points out how the patterns and prophecies of the Tanakh are pointing to the greater priesthood of Messiah Yeshua in the heavenly tabernacle. As such, the author seems to have in view the destruction of the temple, yet while the temple is still standing.

Perhaps, the author was writing Hebrews in the four-year time period (between 67 AD to 70 AD) when the Romans besieged Jerusalem, then pulled away for one year, then rebesieged and destroyed the city in 70 AD. Or, he may have had in mind the prophecies Yeshua gave in his Olivette Discourse about the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple (Luke 21:20–21; Matt 24:2).

Main Themes

In his Epistle to the Hebrews, the author emphatically asserts that:

  • Yeshua is over all.
  • Yeshua is leading his people to the ultimate higher spiritual reality.
  • The Tanakh (Old Testament) validates the gospel message.

The Epistle to the Hebrews is about transformation, shifting, growing from a lower level to a higher level spiritually. It is about men coming closer to the reality of heaven in their spiritual walk; about men approaching and growing closer to Elohim. Continue reading →

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 8/18 through 8/24/13

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Parashat Ki Tavo — Deuteronomy 26:1 – 29:8 (9)*
Haftarah — Isaiah 60:1 – 60:22
Prophets — Jonah 3:1 – 4:11; Micah 1:1 – 5:15
Writings — 1 Chronicles 24:1 – 29:30; 2 Chronicles 1:1 – 2:18
Testimony — Hebrews 3:1 – 9:28

Most of this week’s blog discussion points will be on these passages. If you have general comments or questions on the weekly Scripture readings not addressed in a blog post, here’s a place for you to post those. Just use the “leave a reply” link below.

The full “Read Through The Scriptures In A Year” schedule, broken down by each day, can be found on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links.” There are 4 sections of scripture to read each day. One each from the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and from the Testimony of Yeshua. Each week, the Torah and haftarah readings will follow the traditional one-year reading cycle.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 8/18 through 8/24/13.

* Verse numbers in parenthesis refer to the verse number in Christian Bibles.

 

Time to Awaken from Spiritual Slumber—Messiah Is Coming!

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This year, the biblical festival of Yom Teruah (the Day of Shofar Blowing or Shouting or “Rosh Hashanah”) will likely be on Sunday, Sept. 8 according to the ancient biblical Hebrew calendar. This festival is a prophetically pictures the  beginning of the events that will surround the second coming of our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah. It is time to get ready, for no man knows the day or the hour of the King’s coming! 

“Arise thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Messiah shall give thee light.” (Eph 5:14, also 8–16)

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Yom Teruah or the Day of Shouting or the Shofar Blasts (commonly called “Rosh Hashanah”) occurs at the end of the summer months and marked the beginning of the fall harvest and biblical festival season for the ancient Hebrews. Prophetically, the summer months between the spring Feast of Weeks (Heb. Shavuot or Pentecost) and the fall feast of Yom Teruah is a spiritual picture of what is often called the “Church Age,” which is the period of time from the Feast of Pentecost in Acts 2 until the return of Yeshua the Messiah at the end of the age and lasting for approximately 2000 years. For many, especially those living in hotter climes, summer is a time of leisure, vacation, weariness and fatigue due to the excessive heat. Likewise, many Bible believers have fallen asleep spiritually growing weary while waiting for the return of the Messiah. Yeshua discusses this issue in the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matt 25) who are all found snoozing awaiting the coming of the Bridegroom (Yeshua).

This all changes on the first day of the seventh month of the biblical Hebrew calendar when off in the distance the sound of a shout (or shofar blast?) suddenly pierces the atmosphere and awakens the virgins from their summer doldrums. Not only does the sound signal the beginning of the seventh month when the new crescent moon is sighted, but it announces the return of the Bridegroom (Yeshua) coming for his bride (the virgin saints). As in the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the cry went forth that the bridegroom was coming and all awoke from their slumber to prepare for his arrival. In these end days, that cry is going forth even now for all to hear, to awake and to prepare for the arrival of Yeshua the Messiah.

In the biblical calendar, the visible sighting of the crescent new moon always marks the beginning of the month and is announced by the shofar blast (Ps 81:3). Likewise, on the first day of the seventh month of the biblical calendar, the arrival of the new moon (Heb. rosh chodesh) when the shofar sound marks the beginning of Yom Teruah. This is the first day of the fall (festival) harvest season and is the time when the call goes out for the Continue reading →

 

When Paul Says “Jewish Fables,” Does He Mean the Torah?

