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Apostolic Writings Appointments With God Chanukah Discussions

Chanukah: ‘Perfect’ in dedication to God

Chanukah: 'At that time the Feast of Dedication ... Jesus was walking in the temple' (John 10:32-39)

“You are to be perfect, just as your Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48) seems like an impossible goal until we understand the meaning of the word translated as “perfect.” Luke’s parallel — “be merciful” (Luke 6:36) — helps us understand perfect and shows us a deep meaning under the Festival of (Re)Dedication of the Temple, or Chanukah. To be mature believers, to be righteous, we must dedicate all of ourselves — devotion and weakness — to God.

Yeshua pointed to the actions He was doing through His Father’s power as evidence that He and the Father were “one,” that His “temple” — His body — was whole dedicated to God’s purpose (John 10:22–30). Our “temples” should be wholly dedicated to God as well.

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Discussions Torah

Deuteronomy 4: Statutes, judgments of the Lord

Studies in Torah

The very first verse tells you what the entire book of Deuteronomy is about: the statues and judgments of the Lord. A statute is a pre-described task, something that God has explained and given as a task. A judgement tells us how to carry out the decision of a judge. A judgement elaborates how to to perform a particular statute. Judgements are not always negative, sometimes judgements are favorable.

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Discussions Prophets and Writings

2nd Samuel 20: Prophecies of Yeshua the high priest, of Yehuda the betrayer

Daniel Agee

The gore in this chapter is there for a purpose, part of the big messianic prophecy in 2nd Samuel 15–20. There are multiple stories in this chapter that are worthy of attention and note. This chapter has lots of parallelism and chiastic structure. For example, the actions of Yoab (Joab) mirror those of the high priest and of Yehudah Ish-Kariot (Judas Iscariot) in his betrayal of Yeshua (Jesus).

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Prophets and Writings

Do Christians go to Heaven when they die?

The solid, straightforward, Biblical foundation is that death is the total absence of life, that there is no part of a person that “goes to heaven” when he dies and that the dead are actually dead and sleeping in Sheol until Christ’s appearing. We now turn our attention to some sections of Scripture commonly misconstrued to indicate otherwise. Let’s remember that they must harmonize with those parts of God’s Word.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Torah

Matthew 5:38-42: Yeshua restores the mercy-full meaning of ‘eye for eye’

"Do not think I came to abolish the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 5:17-19): Discover how Jesus' Sermon on the Mount has been long misunderstood

“You have heard it said, but I say…” was a common rabbinic phrase used when a rabbi wanted to encourage yeshiva students to dissect and discuss a particular Torah principle. A “problematic” Torah edicts is “eye for eye, tooth for tooth,” etc. Many Christians and Jews are very uncomfortable with this “barbaric” “tit-for-tat” law.

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Discussions Torah

Deuteronomy 1-3: Lessons from Exodus, Numbers for the next generation

Studies in Torah

The first few chapters of Deuteronomy recount events from Exodus and Numbers. Key lessons for the new generation about to enter the Land were to trust God despite the seemingly invincible adversaries and remember His protection of the first generation out of Egypt and long before.

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Discussions Prophets and Writings

2nd Samuel 19: Who do Shemai, Mephiboshet and Barzillai foreshadow in Messiah’s life?

Daniel Agee

This chapter gives us a new spin on the meaning of the term “good news.” The major people in 2nd Samuel 19 — Shemai, Mephiboshet and Barzillai — were involved in key events and had important traits later expressed in the life of Peter, particularly in how he responded to the death of Yeshua the Messiah.