– Part 3 of a series: Is this the end? Salvation distress and glory for the Jew first To the Jews were given, ‘the adoption as sons … the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the […]
God’s promise to Abraham and its fulfilment
July 30, 2020 by
The Lord God revealed that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15), but His redemption plan only comes into view with the call of Abraham in Genesis 12. Two religions emerge in Genesis 4. The first accepts the consequence of sin, namely death, and depends on the atonement – the […]
Satan bound for a thousand years
July 30, 2020 by
The events described in Revelation 20 and their placement in the sequence of end-time events are difficult and controversial. A messenger comes from heaven and binds Satan for a thousand years. (Most English translations use ‘angel’ where the Hebrew and Greek texts read ‘messenger’.) Who is the messenger? Malachi prophesied: suddenly the Lord you are seeking will […]
Tribute to Peter Cohen
June 6, 2020 by
Tribute to Peter Cohen 22/06/1956 – 23/05/2020 It is customary among the Jews to append the letters Z”L to the names of their departed righteous teachers. The letters stand for “zichrono li’vracha, ” which in English means “of blessed memory”. This morning I pay tribute to Peter Cohen z”l – of blessed memory. The earliest […]
Ishmael and Isaac – born of the flesh, born of the Spirit
September 7, 2016 by
If the strife between Arab and Jew began with Ishmael and Isaac, then reconciliation begins there too. Scripture speaks of the brothers’ separation but also mentions their reunion at Abraham’s grave. “And Abraham expired and died in a good old age, old and satisfied. And he was gathered to his people. And his sons Isaac […]
Are the New Testament accounts of Jesus’ resurrection deeply conflicted?
April 17, 2014 by
Asher Norman’s twenty-second reason for rejecting Jesus as Messiah[1] is that “the resurrection accounts are deeply conflicted.” Norman concludes: “Amazingly virtually every detail of the resurrection accounts in each Gospel is directly contradicted by at least one other Gospel. Christianity literally stands or falls on the veracity of the resurrection. If Jesus was not resurrected, […]
What the Rabbis say… concerning Adam’s sin
August 8, 2013 by
What consequence did Adam’s sin have for the human race? Did our relationship with God change fundamentally, as a result? If so, can we ever return to our original condition, or reverse the consequence through our own efforts? Judaism and Christianity give different answers to these questions. Most rabbis today teach that Adam’s sin brought […]
To fulfil what was spoken – the virgin is with child
December 10, 2012 by
“Hear now, O house of David? Is it too little for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; Behold, the maiden conceives and bears a son, and she shall call his name Immanuel. Curds and honey shall he eat, that he may […]
Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38)
December 5, 2012 by
The story of Joseph (Genesis chapters 37 to 50) is interrupted in Genesis chapter 38 by a record of the origins of the tribe of Judah. Joseph prefigured Messiah in many details of his life, i.e. as the chosen son, whom his brothers despised and rejected, but later bowed down to,[1] but Joseph was not […]
The Keys of the Kingdom – Matthew 16 and the church of Rome
October 5, 2012 by
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter […]
