Land and Bible

To listen to the podcast, click here : In a previous podcast, episode #7 , we saw that the phrase “in the beginning” of the Gospel of John 1:1 relates to the new beginning that God began with Jesus the Messiah. “In the beginning” of John 1:1, while being an intentional allusion to the Genesis creation, introduces a new beginning or new creation that begins with Jesus the Messiah. In this podcast we will examine further the New Creation theme in the Gospel of John, keeping in mind that biblical New Creation is not a demolition of the current heavens and earth followed by a total new re-creation of matter. Rather, biblical new creation is the rejuvenation or restoration of the current heavens and earth to the righteousness and goodness that God intends. More New Creation in the Gospel of John Biblical scholars have recognized the New Creation theme in the Gospel of John. I will read three quotes as examples from scholars who recognize that the Gospel of John is proclaiming God’s work of ...

To hear the full podcast episode for these notes, click here . In this two-part series, the One God Report podcast examines Hebrews chapter 1, a chapter which many Christians maintain presents the “deity of Christ”. In episode 1, we examine Hebrews 1:1-7. In episode 2, we examine Hebrews 1:8-14 . 1.       The overall point that the author is making in Hebrews chapter 1 is not that Jesus is God, but rather that God has appointed the human being Jesus, as the representative of humanity, to be God’s vice-regent ruler, to “sit at God’s right hand.” This privilege was not granted to an angel or angels. This theme, that God has granted a human being to be at His right hand, fits the overall theme of the book of Hebrews that Messiah, Jesus, is greater than Moses, is a better high priest than Aaron, gives a better rest than Joshua, brings into effect and mediates a better covenant with a better sacrifice compared to what Israel experienced through the earlier covenant. ...

To hear this message on a podcast, click here .   In a recent article/podcast , we saw that the word or title “God” in the New Testament, including in the Gospel of John, never means the Trinity.   In this podcast we will see that in the Gospel of John, Jesus is declared to be the Messiah, not God.   The biblical autumn festivals are coming up, including the of Festival of Tabernacles. John 7 describes how Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Tabernacles festival, only six months before he was crucified, buried and raised from the dead.   In reading over John chapter 7, I’m struck by how the question on the people’s minds in Jerusalem at the Festival was not “Is this man God?”.  Rather, the question people were asking themselves was “Is this man the Messiah ?” For centuries, deity of Christ and Trinitarian theology have claimed that the Gospel of John is the book that presents Jesus as God . But to make that claim a person has to bring his own presup...

"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, being little among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days ."   וְאַתָּה בֵּית-לֶחֶם אֶפְרָתָה צָעִיר לִהְיוֹת בְּאַלְפֵי יְהוּדָה מִמְּךָ לִי יֵצֵא לִהְיוֹת מוֹשֵׁל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וּ מוֹצָאֹתָיו מִקֶּדֶם מִימֵי עוֹלָם ׃ To hear a podcast of this blog, click here . A passage often remembered around Christmas time, Micah 5:2 is quoted in Matthew 2:5-6 to describe that Israel’s ruler would be born in Bethlehem. Some Christian expositors and laypersons see the “eternal pre-existence” of the Messiah and therefore Messiah’s deity in the words of Micah 5:2 (in Hebrew, Micah 5:1): “ whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.” However, even just a comparison of English translations reveals that “eternality” in this passage is not so cut-and-dry. Some English translations use a word like “everlasting”, while others translate the same phrase as “f...