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Titus 1:14, Jewish fables. Paul can’t be referring to the Torah here, which he strongly upholds and defends in numerous other places in his writings (Rom 3:31; 7:7, 12, 14; 13:8–10; 1 Cor 7:19; 9:21; Gal 3:10; 6:2; 2 Tim 6:14; Tit 2:14) and even claims to follow (Acts 21:24; 24:1425:8; 28:17; 1 Cor 9:21). He must be talking about the Jewish traditions of men, which Yeshua said in Matthew 15:3–9 and Mark 7:7–9 make of non-effect the word of Elohim.

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In fact, this is exactly what Paul is referring to here in this verse when he says “Jewish fables and commandments of men.” This is not a reference to the Torah, which came from YHVH Elohim, and not froms men. In the same verse, Paul contrasts these commandments of men with “the truth” from which men have turned away.  What is this truth? The Bible defines its own terms. Elohim is the source of truth (Deut 32:4 cp. Pss 86:11; 89:14; 117:2), he is truth (Ps 25:10; 31:5; 33:4), and his Torah is truth (Ps 119:142, 151).

One example of a Jewish fable and a commandment of men would be the idea that one can’t be saved unless they’re first circumcised, which was the subject of the Acts 15 council. Paul vehemently fought this Jewish fable, and the whole Book of Galatians, for example, largely deals with this issue. If Paul had meant the Torah when mentioning “Jewish fables” then this makes Paul into a schizophrenic liar (since he promotes and lauds the Torah and claims to follow it elsewhere), and it makes the word of Elohim contradict itself, and it puts Paul at odds with Yeshua who upheld the Torah (Matt 5:17–19) and with himself when he said to imitate Yeshua the Torah-keeper as he himself did (1 Cor 11:1).

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 8/11 through 8/17/13

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Parashat Ki Tetze — Deuteronomy 21:10 – 25:19
Haftarah — Isaiah 54:1 – 54:10
Prophets — Amos 6:1 – 9:15; Obadiah 1:1 – 1:21; Jonah 1:1 – 2:10
Writings — 1 Chronicles 16:1 – 23:32
Testimony — 2 Timothy 4:1 – 4:22; Titus 1:1 – 3:15; Philemon 1:1 – 1:25; Hebrews 1:1 – 2:18

Most of this week’s blog discussion points will be on these passages. If you have general comments or questions on the weekly Scripture readings not addressed in a blog post, here’s a place for you to post those. Just use the “leave a reply” link below.

The full “Read Through The Scriptures In A Year” schedule, broken down by each day, can be found on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links.” There are 4 sections of scripture to read each day. One each from the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and from the Testimony of Yeshua. Each week, the Torah and haftarah readings will follow the traditional one-year reading cycle.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 8/11 through 8/17/13.

 

New Video: How Can a Good God Allow Evil & Suffering?

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Many people don’t want to love and follow God because of the suffering and evil that exists on the earth. After all, how could an all powerful and loving God allow this to continue? They also wonder why such a God can allow bad things to happen to “good” people. Knowing the answers to these questions could radically change your life for the better. This short video offers a logical explanation.

 

Why Does a Good God Allow Evil & “Good” People to Suffer?

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Why Does God Allow Evil to Exist on the Earth?

The following is a step-by-step logical answer to this questions.

YHVH Elohim (the LORD God, the God of the Bible) is pure love and he is holy (sinlessness), which is the opposite of evil and sin. He can have no communion or intimate relationship with that which is contrary to his character.

YHVH Elohim is love, and love can’t be self-focused (that’s egotism, self worship, selfishness and pride, which is sin and the opposite of love and holiness), and it must be outward flowing. This is why YHVH made man in his own image as a recipient of his love. It was his intent to build a family to be comprised of those who will be like Elohim who is loving and holy (sinless).

Elohim could produce robots or automatons to fawn before and worship him, but true love can’t be generated mechanically. It has to proceed from the heart out of free will choice. Love that is mechanistic or mandated legalistically isn’t love.

So instead of creating Adam and Eve as robots to “love” YHVH mechanistically or robotically and artificially, YHVH gave the first humans a heart and mind and the free will to exercise choice — whether to love him or not.

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Since Elohim is love, all that proceeds from him is love. He is the definition of love, and all that he does is love. He gave man the definition of love in written form. It is called the Torah-word of Elohim and is found in the Bible. The Torah shows man how to love Elohim with all his heart, soul and might, and his neighbor as himself.

YHVH gave the first man and woman a couple of simple Torah-instructions to follow (see the Book of Genesis chapter two). All Adam and Eve had to do was to love Elohim by obeying these instructions or commandments, which would have put them not only on the path to having a loving and intimate relationship with Elohim, but between humans as well.  Continue reading →